(11217,1995,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1122761460,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Ma Mere (2004) (France)','\r\nDirector: Christophe Honor\r\nCast: Isabelle Huppert, Louis Garrel\r\n\r\nThe official website is here \r\nsee\r\nwww.mamerethemovie.com/index.cfm\r\n\r\n* I think the synopsis has some spoilers *\r\n\r\nOh no, I really do not know how to comment on this film \r\nIt is loosely based on the novel by Georges Bataille \r\n\r\nWhat is good \r\n-- The performance by the two main cast (Isabelle Huppert and Louis Garrel) esp. the former\r\n-- Definitely the ending scene with the ending song \r\n\r\nWhat may be problematic \r\n-- Initially (for the first 15 min or so), for those who have not read the synopsis or the novel, you may find the transitions from scenes to scenes kind of jumpy and abrupt, and you have to infer who these characters are, how they are related, what is happening, what they are thinking, etc. \r\nBut don\'t worry, it is easy to figure out \r\n-- As the film proceeds, you will start realizing more and more ... and guessing more and more ... and seeing more and more hmmm not for the conservatives \r\n-- In essence, the film gets more and more daring, disturbing and difficult \r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\n-- Daring, disturbing and difficult so, only if you are not conservative \r\n-- Or if you are a diehard fan of Isabelle Huppert or Louis Garrel\r\n-- Or if you want to know what the ending scene is all about','20ef219efbf9c980d8c0b42653a3323b',0,'','8rpghb6A',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11218,1995,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1210995840,1,0,1,1,1,1,'tzarine','Re: Ma Mere (2004) (France)','After the Happy Together part, I needed to see WKW\'s Happy Together. \r\n\r\nIt was risible, trying to be risque. Bataille is def not for all tastes \r\n\r\nHow come Garrel %^&*()off in so many flicks? \r\n\r\nI like Isabelle Huppert.','8f7243376cebcaff5105698ebf3ecef0',0,'','ayeW5ri3',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11219,1996,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1120773000,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Politiki Kouzina (A Touch Of Spice) (2003) (Greece)','Winner of many awards ...\r\nComing soon ... !!!','623d19981cf076182a8c5e7b7e15ba26',0,'','esLEAkWS',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11220,1996,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1121813280,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Politiki Kouzina (A Touch Of Spice) (2003) (Greece)','Director: Tassos Boulmetis\r\nCast: Georges Corraface, Markos Osse, Tassos Bandis, Ieroklis Michaelidis, Renia Louizidou, Basak Kklkaya\r\n\r\nAt the 44th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, for the State Cinema Awards, it garnered the \r\n- Best Fiction Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Set Design , Best Music, Best Sound \r\nsee\r\nwww.filmfestival.gr/2003/...ds_gr.html\r\n- Greek Film & Television Technicians Association Awards \r\nsee\r\nwww.filmfestival.gr/2003/...etekt.html\r\n- DEWAR\'S Audience Awards \r\nsee\r\nwww.filmfestival.gr/2003/...ewars.html\r\n\r\nThe film is segmented into 3 parts, the appetizers, the main course and the dessert. It is rather philosophical, with beautiful cinematography, nice music and some comical moments. With additional viewing, I like the film even more, realizing how meticulous it has crafted a lot of initial scenes to pave the way for the subsequent scenes! In essence, it is a movie that is worth viewing again, even though you may not feel very much initially. You will likely learn something more and like it better \r\n\r\n\r\nWhat I like \r\n-- Definitely the philosophical messages, the ironies of life, the cryptic puns \r\n\r\nFor example, the Greek language (much of which is lost in translation )\r\ne.g., In Greek, oneirevomai (I dream) contains the word revomai (I belch) \r\n* referring to food and stories * they both require something to make them tastier, i.e., the presentation\r\ne.g., Likewise, gastronomer has within it astronomer \r\npepper is like the sun and cinnamon like Venus (and woman sweet and bitter) and salt like Earth (life requires salt to make it tastier) \r\ne.g., Again in Greek, the word return contains within it the word turn and in turn, the word trofi (i.e., food).\r\nlike the journey of mankind, appetizers seduce the senses \r\ne.g., Kolokotronis is not a verb, he is a Greek revolution hero \r\ne.g., Even the Greek title Politiki Kouzina may convey multiple meanings \r\nsee the discussion here\r\nwww.imdb.com/title/tt0378...t/13488884\r\n\r\nFor example, there is so much parallel between food and life \r\ne.g., sometimes we have to add the wrong spice to make a point \r\ne.g., when people do not add sauce to their food, they sauce up their conversations \r\ne.g., not only food can be cooked, other things can be cooked too \r\ne.g., people like to hear about things that do not exist (who cares about the salt in the food if it makes it tasty) \r\n* referring to the stars in the sky * they do not exist, we only see the marks they left behind \r\n* later in another scene referring to the cooking to please the future in laws * \r\nthe woman claimed, We dont hide anything in our food. (our culture too, our life too) \r\nthen the male protagonist replied, If you want to marry, then you will have to learn to hide a few things. (referring to the food, but also hinting at life and marriage) \r\n* in yet another two scenes referring to the Turkish steam bath * in here, souls open like mussels in steam \r\n\r\nFor example, there is so much about ironies of life \r\ne.g., we were sent off as Greeks, but we were received as Turks \r\ne.g., the male protagonist was afraid of people in uniform yet he kept encountering them the immigration officer, the police, the military, etc and also, he had to learn to face them \r\ne.g., a priest was gotten to rid the male protagonist for being possessed (i.e., too good a cook for his age) and yet, after that, the priest was totally immersed in the male protagonist\'s gourmet \r\ne.g., relationship without arguments is like weddings without music \r\n\r\nFor example, there is so much about identity with some thought provoking or cryptic lines \r\ne.g., * referring to the comical behavior of Turkish when asked about directions * * but actually referring to a more grave matter * it sets them apart historically and biologically, it re-orients their identity i.e., who they are, their origins and where they are going \r\ne.g., the arguments were silly, but hiding historical importance (in terms of beliefs, religion, food, etc)\r\ne.g., I did not leave, we were deported\r\ne.g., you should talk about the place you are going, not the place you are leaving \r\ne.g., there are two kinds of travelers, those who look at the map and those who look at the mirror, those who look at the mirror are coming home\r\ne.g., * referring to an X ray * He is perfectly fine, it is an old wound \r\n* later in another scene * Old pains are sneaky \r\n\r\nWhat could be better \r\n-- People who are unclear about the history of Greece, Turkey and Cyprus would not appreciate how well the initial scenes were paved for the subsequent scenes they might not even feel much for the characters \r\n-- Some might feel that the actual deportation was rather mildly depicted \r\n-- Pardon me, but I did not like the comical take on Parkinson \r\n-- Despite the dual interests when he was young, there was no clear explanation as to how he had transformed from a chef when young (intern?! vacation job?!) into a professor in astrophysics when old.\r\n\r\nNow, for you to find out \r\n* I wont spoil it for you go watch the film *\r\n... I like the ending very well done * guess what happened * \r\n... also, did the grandfather really want to come all these years \r\n... also, why did the grandson never visit yet, he had traveled the world \r\n... so, was the main protagonist more Greek or more Turkish * look for the tell tale signs * or did it matter at all \r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\nI recommend watching the film, even though a lot is lost in translation and on initial viewing, it may not come across as very compelling. But with each additional viewing, one will likely appreciate how meticulously crafted the film is. \r\n\r\nWow','04fce1f5db61d0aab55fb3f65dc6a396',0,'','RlwS0q9J',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11221,1997,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1121760060,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Qi Jian (Seven Swords) (2005) (Hong Kong)','Director: Tsui Hark\r\nCast: Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Lu Yi, Lau Kar Leung, Sun Hong Lei, Charlie Young, Kim So Yeun \r\n\r\nWell, this is one of the more anticipated Chinese films ...\r\nIt will be the opening film at the 62nd Venice International Film Festival\r\nwww.labiennale.org/en/cin...06-23.html\r\n\r\nThe official website is here ...\r\nwww.sevenswordsthefilm.com/\r\n\r\nThe trailer is here ...\r\nwww.sevenswordsthefilm.co...rCH768.wmv','6e159f871ce97bd619536d8ff70305c2',0,'','MntJjSeK',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11222,1998,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1121663160,1,0,1,1,1,1,'groom daniel','The new Miyazaki and Wong Kar-Wai','I caught Howl\'s Moving Castle and 2046 at the Film Festival this weekend.\r\n\r\nThe new Miyazaki is really good. It\'s like a bunch of his earlier films rolled into one, but wonderfully imaginative and extremely tongue in cheek. Like most Miyzaki films, it stops making sense towards the end and there\'s a lot that\'s never explained, but it didn\'t matter, because it\'s entertaining. I saw it in a packed theatre and everyone fell in love with its charm. Miyazaki is a genius at making people happy and HMC is no doubt the most good natured film I\'ll see all year. \r\n\r\n2046, on the other hand, can only be described as a disappointment. As a sequel to In The Mood For Love it\'s completely unnecessary -- there\'s not enough story to justify it as a film, especially when the arc takes Tony Leung back to where he was at the beginning of the film. Along the way there\'s two interesting relationships between Tong Leung and Faye Wong and Leung and Zhang Ziyi, but these are intercut with subplots that don\'t work. 2046 is the first time I can remember Wong Kar-Wai\'s style not working -- the editing doesn\'t work, the non-linear plot doesn\'t work, and most of all, the enactments of \"2046\" don\'t work. The film is cold, melancholy and depressing, which would be OK if it were moving, but it\'s not. It seems Wong Kar-Wai\'s auteur status has got the better of him with this one; it plays out like an Antonioni film, but without the intrigue. OK if you want to see beautiful Asian women, but don\'t expect a great story.','786cf94d9852f72265334497d133d319',0,'','EwTbjdJY',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11223,1998,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1121737080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: The new Miyazaki and Wong Kar-Wai','Hee hee ...\r\nwhen I have more time, I will write more about 2046 ...\r\nas a matter of fact, there is nothing really new ... but I think it is still watchable ...\r\n\r\nRegarding WKW, go watch his new film (part of 3 stories) ... Eros (2004)!!!','7f2b564576763237795ee81849fa55e8',0,'','uSHpFWBT',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11224,1999,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1119325860,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Abouna (2002) - Our Father (Chad)','Directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun\r\n\r\nStarring Ahidjo Mahamat Moussa, Hamza Moctar Aguid\r\n\r\nA very melancholic experience but always with a glimmer of positivity.\r\n\r\nTwo brothers, there father has left home, no reason why, hes just gone! Their mother finds it increasingly difficult to cope with them especially when they start skipping school so she packs them off to a Koran school where they live. \r\n\r\nOne of the women there takes a shine to Amine because he reminds her of her son who drowned, the older brother Tahir finds himself attracted to a deaf mute girl and romance blossoms.\r\n\r\nThe brothers try to escape from the school because they want to find their father but theyre caught and Tahir is severely punished. There are several more episodes of pain and loss but also love and hope. \r\n\r\nThe film moves at a very slow pace with some stunning scenic shots but although itll move you, theres nothing truly memorable about the story.\r\n\r\nWorth seeing as an example of African cinema but there are better choices out there.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.\r\n\r\nBBFC rated PG','c6195461b2bf881ac95f7d0cfac2f232',0,'','KqS3v1jN',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11225,1999,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1208843640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Abouna (2002) - Our Father (Chad)','\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAvailable on DVD from Home Vision Entertainment. Extras include an interview with the director along with two of his early shorts.','2da6d5275aeeae964f8183cf05b6ff35',0,'','UcS3HyQl',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11226,2000,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1121164020,1,0,1,1,1,1,'MikLosk','Dreaming of Space (Alexei Uchitel, Russia, 2005)','There are several really great directors in modern Russia that are unfortunately unknown in the rest of the world, e.g. Alexei German (his \"Khrustalyov, My Car!\" is in my opinion flawless masterpiece and the best film of 1990\'s), Vadim Abdrashitov (his \"Parade of Planets\" can be compared with Tarkovsky\'s \"Mirror\", its mystical power is incredible!). Among them is Aleksei Uchitel. His marvellous film \"His wife\'s diary\" about great Russian writer Ivan Bunin is arguably the most underappreciated movie of the last decade.\r\n\r\nUchitel\'s last film \"Dreaming of Space\" (\"Kosmos kak predchuvstvie\") is the winner of Grand Prix of XXVII Moscow Film Festival. Hope this victory will help Uchitel to be more widely known among foreign audience. But I have to accept that this movie is far not so perfect as his fantastic first feature film. \r\n\r\nIt tells about that period when the Soviet Union have just launched first satellite of the Earth, wonderful period when almost all Soviet people believed that Communism will come tomorrow and everybody hoped that all his dreams will fulfill soon. And the film itself is about dreaming, that marvellous condition of human spirit when everything is possible. \r\n\r\nThe story tells about naive young guy Victor living in a small town in the USSR in 1957. He meets another fellow who\'s dreaming of leaving the USSR. He tells Victor that he\'s one of candidates to be a first cosmonaut, and Victor believes him...\r\nThe story itself is indeed interesting and I don\'t want to spoil more. Screenplay\'s written by Alexandr Mindadze - a great man who wrote screenplays for all Abdrashitov\'s movies. And this one is good too.\r\n\r\nBut is the whole film excellent? No, it has its flaws. First of all, I think long takes are not in place here. Moreover, the whole athmosphere of the movie is too cold: I couldn\'t compassionate with heroes. Besides, there are some problems with editing (very strangely!) that makes the story somewhat sophisticated. So, the film is not perfect, but without a doubt worth seeing because Uchitel has its own interesting style that (I do believe) should be known all over the world.\r\n7/10','1eef229143d695cee749d9c8376d0525',0,'','tMcp7ivU',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11227,2001,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1120989180,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Svoi (Our Own) (2004) (Russia)','Director: Dmitri Meskhiyev\r\nCast: Sergei Garmash, Konstantin Khabensky, Mikhail Evlanov, Bogdan Stupka\r\n\r\nPardon me for reposting this movie ...\r\nbecause I really want to recommend it ...\r\nI have only one word -- WOW!\r\n\r\nSo, go catch the movie!\r\nBut on a BIG screen ... it does make a difference ...\r\n\r\nIn Moscow International Film Festival 2004, the movie has garnered the following awards\r\n- Best Film \r\n- Best Director \r\n- Best Actor \r\nApparently the male actor was also nominated for the Best Actor in European Film Academy Awards.\r\n\r\nI do not like to read nor write synopsis because they usually give the beginnings of the movie away. So, I shan\'t write a synopsis here. \r\n\r\nSo, what do I like about the movie?\r\n-- The movie is very consistent about challenging the audience to think about who is US and who is THEM! The director has done it either subtlely (e.g., choice of characters, their vocation/background, etc) or very laudly (e.g., who are we protecting ourselves against? us or them?) The line between the two is often very vague.\r\n-- The ENTIRE cast is commendable, be they the lead or supporting.\r\n-- The cinematography is great too, giving the story a tint of old grayish texture.\r\n-- The movie has a very realistic feel, be it the locations, the scenes, the acting, but most importantly, the way people behave! It is a nice movie that portrays human genuinely.\r\n-- Definitely the pacing, it has its fast and slow moments. But regardless of the situation, audience would be eager to know what happen next or how the movie will end.\r\n-- Few if any mention, I definitely like the sountrack and music! oh ... the Russian music?! ... hee hee\r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\nHighly recommended!','bd7e76a6aa02fbc0746caacb6f376236',0,'','pt1Dezjc',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11228,2001,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1206079140,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Svoi (Our Own) (2004) (Russia)','I have always thought this is a great website with very insightful reviews of Russian films \r\nso here you go ... \r\n\r\nSvoi \r\nclick \r\nhttp://www.kinokultura.com/reviews/R1-05svoi.html \r\n\r\nPS: Maybe this will prompt them to distribute the DVD with English subtitles \r\nDoes anyone here know filmmovement or kino etc ... \r\nMaybe you can help convince them to distribute the film on DVD (it has been 4 years ...)','03e2368b627b6236c94cedcdc9791dd2',0,'','JmLsxa1o',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11229,2002,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1118708340,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Lu Mao Zi - The Green Hat (2004) (China)','\"The Green Hat\" is basically an insult to a man in China to say that his wife/partner is/has been unfaithful to him and he\'s pretty much accepted the situation, it is an expression rather than an actual item just as the expression \"cuckold\" is used in the West.\r\n\r\nThe interconnecting part of this film is that the major male character in each is wearing the metaphorical \"Green Hat\", the first finding \r\nout that his girlfriend who has been in college in the US for 2 years has found somebody else. The fact that he finds out after he has committed a robbery to be able to afford to fly out and visit her doesn\'t exactly help and sends him over the edge.\r\n\r\nThe second, a detective connects with the first for a few minutes before we follow his \"Green Hat\" situation, he is unable to achieve an erection and his wife has taken a lover. We follow along as he tries various treatments for his problem and also tries to warn off his wifes lover.\r\n\r\nThe resolution to this part is not what I would have expected but is certainly more probable than the typical \"happy\" ending we\'re usually fed.\r\n\r\nI enjoyed the film, the first section taking up around a third of the running time ran at a fairly brisk pace whereas the second section seemed stretched out (maybe a bit too much) and the pacing was much slower.\r\n\r\nOverall a rewarding experience and I was thankful to see a film which is very unlikely to get any sort of widespread distribution. Seen at the Cardiff International Film Festival Oct 2004.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','c9be0a3c738481317173aa7f0292d39e',0,'','nsV4YuAj',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11230,2002,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1120983720,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Lu Mao Zi - The Green Hat (2004) (China)','Luckily my post was archived ...\r\n\r\nThis movie, by Liu Fen Dou, was screened at the 3rd Tribeca Film Festival, and it won \r\n-- Best Narrative Feature \r\n-- Best New Narrative Filmmaker \r\nsee\r\nwww.tribecafilmfestival.o...detail.php\r\n\r\nI actually like the first 1/3 of the movie! The audience is led to believe it is a movie about crime/thriller and even comedy! But it is only peripherally related to the story of the main protagonist. Nonetheless, it has the exact theme/question as the entire movie. In essence, the movie seeks to ask the \"archaic\" question:\r\nWhat is love? And What is sex? Can the two exist in exclusion?\r\n\r\nWhat is good?\r\n-- Audience may read more into some metaphors (which may or may not be intentional by the director).\r\n-- Although it is a low budget film, the audience is unlikely to feel bored, as it is well paced.\r\n-- The first 1/3 of the movie is fun to watch, while the last 2/3 of the movie is kind of slow, but character driven, with occasional light humor.\r\n-- The ending is good ...\r\n\r\nWhat could be better?\r\n-- The radio program was not \"subtitled\" because the two characters were also speaking in the car. Actually, the DJ was also sharing some thoughts about \"What is being \"romantic\"?\"\r\n-- Some people might feel that the first 1/3 and the last 2/3 are not exactly coherent ... but in my humble opinion, it does share a common theme: \r\nWhat is love? What will you do for love?\r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\nWorth watching? Sure ...','44bf219ae893c0737c814e5e16f3bccd',0,'','BfCX5Q1l',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11231,2003,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1117747020,1,0,1,1,1,1,'ManicallyHip','The Nomi Song (2005) (Germany/America)','IMDB has this listed as a German film, and it\'s about a German popstar, but the movie is directed by an American who lives in Germany. It\'s premiere was at the Berlin film festival though, although most of the dialogue is English. What can you do, lol?\r\n\r\nOf course, this is a film on Klaus Nomi, the avant-garde new wave giant of the East Village in the early 1980s. They make it sound like he achieved Warhol-like status, but I had never even heard of the guy until I saw the film at Universal. Really good documentary on the NYC art culture during the period, and it features some of the icons from that time. An oddly American film created by a German production company...\r\n\r\nAnyone else get a chance to see it in the theatres -- I got an advance copy of the DVD, which has some impressive extras on it?','d7c86036253037562ebca038b2c2eee1',0,'','UyrMJQ5F',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11232,2003,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1120958940,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: The Nomi Song (2005) (Germany/America)','This is to merge 2 different threads on the same topic. \r\n\r\nOriginally posted by ManicallyHip\r\n(6/30/05 7:02 pm)\r\n\r\nI just want to recommend The Nomi Song to all of you. Its not really a foreign film. Its was made in America, but had more sucess over in France and Germany. Its a documentary about Klaus Nomi, who was a new wave artist in the late 70s and early 80s. He was known for wearing crazy makeup and costumes. He was also tragically one of the first notable people to die of AIDS. I only heard about this film through my internship at UMVD, but once i saw it, I fell in love with it. If you want, you can check out the film\'s trailer at www.thenomisong.com. I hope you guys like it as much as i did!','c92bfbe3027937044bd9a30745d8b224',0,'','5gTRLieK',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11233,2004,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1120773240,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Letter From An Unknown Woman (2004) (China)','Director: Xu Jinglei\r\nCast: Xu Jinglei, Jiang Wen\r\n\r\nAt the San Sebastian International Film Festival 2004, the movie garnered the Silver Shell for Best Director Award .\r\nsee\r\nsansebastian.mister-i.com...?id=520635\r\n\r\nThe official website (in Chinese)\r\nwww.xujinglei.org/letter/\r\n\r\nNope it is not the 1948 version directed by Max Ophuls \r\nYup you guess it, the movie is also based on the book by Stefan Zweig but relocated to China between the 1930s to 1948.\r\n\r\nThe movie tells the story of a woman who had loved a man for all her life, but he did not even remember her \r\nThe tagline (in Chinese) for the movie was A mans one night stand, A womans entire life love \r\n\r\nAs I have neither read the book nor watched the 1948 version, I would not seek to compare them. Who knows, this may make my comments more objective * naughty grin * at times, I really feel that each movie should be rated on its own merits and not be compared to the book (which is of a different medium, with differing strengths and weaknesses) or the other versions of movie (who knows, first impression may interfere with objectivity) * naughty grin again *\r\n\r\nWhat I like \r\n-- Wow definitely the mood and the sound of the movie. The entire mood was so melancholic, languid, and yet very beautiful yes, part of the credit should go to the sounds \r\n(i) the soundtrack was really impressive in bringing out the mood of the entire movie \r\n(ii) also, the voice over narration (which was very essential to the movie) was very well delivered \r\n-- There is one scene that I really like \r\ni.e., near the end, when the female protagonist left him for the last time, and she met the housekeeper at the door WOW that was the best scene !!! It really contrasted the two scenarios a second ago, she was again easily forgotten by someone whom she loved so much but a second after, she was so easily recognized by someone whom she had hardly noticed what can one say thats life!\r\n-- Overall, the production and the pacing were very well done. I was actually interested to know what happened next in the movie \r\n\r\nWhat I thought could be better \r\n-- Pardon my indolence, but frankly, to some extent, Jiang Wen (in the movie) did not come across as a guy whom many girls would fall for (sorry to his fans, I know he can act). No no no I am not merely talking about physical looks, but also the script. It did not have sufficient characterization/events to convince the audience that many girls would fall for him. After some thoughts, the only factor I could possibly think of is -- hey, the character was filthily rich, so he could possibly sleep with any woman he wanted.\r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\nI actually enjoy the movie and recommend it! \r\nTo all who still believe in this thing called love, I guess you will like the movie! \r\nHee hee \r\n\r\nP.S.: Once again, in order to enjoy the movie, do NOT be burdened by either the book or the earlier classic filmed in 1948!','8bb1580431482f369cfdd24fe08c6e90',0,'','sWMx8QjF',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11234,2004,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1120938420,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Letter From An Unknown Woman (2004) (China)','To those who are keen on Jiang Wen, \r\n-- He is preparing to direct his third movie!\r\n-- The movie is \"Tai Yang Zai Ci Sheng Qi\" (i.e., The Sun Rises Again).','2410e62fc7903873c2718071376f6d83',0,'','RaV0ygFB',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11235,2005,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1116886380,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Sara','Kurosawa\'s Kagemusha is ... well, wonderful! (1980) (Japan)','I just watched the new Criterion DVD uncut 3 hour version of Kagemusha. I am overwhelmed with it. The color, the main character, the humanitarian quality that Kurosawa always seems to get in. It is a good story as is every film of his I have ever seen. (He is such a good story teller.)\r\n\r\nThe aftermath of the final battle scene is something that will live with me forever. (I will not spoil it for you by telling more.)\r\n\r\nStephen Prince does a great job with his 3 hour commentary. All about Japanese history, the production of the movie, and especially about what\'s going on in the film.\r\n\r\nThe same actor plays the lead in this (a double role here) as he does later in Ran. I think Ran is superb. Maybe better than Kagemusha. But both are great films.\r\n\r\nThis film is long. But it was worth it to me to soak in another Kurosawa film. The battle scenes are not up close as in Seven Samurai or Ran. The are really seen reflected in the face of the main character and then in images.\r\n\r\nI did not know this, but Stephen Prince suggests that Kurosawa really started slow motion camera work even in Seven Samurai (as he does in Kagemusha.)\r\n\r\nThere is a second disc which has lots of supplemental material on it which I hope to receive from Netflix tomorrow.\r\n\r\nPlease see this Criterion version.\r\n\r\nSara','32ca1d03a6f1c5f9713bcac540988091',0,'','jqMtCPTz',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11236,2006,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1116373260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','A Moment To Remember (2004) (Korea)','hee hee ... given that I am an Asian, I have to admit it is a very Asian melodrama ... (be it Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc)\r\nIf you like Asian TV melodrama, you will like the movie ...\r\n\r\nWell, it starts off with the typical comedy/humor in courtship ... and it ends with the typical tear jerking romance ...\r\n\r\nSo, what makes it good?\r\n-- I guess the cast helps to make it believable, and the movie does not waste too much time on any event or episode ... which may drag the plot down ...\r\n-- While the story is not exactly original or novel (at least in Asia), it does have some cryptic/philosophical lines ...\r\ne.g., To forget easily is a gift ... \r\ne.g., I met you when I was forgetful, and I left you when I became forgetful ...\r\ne.g., Forgiveness is about giving your hate just a little room in your heart ... \r\n-- I also like the line/question in the last scene ... \r\n* no spoiler *\r\ne.g., Is this ******?\r\n\r\nWhat may be weak?\r\n-- Since the last half of the movie is grounded on an important event ... the audience have to buy what happens ... that it is indeed plausible albeit uncommon ... if you refuse to believe what happens ... then everything is kind of ridiculous ...\r\n-- Also, due to editing (as opposed to the director\'s cut), the audience may find a few events not convincing nor well explained ...\r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\nIn essence, it is just a simple story that is well told ...\r\nIf you like Asian TV melodrama, you will like the movie ...','5dc8a6d2196b8eff403ec41b5d6a389a',0,'','4Xn173jY',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11237,2007,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1114557180,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Vremya Zhatvy (Harvest Time) (2004) (Russia)','Ok, I watched this film in SFIFF. But I am starting a new thread because some Russians on this board may want to add on ... \r\n\r\n-- It is a nominee in the EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY DISCOVERY 2004 - Prix Fassbinder\r\nwww.europeanfilmacademy.o...s2004.html\r\n\r\n-- The director Marina Razbezhkina is a well established documentary film maker. According to the MC who introduced the film (if I recall correctly), the movie seems to be inspired by a woman patient who was warded next to the director when she was in hospital ...\r\n\r\nThe movie depicts tragedy without depicting any explicit tragic scenes. It is about personal tragedy and some political tragedy, but in the end, it also hints subtlely at societal tragedy (i.e., the sadness of progress or present society) ...\r\n\r\nIt is a simple and nice film that revolves around the story of a family of four -- the parents and two kids ... \r\n... so, it pays attention to the details of daily life/culture/rituals in those times ...\r\n... there will be scenes that make you smile ...\r\n... there will be scenes that make you sad ...\r\n... but like all films that are realistic, the ending depicts it all \r\n-- i.e., the ironies of life ... and life goes on ... \r\n\r\nThe only problem, if at all is \r\n... foreigners may fail to understand why the female protagonist is so fanatical about keeping the red banner in perfect condition ... a slight knowledge of history may be necessary ...\r\n... to some people, the ending may be too abrupt ... BUT it is definitely thought provoking ... which is what I like ... hmmm ... I would really like the audience to think about the ending ...','d62fb1c526bef0edf399a294b7e67caf',0,'','XrYgs92J',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11238,2008,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1118207160,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Susanne Bier\'s BROTHERS (2004) (Denmark)','Winner of the audience award at Sundance earlier this year, Brothers (Brdre), meticulously explores the emotional and psychological terrain of characters that are in a lot less control of surrounding circumstances than they claim or want to be. While angst-ridden story lines are nothing new to current Danish Cinema (remarkable and challenging features like Per Flys Inheritance and Christoffer Boes Reconstruction -- both commercially released last year in the U.S. -- have resolutely examined a few key subjects), it is quite bracing to observe young and talented filmmakers reassessing certain themes and issues with their own set of techniques and values. Lars Von Trier may now be fighting his \"wars\" elsewhere (though still from the comfort of his own home -- much to the chagrin of many), he has helped cultivate a crop of individualized talents who are just starting to make a name for themselves, and the director of Brothers, Susanne Bier, is just one of many. Right now, Danish cinema is one of the healthiest in the world.\r\n\r\nIn this emotional family melodrama, Bier vividly portrays three individuals whose internal turmoil pours out in the open once they have to deal with extraordinary events. Michael (Ulrich Thomsen of Inheritance and the Dogme hit The Celebration) is an upstanding individual, a well-respected army major, and a loving husband and father. On the other hand, his aimless younger brother, Jannik (Nikolaj Lie Kaas from Reconstruction), is a drunk, a troublemaker who has just been released from prison for bank robbery and assault. However, once Michael is called in to help with reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, Jannik partly assumes his role -- in helping his wife, Sarah (Connie Nielsen), and their two young daughters. Not long after Michael\'s departure, they get the devastating news that his helicopter was shot down and hes assumed dead. One way or the other, family dynamics have now changed forever.\r\n\r\nBrothers is a relatively conventional story (at times it even resembles your average TV movie-of-the-week), but Bier has an acute sense of detecting various behavioral patterns in her characters. Her austere direction (aided by a somber score of Johan Sderqvist), a sharp and fast-paced screenplay (from Anders Thomas Jensen), but most of all, it\'s the performances that bring this film to greater heights. Nielsen, who gave a towering performance as a deliciously cold \"corporate-demon\" in Assayas demonlover (although shes most recognized for Gladiator), once again displays her talent which was often wasted by Hollywood (Nielson won the Danish \"Oscar\" for this role). Ulrich Thomsen is fine once again (although one wishes that some of the sequences involving him that took place in Afghanistan were handled better). Brothers doesnt quite reach the stature of Bier\'s previous film, the Bergman-esque Open Hearts (Dogme#28, 2002), but it is still a worthy effort.','b7e63cb362199cca30f2c7d2d782a09e',0,'','MyDv1S9i',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11239,2008,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1120864200,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Susanne Bier\'s BROTHERS (2004) (Denmark)','Wow ... I found my old posting in filmwurld.com again ...\r\n\r\nThis movie has garnered the\r\n-- Best Actor Award and Best Actress Award at San Sebastian Film Festival 2004\r\n-- Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival 2005\r\n-- Critics Award at Hamburg International Film Festival 2004\r\n\r\nWell, in my humble opinion, most of the synopsis gives too much away. Hence, I shall refrain from doing so. \r\n\r\nAll that I will say is:\r\n-- At a lower level, it is a family drama that begins with a typical near perfect elder brother and seemingly all bad younger brother. Predictably, everything is not going to be as clear!\r\n-- On a higher level, it is about life: Whether we really have control over life! The movie begins with and \"nearly\" ends with the same scenes/lines/message ... the gist of the message is, \"In life, there is no right or wrong ... there is no good or bad ...\" More precisely, how would we handle things beyond our control.\r\n-- It is also about love: What will we do for love?\r\n\r\nDespite being a low budget film, using a hand-held camera and video, it is pretty well directed. Initially, the director keeps \"paralleling\" certain scenes by alternating them. I have to admit that I prefer the beginning scenes, and the last half of the movie. Somewhere in the middle, although it is still good, it is not very different from many family drama that I have watched.\r\n\r\nThe movie is good in depicting reality, with the exception of the \"plot twist\" (if it can be called that). I believe some audience may find it slightly unconvincing. Nonetheless, for most part of the movie, acting/plot/dialogues/etc do come across as natural, especially from the cast. Indeed, the cast is worth commending! \r\n\r\nIn sum, many who have family/kins/friends who are sent to war will be able to identify with some issues. Worth watching!','bd95ec6a1de512f243ccefb6d0bf891f',0,'','GajiJLsT',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11240,2009,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1119016860,1,0,1,1,1,1,'chard09','Reconstruction (Christopher Boe) (2003) (Denmark)','From a previous post I made, in response to Trevor\'s inquiry about the film:\r\n\r\nI have seen the film a few months ago in a festival. Perhaps not the best among the line-ups but in my opinion, still worth-watching. I was quite tired at that time of the screening that I have decided to watch Girl with a Pearl Earring, but unfortunately it has started already for thirty minutes. The other theater is showing Boe\'s Reconstruction, just in time. Anyway, I had a review written in my notebook, but right now, I forgot where I placed it. Hehe.. If I have time, I\'ll post my thoughts then cause I wrote that a few hours after the screening. As for now, as I can remember, it has a good story, and that final line in the film moves me, something like; \"It\'s all a film. It is all a construction.\" But even though it hurts.. Hehe..I forgot the exact line, but the narrator is the one who created the story about his wife and its lover. The style is noticeable, and I\'m positive about this new director\'s storytelling. The film may be dragging a bit to some (my friend told me he slept for a while), so don\'t watch it if you\'re very drowsy. i guess it\'s more of the examining the actions of the characters and deal on details that make this film commendable, in my opinion. Likewise, its symbolism and the narration came to the exact point of challenging the audience. Even though we\'re aware that all of these things are just construction, Boe makes us feel that a reconstruction is still very interesting. If love stories could be very visually provocative as this, then Ill make myself a promise of watching all of them. \r\n\r\nOh my, I\'m having deja vu.. Do we need reconstruction here?','e771ecf3708abcda7cdbde8f6c0a7c9e',0,'','YR4ztTgW',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11241,2009,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1119633240,1,0,1,1,1,1,'andre angel','Re: Reconstruction (Christopher Boe) (2003) (Denmark)','Well I recently got around this film, but it greatly disappointed me. Ok, there\'s nothing wrong with this film itself, but, I must say, I prefer watching Renais\'s Marienbad to seeing this one repeatedly.\r\n\r\nTo me, these subject (man, woman, and man / past, present, and future / subject vs. object) are already finished with Resnais\'s works. Actually, the plot of \"Reconstruction\" resembles Resnais\'s Providence, and the dreamy, hasty touch of it reminds me of his later works. Or Alain Robbe-Grillet\'s films and novels.\r\n\r\nI don\'t say it\'s a bad thing to begin one\'s career from imitating or remaking the precursors\' greatests, but it also needs a great amount of innovation and courage.','d405563f667ee0d78e44857bf037a958',0,'','2F461EdQ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11242,2010,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1115895180,1,0,1,1,1,1,'MikLosk','Five Obstructions (Denmark, 2003)','The new film where Lars von Trier is claimed as one of co-directors (the other is Iorgen Leth) is a semi-documentary one that in my opinion should not be treated too seriously. I think it\'s just a joke (and sort of rest for Lars between two films of his ambitious \"American thrilogy\"). Although, of course, every joke can contain interesting ideas.\r\n\r\nI believe that von Trier does love cinema, in spite of some of his controversial expressions (that are nothing but epatage) and strange anti-cinema project Dogme-95. He really can enjoy this form of art. And \"Five obstructions\" is a great fun for cinefiles, full of daring experiments and irony that can entertain you. \r\n\r\nIt\'s unjust to say that von Trier is an author of this movie. He has only inspired talented documentary filmmaker Iorgen Leth to create five short documentaries (except for the last one) that are the main constituents of the film. But to inspire somebody is also a specific ability, isn\'t it? \r\n\r\nWhat was von Trier\'s idea? He said that restrictions could be a great impetus for a creator (e.g. who knows whether all Tarkovsky\'s feature films were masterpieces if he hadn\'t been oppressed by Soviet authorities). It was a ground idea for the movie. \r\n\r\nBeing a great admirer of Leth\'s early documentary \"The Perfect Human\", von Trier suggested him to play an interesting game: Leth shoud remake \"The perfect human\" five times following every time a specific rule invented by Lars. So, the film consists of these five \"obstructed\" remakes and von Trier\'s reasoning about them. Some constraints are really excited, some are rather strange (e.g. extremely short shots), but every time we get marvellous short movie. \r\nAnyway, all of them reveal great opportunities of cinema: one story can be told in so many ways and every way has its own charme!\r\n\r\nGreat Russian writer Vladimir Nabokov once said that every real Artist, while creating, impose some inner restrictions to himself, and a true piece of art is a result of overcoming of such \"obstacles\". I\'d prefer not to consider \"Five obstructions\" as such a researching of deep origins of art, but this film, created by people who does understand cinema and can appreciate it, is a pure delight for real cinema lover! Undoubtedly worth seeing!\r\n7/10','ed72fa3deb234e64a5d240f9ff0d44bc',0,'','nyZrVSFw',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11243,2010,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1115900940,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Five Obstructions (Denmark, 2003)','I\'m sure I commented on The Five Obstructions quite a while ago, Miklosk did you see it in a cinema or on DVD?\r\n\r\nI think you\'ve hit the nail on the head with your review, Lars always comes across as a bit smarmy to me anyway but I\'m sure this \"experimental film\" isn\'t meant to be taken too seriously and at least it dragged Leth into the limelight for a while.\r\n\r\nI\'d never heard of \"The Perfect Human\" and without this film probably wouldn\'t have either.\r\n\r\nThe Five Obstructions is a light film especially after Dogville and is there to enjoy.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','1ededca97785b6b05d021251d67112d1',0,'','cPSojnNX',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11244,2010,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1115906640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'MikLosk','Re: Five Obstructions (Denmark, 2003)','I watched the film in a cinema. Of course, Trevor, it\'s a light movie - I\'ve emphasized that it\'s first of all a fun.\r\n\r\nDogville also has some moments of fun, though','63dbe3f0913c4a2092b89cd3d739fc47',0,'','8z0n5qlH',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11245,2010,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1115919180,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Five Obstructions (Denmark, 2003)','I was very surprised that it was Denmark\'s entry to the Oscars, I didn\'t think it would have a hope in hell as it wasn\'t Oscar friendly and unfortunately, it didn\'t.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','68401ba1515e80174c0ffa265718dbc3',0,'','ytYBj9xl',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11246,2011,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1116463260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Sara','The Making of Fanny and Alexander (Sweden)','For those of you who love Fanny and Alexander, this DVD on the making of that film is just wonderful. Joyous. And it gives such good shots of Bergman working with the children and others.\r\n\r\nAlso on the DVD is an hour long interview with Bergman (with film clips) which touches on his thoughts about death and life. Just wonderful.\r\n\r\nPlease. If you love this movie, go out and rent/buy the Making of F&A.\r\n\r\nI found it very moving, fun loving (Bergman\'s working with the children shows what a good time he and the children were having) and full of information. He says on the interview that the children had no scripts - but were given their lines each day. And he says how they (the children) came bounding in every day with enthusiasm ready to go. He also said that for every 3 minutes of film the takes numbered sometimes 100 and would take a whole day for just 3 minutes.\r\n\r\nPlease. If you love Bergman, you owe it to yourself to see this.\r\n\r\nSara','e66fb3086c2e197c2c3526edef143df3',0,'','frBnyGS6',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11247,2011,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1116464700,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: The Making of Fanny and Alexander (Sweden)','Hi,\r\nI presume you are talking abt the Criterion Collection?','225eec066c68c7ecf789859d17682829',0,'','bqheHZnU',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11248,2011,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1116468960,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Sara','Re: The Making of Fanny and Alexander (Sweden)','Yes. It is. But all of the discs are available for separate rental from Netflix. (The theatrical version, the TV version, and the Making of...)\r\n\r\nI\'d love to own the whole thing!\r\n\r\nSara','245523d2108b671cf6a5bacf76646904',0,'','80wJvXzb',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11249,2012,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1114676520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Parapalos (Pin Boy) (2004) (Argentina)','This movie, directed by Ana Poliak, garnered the top jury prize in the 6th Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (BAFICI).\r\n\r\nIt is another of those divisive movie ... you will either like it or hate it ...\r\n\r\nAudience who like it:\r\n-- will respect it for its homage to life as a bowling alley pinsetter ... there are attentions to details and beauty (e.g., the appealing images of falling bowling pins)! wow ...\r\n-- will find this fictitious story paralleling a documentary work ... it seems simple, but very sincere!\r\n-- will ponder over the depth as the movie is peppered with some philosophy of life ... embodied in the choice of characters and their daily casual conversations ... (e.g., \"Everything in my life is borrowed, except for freedom.\") \r\n-- will wonder about the hint at the issues of modernization (e.g., when we sense the threat of these pinsetters being gradually replaced by automation)\r\n\r\nAudience who hate it:\r\n-- will complain about the \"mimimalist\" approach and lack of plot, if any. Nothing eventful ever happens. \r\n-- will wonder at the importance of every single scene ... are they really necessary? or is it just to let the audience experience and walk their life ...\r\n\r\nIn sum: It is a movie that you will enjoy if you appreciate the minimalist approach.','051e577ad982e4e1fdc22b0faa7070e3',0,'','yVvbMzYc',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11250,2013,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1114666740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Kontroll (aka Control) (2003) (Hungary)','Hey,\r\nI posted this some time ago ... but it vanished with the old forum.\r\n\r\nSo, here you go again ... \r\nwhy? because it is going to screen in United States ...\r\n\r\nThe official website is\r\nwww.kontrollfilm.hu/\r\n\r\nThe movie was Hungary\'s submission for Oscar this year. \r\nRecently, it has won the Gold Hugo, the top prize for the Chicago International Film Festival.\r\n\r\nWhat is it ...\r\n- The movie has a mix of thriller and comedy.\r\n- The entire movie is filmed underground at the subway, about the life of the subway inspectors and the commuters.\r\n\r\nWhat I like about the movie?\r\n- It has a lot of symbolism amidst realism.\r\n- When you expect something to happen, nothing happens; but when you expect nothing to happen, something happens.\r\n- The soundtrack is rather different and interesting.\r\n\r\nWhat may some people not like about the movie?\r\n- It does not explain everything, so you would have to think and figure it out yourself\r\n\r\nMy take: GO WATCH IT !!!','90c6af5ca58cd86d4edd3c9014220f28',0,'','mjoqXTa8',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11251,2014,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1114720800,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Stand van de Maan (Shape of the Moon) (2005) (Netherlands)','This film has garnered \r\n-- the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema (Documentary) in the Sundance Film Festival 2005\r\n-- the Joris Ivens Award at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)\r\n\r\nOh yes, it is a film from Netherlands, but filmed in Indonesia ...\r\n\r\n-- It revolves around the life of a family of 3 generations, but primarily the old lady, the uncle and the grand daughter.\r\n-- In terms of \"plot\", there are basically 2 main events (the marriage of the uncle and the old lady\'s moving back to the rural area ...) with a few subplots. \r\n-- Noteworthy, audience who expect it to be a commentary on religious or political issues will be quite disappointed ... esp. when several synopsis try to \"sell it\" as a film about \"Christians in a Muslim Land\" ... I would rather say it is about the life of 3 people in a family who happen to be Christians ...\r\n\r\nWhat is most interesting:\r\n-- There is a great effort by the director to choreograph his frames (esp. the way he transits to different scenes). For most (not all) of the jumps, he will try to make sure there is some \"continuity\" in terms of visuals/images/theme ... (e.g., the gecko scene, the c*ck fight scene, the crest scene, the well scene, the soil scene, etc ...) \r\n-- In essence, attentions are paid to cinematography and art direction ... (e.g., the walk on the high bridge scene, the moving house scene, etc) ... Most audience will likely remember the walk across the high bridge (with such ease and confidence) ... \r\n\r\n\r\nWhat may be \"puzzling\":\r\n(I guess the audience would have lots of questions to ask ...) \r\n-- How did the director get to know the family? \r\n-- How many months did they take to film it? ... given that the director had the chance to film a marriage and the move from urban to rural area ...\r\n-- How many cameras did they have? Because there are occasionally different angles of some scenes ... \r\n-- Most important of all: How much is really documentary and how much is \"scripted\" (if at all)?\r\n\r\nWhat may be problematic (to some people):\r\n-- Although there are hints at religion, politics, and modernization, there is not too much \"probing\" or in depth discussion of the issues involved ... \r\n-- More importantly, will the audience feel that it is a fair portrayal of both religions (i.e., Christianity and Muslim)? I would rather let the audience who have watched the film decide for themselves ... \r\n\r\n* Disclaimer: If you decide to share your views about the religious perspective, please do not get too antagonistic in the discussion ... *\r\n\r\n\r\nWhy is it titled Shape of the Moon?\r\n-- There are 3 (or 4) allusions to the moon, if I recall correctly ... \r\n(i) When the horde of people were chanting prayers ... the subtitles read something like \"You are my moon, You are my sun ...\"\r\n(ii) The girl asked the uncle why the moon is sickled, and he provided some odd answer (because he was not educated) ... and they marvelled at the fact that the moon will always grow full again despite being \"sickled\" ...\r\n(iii) The symbol of a moon and star on the mosques ...\r\n(iv) (Given the choreography that I describe above), I am not very sure whether the beginning scene is simply the light at the end of the train tunnel or a moon that \"morphed\" into the end of a tunnel ... only the director and editor will know ... \r\n\r\nI suspect it is titled as such because the moon always changes its shape but it will always be full again ...\r\n\r\nSo, if you happen to attend know the director, or meet the director (e.g., in a film festival), please ask him and enlighten us ... hee hee\r\n\r\n\r\nIn sum: watch it ONLY if you like some nice camera works ... do not be too demanding of the plot or commentary on religious and political issues ...','0fd16795c9647c43899b77230d19692f',0,'','U1NGQjpC',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11252,2015,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1116665460,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Claire Denis\' VERS MATHILDE (2004) (France)','Ever since Beau Travail, her 1999 masterpiece, French filmmaker Claire Denis has undoubtedly gravitated towards the art of human body. But, unlike her compatriot Catherine Breillat, she is much more concerned with its rhythm, its structure, its music, rather than the inherent sexuality associated with it. Now, Vers Mathilde (Towards Mathilde), her documentary on one of the leading modern dance choreographers in France, Mathilde Monnier, gives her the perfect opportunity to examine the kineticism associated with the art of dance, its relationship with cinema, but most importantly, the dynamic capabilities of the human body.\r\n\r\nMathilde Monnier is the head of Montpellier National Center for Choreography, Frances leading dance training and research center and has had the pleasure to train under the great American choreographer Merce Cunningham. But Denis isnt interested in the private life of her subject or any of her dancers; she is more keen on their set-pieces, from their birth to their consummation. Using both Super-8 and Aaton 16mm cameras, which according to Denis was by design and not because of economics - \"We initially used a Super-8 to remove the intimidation of the camera and to give the film a pre-existence, like a common memory before moving on\" - the director catches the rehearsals of three different productions: \"Publique,\" a work set to music by P.J. Harvey, whose songs were suggested by Denis, \"Allitrations,\" a collaboration with philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy and composer eRikm, and \"Droutes\" (Disarray), a piece which also features music from eRikm. Even with their own distinctive tricks and turns, all three strikingly bear Monnier\'s signature. Monnier\'s set-design/props also lend a visceral quality to her unique pieces.\r\n\r\nAt various points, Monnier uses terms and phrases like \"scratching\" and \"marks in space\" to express the various rhythmic body displacements as she breaks them down into parts. Denis follows suit. Working with her inestimable DP and friend Agns Godard along with the young Hlne Louvart, her nimble camera drifts in and out between the performers as if it was part of it and she rhythmically catches various body parts at work. Monnier speaks in-between, about the associated theories on dance, her process etc. and what becomes known is her passion and devotion to the art form. Even more important is her performance late in the film where she twitches and squirms like shes possessed, even though she\'s structurally and formally sound (unlike Denis Lavant at the end of Beau Travail), and at this moment the gaze of Denis camera gives credence to the notion that perhaps it takes one great woman to truly capture another.','4159a135ffa6e1b9da9fb59ea34aac49',0,'','qRuiMh0J',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11253,2016,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1118001420,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','Three Seasons (Vietnam)','THREE SEASONS\r\n\r\nDirected by Tony Bui (1999)\r\n\r\n\"A driving force for me was to make a film in Vietnamese with Vietnamese actors and to tell a modern story. Growing up I only saw the Vietnamese in war films, as faceless people running through the jungles with guns. That\'s not what I saw when I went there. I wanted to bring out their humanity in a way that hasn\'t been shown, the universality of the human spirit.\" - Tony Bui\r\n\r\nDirector Tony Bui left Vietnam to live in California when he was only two years old, then returned to take a look at postwar Vietnam in 1994. The result was his 1999 film Three Seasons that walked away with a prize for Lisa Rinzler\'s cinematography as well as the Best Dramatic Picture Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Performed in Vietnamese with Vietnamese actors, Three Seasons is a series of interweaving stories about loss and redemption in the lives of four characters living in Ho Chi Minh City (though the residents apparently still call it Saigon). Its strength lies, not in its plot or characters, but in the stunning images and dreamlike quality that transports the viewer into a world of sensuous music and soft colors where village women sing while they work, harvesting flowers on a lotus lake. \r\n\r\nThe main and most effective story is about a cyclo driver Hai (Don Duong) who falls in love with a prostitute named Lan (Zoe Bui), He wants to \"redeem\" her innocence and dutifully waits for her each day as she leaves her hotel. When they go to a hotel together, he pays $50 from the money he won in a cyclo race merely to watch her sleep, a gesture that allows her to experience the feeling of being loved for the first time. The second story is about a young lotus picker Kien An, a female orphan (Ngoc Hiep Nguyen) who befriends her employer, Teacher Dao (Manh Cuong Tran), and lovingly copies his poems that he cannot record himself because of leprosy. \r\n\r\nThis gesture allows both to touch the poetic quality of life, the teacher for perhaps the last time. The other stories involve a five-year old street urchin named Woody (Huu Duoc Nguen) who braves monsoon-like weather to sell trinkets to tourists in order to survive. When the box containing his wares is stolen, he sets out to find it. This brings him in contact with an American, James Hager (Harvey Keitel) in Vietnam to search for the daughter he left behind when the war was over. This last episode is the least developed of the four and Keitel\'s performance seems listless in spite of the fact that he is Executive Producer of the film. All four stories come together at the end in a way that ties up all loose ends.\r\n\r\nThough I am grateful for any look into Vietnam, Three Seasons left me wanting more. It is almost as if Bui was being overly cautious, afraid to say anything about what he saw because of the censors following him around. As a result, his film does not convey a strong sense of time and place, and the neon street signs and glamorous hotels patronized by the rich could be anywhere in the world. Perhaps it is true that the city\'s culture is being overrun by rampant commercialism, but the director observes this without comment and seems content to offer only a highly romanticized tone poem. Even the city\'s textures, squalid areas, and chaotic energy are so muted by the use of camera filters that it robs them of their steamy authenticity. Three Seasons is visually striking but left me feeling like a distant observer. I found the characters to be neither fresh nor engaging and the film overly composed, lacking in the poetic vision that turns an average film experience into a great one.\r\n\r\nGRADE: C','b1f93c2cbec7a74f455d6576d1bf9a63',0,'','uLKFEYat',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11254,2017,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1118001060,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','The Scent of Green Papaya (Vietnam)','THE SCENT OF GREEN PAPAYA (Mui du du xanh) \r\n\r\nDirected by Tran Anh Hung (1993)\r\n\r\nIn Tran Anh Hung\'s debut film The Scent of Green Papaya, Mui (Lu Man San) is a ten-year old girl who comes from a small village to the home of a wealthy Saigon merchant to work as a servant in 1951. The first Vietnamese film ever nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film, Scent of Green Papaya captures the natural beauty of pre-war Vietnam, even though it was filmed on a set constructed in a Paris studio. Mui personifies the innocence of a Vietnamese society where grace and harmony has not yet given way to bombs and destruction. Mui accepts her place with patience, serving the meals, preparing the vegetables, scrubbing the floors, and polishing the shoes. \r\n\r\nTrue to the Buddhist ideal of being in the present moment, Mui studiously carries out her tasks, refusing to be affected by the torments of the younger son Tin (Gerard Neth), upset over his father\'s desertion of the family. She observes her natural surroundings in great detail: ants carrying a small piece of bread, a frog sitting on a leaf, a cricket jumping at night, and the seeds of a green papaya. The mother (Thi Loc Truong) is distraught over the recent death of her young daughter To and looks upon Mui as her replacement, perhaps even her reincarnation. In one scene, the mother stands over Mui while she sleeps and weeps silently for the loss of her daughter and perhaps for a Vietnam that she knows will soon disappear. \r\n\r\nHer husband (Ngoc Trun Tran) is a drinker and womanizer who has run off with the family\'s money. The mother is stoic and we only hear about her problems through the elderly grandmother (Thi Hai Vo) who mourns her dead husband alone in her upstairs room. The second part of the film shifts ten years into the future. Mui (Tran Nu Yen-Khe) has become a young woman. Because of the family\'s financial condition she has moved to the house of Khuyen, a professional musician and composer (Vuong Hoa Hoi). Her leaving triggers in the mother a profound sense of loss for her \"daughter\" and a sense that the old way of life in her country is coming to a permanent end. \r\n\r\nIn her new house, Mui must contend with the musician\'s Westernized fianc who personifies the artificiality of modern society. Annoyed with the insensitivity of his fianc, Khuyen sees Mui with fresh eyes and begins to realize how much she embodies the traditional values he has left behind. Though the film may try the patience of Western audiences, The Scent of Green Papaya, in its simplicity and awareness of the natural world, reminds us of the power of cinema to reach artistic heights.\r\n\r\nGRADE: B+','151e0cf3b64a6fe20f10cfb3173819d1',0,'','qvExjC76',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11255,2018,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1118000940,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','CYCLO (Xich Lo) (Vietnam)','CYCLO (Xich lo) \r\n\r\nDirected by Tran Anh-hung (1995)\r\n\r\nIn Vietnam, a cyclo is both the driver of a bicycle taxi and a name given to the taxi itself. In Tran Anh Hung\'s 1995 film Cyclo, the cyclo driver is a nave 18-year old (Le Van Loc) whose innocence is corrupted by the choices he is compelled to make to escape the circle of grinding poverty. Cyclo is far removed from the director\'s introspective and contemplative dramas (Scent of Green Papaya, Vertical Ray of the Sun) that preceded and followed it. In Cyclo, Tran assaults our senses with the churning swirl of colors and sounds of Ho Chi Minh City, capturing the vibrations of the city with its street markets, pavement cafes, sidewalk vendors, and choking traffic. He also shows the underbelly of the city: its violence, flesh for hire, and atmosphere of poverty, dirt, and decay. While the violence is graphic and unsettling, it is not exploitative and without the glamour associated with gangster films. Cyclo has little dialogue, mostly gestures and silences, and cinematographer Benoit Delhomme\'s focus on the underlying beauty of the city gives the film a lyricism that renders the violence ambiguous. \r\n\r\nCyclo has lost both parents and lives in near poverty with his grandfather (Le Kinh Huy), who continues to work fixing bicycle tires despite his failing health. His younger sister (Phan Ngoc Lieu) earns a living by shining shoes outside of restaurants and the older sister (Tran Nu Yen-Khe) works as a cook and delivery person. Cyclo\'s father was also a pedicab driver but was killed when he was hit by a truck. Cyclo\'s boss (Nguyen Nhu) is known only as the Boss Lady (none of the characters in the film are named) who leads a criminal operation while taking care of her retarded son (Bjuhoang Huy). When Cyclo\'s bicycle is stolen by a rival gang, the young man is recruited by the Boss lady and her associate, The Poet (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), a small-time hoodlum and pimp, to work off his debt. \r\n\r\nThe Poet is involved with robberies, sabotage, drug trafficking, and prostitution and is no stranger to homicide. He is strangely sympathetic to Cyclo, however, and seems to share with him the common longing for an absent father as revealed in the poetry he reads to him. Cyclo asks to join his gang but, in response, is forced to witness a mobster singing lullabies while he knifes a victim who is bound and gagged. Unknown to Cyclo, the Poet recruits his older sister into prostitution, making her available to men interested in various fetishes while preserving her virginity, presumably out of his own love for her. When her virginity is finally violated, The Poet tracks down and brutally murders the offending patron. Cyclo is forced to stay in an apartment away from his family and told to perform errands for the gang such as smuggling dope hidden in slaughtered cattle and throwing a gasoline firebomb into the building of the rival gang that stole his pedicab. \r\n\r\nTran\'s vision is hallucinatory and unnerving and I often found myself unable to distinguish between what is real and what is a dream. The story is told from Cyclo\'s perspective and we enter his mind to witness his steady descent into confusion and fear, culminating in a memorable sequence where he combines pills and liquor and drenches himself in blue paint. Cyclo is disturbing and raw but it is an original work of art, both a brutal and often bizarre look at Saigon\'s mean streets, and a searing love poem to the city and a young man who finally steps outside the vicious circle to discover himself beyond the chaos. \r\n\r\nGRADE: A-','f8c313dd0fa6be7ac3864ecbe41ff7aa',0,'','R8UgpBWi',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11256,2019,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1118000760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','Vertical Height of the Sun (Vietnam)','VERTICAL RAY OF THE SUN (Mua he chieu thang dung) \r\n\r\nDirected by Tran Anh Hung (2000)\r\n\r\nIn Tran Anh Hung\'s lovely tone poem The Vertical Ray of the Sun, three sisters Lien (Tran Nu Yn-Kh), Suong (Nhu Quynh Nguyen), and Khanh (Le Lhanh) on the eve of memorial dinners for their departed parents reveal previously hidden details to each other about their marital infidelity. It is the end of summer in Hanoi and the atmosphere is languid. These are not the mean streets of Saigon in Tran\'s Cyclo but the elegant abode of Hanoi\'s artists and intellectuals, devoid of urban decay, intimately bathed in color and pastoral beauty. The opening scene sets the mood. The youngest sister, 19-year old Lien slowly awakens in the apartment she shares with her brother Hai (Quang Hai Ngo). As Hai does push-ups, lien stretches, her graceful Tai Chi movements beautifully choreographed to the rhythm of The Velvet Underground. \r\n\r\nThey joke about the fact that outsiders see them as a couple as they walk hand-in-hand through the markets, but Lien does nothing to discourage this perception and is shown crawling into bed with her brother each night. The sisters operate a caf and the conversation is as steamy as is the food they are preparing for the annual memorial dinner for their departed mother. Cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-Bin who filmed Flowers of Shanghai and In the Mood for Love washes the scene in a glow of different shades of green as they joke and tell stories about their longing to fry the male anatomy in garlic. The discussion veers to a discussion of their mother\'s possible infidelity with a fellow student but they are reluctant to admit that their parent\'s relationship may have been less than ideal. \r\n\r\nGradually we also learn about the sisters\' marital problems. Suong is married to Quoc (Chu Hung), a botanical photographer. Since they had a miscarriage four years prior, he has had a secret life with another woman in the remote Bay of Halong. In one meditative scene in a boat with an old fisherman, Quoc sums up the meaning of the film, \"One should live where one\'s soul is in harmony, where it is in accord with its surroundings\". When he is away on trips visiting his second family, Suong carries on an affair with Tuan (Le Tuen Anh) out of a need to feel loved and wanted. Khanh\'s husband is Kien (Tran Manh Cuong), a writer who is working on finishing his first novel. \r\n\r\nAfter finding out that his wife is pregnant, he almost betrays her in a Saigon hotel, but remains faithful. Lien, meanwhile, nave about sexuality, has a boyfriend and thinks she is pregnant simply because she had sex one time. The family deals with these problems together, viewing them as an opportunity for forgiveness and growth rather than confrontation. Vertical Ray of the Sun is a sensual experience that unfolds in its own time, a pace geared to an Asian timetable not a Western one. It is a film of ineffable beauty but can be confusing on first viewing with multiple characters, frequent jump cuts, and time discontinuity. \r\n\r\nIndividual scenes stand out in memory: Khanh singing a traditional Vietnamese song alone in the garden and Kien\'s loving discovery of her secret (how gratifying it is to see a romantic scene between married couples); Lien\'s slow dance in her apartment to The Velvet Underground, her long black hair glistening in the sun; and Lien\'s playful seduction of Hai interrupted by his request for boiled sweet potatoes. Though concerned with extra marital affairs, the film is not about infidelity but the intrusive effects of modern society on Asian family life. In Vertical Ray of the Sun, he has created an antidote -- an aesthetic picture of a Vietnam unsullied by the memory of war, a culture of nature and tradition, encompassing the Buddhist value of compassion and the Confucian ideal of harmony. It may exist, however, only in his vision.\r\n\r\nGRADE: A-','eaf3b2c73128b8b8934cd0c14b2c232c',0,'','TDV5mwt8',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11258,2021,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1120877940,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Tian Xia Wu Zei (aka A World Without Thieves) (2004) (China)','This movie is directed by Feng Xiao Gang\r\nwww.imdb.com/title/tt0439884/\r\n\r\nAndy Lau, Rene Liu, Ge You, Li Bingbing, etc are in it. If I am correct, Rene Liu has garnered a few Best Actress Award/Nominations for her role. Despite filming the majority of the movie on a train, I did not find the movie boring at all ... I actually thought it is quite a very good commercial film -- not only for the artsy fartsy, but also for the masses!\r\n\r\n(1) In particular, there are some good cinematographies, scenery (in the beginning), art direction (the well choreographed sleight of hand), etc\r\n\r\n(2) More importantly, the movie is very meaningful and conveys an important message!\r\n\r\nHowever, some people may lament about\r\n\r\n(1) the credibility of \"Dumbo\" who is either too gullible or simplistic. However, there are indeed such people in this world, though really difficult to find. I would like to believe that in \"those good old days\" or remote areas, people are more trusting or too trusting of others. Not exaggerating, there are still people who do NOT lock their houses in this world (also depicted in Michael Moore\'s Farenheit 9/11). I used to recall that in the 70s, when we were young, when life was simpler, some people (e.g., my family) really do NOT lock their doors.\r\n\r\n(2) are thieves that skilful ... well, if you have been to some countries (not to mention names), there are indeed thieves/pickpockets who are that swift ...\r\n\r\nConclusion: I enjoy the movie! It is definitely a commercial film, but with a very meaningful message.','14935a868c48325cc8829eda681830b1',0,'','qldVMB1H',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11269,2024,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1199482680,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','We Own the Night (James Gray / 2007)','What, no thread on James Gray\'s latest? After seven years, Gray has finally returned to filmmaking and his old themes we could already witness in his fine first two efforts from 1994 and 2000. I believe enough of us have seen this new film to warrant a new thread and discussion at this point, and some of us (I\'m particularly thinking about arsaib) are familiar with all of his three feature films.\r\n\r\nWe Own the Night has reminded me that I should rewatch Gray\'s other two films, as it is already a contender for my Best of 2008 lists next year. I saw it in a Slovenian theater where an incompetent projectionist wasn\'t able to show the film in it\'s proper aspect ratio (i assumed 1.66 wasn\'t it), and what\'s worse, the frame kept shaking throughout the excellent two hours. That probably means I should revisit it without the heads cut off. Distribution in Germany starts in February, though I doubt they will release any subtitled copies.\r\n\r\nWhen I witnessed the central car chase in the film, probably one of the most shocking and gripping moments I saw in theaters in 2007 (if it hadn\'t already been January 2008 ) , I had to realize the film has moments of greatness that only few films accomplish. Nevertheless it still does feel a bit short and rushed at other times, and Gray isn\'t completely able to shake of some psychological trappings and narrative conventions. Still, this is what I would call extremely inspired craftmanship. The film seems to wallow in the doom that is on display every moment since the initial conversation at the beginning in the church. Somewhat of an Anti-Woo Heroic Bloodshed director, Gray seems constantly to suggest that it is the own family which ultimately brings you down. The stomach turning ending which hides its cynical worldview under a calm surface is the final punch in the face that makes you realize what you have been watching all of the time: a Horror film. \r\n\r\nI\'m almost tempted to say Gray borrowed the weak parts of his film from Ridley Scott (along with the annoying musical pieces, though they sometimes work in a different way in both films). And both do share a huge tendency for plot-holes... Nevertheless, Gray\'s film worked like a huge cleansing at the end, while you knew that you had seen an entertaining piece of popular culture at the self-congratulatory final of American Gangster.','5ddba63b2d36a536ac408232388c2844',0,'','FftviKaH',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11270,2024,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1200143340,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: We Own the Night (James Gray / 2007)','Set to Blondie\'s \"Heart of Glass,\" the opening scene featuring the glistening body of Mendes writhing erotically on the couch while being subjected to Pheonix\'s intense gaze was one of the cinematic moments of the year for me. Heck, I almost wish it had come later on in the film, but its placement was important since it enabled Gray to set various thematic dynamics in motion. However, that remarkable and harrowing car chase was what Gray still had in store for us, A. That scene was sound-edited to the rhythm of the windshield wipers which only ratcheted up the tension in such pouring downfall. Short yet heart-stopping. \"Great individual moments\" was part of my brief remark about the film and you seem to have come to the same conclusion. There were a few gaps in the narrative -- the police procedural elements didn\'t appear to be in sync at all times (I remember thinking while watching the film that how great it would\'ve been if someone like Michael Mann was in a position to tap Gray on the shoulders to say, \"no, this isn\'t correct, even in the Big Bad NY of the 80s\"). The film drew strong responses at its premiere at Cannes: the French, who have a tendency to get a hard-on everytime a film reminds them of American cinema of the \'30s and \'40s, generally loved it, while N. American critics were less than enthusiastic, and the same held true once the film received its commercial release. Tracy, however, did stick his neck out again, and I commend him for that. It appears now that the film has picked up a few strong admirers in the lead-up to the year-end lists.','7e4f54055df5b384da5e3650598217a3',0,'','DdZizrfo',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11271,2024,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1200252060,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: We Own the Night (James Gray / 2007)','No, no, no,  \r\n\r\nI missed the opening scene you so vividly describe, because I was hungry and wanted to eat a toast before the film. When i came in, Joaquin was sitting in the church, and the conversation with his family had seemingly just begun. In the end I thought i hadn\'t missed anything important, but now I believe I did miss the most important moment in the film. \r\n\r\nAnyway, it was clear to me that he adored his girlfriend, and the emotions came through very well throughout the film imo. I completely agree with you, that he would have needed somebody like Mann. The biggest gaps or \"head-scratchers\" for me definitely came throughout the police proceedings, but there were also some family scenes, and even the final discussion with Phoenix and Mendes, that could and sometimes should have been longer. \r\n\r\nNow I think I\'ll probably go and watch the film in German cinemas when it gets released. I have to see this first scene on the big screen. Hope the German synchro won\'t mess up the film too much.','44c16b003750eaaa6a2c94b8afd7371c',0,'','GlzwNvnF',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11272,2024,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1200290580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: We Own the Night (James Gray / 2007)','Well, you missed about the first 10 minutes, son. (How many toasts did you have? ) After that aborted erotic encounter (following the credits which delineated the origins of the title), Phoenix walks downstairs to the disco palace and mingles with the crowd. He is then seen at the residence of his boss, where they discuss future business ventures. And before they entered the police party, the duo shared a brief conversation in the car outside, which emphasized Phoenix\'s disregard for his family. (Academy screeners rule!)\r\n\r\nLooks like We Own the Night will see the light of day in Germany on February 21. By the way, have you read the Andrew Tracy piece?','b0495757a6518604db9e5bda1441432e',0,'','xnLXYBRi',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11273,2024,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1200988200,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: We Own the Night (James Gray / 2007)','I\'ll watch it on the big screen when it comes out. And this time, I\'ll even face the synchro. \r\nHaven\'t read the piece by Tracy. Where can I find it?','b4a8f8bc79afbd1dad1dbffeff8d078a',0,'','W5HMcBm2',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11274,2024,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1200994980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: We Own the Night (James Gray / 2007)','Here.','6dbff9fca0a1c5584ed77bc13d971861',0,'','otpy5nVr',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11275,2024,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1201433820,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: We Own the Night (James Gray / 2007)','Looks like we won\'t have to wait another seven years for the next James Gray film. Two Lovers, starring, who else, Joaquin Phoenix, is scheduled for later this year.','7caae6c9630dbd81881c5202c88dd71d',0,'','dJqj032A',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11276,2024,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1202811780,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: We Own the Night (James Gray / 2007)','\r\n\r\n\r\nNow out on DVD (Sony). Extras include a commentary track by James Gray (which I can\'t wait to listen to), along with a trio of background featurettes.','288edead26196e770a1721a4517c4b07',0,'','v63aAE5y',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11277,2024,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1217793960,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: We Own the Night (James Gray / 2007)','Saw the film today and I might agree it had great moments but something about the film just seemed run of the mill to me. Nothing I particularly disliked but just seemed like I had seen this type of film before.','f8f1f99ae78c0fdb5318b7263273fa5b',0,'','6nduEx9b',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11278,2024,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1225079640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: We Own the Night (James Gray / 2007)','Really? I must say, I had a unique impression, and it still tops my Top Ten for 2008. I desperately want to see it again before the year is over, cause it seems to grow more and more in retrospect. \r\nWhat other films did it remind you of, wpqx?','17df7414accd0cb6c52ea0d15050e96c',0,'','SdvuH6jE',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11279,2024,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1232447700,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: We Own the Night (James Gray / 2007)','While I would disagree that the film is \"totally unique\" (there certainly are many \"de ja vu\" moments), it certainly is an amazing example of a spiritual police / gangster drama, full of surprising, pleasant subtleties, a pair of extremely complex and unusual leading characters, amazing form (the cinematography was stunning, imho) and a minimalist, but fine score by Wojciech Kilar and, to top it all, probably the best car chase in recent American cinema (those who have seen the film will surely know what I mean) which, altogether, made my decision to include it on my TOP 20 list of the year. This sujet definitely stood in the rain within the last few years and this finally was an effort which, to me, was easy to praise. \r\n(This post may seem a little empty but I already had an extensive and exciting discussion with A and Matalo Matango)','b24f89bfaafec19955d90b897148b58d',0,'','UvAc6Eh7',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11280,2024,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1232706120,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: We Own the Night (James Gray / 2007)','Yes, it\'s not necessarily always unique in what it seems to show, but in how it chooses to show it. Underneath the surface there is always a lot more going on than one would suppose. That\'s what I loved about it. How for example the heroine doesn\'t die but instead leaves the protagonist. Or how casually it is shown that she is responsible for the death of his father. And how his best friend turns out to be a traitor, but in the end a friend after all. On paper it doesn\'t sound very exciting or innovative, but in the film there is always one more twist to every story.','d76f9f4e4f19ad03450d63785ddb8b1e',0,'','QjMVm53b',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11281,2025,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1196682660,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Nanking (2007)','Review: \r\n\r\nNanking is a film that derives a devastating power from its staid remembrance of humanitys capacity for suffering, its capacity for evil and its capacity for good. It catalogues one of the most horrifying events in the history of the continent. As an overture for the Second World War, the Rape of Nanking was hell on earth. Nanking, the then bustling capital of China, was savagely brutalised by the invading Japanese military force in the summer of 1937. First, the air raids began tearing through the citys economy, destroying the lives of its citizens, leaving them helpless to the inevitable slaughter by the approaching troops. As the citys expatriates and those with money scurried to flee, a foreign contingent made up of the clergy, teachers and professionals stayed behind to protect and aid the destitute. \r\n\r\nDirectors Bill Guttentag and Bill Sturman pay tribute to those 22 men and women whose courage and kindness enabled them to establish a provisional safety zone that provided refuge for over 200,000 civilians, despite being outnumbered by a belligerent army angered at having the eyes of the world on them. Somewhere between being a cogent docudrama of heroism and a harrowingly powerful documentary of an unfathomable catastrophe, the vivid characterisations of these Americans and Europeans are crafted through the films well-envisioned and excellently staged readings by its weathered performers that include: Woody Harrelson, Mariel Hemingway, Stephen Dorff and most notably Jurgen Prochnow. The letters and anecdotes of the expatriate saviours that provide the point-by-point narration carries with it a cutting, painful urgency and is delivered with compelling ideas of responsibility and personal anguish by the thespians and various composite characters. \r\n\r\nMuch of the films haunting intensity comes from its use stock footage to recall the horrors of the past. The seamlessly inducted black and white archival footage of wartime atrocities capture the sorrow and ad hoc sentiments of people long gone, even as their cries and pain linger and reverberate throughout history. It adds to its sentience by summoning the voices and memories of Chinese survivors, their tears and pained expressions leading the way to the films most enduring interviews. When one interviewee recalls how his mother breastfed his infant brother even as she was dying from being bayoneted through the chest, this anecdote ominously carries with it the burden of indescribable truth and inexplicable iniquity and a discovery of unknown depths of madness. Then the interviews with the surviving Japanese soldiers show remorselessness and the descriptions of the matter-of-fact executions and acts of depravity convey a sense that living through the war has changed these men irreparably. The footage and interviews show how the perspectives seen through the eyes of humanity are reconfigured during times of war when sin becomes justified and decency is abandoned. \r\n\r\nThe shared human consciousness between the foreigners and ravaged citizenry is indelibly considered in Prochnows recital of the German businessman and Nazi sympathiser John Rabes journal entry, a detail from memory made fecund by time: \"Shouldn\'t one make an attempt to help them? There\'s a question of morality here, and so far I haven\'t been able to sidestep it.\" \r\n\r\nThis pronouncement is a scathing indictment of the denials, and of the deliberate obscuration of truths so oppressive that it is met with ethical and universal repercussions. The preclusions of accountability are present even today, as other parts of the world are mired in invasions, Rabes conundrum is still a relevant inquiry that is responded with an uncomfortable silence.','9fa0cbf778806f8f965d78deb4c42f06',0,'','5RCTxBw2',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11282,2025,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1200218580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Nanking (2007)','Hi\r\nActually, I have watched it some time ago.\r\nJust too depressed and busy to post abt it.\r\n\r\nConclusion\r\n-- Recommended.\r\n\r\nHmmm ... from movie making/editing point of view ... I am just wondering, the first 2 or 3 min, is it really necessary to show the various cast/readers convening in the hall, chatting, mingering, then sitting down in a row to start reading their lines ... \r\n\r\nReason: The expressions/mood captured may not set the tone for what is going to be demanded of in the documentary ... IMHO, there are better ways to feature the cast ...\r\n\r\nFor those interested, there is another freely available documentary on youtube (made by the director himself) ...\r\nHe has recently dubbed it in Japanese too ...\r\n\r\nThe Rape of Nanking (Nanjing) (aka Nightmare in Nanking)\r\ndirector Rhawn Joseph \r\n\r\nNot documentary, there are at least 2 more films that will be screened this year about Nanking\r\n\r\n(1) The Children of Huang Shi\r\ndirector Roger Spottiswoode\r\n\r\n(2) Nanking Nanking\r\ndirector Lu Chuan','d70773cdd57ad14202e5faad43b3cb37',0,'','p7vhEQd2',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11283,2025,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1202889600,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Nanking (2007)','Hmmm ... from movie making/editing point of view ... I am just wondering, the first 2 or 3 min, is it really necessary to show the various cast/readers convening in the hall, chatting, mingering, then sitting down in a row to start reading their lines ... \r\n\r\nReason: The expressions/mood captured may not set the tone for what is going to be demanded of in the documentary ... IMHO, there are better ways to feature the cast ... \r\n\r\nI kept your comment in mind, hengcs, but to my count that sequence only lasted a few seconds, so I can\'t say it served as a distraction for me. Were there better ways to introduce the cast? Perhaps. But there\'s no right or wrong answer here. \r\n\r\nSince I was well familiar with this tragedy through various books and documentary featurettes, Nanking wasn\'t as eye-opening or emotionally wrenching an experience for me as it might be for other viewers (I was surprised however by the amount of high quality archival footage the filmmakers were able to assemble), but I do believe that it is an important piece of work which deserves to be seen.','3ea5eaa599dfd9d43ba3f3ad764c6380',0,'','l9fg5DqX',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11284,2026,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1199034720,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','American Gangster (2007)','Review:\r\n\r\nWell, we can start with the facts about American Gangster. It is extremely well acted and well produced, and how could it not be with its procession of Hollywood star power and cunning Oscar baits and switches? But it is also the years most insidious and calculatingly well-made trash in its worst form and a stingy guilty pleasure at its best. And it goes to show that the best thing Ridley Scott has done this year remains his final revisit to his sci-fi touchstone, Blade Runner: Final Cut. But considering that American Gangster and its base tropes owe to Scott revisiting the most iconic films of the genre (most notably Serpico, The Godfather and Scarface), it is no wonder that the film retains no measure of suspense or even relative surprise in its derivative drivel. \r\n\r\nEpic in runtime and insignificant in scope, Scott owes its commercial success to Denzel Washingtons intense charisma as Frank Lucas and more pointedly to a media enhanced projection of the Gangster lifestyle that he aggrandises by making a drug lords rise through the slums (a loosely held term considering Scotts tendency to adorn the decay of Manhattan with superficial squalor) seem like the most inspirational story of an African-American breaking the mould since Jackie Robinson. The films explicitly offensive idea of progress is a dapper black individual (murderous and manipulative, notwithstanding) breaching the monopoly of South Americans and Italians in the drug trade, all as Lucas underlines his own cruel ambitions in the land of opportunities - \"This is my country, this is America\". After all, why should he let whitey destroy his community when he can do it just as easily? \r\n\r\nIt all hinges on Scotts topos that capitalist success derives from ruthlessness and the ponderous criticism of its corrupting power. He equates Lucas hardnosed tenacity that resulted in him cutting out the middlemen and buying raw drugs direct from Indochina with crafting him as the ultimate archetype for the approaching 80s Capitalist Machine. But then Scott indulgently leaves out the fundamental instinct for self-preservation, just another telltale of Scott not being really that interested in Frank Lucas: The Man as he is with Frank Lucas: The Empire Builder. \r\n\r\nAnd lest we forget that corruption pervades all strata in the economic scale, American Gangster introduces for a substantial amount of its bloated runtime, the singularly incorruptible detective Richie Roberts in a concurrent narrative tract (Russell Crowe) whose sole claim to infamy is turning in a trunk filled with a million dollars in unmarked bills, and you know, just being inscrutably honest. If Lucas represents a Machiavellian ideal the film plainly exalts, then Roberts is his clunky counterpart, the ugly symbolic sibling that Scott throws a thousand clichs at and expecting any one to resound with any sort of emotional depth. \r\n\r\nIf the films most noteworthy aspect is Scotts misrepresented and callous portrayal of a Harlem kingpin then its most subtly egregious move is to present race and hard work as talking points. Its far too complacent in its hype, and far too trivial and literal to attempt any sort of irony in its commentary of a black criminals eventual success using the framework of the American way compared to a white cops bids at honesty.','18ae9a25175cb5c672a4cf1084fb07de',0,'','SdRpU5PT',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11285,2026,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1199086500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: American Gangster (2007)','I could\'ve seen this one for free but I still passed. After suffering through the likes of Hannibal and Kingdom of Heaven, I simply wasn\'t interested. In fact, to me his younger brother, Tony, has done much more fascinating work recently with Domino and Dj Vu.','d0e007fdcd760a32ea0ec2f855e732fa',0,'','MWLkjsl6',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11286,2026,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1199087520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: American Gangster (2007)','I was very surprised that not many critics actually wanted to highlight the offensive aggrandising going on here. Whatever happened to the morally upright brigade that routinely and presumptuously rears its head when a (usually smaller, foreign) film dares to intelligently address issues of violence and sex.','aeeea78c33ba3e2f257ad30a7e7cf72c',0,'','8gesEX1d',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11287,2026,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1199114700,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: American Gangster (2007)','Good review Justin. I think I will have to agree on most points. I went to see this with a firend of mine, and even she got bored by the mass of clichees, and the whole \"pimped-up\" operation. As usual, Hollywood wnats it \"Super Size\". Sometimes this was an uninspired rehash of MTV music clips, while at its worse a lame imitation of dozens of gangster flics which have come before. All in all I must say American Gangster seemed like a good hollywood film, although given Ridley Scotts bloated reputation, an expected disappointment. But I would have thought it to be at least a bit more inspired. When I went in, I had completely forgotten that one of the best cameramen working today had lensed the film. During the screening I kept saying, that I was at least enjoying a sexy Denzel Washington (and to a lesser degree Russel Crowe), and the camera (and especially the lighting) was usually above average. It just seemed that Scott often didnt really know how to put it in use. When I read \"Harris Savides\" at the end credits, I was a bit surprised, as he is certainly capable of much more. When the least appealing thing in a movie is its direction, you know you have to worry.','b0099b894943f1592fe392161195554e',0,'','LpujnA84',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11288,2027,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1194250980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford','\r\n\r\nI don\'t know if a review is expected to open such a thread. But I was puzzled (though IMDb says that it only opened limited in the US) that there is no thread for Andrew Dominik\'s incredible Film in existence yet (although arsaib noted it as one of his favourites from the TIFF, if I recall it right). \r\n\r\nWhat I expected: \r\nA nice, patiently told western, loaded with mild pathos, some Kitsch, overall a film definitely worth to be seen.\r\n\r\nWhat I got:\r\nI would call myself a passioned enemy of Hollywood - at least, the Hollywood of the last 15 years. I\'m most shocked and amazed;-) that my probable favourite in 2007 is a child, born by the \"dream factory\" (though not a usual Mainstream flick at all, sure). It was patiently told (aspiration over aspiration), but it was much more than nice.\r\n\r\nBlown out as I still am - I just returned from the cinema - and limited in my english skills, It will be quite hard to quote something adaequate (my head is almost aching of Ideas for a german review but I don\'t dare to write one:-( but I\'ll try:\r\n\r\nEven in the beginning of \"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford\" it is immediately clear that Bob Ford (probably one of Casey Affleck\'s best performances) is a guy who thinks that he brought the wearing of emotional masquerades to perfection - which isn\'t the case. Jesse James (Brad Pitt, for his performance, the same is true as for Affleck\'s), his adored hero since childhood days doesn\'t precisely turn out to be an \"Illusion\" (At least, not at this point of the film). As soon as both of them meat each other, they start to battle themselves: Who wears the less transparent mask? Jesse feels some kind of pitiful sympathy for Robert and asks him to stay with him and his family for a few days - as a servant.\r\n\r\nThe following chapter of the film concentrates on the most important people who build up the bridge between Jesse and Bob. When they finally meet up again, the \"introduction\" (if you want so) is over. What follows is a film about SUCH a mass of things: Personal evolution (both of Bob and Jesse), Repression of self doubt (is such a word in existence?), Loneliness in a community, being a follower but also superior yet, about feeling guilty (and the many different faces of this feeling), about the disposition of self-contempt, distress about dependence and so much more. And though this suggests an explosion, the film stays quite, calm and patient at every minute, every cut and every image.\r\nMaybe, all of this sounds silly or facile, but I can\'t express myself much better in english, sorry. \r\n\r\nThe film was worked out great - the acting (I was surprised a lot about the two leading actors, especially Brad Pitt - though I had to watch it german dubbed again - Warner is quite reliable on delivering crappy dubbings), the camerawork (maybe a bit too conventional sometimes but still startling and very deliberate), the music (I am not a fan of Nick Cave but I always liked his music and a lot of it has made its way into the Soundtrack, he also appears by himself as a singer in the end), the editing (there are some breathtaking assemblies during the dialogue and riding scenes), the sound, just almost everything.\r\nThe only thing that weakens the film a little bit is the epilogue. I don\'t think that it was necessary to tell Bob\'s further development after the murder of Jesse so, well I don\'t know how to call it, inartificial. But the final sequence was done so great, so meaningful (even in different directions) that the only thing left to say (for me, at least): Bravo. Hollywood, what have you done? You probably delivered me my favourite of 2007, I never even thought of that possibility. \r\n\r\nRated 25 out 25 / 10 out of 10.\r\n\r\nAny suggestions, comments? Anybody here who shares my enthusiasm (or not)?','4ffc3372c95c627c75957f0a5a1ccae2',0,'','ykVLso1G',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11289,2027,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1194251640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford','I am still waiting for it to be screened in Singapore','7826c5d3e4c8bed24cae9583b73c85bd',0,'','1TPkJtrM',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11290,2027,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1194504420,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford','I\'m very glad that you started this thread, R6dw6C; there\'s absolutely nothing wrong with your post/review. And, yes, I was fortunate enough to see this amazing film at TIFF, where it had its N. American premiere (thanks for mentioning that). I\'ll respond to you shortly. I was considering writing a reveiw myself but now I can easily postpone it for the time being.','e4d53097a9fd1b003d0e839268d61f8e',0,'','yqk2En7R',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11291,2027,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1194721920,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford','Thank you very much! :) reviews but most of them were pretty disappointing, closing with such strange and/or silly lines like \"Bringing a dead genre to the grave one more time\" (...) or \"Far too long\" (...), so I hope for some more contributions here. I tried to persuade A a few times to watch it but he is extremely afraid of the german dubbing, so... I will try to watch it one more time next week with Matalo Matango as it is doing incredibly bad at the german box office and will probably disappear from the theaters very soon. \r\n\r\nWere anybody from the crew present at the TIFF? I looked for interviews with Brad Pitt and especially Andrew Dominik on the web but I didn\'t find a lot. And I will buy Dominik\'s first feature film \"Chopper\" very soon, that\'s for sure. \r\n\r\n@ hengcs:\r\n\r\nI\'m hoping with you!','7d4bb65f59887a7c72eca06d0ecba838',0,'','7DPbs9Ak',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11292,2027,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1198059060,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford','R6dw6C persuaded me and Matalo Matango to watch it in the theater. Unfortunately the version we were able to see was poorly dubbed, and the cinemascope was cropped to fit a widescreen theater. \r\n\r\nI can\'t argue a lot of the positive things that have already been written about the film. Right now, I\'ll justr say that the German dubbing didn\'t help my enjoyment of the film, but it will probably end up as No.2 on my second best of list for 2007 (my recommendations list, with films that aren\'t quite personal favorites), in front of such gems as Import/Export, Ilklimler, Last Days, and Away From Her.\r\n\r\nBut Casey Affleck has imho clearly given the best performance I was able to see this year (and as I already said, i even saw it dubbed). \r\n\r\nI\'m looking forward to seeing the film again at a local cinema in it\'s original language version in January. Matalo Matango has somehow persuaded the people to show the film without subtitles (!). I think I will probably be very grateful for this. What I\'ve heard from the American trailer sounded magnificent, and I still get goosebumps every time I watch it. \r\n\r\nHere\'s a link .','799be5502f40742f9b5a852571408572',0,'','pAsG3Pty',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11293,2027,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1198139700,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford','I regret that I missed your question, R6dw6C. The public screening of this film I caught was attended by both Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck. I wasn\'t able to stay for the Q&A session, though. Andrew Dominik and a couple of the producers were also in Toronto for the premiere. You can watch the press conference here.\r\n\r\nAnd, yes, don\'t miss Chopper. I most recently thought of it while pondering Eastern Promises. Eric Bana\'s performance is quite remarkable.\r\n\r\nI find it hard to believe, A, that such a progressive film culture still considers dubbing a viable option.','34ad6e5247e1f1eedc7f80b29ec452c1',0,'','sQB7d0CK',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11294,2027,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1198178760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford','I find it hard to believe myself, but one can hardly deny the facts of life. You should hear the opinions of some of my film professors on this subject. They mostly don\'t seem to have a real problem with it (and sometimes even seem not to care at all). We watch dubbed films in classes at university!!  \r\n\r\nIn a way, you are lucky that the US isn\'t interested in foreign films enough to pay any money for synchronisation.','08151f27e37474c84e56b2eb8633a897',0,'','jZtr6Ls5',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11295,2027,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1198196160,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford','@ arsaib:\r\n\r\nProgressive? Depends on personal preferences, I guess.\r\n\r\nWell, you should know that A is extremely harsh regarding dubbings, arsaib! It\'s true, today dubbings are to be avoided under any circumstances and mostly horrible to listen to, also here (as some people say that German dubbings are the best in the world [?!]). But from the late 50ies to the early 80ies, German dubbings were mostly very good and often fantastic! And no matter how good it is, A always complain about it (the latest exception was Romero\'s \"Dawn of the Dead\" which he even loved in its German version). Actually, he\'s almost totally right but if a dub is good enough to make you forget it\'s a dub, then it can certainly be accepted. And in the decades I mentioned, the best and most charismatic German Actors did dubbing jobs, so it could be considered as an own \"art department\" then.\r\nI\'m used to it and it would be a pity if I were not - Otherwise I would miss 65% of all theatrical releases - the idea of missing films like \"Zodiac\", \"The Assassination...\", \"Death Proof\" or \"3:10 to Yuma\" (which I saw a few days ago) on 35mm and the big screen and waiting for the DVDs instead, just because of the dubbings...! It\'s a hot subject and my apologies are maybe a bit disproportional but it would also be inadequate to judge dubbing that much in general. Maybe it\'s not totally comprehensible to you american guys because dubbing never really was any good in english speaking areas (imo). Btw, I thought the dubbing of \"The Assassination...\" was okay, at least, the voices of Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell and Brad Pitt were surprisingly well done. (I did hide a link to the German trailer on top of the thread).\r\nBut it\'s unacceptable to show dubbed films to students, that\'s for sure. But it\'s also a matter of fact that the main reason why foreign films are still inherent and important part of commercial German Distribution acts , IS the lack of \"Subtitle-Fear\" due to dubbings! At least, Hollywood films and Arthouse-films sound the same here. Both a fortune and a disadavantage, certainly.\r\n\r\nLet\'s talk about something else. I\'m most jealous, arsaib! Too bad that you\'ve missed the Q&A, I (probably) would\'ve stayed under any circumstances...Do you know if Pitt and Affleck enjoyed working with each other? The depiction of such a complex relationship probably recquires a certain respect. It\'s a fortune that they didn\'t cast Shia LaBeouf as originally intended...\r\nI already watched the press conference you linked to - it\'s really sad that there aren\'t more informations about the film on the web. It would\'ve been interesting to learn a bit more about Dominik and what kind of person he is (and if he has a new project in advance ) but now, that\'s just in the hands of Warner who hopefully deliver a Special Edition-DVD loaded with extras. All those great directors... they remain as mysterious icons of cinema. \r\n\r\nI\'m looking forward to the first viewing of this film in the original version.','75c885ca4b5e636e8fa26886519600a4',0,'','Zo3lj6TQ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11296,2027,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1198317840,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford','That\'s an interesting point, A; definitely something to consider. Recently, Disney spent quite a bit of time and money with the previous two Miyazaki features. Still didn\'t pay off the way it should have. \r\n\r\nA well dubbed film may make you forget, R6dw6C, however I think dubbing not only takes away from the performances but consequently the overall tone of the film also. Having said that, I guess it\'s better of have the films available than not.\r\n\r\nFrom what I\'ve read, Pitt and Affleck shared a positive working relationship. In fact, Pitt has praised his co-star\'s performance on numerous occasions, even going so far to state that Affleck truly deserved the acting prize at Venice. \r\n\r\nI\'m not sure if you\'ve already read this one or not, but here\'s an interview with Dominik.','5f764834c50fef1c79673e534219a2b9',0,'','nivbNKxL',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11297,2027,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1201114740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford','Review: \r\n\r\nThe dissipations of facades and masquerades come to the fore in the ponderously titled \"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford\". Jesse James (Brad Pitt) tempers his blood reign over railroads and dusty towns with his guise as charming businessman Thomas Howard, substituting his inherent savagery for normalcy, gunslinging for churchgoing and gang for family. But that life will always be too much to ask from the restless James. A lifetime of cruelty and lawlessness leaves him the desire for martyrdom, one lasting act of infamy. Robert Ford (a pitch perfect Casey Affleck), the sycophantic young upstart to James\' gang and driven by his idolatry of his waning hero in James, seeks celebrity in the same way he incites it by introducing himself as a man \"destined for great things\". The eventual evanescence of this romanticised illusion leads to the nascent of pride and envy. The sudden act of psychosis (arguably by both parties) that leads to the film\'s key marquee placement triggers the celebrity Ford craves which at once dispels the myth of both men while nonetheless immortalising them. \r\n\r\nAt a wizened 34 years of age, the fatigued James settles into iconic deification. An outlaw outweighed by the tides of legend and the tales of courage magnified by an audience enraptured by true stories of crime. Notoriety and celebrity bleed into each other. The idea carries a purview of our contemporary cultural import of fame and its cults of personalities. Writer-director Andrew Dominik is careful not to devolve its own overtextualised, and highly subjective mythos into filmic pablum. The attention to detail in the characters is frequently enriched with elements of fatalism until the ruptured fabrics of their environment are revealed through the pas de deux that transpires between James and Ford. \r\n\r\nDominik invokes the most prominent of all betrayals. Ford emerges as a cravenly Judas, slaying the one he professes undying love for. As the borderlines between passion and envy merge and fade into each other, it becomes clear that its plaintive pitch of veneration reaches into a reservoir of psychology gripping the two men from the moment James succumbs to his resurgent vanity. Arched by its metaphysical approach to its cinematography, it resonates the loaded relationship shared between them. The vast Midwestern fields during the 1880s provide the stage as dissonance is contemplated as an inevitable response to treachery. \r\n\r\nLiterally one long epilogue, Dominik bookends this sorrowful story of endings and beginnings with a credo of blood ties. And at an overextended 160 minutes, the film bears witness to more than just its eponymous killers. Insights abound in its narrative sprawl, from Robert\'s brother Charley (Sam Rockwell) to Jesse\'s own kin, Frank (Sam Shepard). Steeped in its own conceptual enigma, Dominik ruminates, very slowly and sombrely on strained dynamics and popular culture. Seeping pathos into a visually extravagant canvas, Dominik tells a brutally honest tale on the price of iconography and opportunely creates an antidote for the balefully emblematic and misbegotten \"American Gangster\".','ad85ef09fac9da9191883234bd5b8b8b',0,'','Wqg25vx7',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11298,2027,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1202541660,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford','The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is now available on DVD in the U.S. (Warner Home Video). No extra features.','5c8ec26a941ea54c5b1d84c73349ebfd',0,'','VTjR9JvD',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11299,2028,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1161239700,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','The Prestige (2006)','Director: Christopher Nolan\r\nCast: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale\r\n\r\nThe official website\r\nsee\r\ntheprestige.movies.go.com/\r\n\r\nMy thoughts ...\r\n\r\n-- Magic, predictably, provides a good basis to craft a film that makes you ponder about life ... and issues ... so, if you love to kill some brain cells contemplating issues, the film has it all ...\r\ne.g., truth vs deceit\r\ne.g., reality vs perception\r\ne.g., fame vs fortune\r\ne.g., love and sacrifice\r\netc\r\n\r\n- The film begins well, though it is still kind of early to get absorbed ... (after all, we have seen too many magic in real life) ... but the story does get more compelling and better ... ... the ending is a wow for many people ...\r\n\r\n-- Although both cast are good, Christian Bale has a more intense look than Hugh Jackman ... BUT, guess what, the character that will imprint in many is (at least for me, ha ha) ... * Hugh Jackman, the drunkard ... not the lead * ... puzzled? ... go catch the film ... ha ha ha\r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\nHey, highly recommended (as a commercial film) ... I actually enjoyed the film ... It got better as the story proceeded ... and the last few scenes provided a great conclusion to the plot ... wow ... belying the main plot, it does raise several issues about life ... BUT, dont read too many reviews, it kind of damages the plot ... \r\n\r\nPS: Critics are likely gonna hate it, thinking it is too contrived ... and either characters may not be as \"likeable\" ... hiaks hiaks ...','2e1e646f4aa75d4deddf2ff03c2d99ba',0,'','HQsYZVgP',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11300,2028,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164824940,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: The Prestige (2006)','A real twister of a film with more than enough contrivances, both plot wise and in terms of tricks. Definitely the most mainstream film from Chris Nolan so far though it\'s unlikely to garner as much attention or praise as Memento.\r\n\r\nSet in turn of the century London, which in itself was a surprise, I thought New York would have more appeal for US viewers, this is a well crafted drama concerning magic, obsession and self destruction. \r\n\r\nGood performances all round though I thought Christian Bale\'s accent was more than a little off, he sounded like a retarded East End thug rather than an inventive magician and ladies man. \r\n\r\nThe biggest twist is saved for the end and it\'s one that very few people are likely to see coming. \r\n\r\nWell worth seeing especially if you enjoy films with convoluted plots.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','3d63f600bfc209e86c750cfa6a7d2756',0,'','Z6taPGNX',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11301,2028,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164870480,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: The Prestige (2006)','Nolan is a talented filmmaker who has gone more mainstream with each project, which is disappointing to say the least. But he isn\'t he first foreigner to have done so, and certainly won\'t be the last.','a5a250aafd6b040cf78081b45021a74a',0,'','qRsamNpC',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11302,2028,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181826900,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: The Prestige (2006)','Well, maybe he will return again to more low key productions. I also don\'t appreciate his turn from indie hope to mainstream appointee. In my opinon his remake of Erik Skjolbjaerg\'s masterful Insomnia (1997) indicated a step into the \"wrong\" direction (cof course only creatively and not money-wise). Although it was a surprisingly good film with some original moments, the extent to which it copied the original (way too much) wasn\'t an indication for a creative force behind the project, rather than attempt to cash in on a bankable concept. The ending of the film, although poignant in its own way, was evident proof of the latter, as it shied away from the bleak outlook of Skjoldbjaerg\'s vision which it had already softened over the course of the film through the exclusion of the most disturbing, but in the original concept ultimately rewarding and essential episodes. \r\nAfter his disappointingly mediocre an un-daring take on the Batman franchise I didn\'t go out of my way (and into a multiplex) to catch The Prestige, although I\'ve read some benevolent reviews from some critics I trust (not to mention many outright enthusiastic reviews by regular moviegoers who were grateful to see something more rewarding than the usual mainstream product).\r\n\r\nBut who knows, maybe Nolan will try to reassess his position as a foreign filmmaker inside the system in the future, and a creative spark will make him \"burn\" again','22735044bfda245f1ecbc2afeaac30c7',0,'','uiWRSohe',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11303,2028,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1198295340,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: The Prestige (2006)','I rewatched it yesterday on DVD and since my first view lasts back 11 Months (German dubbed, in the theaters, by chance), I wasn\'t sure if it would remain as one of my favourites of 2007. The decision to put it onto my Top 13-List was suprising even to me - but I found myself still in touch with the film months after the viewing, still impressed and still thinking \"Man, that one was extraordinary...that one was very, very, very interesting...\", so it was a real temptation. But I wasn\'t sure... Now I am. It\'s not only a film about the obsessions an artistic view of life can bring but also a film about filmmaking itself and about being a filmmaker. Nolan certainly knew what the audience expected from this and he gave it to them with a very bitter smile. The narration seems twisted but it isn\'t - the final solution can only be a disappointment if seen from the pov of a viewer who expected confusing entertainment like \"Memento\". Nolan handles his own situation as an artist after making two very different and very engaging, contricting, successful (and imo very weak) films (\"Memento\" and \"Batman begins\") and he obviously tries to understand the two protagonists (Jackman and Bale are both marvellous) by reflecting his own development - a fascinating perspective which gets even more interesting as the film\'s metaphorical complex doesn\'t make a living out of this metalevel but also includes several psychological bits which are rare to find with such a certain weight on certain things - among others, this is one of the best films I\'ve seen so far dealing - highly concentrated - with (male) stubbornness and its consequences that very often end up with a paradoxical self-alienation. \r\nFurthermore, the film is visually exciting. I\'m a bit sad that it required a second viewing on DVD to notice that as I probably won\'t see this one again on the big screen. There are many things you could define as \"stylized realism\", so I\'ll keep any explanation. Some parts of the photography somehow reminded me of Harry Kmel, though it wasn\'t that stylized while the editing brought up Argento, Kubrick and Sirk in my mind (maybe just because I\'m studying those three directors very intense at the moment).\r\nI\'m still suprised and stunned... when I first saw the trailer in Winter 2006, it unpleasantly reminded me of the @#%$ terrible \"Van Helsing\" (2004), not only because of Hugh Jackman\'s presence. I didn\'t want to see it at all then... \r\n\r\nNow I\'m grateful and satisfied: 22 out of 25. \r\n\r\nBy the way, I can\'t understand why so many people are saying that this is more Mainstream than Nolan\'s other films - the extreme sarcasm behind the - consciously - artificially bloated narration and its simple ending (I almost heard Nolan saying: \"There you have it! Are you satisfied now?\") seems like a clear disagree with the audience\'s trust in the director himself.','8f967df7d4d9c8da39c560e7c9501979',0,'','Yrk5aXze',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11304,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181815980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','State Legislature, the latest documentary from Frederick Wiseman (Titicut Follies [1967], Meat [1976], Domestic Violence [2001]), has started airing on PBS stations (U.S.). Please check your local listings for details.\r\n\r\n*Related: an article from The New York Times.','20dff1d137e14e48e251b14aa70f53b0',0,'','cvHL53B1',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11305,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181859600,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','As you well know I am intrigued, would be nice if it saw some theatrical distribution, but I don\'t know if this is another one of his 6+ hour films.','d064fcd0f7678c3187aea8f3a1d7ee7a',0,'','7nfMGDp5',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11306,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181874120,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','It\'s 217 minutes long. I have taped it but I\'m not sure when I\'ll be able to get to it in its entirety.','a23b0352716796b52966a8846db82e2e',0,'','A9Q1tX25',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11307,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181879820,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','I missed this at the Berlin film Festival, because I wasn\'t able to find the theater in time... \r\nThe people who saw it were VERY enthusiastic about it.\r\nI hope it will get a DVD release.','597272ec9906ebb2e0ba5d5945fcc284',0,'','K0sm2vuN',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11308,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181895060,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','Mr. Olaf Mller selected it as the best film of the Berlinale.\r\n\r\nZipporah Films:\r\n\r\n\"We are currently working on transferring the films to DVD, and will likely make them available for individual purchase, and priced accordingly, by fall 2007.\"','b8158015eab056cbfb7fb1887248aab2',0,'','hvplBLmF',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11309,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181922420,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','That\'s good to hear, and I appreciate Mr. Mller\'s (often adventurous, and always challenging) judgments. \r\nI have often wondered if it would be possible to see Mller\'s personal Top 100 list one day - I\'m sure there would be many surprises on it. \r\nSince I saw him putting Rudolf Thome\'s Frau fhrt, Mann schlft (2004) on his Top Ten (he is one of the few people who recognise Thome\'s genius here in Germany), I\'m a fan of his writing','2e24d6d15aea2d9f068bf00bc3831500',0,'','6fRPV72j',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11310,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181941500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','Is that quote from Zipporah applicable to all of Wiseman\'s films? Granted that will make my 19 bootleg Wiseman dvd\'s obsolete, but at least the transfers will be better.','53259e715650fd8a4bf7c270d52c263b',0,'','w8Tz4ySZ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11311,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181986200,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','I believe so. But I would hold on to those DVDs for the time being. \r\n\r\nMller is quite possibly the most important film critic in the world today. Besides State Legistature, he was also quite high on Maria Speth\'s Madonnen, which stars Sandra Hller (Requiem). Hopefully, it\'ll be programmed at the upcoming TIFF. I think he also mentioned Angela Schanelec\'s Nachmittag, a film you reviewed, in a positive light.','a0cb12b9e1c6cd0964ab54d93567b135',0,'','53DQrnwW',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11312,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1182005820,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','He certainly is indispensable for shedding a spotlight on little known parts of film history in various countries. Somehow you get the impression that he is an expert on almost everything \r\nToo bad I didn\'t know of his opinion on Madonnen during the Berlinale, as I could have fit it into my schedule but wasn\'t interested.','a12b237302f31e3032b2d00cd01e9a11',0,'','FWp9ZYuV',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11313,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1182060180,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','Yes, Mller can speak eloquently and knowledgeably about anything. There are such critics in France, but not in the U.S. And, unlike most, he doesn\'t look unfavorably upon certain genres and their origins . While discussing the little-known HK filmmaker Cheang Pou-soi, he made an excellent point that \"the fact that [Cheang] remains largely unrecognized is a reflection of the schizophrenic state of film cutlure today, which constantly references and professes to love low-budget genre cinema yet largely fails to acknowledge that it\'s alive and kicking in places like Manila, Bombay, Lagos, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.\"','ed06769233e923bc0942861ec58c2fc7',0,'','yUvjgm0d',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11314,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186539540,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','STATE LEGISLATURE \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nTo put it simply, State Legislature, the latest documentary from the prolific yet little-known American master Frederick Wiseman, is about how the democratic process is undertaken by and within an institution. While it would\'ve been ideal if the 77-year-old filmmaker had elected to depict an establishment more diversiform and, dare I say, pertinent than the Idaho Legislature, in this day and age its hard not to appreciate the subversiveness of the act which displays a bunch of white middle-class individuals -- largely men/Republicans -- of moderate intelligence truly caring for their own. Even though the television critic of The New York Times inexplicably found them to be \"claims of absolute banality,\" the Rocky Mountain states legislative branch is primarily made up of part-time \"citizen legislators,\" who, after serving a term or two, go back to their normal routine. (\"For me, the drama lies in the commonness of the issues, in the ordinariness of the people called on to resolve them, and the seriousness with which they accept the responsibility for participating in decisions that affect all aspects of our lives\" [Wiseman].) Shot in the state capital of Boise during the annual 12-week session in 2004, this 3 hour and 37 minute work was compiled from over 160 hours of 16mm footage, a substantial amount even for Wiseman and his longtime DP John Davey. As usual, the filmmakers mode is strictly observational; no narration or interviews (similar to C-Span, but to actively pursue a correlation would be akin to an insult of Wisemans graceful yet complex formalism). And that neutrality of approach harmoniously links us as various bills are introduced and discussed by people from all walks of life. State Legislature may not be as important a institution-related Wiseman effort as, say, Hospital (1970) or Juvenile Court (1973), but its still one of the better and more fascinating documentaries of the year.\r\n\r\n____________________\r\n\r\n*The film had its international premiere at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival.','9d7a8db46ea58513fedc377c6cb627e3',0,'','gcFoT8bQ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11315,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1192526040,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','\r\nState Legislature\r\n(Frederick Wiseman / USA / 2007)\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nTwo weeks ago, I was at the Human Rights Film Festival which takes place once every two years in Nuremberg. I didn\'t have much time and money, and I chose only two films to watch out of the comprehensive range of movies. I would have liked to have seen some more, for example Rithy Pan\'s latest Le papier ne peut pas envelopper la braise (Paper Cannot Wrap Up Embers / 2006), or Sergej Loznitsa\'s \"silent\" account of Stalingrad during WWII, Blokada (Blockade / 2005). But you can\'t always get what you want. Luckily I got plenty from the two films I chose to watch. \r\n\r\nThe first was a screening of Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (2007), which I had already missed at this years Berlin Film Festival, because I wasn\'t able to find the cinema (see my fragmentary accounts of the 57th Berlinale). I had heard and read great things about the film so I was very excited when I headed to the cinema at ten in the morning. Unfortunately I hadn\'t slept more than four hours during the previous night, but I figured there would be some solution for this. At the entrance I was delighted when I met two fellow cinastes and co-workers from my cinema but surprised when I found out that we would apparently be the only witnesses to the screening. It seems that nobody else had ventured out to watch a three and a half hour movie at ten thirty in the morning at a public holiday during the week (in fact it was the 3rd of October, the day of the German Reunification). But at least we were bound to find out that some additional lost souls would join us during the screening. Anyways, as the lights went out and the movie commenced I forgot about everything else and found myself immersed in a very interesting and pleasing experience for the next couple of hours.\r\n\r\nThe film is an account of the inner workings of the Idaho state legislature at Boise, USA in the way I appreciate most in documentary movies. Without adding any comment or additional information of his own, Wiseman has shot one of his typical observational movies that tries to give us an understanding of people and their circumstances through their exposure on film. Wiseman has somehow gained permission to film various deputies at work in the main government building of the state and that\'s exactly what we get to see. Most of the time these are discussions about yet another bill that should or shouldn\'t be passed on, but the interesting thing is that they seldom felt like routine work (at least not to me). It seems that most people there are working with a fervor and enthusiasm that really speaks for the ideals of democracy. Although I\'m not into politics anymore and don\'t consider myself a democrat, I found myself pleasently reminded of the more productive discussions during my time as a somewhat active party member. But what was realy new to me, was to see such an active involvement in democratic culture and values, something one might only dream about here in Germany. Of course the usual trappings and shortcoming are also evident in Idaho. Although the politicians aren\'t professionals (or most often don\'t consider themselves as such) there is still a lot of formality in conversations that sometimes fail to adress what lies at the core of the matter. On funny moment comes when you find yourself listening to a lengthy discussion, at the end of which you still don\'t really know what it was actually about. My guess was same sex marriage, but my fellow viewers had different interpretations to offer. The other problem is that the system is still structured pretty much in a hierarchical fashion, despite the aura of freedom most of the delegates are spreading and contrary to outward appearances which the Americans like any other nation in the world are still happy in displaying. The virtue of Wiseman\'s direction lies in his ability to show us the conflicts and discrepancies inherent in the system and its people without compromising anyone or anything and especially not his art. The respect he shows towards his subject is also expected from the viewer of his film. Wiseman isn\'t out to explain anything in the traditional sense but instead tries to make us see and understand while we are drawing our own conclusions. His technique in this movie consists of various long takes that show us people behaving in their environment and in contrast to this a mise-en-scene that has learned much from the montage theories of the Soviets (Eisenstein and Peleshian come to my mind). If you haven\'t the patience for such kind of filmmaking it may become a difficult film to view. Personally I found it dcompletely engaging and could have immediately taken another four hours. To see a filmmaker who displays faith in his audience\' ability to think is always delightful to me. After the movie I had the feeling that I really understood some of the things that were happening in the film because I had gone through the experience together with the protagonists. Wiseman was able to deliver lived experience on three levels. First of all I had the feeling of seeing a master at work, a director who knows exatly what he is doing. Out of this there developed a feeling that you were really with the director and his subject all of the time, and the intimacy created between the spectator and the procedure gave me the feeling I had participated in the events on screen. Overall I left the theater with the most satisfying feeling I can get from movies. I had the impression that I had spent a very productive time at the cinema and I was agitated enough by what I had seen to think further about the film and my life. I\'m afraid I can\'t put it any better at the moment but I hope you get what I mean. Maybe I should add that State Legislature works like a gift from a dear friend who has given you something that enriches your life through opnening up new ways of experince. \r\n\r\nAn interesting observation came from a fellow reviewer at imdb. It could be said that the people in the movie practice their job like a religion. Unfortunately it often seems like they are only aware of one possible way of doing so, the western, \"christian\" way. This implicit criticism can be seen in Wiseman contrasting two similar scenes at the beggining and the end of his films that speak in different ways about the same thing. But maybe it\'s just the old saying that you are wiser afterwards. The film was shot on 16mm and is surprisingly viewable and intimate. By that I mean that you could mistake the material for 35mm, without losing the positive aspects of 16mm. Maybe my choice of words is still irritating, so I\'ll just say it was a treat to watch.','fae5e08956533bf2607fb411a59a36bc',0,'','uxbAs4Pr',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11316,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1193132160,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','Time permitting, I\'ll properly respond at a later date, but it looks like we\'re pretty much in agreement here. I\'m glad you were able to get to it after the mishap at the Berlinale.','a53942d52a0af1c9b6867e81c2e53703',0,'','L3fBVNjX',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11317,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1196775420,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','A number of Wiseman films are now available on DVD for individual purchase from Zipporah Films\' website. Most of them are priced at $29.95.','e5cce1ed060d914f8673d8604eaf86ff',0,'','AlvQ5huc',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11318,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1196842500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','Yes I\'ve read about it. Quite amazing, considering the large amount of films they brought on the market at the same time. A bit pricey though (if there aren\'t any substantial extras, which I doubt).\r\n\r\nBut I already spent some 130 Euros on DVDs during a wacky shopping spree which I absolutely couldn\'t afford (although it was a real bargain - I bought more than 32 discs!), and R6dw6C pointed me to a link today where 4 Glauber Rocha films are on sale with German (and French) subtitles:\r\nwww.trigon-film.ch/de/dir...uber_Rocha\r\n\r\nHopefully I\'ll be able to wait until my next birthday with this one.','0bc91312359122a4cf4d3d2a80819f55',0,'','SaRfibm0',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11319,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1196849520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','I start going weak at the knees whenever Rocha is mentioned. His Black God, White Devil is a masterpiece of the highest order. I might consider purchasing Barravento since I don\'t believe it\'s available elsewhere with English subs.','3732efa6b2d91aae125364adc64d89ee',0,'','l14cEY5D',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11320,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1196869440,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','Yes sir, shakey knees is also what I get. If I merely start thinking about Rocha my pulse goes up and I\'m sure everybody would notice that I start holding my breath and my eyes bulge out. I think all addicts understand this phenomenon. \r\n\r\nI saw a print of his last film A Idade da Terra (The Age of the earth / 1980) at the Vienna Film Festival, and it was also quite an experience.','0a277f9eb6f94d4b1998032f0fea504f',0,'','6wBcFk1Q',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11321,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1196910180,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','Sure we know that feeling! \r\nOf course, I sent you this link with some connivingly thoughts in mind. I hope, you\'ll order those DVDs very soon, A. I got no more money left. (OT: I expect a comment by you on \"Peeping Tom\")\r\n\r\nProbably, they will be even more expensive if shipped outside of Switzerland. But the more I read about Rocha, the more anxious I get to see everything by him and especially \"The Age of the Earth\".\r\n\r\nThough your and arsaib\'s reviews of \"State Legislature\" also suggest like this could be a film that deals with politics and human \"mechanics\" in a way that I could agree with.','197a7030bf9899349733520ed3025ce1',0,'','rfVEkdUM',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11322,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1196945460,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','\"Wiseman has somehow gained permission to film various deputies at work in the main government building of the state and that\'s exactly what we get to see.\"\r\n\r\nIdaho wasnt the first choice for Mr. Wiseman, but that state granted him permission to apply its legislative process for his work. Prior to commencing, Wiseman, who holds a law degree, entered a legal contract with the institution, which is a norm for him. \r\n\r\n\"But what was realy new to me, was to see such an active involvement in democratic culture and values, something one might only dream about here in Germany.\"\r\n\r\nCould you expand on this a bit?\r\n\r\n\"The virtue of Wiseman\'s direction lies in his ability to show us the conflicts and discrepancies inherent in the system and its people without compromising anyone or anything and especially not his art.\"\r\n\r\nWiseman\'s isn\'t what you would call an \"expos\" filmmaker. He\'s certainly not Michael Moore. He feels no need to manipulate his art in order to access the moviegoing audience. \"I think [Moore is] an entertainer. I dont think hes interested in complexity,\" Wiseman has said. \"I dont see any particular filmmaking skills, and I think his point of view is extremely simplistic and self-serving.\" Wiseman, on the other hand, likes to expose the grey areas, the ambiguities that exist within an individual or the institution he\'s part of.\r\n\r\n\"Personally I found it to be completely engaging and could have immediately taken another four hours.\"\r\n\r\nMe, too. And that\'s because the 217 minutes felt more like 117. The only other new film I could say the same about is Lady Chatterley.\r\n\r\n\"On funny moment comes when you find yourself listening to a lengthy discussion, at the end of which you still don\'t really know what it was actually about. My guess was same sex marriage, but my fellow viewers had different interpretations to offer.\"\r\n\r\nI don\'t recall that particular discussion. But one which was significant since it\'s also been dealt with in New York recently had to do with granting a special driver\'s licence to undocumented workers. They are certainly out there on the roads, and the state could\'ve benefitted from making such a committment, but the governor changed his tune once his approval ratings started to sink and the opposition started to get nasty. \r\n\r\n\"First of all I had the feeling of seeing a master at work, a director who knows exatly what he is doing. Out of this there developed a feeling that you were really with the director and his subject all of the time, and the intimacy created between the spectator and the procedure gave me the feeling I had participated in the events on screen.\"\r\n\r\nWhile Wiseman is considered a master of cinma vrit, and rightfully so, he prefers the term \"reality fiction.\" He\'s well-aware of his own process which conjures up an allegorical narrative about the subject and its condition.\r\n\r\n\"[Wiseman] is for modern US cinema what John Ford was for the classical era: the most ceaseless chronicler of the way society works, never neglecting the human efforts made to keep it running, yet ever so acutely aware of the weariness and contradictions that inevitably arise along the way\" (Olaf Mller).','3dbc1ab77fe08831208a6ebcda2cfcab',0,'','m5NFYHlL',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11323,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1196985540,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','Ah, all this sounds extremely intriguing! I hope, some german distributor will catch the subtitled print shown in Vienna and Nuremberg to give it a limited theatrical release. I am not too friendly with documentaries but when I read such things (\"reality fiction\" is a magic key word for interesting, cinematic documentaries) and your reviews... Well, it will be on Television sooner or later. The film itself was also produced by american Television, right?','43b268a682d122ca3ffa6a911c9fcfb4',0,'','NV9a3Rhm',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11324,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1197343680,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','I truly hope you get to watch this film. Yes, one can\'t discuss Wiseman intelligently without mentioning the term \"reality fiction.\" (It\'s also worth noting that Wiseman regards documentary as another form of fiction and has considered his oeuvre as one long film [a great one, I\'d add].) The understanding of its anatomy makes Mller\'s association all the more ingenious.\r\n\r\nI believe it was partially financed by an American network. A friend of mine told me that ARTE, which I\'m sure you\'re familiar with, was also involved, but I\'ve yet to confirm that. Unfortunately, and contrary to popular belief, the growing mainstream visibility of documentaries since the late 90s has had no bearing as far as Wiseman\'s work is considered. He still has to scratch and claw in order to get the financing together, and has gathered enough friends over the years who make sure that his work is seen by a small, sophisticated audience. But, hopefully, now that his films can be obtained affordably, one could discuss them without any risk of sounding esoteric.','6ec0f20f8e286f974fb9def3cfc82ffa',0,'','AwqSpV5P',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11325,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1197434520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','Yes, one can\'t discuss Wiseman intelligently without mentioning the term \"reality fiction.\" (It\'s also worth noting that Wiseman regards documentary as another form of fiction and has considered his oeuvre as one long film [a great one, I\'d add].)\r\n\r\nSounds like Wiseman recognized the difficulties of the Sujet - some (like me) had a very hard time looking for Cinema in Documentaries, Documentaries which told something, which were just filmic - they mostly (even if designed for Cinema) are about informations and about realism and there is no need for a documentary to smell and taste like TV and Newspaper, don\'t you think? Only from reading your reviews and some Interview bits with him, I guess Wiseman thinks quite similar. I remember: The most interesting documentary (considered as a film) was Pier Paolo Pasolini\'s essayistic collage \"La Rabbia\" and \"Assembly of Love\" - that gave me an image what documentary cinema could really be like.\r\n\r\nSure I\'m familiar with ARTE. It\'s probably the best thing ever happened to German (and maybe - they certainly have better programms - french) Television and they also produce quite a lot feature films. I didn\'t knew that they are also operating overseas but that makes them even more sympathetic. Funny - when I mentioned that \"State Legislature\" will be on TV sooner or later, I was instinctively thinking of ARTE in the first place (they simply air the most uncommercial foreign films in Germany, very often even subtitled as almost everything gets dubbed elsewhere). \r\n\r\nBut Wiseman is, after all, only one of hundreds - I would die to see a new film by Andrzej Zulawski, Roland Klick or Alejandro Jodorowsky (those are only examples) - but nobody seems to see any need or fortune to finance their ideas and Zulawski and Klick obviously already gave up filmmaking after frustrating years of waiting. Nowadays, the european film industry (if it\'s possible to speak of an \"industry\" anymore) isn\'t far from turning into another variation of the american system - there are millions of Dollars going to Hollywood and bigger american \"Indie\"-Acts year per year but europe\'s greatest old directors and most hopeful young talents are mostly sitting at home and waiting for a miracle to happen. Those who get their films - if uncommercial - financed, mostly are the ones the producers and the film commissions can expect something prestigious without a risk.','57d045d15a2c7ad4a0c5669e8b821d7a',0,'','BQc1xgbm',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11326,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1198058520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','Yes, my information is that ARTE was definitely involved in financing this film. But at the screening here in Germany at the Human Rights Festival in Nuremberg, the projectionist had to read a statement that was issued by ARTE, that the company distances itself from the movie. No explanation was given...\r\n\r\n\"But what was realy new to me, was to see such an active involvement in democratic culture and values, something one might only dream about here in Germany.\"\r\n\r\nMaybe my indictment of German politics sounds a bit harsh here, but I usually have the feeling as if this country doesn\'t have any active and significant political culture (in a way that it might actually change or influence society in a way that runs against everything that can be expected in todays\' global imperialism). All the iumportant discussions are always reactions which come way too late, and are relating to economic or social issues that are already beyond repair or a fixed deal. As such most of the talk is for me highly hypocritical, as I can\'t possibly believe that the political leaders could be so dumb and ignorant (although they have plenty of both virtues) as to think their speeches carry any truth or influence. Mostly politics in Germany seem to be clearly avoiding any(!) important topics at all. Instead they use very cheap red herring tactics and talk about stuff that isn\'t important, or stuff that they are trying to make important out of personal, probably financial reasons (I\'m thinking on lobbyists here). To make it clear, German politicians are for me some of the most despicable people imaginable, for which I share a worrying mixture of pity and contempt. \r\n\r\nWhat I saw in Wiseman\'s documentary were (sometimes highly) flawed individuals who nevertheless struggeld with democratic principles and attempted to put them into action. of course the system in which they have to operate is still far from ideal.\r\n\r\n\"I think [Moore is] an entertainer. I dont think hes interested in complexity. I dont see any particular filmmaking skills, and I think his point of view is extremely simplistic and self-serving.\"\r\n\r\nThat\'s one of the best statements I\'ve heard about Moore and his films.\r\n\r\nMe, too. And that\'s because the 217 minutes felt more like 117. The only other new film I could say the same about is Lady Chatterley.\r\n\r\nYou are dead right. \r\n\r\nWhile Wiseman is considered a master of cinma vrit, and rightfully so, he prefers the term \"reality fiction.\" He\'s well-aware of his own process which conjures up an allegorical narrative about the subject and its condition.\r\n\r\n\"Cinma vrit\" was a term I was very unhappy with in this context, but the only useful description that came to my mind. \"Reality fiction\" definitely sounds more appropriate as it also adresses the important issue that Wiseman is always cinematically reflecting about what he is doing. That is the main reason why I found his film as intelligent, engaging and original, as I did. Your description is very fitting, as \"allegorical narrative\" is imo a perfect term in this case.\r\n\r\nWhat Mller has to say is (as could be expected) also spot-on.','2c5e870c2d312b6e3a738862d9eb2009',0,'','C3WMFZTd',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11327,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1198217760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','Thanks for the elaboration, A. And I\'d love to discover more about that statement from ARTE.\r\n\r\nGood points and examples, R6dw6C. Part of the reason why I also love the work of, say, Chris Marker and Peter Watkins, is because they\'ve taken the form to unusual places. So much so that they are hard to classify with individual terms, even though one ends doing so for practical purposes.','8a7b649352278b425bccbb9fc0c6e055',0,'','6FbzsKtJ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11328,2029,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1206070800,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Frederick Wiseman\'s State Legislature (U.S. / 2007)','DVDBeaver on Zapporah Films\' release of Titicut Follies (and other Wiseman films).','39ddd0b5eced39a267b37f5b5a61d227',0,'','wrJ9zev5',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11329,2030,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1192964100,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Lars and the Real Girl (2007)','Review: \r\n\r\nRyan Gosling does everything except what people actually do with high-end love dolls in his latest film, Lars and the Real Girl. The film shatters our expectations almost immediately when it reassures us that it is more profound than tawdry, and that its quirks mask cracks of quiet desperation, which its inherent kindness instinctively develops into a transcendental journey for both characters and audience alike. Notwithstanding the insinuations of modern crudity in its conceit, the layers of complexities that it ends up mining makes director Craig Gillespie\'s (most recently of Mr. Woodcock) feature quite sincere and clever in its handling but never manipulative, a sidestep that not only owes to the top tier performances but to Nancy Olivers (Six Feet Under) deft script that rounds off its characters. Of Gillespies two films in the cinema halls this year, Lars and the Real Girl is inscrutably of the higher calibre. \r\n\r\nGosling is first among equals in the crop of young Hollywood actors. Dissimilar but not without commonalities from his previous roles, he intelligently plays emotionally damaged individuals with intensity and potent glimpses into their true nature. The film benefits immensely from the sterling lead performance by Gosling, who delves in Larss social disabilities for pathos without ever turning him into a sad-sack caricature. Evocating the human intangibles is difficult territory for any actor so Gosling does what even Lars would do by closing himself off physically, glazing over his expressions in a deadpan wasteland of emotions and internalising his conflict of rage and fears that he can only find comfort in something just as impassive in Bianca, the doll. \r\n\r\nIn its broad outline, Lars and the Real Girl presents a portrait of a man who buys an anatomically correct doll in proxy of opening himself to real relationships and to address his unfulfilled needs. But not his physical needs, because with vivid imagination, he paints Bianca from who she is, her ancestry, her convictions, and Lars finally finds his peace of mind when hes together with her. Its also about the divine graces that are created for its characters by other characters and how compassion is shared and returned. \r\n\r\nFollowing the tracks on its storys exposed nerves, Gillespie initially sits back and lets Gosling take the reins by introducing us to Lars and his perceptions of the world around thats so enclosed in stagnation that it only serves to enshrine the milieu of a tight-knit community. It creates situations where unhappiness collides with spirited humour, a remarkable balance of tone that carries the weight of nuances and momentous epiphanies. Intrinsically, the film is just a modest story that reveals something much more about humanistic qualities still at work in a cynical world. \r\n\r\nTheres a deeply rooted message of tolerance in this film thats being adopted by many Christian moviegoers as well, despite its blow-up catalyst. In a world of cinematic crassness and furious banalities of venomous dysfunction, it takes more effort to carry the problems of our troubled kin on our backs than to ostracise and repel. The film understands, profoundly and with love and sadness, the fundamental fragilities that shape us. In a landscape of other films that advocate conflict, it is unusual to witness this film, which actually wants its characters to get along and be happy. Lars and the Real Girl is one of the best films of the year.','d7bd3092b98137f21f8a9b692a889491',0,'','w6KMgjdR',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11330,2030,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1193015700,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Lars and the Real Girl (2007)','Wonderful review, Justin. You\'ve captured the film quite well. Lars and the Real Girl was one of the better American films I saw at TIFF, and I\'m looking forward to viewing it again.','6e5b16a38663772c8a985cc0d19ee2d7',0,'','J2UedHnf',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11331,2030,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1193132580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: Lars and the Real Girl (2007)','Thanks! I hadn\'t heard of it before I watched it but I am not surprised that it\'s being received well. I\'m also not surprised that a fair amount of people hate it as well. I suppose it might have been a bit twee and optimistic for many but personally I found that goodwill to be something that separates it from a similar pack of films that skew towards condescension.','7ac153ce6ab490514ec9fa6f4c57026d',0,'','FxR2VZm4',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11332,2030,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1198062060,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Lars and the Real Girl (2007)','LARS AND THE REAL GIRL \r\n\r\nA second viewing of Lars and the Real Girl not only allowed me to appraise its copious virtues but it also granted me the opportunity to consider the critical reaction for the first time with the film still fresh in my mind (as noted earlier, my initial viewing took place at TIFF 07). I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was generally received quite well. However, a few cynical comments/reactions (quite astonishing for such a sweet-natured movie) did caught my eye, stemming mostly from those who seem to have misread the film to some degree. While the relatively mild review by Manohla Dargis, a critic I highly admire, cant be qualified in that category, she hinted towards a couple of concerns that are worthy of a response. First, there appears to be a misconception out there that the film takes place in some backward Podunk town. The setting is a small town for sure, somewhere in the Midwest perhaps, but it is of the kind that exists near most small-to-midsize cities, though not close enough to be officially deemed a suburb. Moreover, besides our Brazilian-Danish protagonist, the film also introduced us to a number of individuals from diverse race and ethnic backgrounds that were already part of the community, thus allowing us to make our own logical conclusions. Secondly, which relates to the earlier point, the notion that theres some sort of innate evil festering in such places, with the root cause being the people whore leading these hypocritical middle-class lives, is just plain silly. It is one that has only been advanced in recent years by the work of Lynch and von Trier and others. The truth is more complex, of course. Simply put, therere good and bad people everywhere, and one could obviously go on to break it down much further than that. But if those filmmakers chose to present one extreme for personal, political, artistic purposes, then someone else has just as much a right to display the other side, if you will, especially when its done with such Capra-esque humanity. And the filmmakers didnt merely wallow in the goodness of it all, or tried to shove it down everyones throats; the proceeding primarily unfolded in a matter-of-fact way, eschewing comedic opportunities that perhaps couldve diverted into being farcical. Could this material be utilized to make a very different kind of film? Probably yes, but Lars is fine the way it is.\r\n\r\nGosling was indeed wonderful. While the film held on to its convictions about the character, he subtly allowed us a few glimpses behind his demeanor. He has previously given some wonderful performances in mediocre films, so it was good to see him in an effort which is worthy of his talents. Among the supporting cast, Emily Mortimer was charming as always. Some may remember Paul Schneider from the two David Gordon Green films: George Washington (2000) and All the Real Girls (2003) (he could also be seen in this years The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford). I wasnt sure about Patricia Heaton after the first viewing, but hers was a resolutely low-key performance. Perhaps the final two sequences couldve been more moderately staged (the earlier what would Jesus do? which cuts to the congregation was sufficient), but for a film which accomplishes such a balancing act when it comes to tone and clarity, I forgive.\r\n\r\nGrade: B+','a871275bc6a84dc0826b484637afdfbb',0,'','aJwHk6VT',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11333,2031,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1197441540,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','So Yong Kim\'s In Between Days (U.S.-Can-S. Kor / 2006)','*A 2007 (U.S.) Release*\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThere is no lack of good, original coming-of-age films that deal with the trials and tribulations of adolescence. What makes the said personal/thematic impulses in writer-director So Yong Kims In Between Days somewhat distinctive, however, is that its young female protagonist deals with them while also attempting to come to terms with a foreign land and a new cultural environment. But, for better or for worse, Kims minimalist effort is less geared towards her process of assimilation and is much more interested in delicately mining her burgeoning crush on her best male friend and study partner.\r\n\r\nPetite and melancholic, Aimie (Jiseon Kim) is a teenager whos recently emigrated from S. Korea to a wintry N. American city (the film was shot in Toronto, and despite the efforts made to generalize the setting, those familiar with the city will know that it takes place there as well). She feels disconnected from her working mother and has yet to find her place at school. It appears that her only friend in this isolated milieu is Tran (Taegu Andy Kang), a self-assured young lad, also an immigrant, who only has eyes for westernized Korean girls and prefers to treat Aimie as an innocent young thing -- though hes more than willing to experiment with her when the topic of sex comes up, possibly because she wouldnt know any better. (Kim has beautifully encapsulated the push-pull dynamics of the relationship between them.)\r\n\r\nPrimarily shot on DV, the film is tangentially based on the directors own childhood experience of moving from S. Korea to Los Angeles at the age of 12. Its Kims first feature but she had previously worked on a number of experimental short films and video installations (and the influence is apparent in her static compositions of the frozen landscape that are poetically set to Aimies monologues intended for her absent father). \r\n\r\nKim has mentioned Rebels of the Neon God (1992), Rosetta (1999) and Unknown Pleasures (2002) as the three films which inspired her the most. If the narrative\'s existential ennui belongs to the Tsai, then her spatial inquiries of lifes intangible moments certainly owe something to the Jia. As for the Dardennes, while Kims overall aesthetic isnt nearly as rigorous, her accentuation of the sound-design as her protagonist trudges through the snow does bring back a few memories. Subtle and unassuming, In Between Days is a most welcome addition to the ever-percolating coming-of-age scene.\r\n\r\nGrade: B\r\n__________________________\r\n\r\n*The film premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Prize. It went on to play at the likes of Berlin (FIPRESCI Prize), Toronto, and Buenos Aires (Best International Film/Actress).','353a1e4ff2b1dcba5ae9f343cd9ae8f4',0,'','8mdf5FSj',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11334,2031,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1197616740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: So Yong Kim\'s In Between Days (U.S.-Can-S. Kor / 2006)','I think I had this on my Top ten for 2006. It\'s definitely one of my favorite films.\r\n\r\nWhat i liked most about it was the almost casual pace of the film, the many seemingly unimportant scenes and moments that lingered on - both of which would have usually been edited out of less observant films. This is definitely something Kim has in common with Jia Zhang-ke. But i think her visual style is also more direct and straightforward, at first glance less lyrical and epic than Jia\'s. The unobtrusive and gentle look at the protagonist is also very unique I think. If she speaks about Dardenne and Tsai there are obvious connections, but I must say that she definitely has her own way of showing things, which I found as good as the one by the three filmmakers mentioned (and in some moments even better). I think her view is in a unique way gentle and bleak , and the places and situations presented were mostly pleasing to me. Maybe this has to do with the fact that I love snowy landscapes in big cities, and I could identify with the feeling of having moved to one. I think the film is difficult to grasp, and one of its qualities is also its elusiveness. \r\nThe unsettling and abrupt ending of the film is also in a league of its one, and was my favorite moment when I saw it for the first time. Very fitting, and of a complexity one usually doesn\'t encounter on the screen (again, Rosetta does come to mind). \r\n\r\nSomehow I enjoyed practically every artisitc decision Kim made in her film. The telephone conversations which could easily sound uninspired were surprisingly also a joy to watch.\r\n\r\nI can\'t exactly say why the film is so good, but you are quite right in your observations arsaib. It\'s not so much the coming-of-age than the whole composition of the film. The town, the season, the love-interest, the friends, the loneliness, the absent father, the relationship with the mother, and not least the protagonists eyes, face and movements. Her expressions are in my opinion incredibly effective. The cinematic sculpting of time and space coupled with a subtle narrative make the film more of a documentary-inspired portrait of a short time-span in one person\'s life. The coming-of-age is a consequence rather than the focus of In Between Days. Like a diary that is regularly missing a few pages, the film does show what usually happens in between the so-called \"events\" in one\'s life. \r\n\r\nThere are parallels to the films of Angela Schanelec, especially the elliptical nature of Marseille (2004), a film that almost never shows the events themselves. What we see is always what happened before or after. What has or hasn\'t changed, and the difficulty of grasping the importance of moments that define our lives.','339107ddbc1f00a2e86cfb6a7fd52faf',0,'','2otCnKYE',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11335,2031,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1197717540,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: So Yong Kim\'s In Between Days (U.S.-Can-S. Kor / 2006)','You did have In Between Days in your Top Ten of 2006 (at #10). It probably won\'t finish that high on my \'07 list, but it will definitely be there. \r\n\r\nI agree with you that despite containing certain traits of the aforementioned filmmakers\' work, the film still belongs to Kim (who could be mentioned alongside someone like Miranda July, another young woman who\'s recently transitioned from experimental shorts and video installations to directing a full-scale feature). I may have insinuated something unintended with my earlier comparisons. Though I wouldn\'t refer to it as highly original or authentic. Perhaps I\'ve seen far too many minimalist efforts that feature melancholic young protagonists.\r\n\r\nGood point regarding the ending. One could actually sense the character\'s emotional growth. And that\'s partially due the fact that, as we mentioned, the film focuses on what most consider throwaway moments. Another film you may want to keep an eye on is Alexis Dos Santos\' Glue, which I initially saw at TIFF \'06 and may write a little about it now that it\'s available on DVD in the U.S.\r\n\r\nSpeaking of which, I need to mention that the same applies to In Between Days. It was recently released by Kino. A brief conversation with Kim and Bradley Rust Gray (her husband/producer) is provided as an extra feature.','afaff53f9fa9f7d73388c3f1ba2320ae',0,'','JAa6wP9i',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11336,2031,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1198056360,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: So Yong Kim\'s In Between Days (U.S.-Can-S. Kor / 2006)','Only number 10? That really was an incredibly strong year. \r\n\r\nThis year In Between Days could easily finish at the No.1 spot. I think 2007 has been the most disappointing year in my movie watching experience - ever. \r\n\r\nI can\'t really sleep at the moment (it\'s five o\'clock in the morning here in Germany), and I\'m going to rewatch this year\'s personal favorite, Lady Chatterley, at the cinema in a couple of hours. hope I won\'t have to drink too much coffee. \r\n\r\nHmm, seems I\'m rambling a bit. To get back to the film, I don\'t think your comparison to other filmmakers was problematic (If Kim mentions them herself as inspiration, how could it?). It\'s just that I feel the Dardennes, Jia and Tsai are such distinct and idiosyncratic filmmakers that it\'s almost impossible to compare them to anything or anybody. They are in my opinion some of the most unique voices in film history, and have of course influenced and inspired lots of filmmakers. \r\n\r\nMaybe the experimental background you mention was one reason why I found Kim\'s style very fresh and unique. I felt like she was recycling something new and personal out of a clichd and over-used formula. I think she definitely borrowed from the three above-mentioned filmmakers, but more from certain scenes and ideas, than from their style or aesthetics. That\'s usually something i consider \"bad\" borrowing: trying to imitate or even pay hommage to a specific way of filmmaking (maybe the main reason why I found Tarantino\'s last two (or if you want three) films his weakest - it\'s more a \"fanboy\" effort than a primal scream). The raw energy I felt in So Yong Kim\'s In Between Days on the other hand, was very inspiring to me.\r\n\r\nI definitely need to check out Miranda July\'s work. I\'m still a bit pissed at myself that I didn\'t buy her last film on DVD when I could have had it as a bargain. Haven\'t heard of Glue before. Thanks for the tip. And I need to get hold of Kim\'s feature on DVD. So many films I want to own, but so little money. If only I was a workaholic, and not a lazy bone.','472a567b332c6c6dc05d5142a66f0525',0,'','ofCDhWjx',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11337,2032,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1195357740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','No Country For Old Men (2007)','A new Coen brothers film is usually a joyous occasion. What crazy characters have they concocted this time, who is in the new film, what\'s it about? Regardless of the questions and the expectations rarely do they give you what\'s expected. Coming after the rather disappointing and lackluster one-two punch of Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers I wondered if perhaps they were losing their magic. Roughly five minutes into No Country For Old Men all my faith was restored. For 122 bleak moments a desolate world criminals and would be assassins cross our paths and at least someone in American cinema was stating that a parred down film language was not just enthralling, but monumental in scope.\r\n\r\nThe plot unravels in its own small lethargic way. Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles across the aftermath of what appears to be a drug deal gone bad. Tracking the ultima hombre (last man standing) he finds a case with $2 million in it. We never find out who shot who in the beginning, or why, what happened to the truck full of heroin and what not. This is a film that doesn\'t spell everything out for us. It denies us a sense of closure and leaves out what seem like vital details for our understanding of the narrative. The mission here is ambiguity. The Coen\'s are not offering a cleverly wrapped up package. Rather than being given the vitals, we are left wondering motivations and what happens.\r\n\r\nIn Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) the Coen\'s have concocted a character on par with Frank Booth as the most evil man in film. His killer is methodical, determined, and seemingly invincible. A remorseless killer who slays for little reason. We don\'t even know how he\'s connected in the first place, but her serves as the extreme poll of evil. Bardem is absolutely chilling in his role and any scene he\'s in has a capacity to venture into pure unspeakable violence. His oxygen tank is similar to a butchers tool for killing livestock, and he seems to kill people with the same compassion. \r\n\r\nThe ending of the film has gotten some people a little flustered. Like everything else in the film we aren\'t given all the information, and some people have found a lack of closure. This seems almost perfect. Contrary to nearly every new film the Coen\'s have opted to have no music in their picture, and the only time we hear any music is when a band of mariachis are playing on the streets of Mexico. This is the first Coen film I\'ve seen on the big screen and I am glad I did. The vast desert landscapes overload the screen and everything has an empty shell to it. This is something of a modern American masterpiece and more than enough justification for the Coen brothers being in my top 20.','cef3be82e5c5b9da54c08d756efea0d6',0,'','9TwxCbRP',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11338,2032,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1195552080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: No Country For Old Men (2007)','An \"American masterpiece\" on par with Fargo?','b981f0bf3ca93b4dccf8ce6487fb0b4c',0,'','RNg0Mb5L',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11339,2032,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1195684800,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: No Country For Old Men (2007)','I actually think its better than Fargo, certainly a little more ambiguous.','102baba008ec00756f6b37d14ef94fb7',0,'','5Wv4JUwR',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11340,2032,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1196083500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: No Country For Old Men (2007)','Coens\' best work ostentates a keen perception of the notions of crime and punishment that reside at the core of the American fabric. This in and of itself requires an existential approach, not only on their part but on ours, too, which has unfortunately lead to various misunderstandings formulated by their dissenters. But that existentiality breeds the sort of ambiguity I think youre talking about, wpqx. The question is whether the film truly earns it or not, and Im unsure if I can answer that after a single viewing. (I havent read the titular McCarthy but Im well-aware that hes one of the great American novelists of the our time [I most recently admired The Road quite a bit].) Do the Coens provide enough to support their ideological framework? In any case, its a bold move, boy, to pretty much leave the film on the shoulders of an actor whose character is supposedly pared down from the source (the filmmakers owe him much one way or the other). Contrary to what many may still believe, the film isnt about a serial-killer (and, more remarkably, Zodiac wasnt about Zodiac), but it does feature one, who perhaps wasnt required to be as extravagant as he was, even though hes an embodiment rather than an actualization (based on where the film ends up). And this about-face which Coens pull, both in terms of approach and thematic weight, is what I want to see done again in order to glean its truthfulness. But theres no question in my mind that this is the best film theyve made since the Cannes award-winning The Man Who Wasnt There.','7a79ed0e996e44d1ef91c74c8f37d202',0,'','0asfbyxC',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11341,2032,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1196085540,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: No Country For Old Men (2007)','You may be selling it short just to be on the safe side. I\'d consider their previous two features remarkable disappointments so this is certainly better. Of course I always believe a film should stand on its own and it makes no difference whether its based on a book or even a real event. Jokingly Blood Simple and Fargo were based on true stories which people were quick to find out was a lie. This film comments on it when Tommy Lee Jones is reading the paper and says \"You can\'t make that stuff up\".','9794f272ed540a2f403ce65389e9b864',0,'','0oKrZmJW',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11342,2032,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1196151000,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: No Country For Old Men (2007)','Like I said, I haven\'t made up my mind regarding this film; a second viewing is certainly in order. I\'ll attempt to accomplish that at a second-run theater because it\'s possible the film won\'t become available on DVD before I post my annual list.','a6fb3f305d5282a4c2c5f5f2a8045250',0,'','AhVvKtzC',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11343,2032,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1202992380,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: No Country For Old Men (2007)','I am also thinking of watching it a second time. \r\n\r\nsome thoughts after first watch \r\n\r\n(i) it will definitely appeal more to critics ... it appeals in terms of style, and to some extent, shock/violence ... as for the story, shld i credit the author of the book or the director/scriptwriter? ... typically, critics would be able to draw out the many subtitles/analogies, etc ... BUT for mainstream audience, i cannot be too sure ... to some extent, i am rather inclined to say that \"Atonement\" may resonate with mainstream audience much better \"emotionally\" ... it is much easier to comprehend ... \r\nPS: From a \"literature\" point of view, \"No Country\" may be better ... \r\n\r\n(ii) is Javier really in a supporting role? ... it is no secret that he kind of stole the show ... but frankly, what i want to say is ... if an audience is not aware that Javier is in a supporting role, and is asked to state who is/are in the lead roles (not based on who acted better, but who they think the director has cast as the lead in the film) ... i do suspect that many would identify Javier ... my point is ... is Javier\'s nomination as a \"supporting\" role a strategic decision by whoever submitted him as a supporting actor? \r\nPS: my doubt is in no way a question of his acting ability ... instead, i really thought he came across as the lead ... (cf. Mystic River ... there are 3 leads?!) \r\n\r\n(iii) i am rather divided ... on one hand, the minimal soundtrack makes it realistic ... on the other hand, i thought the film might have chilled and thrilled even better with a well conceived sountrack ... as of now, it might be too silent at times ... \r\n\r\n(iv) i am okay with the ending ... i am also okay with the \"non resolution\" and \"non explanation\" of many things ... \r\n\r\nFINAL POINT: \r\nlet me watch \"there will be blood\" and \"juno\" this weekend before i decide which i prefer ... \r\ni have watched Atonement, Michael Clayton, No Country For Old Men.','ae0c31fdbf2c10f4173d2d693ad46fa5',0,'','fmovdKwV',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11344,2032,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1205213040,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: No Country For Old Men (2007)','\r\n\r\nNow available on DVD in the U.S. from Miramax. Extras include three making-of-featurettes.','46cdb1f3de0ea771265c73638d07abdd',0,'','7HQgJilj',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11345,2032,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1205277480,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: No Country For Old Men (2007)','While being in Munich last Weekend, I had the worthy opportunity to see the film on a big screen and in the original version (it\'s playing only dubbed in Nuremberg, can\'t imagine how they dubbed this one...). \r\n\r\nWell, I\'m heavily disappointed. I thought that the Coens might have \"grown up\" totally within the last five years or so but they still suffer from their old demons which always kept me from honestly liking their films. \r\nNCFOM pretends to be dead serious and it affected me as a viewer very seriously. At least some time. At one point (approximately during the scene in which Brolin leaves his wife in the bus or the following scene with Bardem in the car), I thought that the point had come for me to trust in the film and the intentions of its creators. Yes, there was humour. But it was discreet and subtle. Yes, the whole thing looked like a mixture of abstracted / reflected traditional genre elements and -cliches. But it was still superior - for 20 minutes! Then, my whole personal Coen misery started again when Tommy Lee Jones started to look for Brolin and Bardem. The Mixture became stronger and stronger (like a bad perfume), the pleasant sedateness shrinked, the usual cynical humour became more and more penetrating and suddenly, they were there again: The narcisstic, \"cool\" and smirking big boys who can\'t stop giggling about their own cunning and sophistication. The Hammer fell and smashed everything and when Woody Harrelson\'s character appeared, I already though thought was lost. Some scenes after his death managed to keep my interest and reception awake but my conclusion isn\'t too nice: Another one of those postmodern and postironic (which means: tongue in cheek) genre / filmhistory gimmicks which is meant to be very clever but isn\'t much more than extravagant self-adulation. And, of course, an (successful) attempt to impress all the people out there: critics as well as the mainstream audiences and the cineastes. \r\n\r\nDon\'t get me wrong: I enjoyed the film, really. The mise en scene was absolutely brilliant! Remarkable performances (as impressive as Bardem\'s performance is, I\'m still of the opinion that Casey Affleck\'s achievement would\'ve deserved the Oscar much more), great camera work, great editing, great sound design, etc., etc., etc. But no great script and no personal, human vision, no soul, only egocentric brains behind all the suaveness. The Screenplay Oscar for this script - that\'s a real bad joke, indeed. 7 out of 10, nevertheless. It was pure Excitement to watch. \r\nPoor Paul Thomas Anderson, you should have what they got by now.','df3e524aed9692ba13c43227d34d21be',0,'','pHrD7Rw4',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11346,2032,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1205281560,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: No Country For Old Men (2007)','I disagree in many ways, but this is coming from someone who\'s been a fan of just about every Coen Brothers film (Intolerable Cruelty and Ladykillers not so much)','5cf001537f851cd994b92965fbe95192',0,'','0gV3mt6w',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11347,2032,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1205296140,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: No Country For Old Men (2007)','arsaib4 wrote: Now available on DVD in the U.S. from Miramax. Extras include three making-of-featurettes. \r\n\r\nI wanted to purchase it initially. \r\nBut I was thinking -- would there be a 2 disc edition in the near future? can\'t afford to waste too much money buying 2 versions ...','3ca9c84f5b3a67f8a5e454b0588df8a9',0,'','CB50uRVs',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11348,2032,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1205306820,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: No Country For Old Men (2007)','The Coen\'s never say %%%@ about their movies, so don\'t expect a commentary.','5978a63d6d6e10460a69a3434152cfd2',0,'','q6ebhRH4',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11349,2032,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1205309700,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: No Country For Old Men (2007)','Nope, there\'s no commentary. \r\n\r\nAt this point, I haven\'t heard anything regarding a 2-disc edition, hengcs. And even if one is in the works, it probably won\'t be released in the near future. But I\'ll try to keep an eye out for it.','3ebecff59d6eb511f66b6d4fd9847e6f',0,'','gQnhrXba',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11350,2032,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1213313940,1,0,1,1,1,1,'jcdavies','Re: No Country For Old Men (2007)','Well, i\'m sorry but this came as a disappointment, but then again i should have expected a Best Picture Oscar winner to be undeserving. It went for a cooler, more artfully classy approach than their previous stuff and was interesting in the first half then it simply drained away. Now i\'m fine with unresolved endings and a certain drift (e.g Antonioni) but i simply became less and less involved, i guess from not long after the motel shootout scene. The Coens like these sort of bad guy coming to your room to get you scenarios (a classic scene in Miller\'s Crossing) but here there\'s no real heart or much warmth.','922d52bbfd7461a866987d9fc5bb9bc8',0,'','lJ8oYeaz',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11351,2032,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1216963200,1,0,1,1,1,1,'jcameron','Re: No Country For Old Men (2007)','Hello Everyone, \r\n\r\nCould anyone here help me to appreciate the Coens\' work more? After watching *Fargo* when it first came out, I was...underwhelmed. It made me want to avoid every movie thereafter including *No Country for Old Men*. \r\n\r\nCan someone fill me in as to what I am missing? Are they referencing other filmmakers or planting secret subliminal messages in the open fields? Thanks. \r\n\r\njosy','2edeb6cb7ca91831e7e5fd1ed414aedb',0,'','1MPrRhJ2',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11352,2033,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1178029080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Spiderman 3 (2007)','\r\nConclusion:\r\nWell ... It has its good moments, \r\nbut frankly, I think Spiderman 1 & 2 are much better ...','de3613928b25b88c0c01f4c0b2b74036',0,'','YPtzDF1N',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11353,2033,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1178116680,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Spiderman 3 (2007)','Will you be posting a more incisive review hengcs? \r\n\r\nFor better or worse, I\'ll be there in the queue come friday morning, a promise is a promise and the worst thing I could do is upset my wife on her birthday. I\'d never hear the end of it! \r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','0b3c9148c6690ac12ea3b547ad440007',0,'','l8ZA20VR',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11354,2033,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1178260920,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Spiderman 3 (2007)','initially i wanted to ...\r\nbut on hindsight, i think i cant afford the time ...\r\nand i think u pple can write much better than i do on this film ... ha ha ha\r\n\r\ni think i would rather provide a review on other FOREIGN films that u pple may be more keen on ... HA HA HA\r\n;PPP','44cdd308348b666a77e800b59c794462',0,'','0MGFxA8U',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11355,2033,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1178265480,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Spiderman 3 (2007)','Very funny, hengcs.','75c4bf56a2626df77d32327cdcf8e5ea',0,'','v1Eg2f8Z',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11356,2033,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1178310900,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Spiderman 3 (2007)','Despite having far too much jammed into too little space, along with villains mixed from different eras of spidey\'s history, Sam Raimi et all have managed to churn out another entertaining episode in the Spider-man franchise.\r\n\r\nStrange though that the most entertaining parts have nothing to do with the super heroics:\r\n\r\nGreat fun with Bruce Campbell out Cleese-ing Basil Fawlty with a bad French accent in an expensive restaurant. \r\n\r\nTobey Maguire trying to look and act cool and bad, especially in the Jazz Cafe, f*%@ing hilarious............ .\r\n\r\nI guess that since this may be the last Spider-man film with the current cast and crew, they tried to cram in as much as possible, the film is cheesy, hokey as heck and in my opinion an improvement over the rather tawdry second installment.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev','48ddb5f7fb496dd083922c8f781ea070',0,'','re1HDv5V',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11357,2033,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1179195960,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Spiderman 3 (2007)','I liked how they made Spider Man a much bigger smart ass, as he was almost instantly in the comics. Perhaps the film could have been better without the Sandman subplot, but I certainly found it an enjoyable film.','98f9973e95bea21b4558025db0026fee',0,'','50wloTJE',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11358,2033,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186125420,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Spiderman 3 (2007)','Having only seen parts of the first installment on television, I didn\'t quite know what to expect from Spider-Man 3, but much like Trevor, wpqx and, to a lesser degree, hengcs I was fairly entertained by the film. Pleasantly surprised that the filmmakers didn\'t go bonkers with special-effects; enough time was spent with the characters and the personal turmoil they endured at various stages. Also glad to see that the supporting roles were occupied by interesting actors like Bryce Howard, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, etc., and not just generic \"teen idols\" as is so often the case with summer blockbusters. Not impressed with the embarassing sequence which attempted to mar Spider-Man\'s squeaky-clean profile (an interesting concept on its own). Perhaps it was meant to be strictly humorous. Dunst looked bored not only with her character but with the whole franchise.','2cce77c110f83e1b53f04b1a8d79476a',0,'','FYWV3Bdf',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11359,2033,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186126860,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Spiderman 3 (2007)','Her character just had emotional issues through the film which were being blatantly ignored by Peter, but perceptively picked up on by Harry. True though her character has seemed like dead weight, she certainly was in the first film with that picture\'s horrible dialog. I could\'ve done without Howard in this film, but she served some purpose and wasn\'t particularly bad, I just think for a temptation of Peter they could have found someone a little more appealing.','567d3fe2b616eba4985ae1bb8819c9e4',0,'','qfAy0lcr',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11360,2033,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1195472160,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Spiderman 3 (2007)','Spider-Man 3 is now available on DVD in the U.S. (Sony). The 2-disc edition especially contains a wide variety of extra features.','971f205cef0fe278eacdcbfa6357fa2c',0,'','mjKADMCg',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11361,2034,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1195036440,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Lions For Lambs (2007)','\r\n\r\nDirector: Robert Redford\r\nCast: Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise\r\n\r\nSome thoughts\r\n\r\n-- Because there were so many negative reviews on the web about it, I was prepared and more forgiving. So, let me try to coerce some watchable factors ...\r\n\r\n(i) definitely Meryl Streep. She carried off convincingly.\r\n\r\n(ii) Some of the dialogues are thought provoking. Although many would have mentioned the dialogue between Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise (because it deals with politics and the media), I was actually quite interested by the dialogues between Robert Redford and the student. There are so many things to think about in the dialogues ... but humbly, i think it might serve better as a stage play with some refining (as opposed to a film) ...\r\n\r\nWhat could be better\r\n\r\n(i) Making the three stories better intertwined and plot driven ...\r\n\r\n(ii) Although Tom Cruise can act in some other films, I thought he is not well cast in this film ... NOT his fault, but the casting\'s fault ...\r\n\r\n(iii) And to some extent, less preachy?!\r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\nOk, watchable. Maybe it shld be staged (with some refinements) rather than filmed because the strength (if any at all) is in some of its thought provoking dialogues.\r\n\r\nPS: apparently, the masses are more forgiving (IMDB 6.0/10) than the critics (rottentomatoes 26%)','fea49e00c9a78dd3b30b3ab0ba4e0b8d',0,'','J49RXFMT',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11362,2035,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1183849560,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','William Friedkin\'s Bug (U.S. / 2006)','*A 2007 U.S. Release*\r\n\r\n\r\n***possible spoilers***\r\n\r\nWilliam Friedkins first film since... 2003s undervalued The Hunted, Bug ostentates Lynchian eerines early on as a magnificent panoramic shot, set to the sounds of a tense encounter between a ringing telephone and an unstrung woman, takes us to a dilapidated, nearly-deserted motel somewhere and nowhere in the American heartland. The squalid room in which the film is primarily set is long being occupied by Agnes (Ashley Judd), a downtrodden barmaid who probably spends a little too much time around alcohol and drugs. She fears that her ex-con ex-husband who mightve just gotten out of prison is behind those empty calls. In the meantime, her co-worker friend (Lynn Collins) introduces her to a drifter named Peter (Michael Shannon) whos ostensibly only looking for a friend. Shy, introverted, anxious, and thus a tad mysterious, Peter ends up engaging Agnes by his read on her situation, and the fact that he might just be a lost soul himself.\r\n\r\nQuite possibly the most accomplished passage of Friedkins career thus far, the first hour of Bug could serve as an epitome of formal control: pacing, editing, shot selection (the awkward cutaways to the room air-conditioner, notwithstanding), sound design -- facets which corroborate in ratcheting up the claustrophobic tension to an unnerving level. And during this process, juxtaposing Agness naivet and vulnerability with Peters concentrated intensity wouldnt have been an easy task for the director of The French Connection (1971) and The Exorcist (1973) if he didnt have the right performers: Judd arguably does her best work since her one-scene tour de force in Smoke (1995); and Shannon, who reportedly reprises his stage role from Tracy Lettss off-Broadway play on which the film is based (he could also be seen in the likes of The Woodsman [2004] and Lucky You [2007]), is physically and impulsively mannered even in the most extreme of situations (Nic Cage could learn from him). Collins and Harry Connick, Jr. (the brutish husband) also provide strong support.\r\n\r\nEven though Bugs eventual absurdly stylized and surrealistic descent into madness almost seems Eastern European (a whiff of Zulawski is noticeable), its root cause and trajectory lies in the same vein as that of Linklators masterful A Scanner Darkly (2006). And while Friedkins namedrops the Gulf War, the Oklahoma City bombing, Timothy McVeigh, Ted Kaczynski, etc., it\'s less politically savvy about dealing with infestation and paranoia than the Philip K. Dick adaptation. Perhaps itd be appropriate to say that the film borrows Scanners idealistic and moral concept and, for better or for worse, turns it on its supermotherbuggin genre head. \r\n\r\nGrade: B\r\n__________________________\r\n\r\n*BUG premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival (Directors\' Fortnight). It won the FIPRESCI prize.\r\n\r\n*Lions Gate Films (U.S.) will most likely issue the film on DVD in late September.','1440a455814b957b36ea7a72b7489918',0,'','QwGqYWif',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11363,2035,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1193371380,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: William Friedkin\'s Bug (U.S. / 2006)','Bug was released on DVD by Lions Gate on September 25. Extra features include Friedkin\'s audio-commentary, along with discussion and introduction/\"making of\" featurettes. In related news, Friedkin\'s controversial 1980 effort, Cruising, starring Al Pacino, is now also available on DVD.','ee2064b6fd5c8b9af34c4be79e142bfe',0,'','8Ei1Fz5V',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11364,2035,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1193821080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: William Friedkin\'s Bug (U.S. / 2006)','Your suggestions about the film are quite accurate, arsaib. The first thing that came to my mind when I thought about writing a review (which I did - in german, of course) was: As If Werner Herzog, Andrzej Zulawski and Friedkin himself collaborated. The ironic, in the finale even extremely sardonic sneering note by Herzog (unbelievable - this film really is a swan song of the human race!) , the excessively overstylized and outcrying attitude by Zulawski. I also thought that the overacting (which wasn\'t actually overacting but the necessary style for this film was 100 percent Friedkin. \r\n\r\nAs expected, \"Bug\" will not be released theatrical in Germany but on DVD in December. A shame - I think it\'s one of the best american films in 2006 (I rated it 9/10 - 23/25). Fortunately, It was screened on the \"Fantasy Filmfest\" (in front of a spiteful laughing #%&*?$ crowd). Though it doesn\'t seem like a film made for the big screen at the first look, it really need to be seen in this way. The camerawork and the editing were - as you already mentioned indirectly - brillant and I think, the love scene between Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon is one of the best in english language cinema since the famous one in Nicolas Roeg\'s \"Don\'t look now\".\r\n\r\nBy the way, I didn\'t like any of Friedkin\'s films before, especially \"The Exorcist\" and \"Cruising\" were terrible experiences two years ago - I disliked both of them a lot. But as I changed by cinematic point of view a bit since and also my opinion on Friedkin (a sympathetic a**h**e, indeed ), I probably owe them a second chance.','c1af62dd2b1cbd0b6b155745ef836436',0,'','8wlnajgm',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11365,2035,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1193864520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: William Friedkin\'s Bug (U.S. / 2006)','Well I do agree that Bug is one of the best (American) films of the year, and I will also agree that The Exorcist was a \"terrible experience\", and for that reason, The Exorcist is one of my favourite films of all time. \r\n\r\nBug convulses with mania throughout. I loved how the film played on so many levels, including humour with the blackest of hearts. The ones I manage to get in that single screening of the film was psychosis and loneliness, a probable cautionary tale on crack and a examination of corporations and government selling to us unseen terror and foregone ideas of danger when paranoia and misinformed delusion strikes the carefully calibrated chamber piece. The real genius of the film is that the moment we start to believe the characters (made all the more easier with ace work by the cast, especially Harry Connick Jr.), is when the film starts to work and click into gear.\r\n\r\nTo me, it\'s a near masterpiece of mood and tone. Friedkin\'s best work in ages, and has an edge and energy and a precise focus about it that works on an intelligent and visceral level. It manifests its characters\' buried thoughts and hidden fears into a climactic blowup with Ashley Judd\'s awesome monologue. It becomes a collective descent into madness that ultimately includes its audience as well, and actually recalls the clockwork horror in the denouement of The Exorcist where hope is sapped and the entire tone evokes mutual doom.','ec4fec5140c515a9ad870c15d3083e39',0,'','UWxNlt9r',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11366,2035,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1193904300,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: William Friedkin\'s Bug (U.S. / 2006)','Thanks, R6dw6C.\r\n\r\nDuring the latter stages, Zulawski\'s presence is quite palpable in the film, and plays a role in one\'s understanding of the material. Sadly, there are many who\'ve dismissed the film based on their own inadequacies.\r\n\r\nAs for the love scene, the surrounding circumstances also brought to mind the one between Goldblum and Geena Davis from The Fly.\r\n\r\nI\'m not a huge fan of Cruising either, especially when compared to a few other Friedkin efforts, but I thought it was worth mentioning since the film has been in the limelight for the past few months.\r\n\r\nBtw, have you seen A Scanner Darkly?','19252dc8b12ddd0e29c838c6ffb5cfee',0,'','0ZeNHvTh',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11367,2035,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1194169920,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: William Friedkin\'s Bug (U.S. / 2006)','No, unfortunately the only films by Richard Linklater I\'ve seen so far are \"School of Rock\" and \"Fast Food Nation\". I didn\'t like both of them very much but I\'m sure that Linklater is a great filmmaker and worth to check out. Everything my two friends from Erlangen told me was music in my ears (they were lucky enough to meet him in person on the Munich Film Festival), so in the future I\'ll watch out for his more interesting works like \"Dazed and confused\", \"Slacker\", \"Suburbia\" and \"Before Sunrise\" for example. \r\n\r\nProbably the greatest unintentional disadvantage of \"Bug\" was its distribution which made many believe they were attending a horror film (\"By the acclaimed director of \"THE EXORCIST\"...), which it isn\'t really. (Though a very disturbing and frightening experience)\r\n\r\nBtw, was it realeased theatrical in the US?!\r\n\r\n@ justindeimen:\r\n\r\nI agree with most of your notes (but your political associations seem a bit, well, bustling to me) and I\'ve had an incredibly amount of interesting thoughts in mind after the screening. So it was pretty hard to write the review which I worked on for almost three weeks. \r\n\r\nI\'m looking forward to revisit \"The Exorcist\" and \"Cruising\" and probably, the latter will grow on me but I suggest that my opinion on the first will remain the same. It would be most interesting to see \"The boys in the band\" (still not available on DVD in the US, right?) as one of the main reasons why I disliked \"Cruising\" were the usual - I thought it to be extremely homophobic and disgustingly striking. So I\'m absolutely anxious to see \"The boys...\" as it probably reveals how Friedkin really deals with homosexuality.','0ac07dbe950cd7b0cc4cf8fda21ec518',0,'','E2zN4iUl',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11368,2035,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1194336480,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: William Friedkin\'s Bug (U.S. / 2006)','I\'ve seen all of the feature films Linklater has made so far. The School of Rock certainly has its fans but it\'s perhaps one of his lesser efforts, and the same could be said for Fast Food Nation. The latter suffered from clichd elements (especially in the illegal Mexicans thread) and a few of the characters served as nothing more than mouthpieces, but I thought it also had a genuinely intriguing \"central\" figure in Greg Kinnear\'s Don Anderson, whose ordinariness was extraordinary. As long as he was in the picture, the film worked.\r\n\r\nI agree with your friends that Linklater is a great filmmaker, one of the best in the U.S. today. Yes, I hope you get the opportunity to check out the films you\'ve listed. I\'d also add Tape and Before Sunset. I have learned that A Scanner Darkly is now available on DVD in Germany. I think you\'ll like it; hopefully, you\'ll also be able to see my reasoning for mentioning it earlier.\r\n\r\nI agree with you regarding Bug\'s marketing and distribution schemes. The same was true in N. America. But, as promised, Lionsgate did open this $4 million production wide (1661 theaters), a good move for a film released during the summer. Another independent distributor would\'ve perhaps started on a smaller scale and allowed it to build, but that\'s always risky. I was pleasantly surprised that a film primarily made for a small, sophisticated audience generally received good reviews in the U.S. French critics from such publications as Positif, Les Inrockuptibles and, of course, Cahiers du cinma appreciated it even more.','197c2180ac9bc4a0601c990051fb56e7',0,'','dQhgSw6Y',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11369,2035,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1194721200,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: William Friedkin\'s Bug (U.S. / 2006)','You\'re damn right about \"Fast Food Nation\", sometimes it felt like Uwe Boll or Joel Schumacher (Sorry to Mr. Linklater) has made film against this industry. But fortunately, I knew almost nothing about Linklater when I saw it eight months ago... But it certainly had a few fine moments, among others the cycle around Greg Kinnear you mentioned. But I don\'t feel the desire to see it again. Same goes for \"School of Rock\"...\r\nI\'ll also look out for \"A scanner darkley\" (it has some similar thematic and narrative approaches, right?) but the german DVD is still very expensive (too bad Warner didn\'t release it theatrical over here...).\r\n\r\nQuote:I was pleasantly surprised that a film primarily made for a small, sophisticated audience generally received good reviews in the U.S. French critics from such publications as Positif, Les Inrockuptibles and, of course, Cahiers du cinma appreciated it even more.\r\n\r\nDo you really think this is surprising? \"Bug\" is for sure one of those films which get all possible attention by the critics of prestigious, coservative magazins. Although I don\'t think that\'s the case - it is possible to see a philosophical or intellectual touch in it (I think it\'s way too aggressive - I liked that a lot* - for such games - it deals with a lot and mostly in a very polemical way)\r\n* I suppose Friedkin to be a very arrogant and pessimistic man - so his points and his tone in \"Bug\" are probably pretty honest.\r\n\r\nBtw, the film wasn\'t very successful then (1661 theaters indeed! ) I guess?','2f235760c8cbd3cb70d942e0dc3712ec',0,'','zZrxEgaV',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11370,2035,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1195026180,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: William Friedkin\'s Bug (U.S. / 2006)','Conventional wisdom would say so, wouldn\'t it?! But American audiences have gradually drifted away from nonconformist filmmakers like Lynch, Van Sant, Friedkin, Ferrara, etc. Most of their financing now comes from Europe. This gulf may not seem that wide thanks to the internet, where you\'ll see hundreds of reviews of a film like Inland Empire, but the fact of the matter remains that it was self-distributed by Lynch in the U.S., who had to travel around the country with a @#%$ cow to promote it. As for the conservative media, I think at this point even they\'ve caught on that there are bigger things at stake here right now, politically. Other than perhaps another very violent movie about Jesus, just about any film could be released here currently and it won\'t draw much of a reaction. Moore\'s Sicko, which dealt with arguably the most pertinent domestic issue, came and went like most summer blockbusters. \r\n\r\nBug did okay. It made about $7 million theatrically in the U.S. And ancillary revenue should be decent for a film like this.','3088ecf1850ccfca8f290648cfe6492c',0,'','3hLXPHQU',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11371,2036,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1194833700,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Penn: Into the Wild (2007)','.','5058f1af8388633f609cadb75a75dc9d',0,'','wg4uxtDT',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11372,2036,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1194859080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Penn: Into the Wild (2007)','INTO THE WILD (U.S. / 2007) \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSean Penn came into his own as a filmmaker with his remarkable third feature, The Pledge, a Palme d\'Or nominee at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. That\'s not to suggest however that his first two efforts, especially the debut The Indian Runner (1991), weren\'t accomplished films, but in The Pledge the level of congruency he was able to achieve between content and form was exceptional. One could nearly say the same about Penn\'s latest, Into the Wild, which is his most ambitious film to date. Adapted from Jon Krakauer\'s 1996 non-fiction book of the same name, the film concerns the tragic yet uplifting story of Christopher McCandless, who at the age of 22 left behind the material comforts of his middle-class existence to seek the truth within and around him. \r\n\r\nMcCandless is well embodied by Emile Hirsch, whom Penn courted after admiring him in the undervalued Lords of Dogtown (2005). His (highly physical) performance is initially exuberant and ultimately dedicated (he lost over forty pounds over the course of eight-month shooting schedule), though that\'s not quite enough to render a conflicted young man like, say, a young Sean Penn would have. Accompanied by the broodingly melancholic compositions of Pearl Jam\'s Eddie Vedder, a good friend of Penn\'s since 1995 when he wrote music for Dead Man Walking, McCandless vagabonds to places like Carthage, South Dakota and Slab City, California before venturing into the Alaskan wilderness, which for him symbolized the very essence of freedom and purity. (The all-American landscape is vividly and poetically captured by the director and his DP Eric Gautier, winner of Cannes\' Technical Grand Prize in 2004 for Clean and The Motorcycle Diaries.) \r\n\r\nThose who have followed Penn\'s personal and professional career thus far are aware of his predilection for the kind who don\'t conform to society\'s norms and prefer to exist on the margins. We are briefly introduced to numerous such characters during this well-edited effort, who in their own ways guide our protagonist on his journey of the lifetime. The affectionate glow Penn affords them and their lifestyles is undeniably genuine. Moreover, the same is true for his nearly saintly regard for McCandless, even if it eventually undercuts what could\'ve been a more balanced and comprehensive portrait. A flaw, but an admirable one for this soulful and piercingly beautiful labor of love. \r\n\r\nGrade: B \r\n_________________________ \r\n\r\n*The film will be available on DVD on March 4. \r\n__________________________ \r\n\r\n[Edit]DVD info/Yuku errors \r\n__________________________','c972d686c87a7a0028b4a111bddd9a12',0,'','Vjbms3PY',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11373,2037,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1180692900,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Doc x 2: Frank Gehry & Darfur','.','5058f1af8388633f609cadb75a75dc9d',0,'','Yoiaun8U',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11374,2037,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1180693560,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Doc x 2: Frank Gehry & Darfur','SKETCHES OF FRANK GEHRY (U.S.-Ger / 2005)\r\n\r\n*A 2006 U.S. Release*\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\"It\'s not just that I didn\'t know anything about making documentaries; I didn\'t even know anything about architecture.\" This self-effacing remark early on from veteran filmmaker Sydney Pollack not only grounds the relatively highbrow concept of Sketches of Frank Gehry, Pollacks intimate and absorbing documentary debut which portraits his good friend and Pritzker Prize winning architect, but it also serves as an invitation of sorts, especially to those viewers who might be in the same boat as him when it comes to architecture. The \"sketches\" Pollack has come up with after nearly a 5-year process with the 78-year-old Toronto-born, Los Angeles-based master are mostly satisfactory. While he blends in the insightful interview snippets from the curators, the collectors, and the fellow architects who admire Gehry (Mildred Friedman, Michael Ovitz, Charles Jencks, etc.) with those hes worked for and with (Michael Eisner, Edwin Chan, etc.), the focus remains on the art and, to a lesser extent, on the method to its madness. Gehrys most fascinating and ambitious work often sticks out, no matter where the \"post-modern\" structures are located (the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, has moved up rapidly on my list of places to visit; Im happy to say however that, among others, Ive seen the \"Dancing House\" in Prague). Like most great artists, he has his detractors, and Pollack didnt shy away from approaching them, even though only one agreed to appear on-camera (Professor Hal Foster asserts that Gehry\'s spectacles have a tendency to detract from the purpose theyre meant to serve). Sketches of Frank Gehry wouldve been \"symmetrical\" if Pollack had delved into the history and the politics of this underappreciated art form (which is perhaps what a more intuitive filmmaker couldve accomplished), but it serves its purpose by allowing us a glimpse of the world to which we often dont pay enough attention.\r\n\r\nGrade: B\r\n_______________________\r\n\r\n*The film premiered at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival. Now available on U.S. DVD (Sony). An Alexander Payne-moderated interview session with Pollack is provided as an extra.','b1b837b6c62fdca55c64893de5b3ec3c',0,'','nosBDJUk',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11375,2037,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1194668040,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Doc x 2: Frank Gehry & Darfur','THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK (U.S. / 2007)\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAccording to UN estimates, since 2003, the ongoing genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan and in the neighboring Chad has already claimed the lives of more than 400 thousand and displaced an additional 3 million. This primarily race-based conflict between the Sudanese Arab-controlled government and its non-Arab/black African citizens would not have reached the scale it has if the rest of the world had responded in a timely and appropriate manner. The fact that this was allowed to occur less than a decade after the Rwandan Genocide makes the matter especially disheartening. In Anne Sundberg and Ricki Sterns searing and thought-provoking documentary The Devil Came on Horseback, this tragedy is explored through the eyes of a young American witness named Brian Steidle, a former Marine Captain who served as an unarmed military observer with the African Union from 2004 through 2005. Early on, perhaps to gain the attention of the kind who found Blood Diamond (2006) exciting and politically viable, the filmmakers employ aggressive aesthetic choices -- gaudy visuals, rat-tat-tat editing, an aphoristically impractical relay of info -- but as Brians journey becomes more arduous and despairing, the film mellows along with its subject, allowing the viewers to acquire a better grasp of him and the issues at hand. Once Brian returns home with exclusive footage and images of the carnage (mostly conducted by government-sponsored militia groups referred to as the Janjaweed [devil on horseback]), and the situation becomes better known thanks to Nicholas Kristofs op-ed pieces, he travels across the country in an attempt to raise awareness. The response is relatively healthy, but not enough to keep Brian from putting on his activist hat and going back to Africa, where he continues to make a difference. And in our own ways, so can we, which is part of the reason why The Devil Came on Horseback demands to be seen as soon as possible and by as many viewers as possible (Manohla Dargis, The New York Times).\r\n\r\nGrade: N/A\r\n_________________________\r\n\r\n*Now available on DVD in the U.S. The director duo\'s other recent documentary, The Trails of Darryl Hunt (2006), has also just been issued on DVD.\r\n\r\n*Website.\r\n\r\n*Related: Darfur Now (2007), an up-to-date work by Ted Braun; currently in limited release.','64262204dccc2b27ef13647ede5c6b21',0,'','p0uXYqQc',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11376,2038,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1193322840,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Rendition (2007)','Review:\r\n\r\nTorture resides as the central political malady in Rendition, a film that offers its own rendition on the same mode of delivery as the recent slate of preening guilt trips masquerading as erudite essays on macro issues that zeros in on the turmoil it causes in the microcosm of American lives. Continuing the tradition of situating American consciousness as the compass of world events, an Americanised Egyptian, Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally) with a heavily pregnant American wife, Isabella (Reese Witherspoon) is yanked off his plane home and is detained and systematically terrorised by the American government. It strenuously refers to the policy of extraordinary rendition, in which persons suspected of terrorist activities are transferred and imprisoned in foreign countries for an indefinite amount of time without due process, where they are kept out of sight, and out of mind.\r\n\r\nRendition carries its heft around, swinging it at anyone who will give it some attention. Tsotsi director Gavin Hood sweeps aside the particulars of his subject and focuses, instead, on simplifying the big issues that derive from the ethical conundrums and logistical nightmares of the war on terror. Its timeliness has wavered considerably given the gradual descent of Bush IIs administration that it so lovingly skewers, and as the issue of torture is being given a larger arena in Democratic debates all round the calendar year, given the approaching party Presidential nomination date. But what does come through loud and surprisingly clear is its outrage over the utterly cavalier attitude that its government has for foreign lives. Its not as discursively dry as Syriana was, but this films anger is still what ultimately dooms it when talking points are given but never really explored, preferring instead to return to its stupefying sermons of American responsibility. \r\n\r\nMeryl Streep doesnt miss a beat in her transition from fashion dominatrix, Miranda Priestly to neoconservative CIA ghoul at the centre of Anwars disappearance, Corrine Whitman, a drawled out Cheney impression recalling her own arc as Eleanor Shaw in The Manchurian Candidate remake. Evil without the tantalising taste of self-reflection and over the top churlishness, Whitman becomes a caricature of the ills that pervade the halls of Washington, not at all an unfair representation given the audacity of real life politicos. Jake Gyllenhaals CIA analyst turned torture greenhorn, Douglas Freeman croaks to Whitman over the phone that this is his first torture, and then develops a conscience. Crudely drawn for audiences to relate to, Freeman is trapped (another one of the films handling of subtle ironies) between his duty and his morality, mirroring the countrys minefield over constitutional rights and national security.\r\n\r\nPresentation in an art form does not immediately equal support and agreement. This is the sort of film that doesnt get stuck in the quagmire of indecision because there will always be a base to congratulate its politics, even when the product itself doesnt present incongruities to challenge established notions of what we think we already know. Its relativist views on the global malfunction of accepted policies eventually give way to the spineless, yielding gesture of defeatism that seems to be analogous with the cynical nature of the BIG ISSUE films that the Hollywood mainstream churns out.','f859986305ba4cbf9a17df67c952a3ea',0,'','R62DMgtE',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11383,2040,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1192534980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Superbad (2007)','Review:\r\n\r\nIt would seem that giving Judd Apatow and his cadre the benefit of the doubt is the simplest thing in the world given their track record of having your cake and eating it too type subversion in their patented trend of the (Post) Modern Hollywood Comedy. After a string of commercial and critical hits, theres a familiar whiff of apologetic crassness and the affable insights into the core of its audiences insecurities by handily identifying its self-deprecation. Decidedly, these films actually care about their characters, by not just offering up a troupe of hopeless morons and insufferable sociopaths in a world of comparative normality and then bending over to the temptation of presenting them as humourous instead of the sideshows they tend to devolve into. Indeed, writers Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg identify with their feckless protagonists enough to name them Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera). \r\n\r\nSuperbad sets its agenda right off the bat, by endeavouring to put the innocence and intrigue back into the province of sexuality. As for most teenagers, the common gateway to this province is quite simply porn. Its how these highly sexualised females, inscrutable to the point of extrinsic, gorgeous to the point of celestial, lay available to these boys on the verge on manhood at every minute of every day. The point lingers, then starts to seep in that genuine eroticism is an undervalued commodity in the world, as opposed to the manufactured carnality that the luckless Seth and Evan are inundated with, which ultimately leads to shaping their views about the opposite sex on the vulgarity of base compulsion. What Superbad truly attempts actually approaches the deconstruction of the subgenre of comedy (the gross-out-teen-sex-raunchfest) that it sells itself together with by questioning its own motives, sensitively charting out its charming losers trek to barter alcohol for cherry-poppers. \r\n\r\nThis enlightened depth of insight into the psyche of teenagers fraught with the virulent taint of virginity sustains Superbad remarkably well. Theres a reservoir of teenage anxieties being tapped that are delivered with understanding and frayed nerves by Hill and Cera that on the outset are portrayed as punchlines but slyly existing on a level of angst that evinces the real nature of their earthly pursuits. And yes, it is all very funny as well.','c23ed3d95ef3ead86a39de2e5f264d97',0,'','b0JrHaQw',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11385,2042,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1192029960,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Alpha Dog (2006) (Nick Cassavetes)','Review: \r\n\r\nThe root cause of the many miscalculations in Nick Cassavetes Alpha Dog is its compulsion to present stylisation as a ready substitute for grit. In a film that leers and jeers at its own misguided participants, it obfuscates its own condescension by gratifying itself over the steady slope of over-indulged nihilism that lurks behind each frame. Eschewing the need to be riveting, it goes straight for exhilaration, a callow if not energetic sense of purpose thats sorely needed in its opening section. \r\n\r\nIt slots itself snugly in the catalogue of sordid stories about suburban mayhem that values the palpitations of pushing the limits of iniquity and routinely points its heavy finger right at the enabling parental units, privileged boredom and the swaggering manipulation of violent cinema an ironic commentary to be fair, just not with that many pangs of conscious guilt. Alpha Dog doesnt appear to be driven by the urge to explore these facets of impetus but a fetishistic fraternisation with the bewildering violent streak in its insular young, hard-bodied reprobates that starts to border on Larry Clarkesque lasciviousness. \r\n\r\nTheres a line of reality thats consistently blurred in an attempt to moisten the dry constructs of a docu-drama (inspired by the exploits of the youngest suspect ever to make the FBI\'s most wanted list in the 20 year-old Jesse James Hollywood) by its deranged reconstructions of the characters pathological commitments to make bad choices worst and the pleasure taken from its moral corruption and effused decadence. Ben Fosters unhinged Jewish neo-nazi, Jake Mazursky, channels less of Ryan Goslings troubled idiosyncratic turn in The Believer but a tempestuous brat struggling with the implications of his younger brother, Zacks (Anton Yelchin) abduction by mini-kingpin Johnny Truelove (an unconvincingly facile Emile Hirsch). And in Zack, Cassavetes finds his most honest character that unfortunately goes misused in his insistence of using Justin Timberlakes marquee-hogging role as a marketing springboard and as the unearned emotional centre of the film. To Timberlakes credit, he seems to have found a familiar niche by channelling a self-conscious and culturally confused poseur with a self-pitying motivation as Trueloves erstwhile lieutenant, Frankie Ballenbacher. \r\n\r\nWhile Frankie discovers tangential guilt, Zack discovers temptation. Yelchins hangdog expressions slowly transform into guilty pleasures of binging on sex and drugs while being in the custody of Trueloves ragtag crew of sheeps. While never uninteresting, he\'s largely a passive personality until the films strongest moment. The story might have achieved a stark poignancy if it had remained inside Zacks impressionable psyche, pondering the moral ebb and flow of the unfolding events and circumstances instead of fleeting between the Truelove crew and Jakes incomprehensible rage. \r\n\r\nAlpha Dog finds it necessary to ask how did matters escalate as far as it did but the writings on cautionary tales (and Scarface posters) were on the wall as soon as hedonism becomes an appropriate response for listlessness. Between the hysterics of teenage malaise and mimicry of soulless genre tropes, Cassavetes film never carries with it a moral obligation but panders to personal tragedies (seen through an unfairly caricatured Sharon Stone as a grieving parent) without acknowledging the accountability of individual actions.','23502de4f79e16afe251ab9dd92cd2df',0,'','9pzx7yRg',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11386,2042,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1203493980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Alpha Dog (2006) (Nick Cassavetes)','I take it from the review that you found little to like about the film. I found myself very engrossed with the relationship between Frankie and Zach and saw the film as something of a coming of age tale, it would have worked wonders as an adolescent dramedy. However Nick Cassavetes has delusions of being a serious filmmaker and unfortunately makes the film a moral parable that has the stink of a true crime expose. Rarely have I been more mad at a character being killed in a film, but although we all know it happens I couldn\'t help but hope the film would go the opposite direction. I really liked the scenes of bonding, partying, and the old learning from the young and vice-versa. Much of the acting was dreadfully over the top, and Sharon Stone had distractingly awful fat makeup which completely through me off, and the film certainly went on too long after Zach\'s death. I really just wished this was a completely different film.','bf986410d280cb08b2d3a286b096d236',0,'','1yx9XBlL',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11387,2042,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1203497820,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: Alpha Dog (2006) (Nick Cassavetes)','I just couldn\'t just over the idea that the film kept wagging its finger in my face, telling me about how slippery the slopes can be, while just basking in the sex, drugs and violence. I do agree that Zack was a good character though, but too little too late I suppose. He was used sparingly when he could have actually been the one character to redeem the film\'s condescension.','1de6e9edd4b71d8549481b45a0e65915',0,'','g1eFqJTC',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11388,2043,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1190123760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Joshua (2007)','Review: \r\n\r\nJoshua uses the tropes left behind by The Good Son and The Omen (mostly resembling the latter, more yuppie-centric remake) to hollow effect but has the sort of suggestive, campy thriller sensibility thats plainly derivative while also being surprisingly bent upon highbrow preoccupations of upper-middle class anxieties and the latent dissimulations of family dynamics. \r\n\r\nWall Street pays for Brad Cairn and his wife Abbys (Sam Rockwell, and a wildly unhinged Vera Farmiga) West Side apartment next to Central Park and their precociously talented son, Joshuas (Jacob Kogan) intellectual pursuits that consist of music, museums and mummification. Clearly working from the tempestuous redirections of a childs angst and emotive lashings from perceived insecurities of being alienated and misunderstood, director George Ratliff forges a none too subtle mystery surrounding Joshuas predilection for creepiness that involves musical-theatre loving Uncle Ned (Dallas Roberts). \r\n\r\nWhen taken as a straightforward thriller, Ratliffs often clunky and overwrought depictions of dour little boys in mini-suits start to wear thin as soon the film begins boldly implicating Joshuas self-fulfilling prophecy down the path of a sociopath. Its just all the more disappointing when the film doesnt realise how to explore its most thought provoking aspects of familial discords stemming from neglect and self-involvement and instead veers from one outlandish scene to the next in order to justify each preceding scene. \r\n\r\nBeing different is akin to being evil in the case of this film. While bible thumpers get the short shrift by deranged Hebrews with postpartum depression, homophobia rears its ugly head and introverted children that prefer higher minded hobbies are mocked and self-labelled as nothing short of weird. By the time its end credits start to roll, you might have already made up your mind on whether Joshua is the years most subversively funny film or the years most ridiculously offensive.','7759c42f8dd99be77cfa869a0d57c52c',0,'','WnbfyE4R',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11390,2045,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1189383240,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Arctic Tale (2007)','Review: \r\n\r\nNot so much an informative documentary and not so much a charming composite of family-friendly embellishment, Arctic Tale finds itself right smack in the middle of self-consciously catering to both the apolitical and political. If the films eventual silence over the specific polemic is anything to go by, then it should be added that it makes a diffidently rhetorical and not all too searching point about global-warmings dire effects on the polar icecaps and its denizens for the sake of a barely tenable story. \r\n\r\nIt all just amounts to a somewhat ironic escalation of furball fiction by supplanting the increasingly sophisticated and life-like rendering of underwritten, anthropomorphic critters and photo-realistic graphics with actual animals and environment. And not for nothing but the whimsical Babe and the disarmingly sincere Two Brothers have never idealised themselves after documentaries or the austere notions of non-fiction. Arctic Tale is remarkably well shot, at times even wondrous in its visual execution, which should be no surprise considering that it is ostensibly a National Geographic production with all the vigour and dedication that usually goes along with that tag. \r\n\r\nBut if Arctic Tale templates the narrative of its obvious sire in Luc Jacquets March of the Penguins and its grounded fancies of quaint animal behaviour, then the filmmaking coupling of Sarah Robertson and Adam Ravetch facetiously infuse their film with largely trivialising kiddie-fodder pop sensibilities in an attempt to ingratiate itself to its audience. The insufferable scripting of its narration aside, it doesnt quite nail its fascination with the circle of life but instead uses it as a cheap opportunity to aggrandise the basic communal bonds between the animals with banal show tunes \r\n\r\nNaming its two primary subjects, while not impractical further adds to the overly accentuated (and patronising) humanisation of the animal kingdom. Seela, the walrus and Nanu, the polar bear were purported to have been followed through adolescence and maturity but the film is unconcerned about following the same walrus and bear around despite predicating its entire approach on personalising these fuzz-balls. The air of disingenuousness markedly hits home when the film winds down with a falsely optimistic Kumbaya vibe that casts doubts of whether the film fully reflects what the filmmakers set out to investigate over 10 years ago.','ea2ad55de8711dc33b6d6b7e1f8b5055',0,'','DAYHqig3',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11391,2046,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1189372500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Halloween (2007) - Rob Zombie','Not a remake, not a sequel, not a prequel, but well it isn\'t exactly an entirely new film. Somewhere along the line since the 29 odd years since John Carpenter\'s groundbreaking horror film something went horribly wrong. In many ways Carpenter ushered in the new wave of horror films and simultaneously gave a final hurrah for the independent horror film perfected by Romero\'s Night of the Living Dead. Carpenter left his first film wide open for a sequel, and helped write and produce the sequel. This second film was to be the end of the series and left with everyone apparently dead. A third Halloween film was made that had nothing at all to do with Michael Meyers. The franchise was going to be a name centered around different horror stories. Had this third film been a success, or been called anything else, then who knows what would have happened. So inexplicably Meyers returned for a fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth film. Dr. Loomis also miraculously survived an exploding hospital and appeared in the 4, 5, and 6th films. After Halloween H20 promised to be the final word in the series and ended with a Michael Meyer\'s decapitation we seemed safe. An extremely weak explanation was offered and it was clear the franchise was in shambles.\r\n\r\nSo since dead or dying franchises like Batman and Superman are starting again from the beginning why not Halloween. Of course now we have to wonder whether the films that originally followed like Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street might also start from the beginning, considering the laughable state those franchises are in. Now Rob Zombie has had some shaky moments as a filmmaker. House of 1000 Corpses was pretty much a mess set up around a few interesting ideas. The Devils Rejects was a dramatic improvement but still amateurish. I wouldn\'t say that Zombie has reached maturity with Halloween, but it continues an upward trajectory, and much of the sloppy aspects of his first two films is much more contained here. The casting is full of people that populated his first two films, which in turn were full of character actors from countless other horror films. \r\n\r\nThere aren\'t a great deal of faces from the original film though. Danielle Harris who appeared as a child in 4, 5, and 6 plays one of Laurie\'s friends who of course is attacked while having sex. It sets up a blood splattered tits scene that characterizes the schlock of Zombie\'s film. If Carpenter\'s film was genuinely scary and a true \"horror\" film Zombie\'s is an entertaining product. Nothing in this film is scary or creepy but for fans of gore and exploitative horror this will work. The film\'s major difference from the original is its opening. A Halloween massacre was shown at the beginning of Carpenter\'s film from Meyer\'s point of view, but here it represents a much more substantial part. We see Meyer\'s as a kid, his family, and the strange level of humanity he feels towards his baby sister and mother. I have to object to Sherri Moon playing Meyer\'s mother. She\'s not really an actress and the role is far too large for her, not to mention her age seems a little off for the role.\r\n\r\nOn the whole though the film does deliver, and although it might not be an improvement over the original, it offers a somewhat fresh take on the series.','b0d1f31bcdfcba0db0c00e7c1e9d72f7',0,'','9KRLy0l1',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11392,2047,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1176158160,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Grindhouse: Planet Terror and Death Proof (2007)','Well sometimes you wonder what all those old fashioned exploitation films would be like if they were directed by a-list directors with a-list budgets. How much better would Last House on the Left had been, or Vanishing Point? Well we get a chance to see with this Rodriguez-Tarantino double feature that very directly calls to mind those previous films. Rodriguez\' romp through zombie lore is an orgy of blood and guts and everything that could be construed as bad taste. Tarantino draws direct homage and loads his film with music, tv shows, and numerous references to films of the present. Despite the presence of classic muscle cars, juke boxes that play 45s, and exploitation movie posters around these films are still oddly set in the present. \r\n\r\nDirect reference is made to issues of the day, and everybody seems to have a cell phone. Tarantino\'s nostalgia fest was the preferred film for the females I saw the movie with, and I wasn\'t too surprised. It is in the vein of not just classic car movies like Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry or Vanishing Point, but has all the neo-girl power of Caged Heat. It is a victim turned revenge story, with the prey becoming the predators. Tarantino\'s move in this film is somewhat novel if not completely original. Like the protaganists in Last House on the Left, Tarantino\'s film has you firmly established with one set group of female friends, only to shift the eyes of the protaganists two more times. From this group, we enter the eyes of Stunt Man Mike (Kurt Russell) who brings all the nostalgic appeal one would expect from the actor. He looks like Evel Kenevil, but Russell himself makes you recall its own nostalgic appeal. The last group of girls, soon chase him, and this once menacing villain becomes in essence a \"crying bitch\". \r\n\r\nThe dialogue in Tarantino\'s film feels a little forced at times, and although still somewhat clever, I couldn\'t help but feel like it was written. There were moments of insightful delivery when two guys are talking about buying girls shots of Jager and one says \"As long as a guy is buying the drink, a bitch will drink anything.\" Most of the female dialogue though sounded like Tarantino was speaking through them. The film does pack a genuine amount of thrills, and impractical ending makes it so in tune with the films of the time. I enjoyed how both films had a \"missing reel\" that copped out on what could have been the interesting sex scene, providing a frustrated laugh from the audience.\r\n\r\nRodriguez\' film however is a staggering orgy of blood that is absolutely perfect. A cast of everyone you know, loose morals, and so many novel ways of killing people, including a decapitating helicopter, dismembering, kung fu style knife fights, and Tom \"mutherfucking\" Savini. This film looked like tons of fun, as a mysterious chemical agent is released making zombies of those exposed. Freddy Rodriguez although something of a surprise hero, turns out to be a new kind of action star. A little guy, who\'s incredibly adept at killing, and winds up being the dominant hero. Some of the dialogue in this film is so corny but so deliciously clever as well, with lines like \"I never miss\", and \"Just reach up\" coming back in tacky yet cool ways. This is the type of gore fest that doesn\'t take itself anywhere close to seriously and therefore is a joy. The mock trailers thrown in the mix like \"Don\'t\", \"Machete\", and \"Werewolf Women of the SS\" make me wish that these pictures actually would get made. Of course looking at the films being parodied, they pretty much were made before. Even if it was a fake preview, how can you not laugh at Cheech Marin in a priest outfit shooting someone in the face with a shotgun? This is a gorefest romp that should be seen by all. Now hopefully I\'ll have a chance this week to indulge in many gory slopsticle fests.','558f80b19643b63652569a4898f9b9ac',0,'','vTmozseX',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11393,2047,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1182158520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: Grindhouse: Planet Terror and Death Proof (2007)','Review: \r\n\r\nAs if the Hollywood machine and its swelling budgets needed any more directors to help celebrate its arrested development and self-satisfied ostentation, two of its biggest perpetuators in Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez joined up in a mega production called Grindhouse, a double feature that included Tarantinos Death Proof and Rodriguezs Planet Terror, with each film envisaged as contemporary variations of the 70s genre grind-house, a culmination of horror, sex, gore and cheap thrills that piled on as much as it could in its abbreviated runtimes that all stemmed from the misunderstood school of exploitation cinema. \r\n\r\nNow, from a prima facie viewpoint, there is something fundamentally ridiculous and witless about spending close to a US$100 million on a film style that was supposed to be cheap, guerilla filmmaking. But with Tarantinos and his leading stylistic impressionist on board, it ended up becoming a if you got clout, flout it sort of enterprise. \r\n\r\nWith the onus squarely set on the duo, much was being made of the ambitiously puerile simulation of a genre borne out of contempt for Hollywoods status quo. So even while the possibilities attracted a great deal of fanfare before the films opening, and when push came to shove, Grindhouse failed at the box-office with studio executives citing the extended runtime and debated whether audiences were apparently ready for such a project, all backtracking with tails between their legs it has to be said. Fortunately for the studio, its misfortune was limited to its domestic prospect and a decision was publicly made to release each film separately with additional footage. And so we have Death Proof, Tarantinos killer-on-the-prowl pseudo-homage to the muscle car road ragers from the 70s. \r\n\r\nReferential, post-modern filmmaking while becoming a patronising fanboy directors crutch, has been handed another layer of conceit by Tarantino who is arguably the most established trendsetter in this particular area of creating exaggerated pop-culture universes, a trait that hit its creative peak in Kill Bill: Volume 1 with a celebratory pastiche of high art and just as easily hit its nadir in Kill Bill: Volume 2 when it started to annotate its own artistic debts by stretching for self-reflexive intelligence. \r\n\r\nIn his truest follow-up in Death Proof (marketing karma perhaps after the painful splitting of Kill Bill), he carelessly flirts with the sweet spot just between silly hyperbolic kitsch and an essential recreation of the genres milieu and irreverence. Theres a certain symmetry to the chaos that Tarantino whips up with his palette pointedly set on deconstructing the genre from within that at times recalls his best work and also his worst, which possibly derives from the inevitable indecision of presenting a grandiose homage or a modernised renovation of his frisson soaked inspiration. \r\n\r\nFrom an intellectual standpoint, Death Proof attains its grind-house stripes. Being visually confident enough to stage some balls-to-the-walls stunts and setpieces that never really sustains itself, it has an aesthetically opulent style that keeps the screen constantly busy. Ultimately, it offers up some entertaining schlock (and considering its budget and pedigree, Id expect nothing less) that lacks any durable depth. But from an instinctive point of view, Death Proof is much too slick and polished and contradictory to recreate the sort of anti-establishment impertinence its predecessors professed by simply existing to get the piece of the pie, no matter how small. \r\n\r\nWhat Tarantino achieves on his own when he does not simply amalgamate the tropes hes come to love is his distinctive style of dialogue that holds no pretenses and is always direct to the point with a purpose of building his characters (especially gorgeous cardboard cut-out femmes who he expects us not to take seriously at first glance) with an action speaks louder than words ethos. This is an important aspect to discern because it makes this film less a straight up homage and more like a Tarantino grind-house lovefest, even to the point of showing congenial originality and a personal touch despite its many throwaway resemblances to films of yore. \r\n\r\nBut above all the thematic gambits, Tarantinos bulls eye as a director was to not wrangle in Kurt Russells emphatic performance as Stuntman Mike, a psychotic boogeyman in an indestructibly menacing muscle car whose cat-and-mouse games continue on with Tarantinos harem of Midwest beauties. Russell does leave a lasting impression for many reasons, and is on the level of Uma Thurmans turn as The Bride in Kill Bill so its just unfortunate theres not too much else to get excited about when its just not invested enough for a truly memorable revision of cult cinema.','34a5e5b7961e3fb3424099e7c38c3735',0,'','F8Q9ipvL',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11394,2047,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187407500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: Grindhouse: Planet Terror and Death Proof (2007)','Just saw Rodriguez\' segment \"Planet terror\" at the cinema (both films were seperated in germany) a few days ago and was almost angry. The Weinstein brothers seem to be more wise than I thought because the original \"Grindhouse\" starts with \"Planet Terror\". It is faster, louder, bloodier - but it\'s not a really great movie as \"Death Proof\" was. Just a long, bloody Line of attractions put together. And it definitely looks like an expensive Hollywood-Feature and not like a 70ies Exploitation Film, no matter how many scratches are on the screen. All in all, it was sometimes really dumb and boring - \"Death Proof\" wasn`t. I know that this is unfair but I just tried to imagine myself seeing both films together with the trailers as they were shown this way originally. \"Planet Terror\" lost the game. It was funny and slightly satiric at some moments but not intelligent nor really entertaining. A good movie should be both. Maybe, the bad german synchronization (I had no choice as I visited a preview) gave it the rest. \r\n6 out of 10.','a10c445c3fff0ed87d13ce64e220d281',0,'','4jQp6yaB',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11395,2047,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187412060,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Grindhouse: Planet Terror and Death Proof (2007)','That sucks, I thought Planet Terror was by far the better film, found it immensely enjoyable, entertaining, and very clever. Tarantino\'s talk fest seemed better suited to My Dinner With Andre then a grindhouse film. Unfortunately it appears as though the DVD\'s for these two films are going to be released separately here in the US, which pisses me off, and I can only hope the inevitable \"special edition\" puts them together again.','028dd1f6e110335198ed34b44e103e45',0,'','Cy8Pk2bJ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11396,2047,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187482800,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Grindhouse: Planet Terror and Death Proof (2007)','wpqx: could you please add Death Proof and, possibly, Planet Terror to the thread title. (No need to worry about the directors.) Thanks.','f840b4d03767da0baa9d8794c05ac579',0,'','xMQrtuXJ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11397,2047,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187555040,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: Grindhouse: Planet Terror and Death Proof (2007)','Your thoughts about \"Planet Terror\" are really interesting (since unexpected), wpqx! I\'d really love to have a little argument about the film! \r\n\r\nTwo years ago I though Rodriguez to be a better and more interesting director than Tarantino but that was, of course, a big mistake. In my german review, I compared \"Planet Terror\" to the films of Michael Bay which I don\'t like for almost the same reasons - only attractions and action, almost no substance or dramaturgy. \"Sin City\" was probably one of the best efforts to new wave of graphic novel adaptions but in \"Planet Terror\", Rodriguez seemed helpless without having Tarantino, Frank Miller or somebody else behind him. I haven\'t seen \"El Mariachi\" so far, maybe I should do that soon. \r\n\r\nIt seems logical to enjoy \"Planet Terror\" more than \"Death Proof\" and I can understand your point of view (and most people obviously felt the same). \r\n\r\nIt would be interesting if the longer, Cannes-Version of \"Death Proof\" (the isolated theatrical version running 113 Minutes) would please you more. But probably you would dislike it even more - because there has been added MORE of the forced, ultra-cool Dialogue.','79e41bb8050f9bcbb8f4293b837443b8',0,'','Ecjhp2DX',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11398,2047,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187559840,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Grindhouse: Planet Terror and Death Proof (2007)','Maybe I\'m just partial to zombie films, and rarely do you see one on that type of scale.','4d249024b7d3d27a1d4c6c040dbd5501',0,'','Sg5Gz8tP',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11399,2047,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187589780,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: Grindhouse: Planet Terror and Death Proof (2007)','Well, that\'s true but there are so many better Zombie films... I guess you love Romero, don\'t you? \r\n\r\nAnd that \"type of scale\" doesn\'t fit well in this subgenre if you ask me - a zombie film has to be \"independent\" and not 25 Million Dollar-heavy. Everytime I remember Zack Snyders awful remake of \"Dawn of the dead\" I could vomit...','980845a760a2977b3c761eb13d9a8768',0,'','FzfsmEoU',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11400,2047,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187594580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Grindhouse: Planet Terror and Death Proof (2007)','Didn\'t see the remake I have a moral objection to all horror film remakes. \r\n\r\nYour argument that zombie films should be low scale independent features defeats your argument that horror and cult directors don\'t get industry respect, which is primarily because they don\'t get industry money. The whole point of Grindhouse may have been lost in the excessive budget, but the films were supposed to be entertaining throwbacks, and I think they were. You also can\'t get more do-it-yourself than Robert Rodriguez.','2f7908f79c4793ade3fb7271916bee6a',0,'','jo4GPJpf',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11401,2047,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1188877380,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Grindhouse: Planet Terror and Death Proof (2007)','U.S. DVD Release Dates:\r\n\r\nQuentin Tarantino\'s Death Proof - Sep 18th\r\n\r\nRobert Rodriguez\'s Planet Terror - Oct 16th','064078b27351d19a421b1d1de15e46d3',0,'','birh8q4P',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11402,2048,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187644260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Man Push Cart (2005 / U.S.A.)','Man Push Cart (2005) \r\n\r\nDirector: Ramin Bahrani\r\n\r\nStarring Ahmad Razvi\r\n\r\nBeautifully shot, atmospheric drama concerning the travails of a world weary Pakistani push cart man selling coffee and bagels for a living whilst suffering the loneliness of being an outsider within the big apple.\r\n\r\nThe shots of New York from street level, especially while the push cart is on the move are terrific, Ahmad Razvi who was (is?) a genuine push cart trader is excellent as a man worn down by life and the daily grind, a restrained nuanced performance that feels honest.\r\n\r\nFrom the director\'s statement, where he quoted the likes of Kiarostami as an influence and describes Man Push Cart as poetry, I was expecting and hoping for a very low key film with just the everyday struggle to earn a living as the core, what I wasn\'t expecting and what detracted from the film were the numerous plots and sub plots.\r\n\r\nFrom his past life in Lahore, to the problems he faces with his in-laws, through a near romantic interlude, as well as a scene that reminded me of the Vietnamese film Cyclo or De Sica\'s Bicycle Thieves, the misery is compounded until, like the central character, you feel completely nullified to it all. There\'s too much effort made to try and create a story and too many characters that detract from the essence of film. \r\n\r\nWhat started out as a promising minimalist art-house film ended up feeling too convoluted, if the story had been kept simplified and some of the extraneous plots and characters removed, it may have felt more poetic and pertinent, especially to those who still believe in the \"American dream\" .\r\n\r\nStill recommended viewing though.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev\r\n\r\nBBFC rated 15\r\n\r\nR2 dvd distributed by Dogwoof Pictures.\r\n\r\nMinimal extras - trailer, stills gallery and text interview with director.','36332a47af1a88542afd4b55dec02601',0,'','3RopSbja',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11403,2049,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1170389580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Dreamgirls (2006)','Courtesy of MovieXclusive.com\r\n\r\nReview:\r\n\r\nIts Oscar time and magic is in the airor so it might have you believe. And what better way to kick off than to talk about this years most Oscar nominated and controversially excluded Best Picture nominee in Bill Condons Dreamgirls. Several stage to screen reinventions later such as Chicago, Rent and The Producers wherein some were abortions and some were perhaps as decent than anybody could hope for, comes a story modeled closely after the formation of Detroits Motown Records. Its mostly based on how Diana Ross was chosen to be de facto leader and face of The Supremes, effectively relegating its lead singer, the late Florence Ballard to backup vocals and later lead to her ouster from the group. Indeed the mirror reflects Beyonces own Destinys Child since its inception that includes her own domineering manager, revolving door of talents and a stronger emphasis on marketing than on the music. Not to mention the shocking physical similarity between a younger Diana Ross and Beyonce.\r\n\r\nDreamgirls cleaves closely to the contours of the 1982 musical, which had the mercurial Effie White\'s (Jennifer Hudson) part beefed up for its original Effie in Jennifer Holiday that really made that character thrust itself upon audiences. Effie is big, loud and proud and has a greater character arc than Beyonces in Deena Jones where she does her best impression of an empty shell. And aside from their relatively equal screen times, what audiences are bound to notice in Hudsons effervescent quality and dare I say, her off-screen success story, is a much more interesting and appealing aspect to sink their teeth into. Theres no doubting that her presence is that special something that will be taken away with a smile even when it dawns upon them that shes more a bona fide theatrical vocal performer than she is a screen actress.\r\n\r\nAnd in another off-screen tale of career revitalisation, perpetual scene-stealer and massive screen presence, Eddie Murphy plays James Thunder Early - the James Brown-esque soulster that takes on the trio early on in their newfound careers. Perhaps little more than an amalgamation of his sketch-show characterisations in the beginning, Murphy lets fly with his once (last seen circa 1985) impressive acting chops late on with a ponderous look of profound sadness that reveals the compromise and ruthlessness of the business they are in. But then the outstanding performances and sublime musical numbers stops mattering when the film gets lost in transition.\r\n\r\nCondon sails past the eras as easily as you can say bubblewigs. The dramatic highs and lows resemble a roller coaster ride that never lets any frisson or anticipation to be built. By the time the film rolls on to its peak the much talked about and much appreciated show-stopping aria built around Effie White - we already know where its priorities lie. Its not concerned with crafting credible characters with strong emotional cores nor is it anxious to make a substantial point on racial politics in the volatile music industry, but it is important to the film that it awes and entertains through its electrifying compositions and arrangements. Its rat-tat-tat dialogue is a prelude to another song, rife with meaning to be gleaned and a story to tell, no matter how flimsy and clunky it ends up becoming. But more power to Hudson and Murphy who already look like genuine steamrollers in the face of their respective competition come this year\'s biggies in the Oscars despite the films apparent discolouration of African-American music.\r\n\r\nI suppose theres an element of Dreamgirls that does feel dated and perhaps even outlandishly offensive in its constant fallback on clichs. And as I must critique films in a contemporary framework and do not want to presumptuously give an opinion from a perspective other than my own, I feel the film possibly runs the risk of trivialising the struggles of black music throughout the ages and disrespects the powerful phenomenon that has laid the groundwork for the current American music scene. It definitely camps it up in favour of any real discourse on its historical groundings and character struggles despite its callously hinted scenes of unfair racialism that never is given the time to stew in its vileness or the real mechanics and impetus behind the payola system. It all serves Condons sprinting narrative, to fit in the rags to riches to rags story while not getting his hands dirty in reality but to glitter his film in the glamourised realism of disco and pop.','55f4254461eda79ba8b5558916c722c6',0,'','XUsbw9T7',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11404,2049,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187503320,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Dreamgirls (2006)','It took me awhile to watch this film who\'s buzz seemed all but deafening until the Oscar nominations were announced. Hollywood generally loves a big scale musical and this film certainly fits that bill. I found the trajectory of the film infinitely predictable and riddled in cliches, but the film which seemed to be reaching a fevered crescendo appeared to peak about half way through. I felt a similar second half let down to Martin Scorsese\'s Aviator. Jennifer Hudson has a huge voice, but I somewhat felt by the end of the film (actually about 30 minutes before the end) that the \"she is the best singer\" point was being hammered home too hard. I\'ve always been an Eddie Murphy fan and although his role was small he more than made the most of it. I think Jamie Foxx could have used a better number to sing considering his wasted vocal talents here. The film is entertaining if not wholly predictable.','7885d1004627a170bc690954dc725edd',0,'','cHPVsykU',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11405,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1134853140,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Film Noir Journals','I\'ll be watching a few noir films in the near future, and I thought this would be a great place to keep a journal of all the noir films that the members here watch and review. I\'m innaugurating this with Joseph L. Mankiewicz\'s Somewhere in the Night. I\'ll include grades with each film reviewed.\r\n\r\nThe Big Heat (1953)\r\nBlade Runner (1982)\r\nThe Dark Corner (1946)\r\nFallen Angel (1945)\r\nHouse of Strangers (1949)\r\nHouse on 92nd Street(1945)\r\nHouse on Telegraph Hill (1951)\r\nI Wake Up Screaming \r\nKiss of Death (1947)\r\nThe Maltese Falcon (1941)\r\nThe Seventh Victim (1943)\r\nSunset Boulevard (1950)\r\nWhere the Sidewalk Ends (1950)\r\nWhirpool (1950) \r\nWhite Heat (1949)\r\nThe Woman in the Window (1944)\r\nSomewhere in the Night (1946) - Joseph L. Mankiewicz\r\n\r\nWell in my years of watching movies I\'ve seen a lot of Mankiewicz and a lot of noir. Some films are inspired, some are mediocre, and some are just plain bad. In the case of Something In the Night I remembered why I watch movies, to discover that one magnificent film in a completely unexpected place. I\'ve been extremely hard on film noir in my time, rarely if ever handing out a perfect rating despite obvious greatness, I\'ve been even harsher for Mankiewicz, I wouldn\'t even give All About Eve a 5 star rating. This film, considered a lesser Mankiewicz effort, and one of his earlier ventures into directing is in my opinion his clear masterpiece. A perfectly constructed, often brilliant, constantly compelling piece of film noir that desperately needs reevaluation, and the reputation of such gems as Laura, Double Indemnity, and Out of the Past.\r\n\r\nSomewhere in the Night may have that chance. It recently appeared on DVD as part of Fox\'s amazing film noir collection. Every several months the studio puts out three of their classic noir films, and many of which, this film included, I had never heard of prior to it\'s release. Gems are being unearthed from the vaults, some of which hadn\'t even appeared on VHS. Watching Somewhere in the Night is like discovering a new piece of film history, a critical turning point in the career of Mankiewicz, and a complex and convoluted story that has a deeply satisfying pay off.\r\n\r\nThe reason for perhaps its being forgotten is the fact that the story seemed familiar at the time. There was a period when amnesia films were somewhat popular, and Somewhere deals with post war veterans, a subject that by 1946 was already starting to become overly familiar. I recall a short story by Ernest Hemmingway about a returning WWI veteran who took an extra two years to come home, which by that time no one wanted to hear his war stories, everyone was bored of \"heroes\". The American public may have felt the same way, after all what an easy gimmick, a grenade goes off, and bam amnesia, and there\'s your mystery. It\'s denser than that.\r\n\r\nJohn Hodiak was nearly a bad choice for this role. His credits are sparse, he was one of the shipwrecked passengers in Lifeboat, but he works here. His one chance in a feature, and he shines. Makeup makes the film work. He was blown up by a grenade, and had a painful recovery. His face loses the bandage, but he comes equipped with an oh so subtle scar that makes him neither grotesque but reminds us that he was indeed a disabled veteran. This slight touch of realism works for the picture, in a world were people are still knocked out by one punch.\r\n\r\nRichard Conte, a man who seemed to be in every Fox film in the 40\'s and 50\'s makes an appearance here, and delivers another perfect turn. He has that quality where he can both be a baffoon and a genius at the same time. A tough edge and a likeable quality if not somewhat flawed. He played this well in Jules Dassin\'s Thieves Highway, and shines here at his best, in a supporting role.\r\n\r\nThe love interest, as there must always be a love interest is Nancy Guild who has an instantly recognizable face despite never appearing in a movie I\'ve seen. She has a look that works, and you can see rather early on that she is a girl to fall for, and her presence is neither as the \"helpless girl\" or the \"tough dame\". She is a real woman, a rare presence indeed in film noir, neither manipulative or gullible. I love her character, as I love nearly all other aspects of the film.\r\n\r\nThe mystery is one of identity. A similar theme was brought back in the Bourne Identity, but here was a man who didn\'t work for the government, but rather stole from them, or someone. A missing $2 million is enough to motivate any plot, especially when army pay at the time was $60 a month. You can see why everyone is going to such great lengths in this story for the money, and the identity of Larry Cravat, a man no one has either met nor heard from in 3 years. George Taylor is also a man with no past and no one to identify him, and his search for Cravat becomes his search for himself. A wonderful plot device that helps to unravell the story, and of course lead to much suspense, mystery, and intrigue.\r\n\r\nI\'ve ranted much longer on this film than most characteristic recently viewed movies, but I can\'t help it, I rarely feel this elation watching movies, especially American movies from the 40\'s considering I was convinced I saw everything great from Hollywood\'s golden era. Somewhere in the Night is out of DVD, and it\'s dirt cheap, buy it now!\r\n\r\nGrade A','b67f5c29527a005ab203a07f39f534b6',0,'','VaZqrTgR',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11406,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1134870480,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Film Noir Journals','First, thanks for your enthusiastic review.\r\nI haven\'t heard of the film before, but now I\'ll ad it to my \"American classis to see\" - list. Sounds like really something. \r\nI don\'t think I\'ll watch any noir films in the next months, but maybe I\'ll catch \"Dark City\" and \"Blade Runner\" in theaters in March, and write some notes.\r\nWho said film noir is dead!? Long live film noir!','e69e7afd40b595da20fad9bd824285bc',0,'','jEZQ8WKv',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11407,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1135373220,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) \r\n\r\nAfter the success of Laura (1944), Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, and Otto Preminger teamed up to make this brilliantly crafted noir gem. The film resonates hard with me, as its focal point is not so much a murder, or an investigation, but the hate one man has for crime, and the ultimate fear that he\'ll wind up just like his hoodlum father. Much more depth than one might expect, but well with in the means of noir, thanks to a brilliant script by Ben Hecht, this film manages to make turns without going to ridiculous suspense heights. It was made before Preminger became the defiant antagonist to the Hollywood censors so the content pretty much plays it straight, but there are a few more punches thrown than the average film.\r\n\r\nDana Andrews plays the son of a hood, and a man that hates this more than anyone. Anyone who grew up with a jailbird, a deadbeat, alcoholic, or abusive father knows that this subject is much broader, and far ahead of it\'s time. Andrews is matched by the loving and extremely strong relationship between Tierney and her on screen father, the man who winds up getting blamed for the murder. The picture starts rather simply enough, there\'s a dice game, there\'s a big winner, there\'s a fight, and then the camera leaves us. It isn\'t until Paine is trying to get a hold of the dead man on the phone that we realize he didn\'t knife him. Sure Andrews\' Mark Dixon was willing to blame the mob boss who got started by Dixon\'s father, but that seemed personal and unfounded. It is during Paine\'s accidental death that things really begin to take shape. Mark has to cover up the body because he\'s already been demoted, for roughing up thugs, and now with a phone call two minutes too late he is a murderer, and his first instinct is to cover up, and Mark does such a great job he never once is made a suspect, his father would have been proud indeed. It is this fact that makes Mark unable to live with what he\'s done. Killing a man isn\'t what bothers him, it\'s hiding it that shows him he isn\'t the man he wished he could be.\r\n\r\nTierney is absolutely gorgeous in this film, and although her role is clearly that of a supporting one, she acts as a conscience for the film. Mark is making progress through her. It is with her support and eventual love that he discovers he isn\'t his father and never could be, despite being one shot away from fulfilling his own death wish.\r\n\r\nThis type of complexity can be expected from Preminger who made a career out of making films other people wouldn\'t touch. I\'m liable to run off again about another hidden masterpiece, but let\'s just say the film is well worth discovering. Perhaps Laura is a better film, but few if any noir films can top it. Where the Sidewalk Ends is still a little scene gem of a movie, complete with stark lighting, great character actors, and a powerful subtext.\r\n\r\nGrade A-','2657e09ce344dc84e0d6ddf23be68111',0,'','FATJWQwh',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11408,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1135975740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','House on 92nd Street (1945) - Henry Hathaway \r\n\r\nWell nothing in this film really qualifies as noir, but it got lumped into that undefined category with so many other early post war films. The picture plays much like Hathaway\'s follow up, 13 Rue Madeline. It is much more of a behind the scenes WWII film. Hathaway didn\'t seem to be the go to guy for combat pictures, but this type of picture worked for him.\r\n\r\nThe plot is simple enough. The US has atomic secrets being stolen, and they need to find out who done it before the Germans get the information, so with a few spies set up and a lot of FBI praise, they plant a man and hatch a plot to make everything work in their favor. There is moderate suspense, but Hathaway can\'t seem to hold anyone in that mood. I\'ve always thought of the man as a rather poor director, a guy to go to when much more skilled auteur\'s were unavailable. His second rate skills may seem ideal for this picture dripping with B movie mentality, but instead it\'s just weak filmmaking. I have two more Hathaway films in my pile ready to watch, hopefully some of them are actually noir like their titles suggest.\r\n\r\nThe House of the title is a five story place in Manhattan where the Germans are running their little spy ring. They are all kept under a tight watch and they all answer to a mysterious man who no one meets named Christopher. The FBI\'s counteragent arouses suspicion when his credentials get altered by the FBI. He is out to find this Christopher, but it isn\'t that easy. In the process comes a lot of treachery, and of course US prevails.\r\n\r\nIt is somewhat joyous to see the good old USA triumph, much as it probably was at the time. House was actually a fairly popular film in its day, despite having C-Level actors as leads. Fox was either trying to make a new group of stars, or just wanted to keep the costs down. The subject of this was certainly timely, considering the film was released only months after the first atomic bomb dropped. The picture starts by saying that the film wouldn\'t have been able to have been made until the bomb was dropped, a fact that isn\'t much of a fact but used to make viewers find the film a little more important than it really is. The introduction is very similar to Fred Zinnemann\'s post war film The Search. Beginning with narration and a ton of stock footage. Hathaway uses new footage shot amongst this to give the impression that his actors and stars actually are/were part of the FBI. The documentary nature is virtually abandoned afterwards, but of course helps to tidy things up at the end.\r\n\r\nThe film is niether noir, suspenseful, or really captivating. It is decent, and there is a general desire to root for the good guys here, but it\'s second rate filmmaking at best. Coming off of some rather surprise masterpieces like Somewhere in the Night and Where the Sidewalk Ends, this film is clearly second rate, despite being much better known and generally much better respected.\r\n\r\nGrade C+','05598be3e70a8af6dea747b5c171023e',0,'','Aa4z3bCf',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11409,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1136100480,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','Whirlpool (1949) - Otto Preminger\r\n\r\nWell Otto Preminger once again teams with Gene Tierney, although no Dana Andrews. The result is what can loosely be called a trilogy of psychological film noir. Whirpool fits in easily with Where the Sidewalk Ends and Laura, not so much in it\'s plot, but in it\'s psychology. Each film features lots of lying, and each deals with a topic far more intricate than a mere thriller. Tierney here gets to parade as the star of the show, no longer supporting or even alluring, instead it is her film, the men only seem to support her.\r\n\r\nThe men of this film are regulars but still remarkable. Jose Ferrer who was just about to win an Oscar plays the \"villian\" of the picture, a hypnotist swindler who\'s too damn clever for his own good. Richard Conte, a long standing Fox regular plays her husband, a noteworthy Psychoanalyst who\'s a bit of a celebrity doctor, in the same way everyone in Hollywood seems to be a celebrity of some kind.\r\n\r\nNot to read too much into the notion of celebrity here, that\'s not what really mattes. Tierney gets to stretch here first as the kleptomaniac bored housewife, and then as the somnambulist. She goes through a wide range of emotions just in the first 15 minutes of the film. She is the cool dignified lady, next thing you know she\'s fainted, playing dumb, getting hysterical, and finally returning to a loving wife, all of this takes place before even a shred of the plot has set itself into motion.\r\n\r\nJose Ferrer plays David Korvo with utter perfection. In my opinion it is his best performance. He is free of the gimmicks used in Cyrano and Moulin Rouge, instead he gets to simply act, from a dignified man of medicine, to a seducer, to the helpless victim, constantly manipulating, and always convinced of his own immortality. You get a sense quickly that Lt. Colton (Charles Bickford) is on to him, and you know that Conte\'s Dr. Sutton is more than on to him, but Korvo never seems to figure it out. It is the player getting played, who\'s own vanity prevents him from seeing his downfall.\r\n\r\nThis is an oddball of a mystery. We know who did it, even without seeing the murder take place, and we know that eventually Korvo and Colton will figure it out, but the quesiton is how? How will Korvo slip up, when will they discover the records, when will Mrs. Sutton start to remember? This is what makes the film interesting, just like watching a gangster film and knowing that the charismatic bootlegger is going to get killed, we just aren\'t sure how. The fun isn\'t the destination, but the journey there, and Preminger keeps this one interesting.\r\n\r\nThe notion of hypnotism and kleptomania could have been more fleshed out, but the point is made, psychology has it\'s place in a murder mystery, perhaps too much medical talk would bore viewers. This film is hardly boring, but it isn\'t exactly a diamond in the career of Preminger. Ferrer and Tierney may very well be at their best here, but overall the film lacks a little compassion and interest.\r\n\r\nGrade B','38351241ac8ee10a9a9726ba2a2dbbae',0,'','NR9P3lXd',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11410,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1136608620,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','The Dark Corner (1946) - Henry Hathaway\r\n\r\nWell finally a Hathaway film that actually is a film noir. This story has all the right formulas, a somewhat shady private detective, an even shadier past, a murder, a cover up, and even a dame or two. This seems to follow in a general trend of Fox film noir of not having the female be an antagonist. Lucille Ball plays the secretary here, and is an anchor, support, and companion for our hero, not the reason for his misery. She seems to fall right in line with the \"female as crutch\" roles given out in many of this studios film noirs, most typically Where the Sidewalk Ends, but Gene Tierney was slightly more motivating in that.\r\n\r\nThe film is shrouded in darkness, and that is of course the biggest characteristic of noir. Joe MacDonald (a Fox regular for years) did the cinematography, and in many scenes, particularly in Brad\'s (Mark Stevens) office the look is absolutely perfect. MacDonald wound up with a trio of best cinematography nominations, but won none.\r\n\r\nMark Stevens may not be a name in the noir genre, but he does a damn good job here. His character recalls a little of the reckless violent screenwriter of Nicholas Ray\'s In a Lonely Place. Mark doesn\'t seem to be able to function without at least a little drink. Not sure how intentional his drinking is, but later in the film when he\'s asked for a drink he says \"Never touch the stuff\", we know that there was a dependency. In that scene Mark has finally figured things out, put two and two together, and can now make his move without being loaded on sauce.\r\n\r\nLucille Ball got the top billing, even though she is more of a support for Stevens, but well she was the \"Queen of the B\'s\" at this point. One of her few non-comedic roles, she still manages to get most of the few laughs, and there\'s a slight chuckle to be had watching her bat. She\'s charming here and is never too far behind her man, and as Stevens\' Brad gives up at nearly every corner, Ball\'s Kathleen is quick with an idea, even if it\'s a bad one.\r\n\r\nAside from a few brilliantly constructed night time shots, there is hardly anything here of overwhelming value. This was film noir by the books, and it touches all plot points necessary. The plot works, although not in an overly compelling way. Clifton Webb plays a bit of a villian again, and his character is so obsessively smart that it makes him a downright awesome noir villian. You should have suspected it, after seeing his rather young wife (Cathi Downs). Hollywood\'s way of saying dating an older man is fine, just be careful. Ironic when Mari (Downs) blows off thinking that the man she\'s having an affair with is too young to be intimate with the old Constance Collier, an actress as old proportionately to her on screen husband.\r\n\r\nThe Dark Corner remains a damn good film noir. Not among the all time best, but certainly a text book case. And from what I\'ve seen the pick of the litter regarding the somewhat lackluster filmography of Henry Hathaway.\r\n\r\nGrade B+','e772e3b1c63ed4574d7583b563b8d25c',0,'','oHRzKUXY',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11411,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144121040,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','Kiss of Death (1947) - Henry Hathaway \r\n\r\n   With a forward at the opening credits proclaiming that this film was shot on real locations in New York you know one thing, youre watching a Henry Hathaway film. Hathaway had built a reputation at Fox for being a realist director. Shooting on location, adapting true stories, and the like. No matter how fictional the tales might be, the studios still helped to proclaim them as realistic, gritty films. Kiss of Death is another in this continuing series of true tales of crime and the social underworld. It is far from the first crime film to depict our main criminal as more of a victim than a thug. Nick (Victor Mature) is someone who got a raw deal, who were led to believe is in crime because he cant get any other job. This is a typically ultra-liberal approach to defending criminals, but there is some validity to it, at least in terms of this film.\r\n   Nick betrays his one code of honor, and that is the code of silence. The film may seem a counterpoint to the HUAC hearings which had their first round the year this film was made. That the notions of whether or not to squeal were honorable. Nick has respect amongst his peers. Hes no good as a criminal, but he keeps his mouth shut, and he takes whats coming to him. When his wife kills herself however, he doesnt see much of a point in sitting rotting in prison. His new mission is to be with his kids, and this again is making an excuse for Nick and his behavior.\r\n   Victor Mature was considered one of the worst leading actors of his era, and this film isnt much to persuade you otherwise. His performance at its best is merely adequate, but generally speaking you cant tell if his character is intentionally acting bad, or hes just that lousy of an actor. His dialogue is delivered with little inflection, and he always looks miserable and mopey. Hard to get a reading on him, and he is easily upstaged by nearly every other member of the cast. What people remember most from the film however is Richard Widmark, who was still rather unknown at the time of this films premiere. He plays a villain for the ages with Tommy Udo. The films most notorious scene involves him pushing the crippled mother of a man he believes to be a stool pigeon down a flight of stairs. It is pure evil, and a sinister moment that was largely unequalled in previous films.\r\n   His character is so evil its great. The film suffers when hes not on screen. Widmark steals every moment hes in the picture. His vocal inflections are great, and that maniacal laugh, it can give you chills. Hes a thug and bad guy, who still seems evil and comparable to the much more notorious and violent criminals of modern movies. Widmark would become a legend of noir in his own right with a string of future films at Fox, most notably Night and the City and Pickup on South Street. Here hes making an entrance and the movie is completely his when hes on screen. It gets to the point where you almost want him to get away at the end, because hes the more fascinating character, but in the world of 1947 film morality, theres no way someone like that can walk away.\r\n   The female of the story played by Colleen Gray is your typical supporting role. Shes there as the object of adoration. Patiently waiting for Nick to come out, and always willing to stand by him. She serves no real narrative function except to give him some additional reason to fight. She takes over as mother to his children and you get a feeling that he instantly loves her more than his dead wife, whom he doesnt seem to grieve for long. Not to say Gray does a particularly bad job acting here, but the constraints of her role dont particularly give her much depth. It is a typical tactic of Hathaway who always injects his film with an impersonality and a documentary quality. He is after just the facts, there is no room for psychology or depth. The only socioeconomic issues brought up in his films leave little room for interpretation. Hes saying what the characters are feeling, and he even undermines our intelligence further with stale voice over narration that over simplifies the already simple morality. Based on the strength of Widmark however, Kiss of Death will forever be a highlight in the world of film noir.\r\n\r\nGrade B +','323271ebadd28a7d86e6490e3aae6943',0,'','mLNu5ZC9',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11412,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144121100,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','The Seventh Vicim (1943) - Mark Robson \r\n\r\n   Low budgets, dark lighting, sinister music, and cheap psychology have long since been hallmarks of the horror genre. Val Lewtons nine horror films all seem to fit the description above. Acting is passable at best in these pictures, and the low key lighting is more a way to cover up cheap sets than it is a tactic of great filmmaking. Yet every so often amongst his rubble there is a film of particular interest, which may or may not be particularly good but at least interesting. The Seventh Victim, the first of Mark Robsons Lewton pictures is one of these. The film is a somewhat simple tale of a girl looking for her lost sister, but theres of course darkness up ahead. The tale of a search for a missing person is easily the subject of film noir, and with the lighting scheme, it would seem particularly self evident that this picture could fall into that land of private eyes and femme fatales. Perhaps the biggest difference comes from the chronology, the fact that The Seventh Victim was made before film noir was a particular style, but in many ways it is a direct prediction of the style to come.\r\n   The line between horror and noir in these days was defined by one particular thing, the element of the supernatural. In a horror story the killer was a monster, particularly inhuman, and there is always some easy psychological explanation to justify the monster. The fact that there is no real supernatural element in this film makes it even harder to make the distinction. There is a cult of Satanists, but theyre pledged to non-violence, hows that for hypocrisy? Now you can also point out the fact that the film isnt scary, but that is hardly enough justification considering who past the age of 8 really gets scared by films? \r\n   I have seen at least one source site The Seventh Victim as Lewtons masterpiece. I wouldnt say that is an overstatement. The film is exquisite in many ways. The performances might not be great, but certainly great for a Lewton film. Kim Hunter makes a positive debut as the young sister looking for her older, rich, and missing sister, played with considerable mystique by Jean Brooks. Her look is a cross between Ida Lupino and Louise Brooks. She walks around half hypnotized and makes the most of her limited screen time. Her character is ironic, she has a fixation about death, and dreams of killing herself, even keeps a room with a chair and noose. Yet when her cult requests her to kill herself shes unable to.\r\n   Some of the details are a little murky. The nature of the subject makes it difficult for the filmmakers to get too descriptive. The horror of the story, that is the cult makes its appearance dreadfully late. When they do it immediately picks up the story. After all, it gets a little old just seeing some dumb young girl wandering around looking for her sister, theres got to be a good reason why shes in hiding. What better reason than being psychologically damaged and having a mysterious group of devil worshippers after her?\r\n   Now there needs to be complications in a love affair in any story, particularly in noir. Kim Hunters character is the object of affection for two men here. One happens to be married to her sister, the other is a romantic poet who seems a much better match for her, but well sometimes the movies dont do things completely right. It is a bit of a twist to have the married man win out, encouraging the infidelity, even if his wife happens to be crazy. The poet naturally likens his predicament to that of Cyrano, and you cant help but feel cheapened by the parallelism. \r\n   There is mystery, there is suspense, and there is one particularly creepy scene where Jean Brooks is being pursued down a dark alley. It is a clear highlight in the film, and perhaps the only really jumpy moment in the lot. The image of her against a brick wall with just a flash of light on her face, with everything else enshrouded in darkness is truly an image to remember. Flawed as any Lewton film may be, The Seventh Victim still remains one of the best of the bunch.\r\n\r\nGrade B','335bfe31c0b07dd29cbf0f0d770d14f6',0,'','1dsDXQEV',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11413,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144121160,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','The House on Telegraph Hill (1951) - Robert Wise \r\n\r\n   Whereas The Seventh Victim seems like a film noir labeled as a horror film, the House on Telegraph Hill is a horror film recently released on DVD in the Fox Film Noir collection. This may be because Robert Wise was a protege of Val Lewton, and made his directorial debut on his Curse of the Cat People. The movie poster for the film makes it look very much like a horror film, but so did the very unfrightening House on 92nd Street. Like Hathaways films though this has a little mixture of documentary thrown in. The prologue gives it a very real setting in a concentration camp, and the narration is a typical trademark of Hathaway, and film noir in general. Yet Hathaway seemed to prefer a female voice, so of course Victoria Kowelska (Valentina Cortesa) is a perfect choice for narration, especially because its her story.\r\n   The story becomes noir through and through before too long though. There is a case of mistaken identity, a covered up past, and what better place for mystery than the steep hills of San Francisco? Now there is a scene in this film of brakes being tampered with, and of course on these streets, thats something truly dangerous. I cant tell from insufficient research whether or not this is the first instance of cut breaks as an attempt to kill someone, but its funny how despite these numerous attempts in film and television, no one ever seems to die because of it. The scene does seem too familiar today and loses some of its original suspense, but the technique is still there, and it comes off as less ridiculous than Hitchcocks in Family Plot.\r\n   Theres something charming in Robert Wises early films. A hunger, an editor who raised promoted to director, given small budgets and trying to make due. I have heard many sources cite editors turned directors as the best filmmakers. They have a natural inclination on pacing, and how to set up a film. Cinematographers always seem to infest their films with far too many shots of nothing, and actors turned directors always seem to think that beautiful shots of sunsets are all it takes to make a great movie. Wise is a no-nonsense director and there never seems to be a wasted moment in his early films. The problem in most of them therefore lies in the plots, something that he rarely if ever had anything to do with. \r\n   House on Telegraph Hill hits you with one great mystery, and thats will Victoria be found out? In the moral code of the movies deception is almost always revealed and usually punished. Victoria believes her deception is going to be punished. She is posing as another woman, another woman with a considerable fortune to inherit, but there is a deception there. Along the way though she truly becomes the other woman, her past is dead, she knows this other woman as well as anyone, and naturally she grows to love the child of this other woman. It is the child that is the motivating element, even more than the money. It is Chris that binds the household together. Margaret (Fay Baker) feels shes the real mother, and in many ways she is the mother. Victoria certainly isnt the birth mother, and Margaret has spent far more time raising her, so its not surprising for her to feel resentment towards Victoria.\r\n   Mark (William Lundigan) however has a different motivation. He has more money than he knows what to do with, and he doesnt seem to care one way or the other about Chris. His motivation seems to be to avenge himself against Alan (Richard Basehart). Theyre a pair of old friends who always have a smile for each other, but have a bitter rivalry towards each other. Theyre like brothers who are nothing but cordial at holiday functions but secretly resent everything about the other. Mark has what he wants financially, but he wants to put Alan in his place. His social standing is above him, and he resents this unrelenting social climber. Likewise Alan resents Mark for having everything so easy, and its easy to see his contempt, because what poor soul doesnt resent the rich? Mark wants what he wants like any spoiled child, and he wants Victoria, not so much for himself, but in order to lash out against Alan. \r\n   The film overall is somewhat second rate. It went unreleased on VHS, and therefore was out of circulation for a very long time. It winds up not as a long lost buried treasure resurfacing, but a rather forgetful venture in what would become a rather promising directing career for Robert Wise. As a piece of film noir it is moderately successful, as a horror film it works a little better, but not enough to make it worth the wait. \r\n\r\nGrade C +','f4f1fbe44bd350561ba73656c2c96583',0,'','0HAsh1LP',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11414,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144121220,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','The Big Heat (1953) - Fritz Lang \r\n\r\n   For all the brilliance of M and Metropolis, one may forget that Fritz Lang even went to Hollywood. When he made the Big Heat in 1953, not to many people took notice. Nearly fifty years later, not to many people have taken notice. It is one of Langs least talked about films, and doesnt frequently come up in a conversation of the best noir. So who did take notice of the film? Well apparently someone did, otherwise we wouldnt be talking about it.\r\n   The Big Heat is what we would call a sleeper. A film that went unnoticed, but somewhere down the road we decided that this was an interesting and excellent picture. Sleepers are some of the best candidates for a cult film. Take the Sweet Smell of Success (1957) or Stanley Kubricks the Killing (1956). Both of these films didnt stir up too much buzz, but they have since been regarded as classics. Langs film probably draws closer to Kubricks due only to the element of crime. Sure there are some underhanded shenanigans going on in Mackendricks film, but not in the organized crime world, so common thematically with noir. Yet all three films are completely unique from each other, and their genre.\r\n   The Big Heat does sport a more well known cast than most noir films. Glenn Ford stars as Dave Bannion, a hard hitting homicide detective. He is basically the standard noir hero. After a police officer commits suicide, he is appointed to the case. It doesnt take much to find out that things are different than the surface would indicate. Soon enough Bannions family gets to be the target of the people Bannion is trying to track down. The morals of Fords Bannion are a little stronger than most noir heroes. He seems constantly attached to this case. He wont give up, and he doesnt change with the wind.\r\n   Along the way he meets Vince Stone (Lee Marvin) a gangster who is quite abusive to his girlfriend played by Gloria Grahame (Debby Marsh). Grahame steals every scene she is in. Her career was in full swing at this point. She was in the years previous best picture winner, and took home a best supporting actress Oscar for her brief role in the Bad and the Beautiful. She realizes that Stone is dangerous and tries to get away, but Stone being who he is doesnt want to give her up. In one of the most shocking scenes in noir history, we see him through a pot of boiling coffee in her face, all for talking to Bannion. Just as disturbing is when we finally see her pull off the bandage to reveal the burn. This incident reminds me of the smashed coke bottle in Robert Altmans the Long Goodbye (1973).\r\n   Fritz Lang had a tendency to have his heroes punished for doing either the right thing or nothing at all. Spencer Tracy in Fury (1936) was accused of a crime he didnt commit and was the target of a lynch mob. Lang constantly showed bad things happening to nice people. Fords Bannion gets the short end of the stick throughout the entire picture. After a certain point in the film Bannion becomes obsessed with revenge, like Tracy in Fury and the underworld in M (1931). Lang left Germany as Hitler came into power, and he found ways to through any negative aspect of the Nazis in all of his subsequent films. He was obsessed with showing justice being robbed. Guilt or innocence made no difference in his world. He simply showed power being abused and corrupted.\r\n   Yet there are some good guys around. Bannion finds help from an odd group of people, such as the dead policemans mistress Lucy Chapman (Dorothy Green) and Debby. Bannion is cold to everyone he meets. His bitterness is found throughout, and he only seems to regain his humanity when he sees another person he cares for die. Debbys death is seen as a sacrifice to Bannion.\r\n   Bannions home is seen as the ideal American family. Every possession is being shared, and they are always happy with each other. It is only when Katie Bannion (Jocelyn Brando) leaves the house that she is killed. Who knows if there was an intention to show that a womans place is in the home. After she dies, Bannion sells the modest home, which he feels is of no use to him. There is a typical indictment of capitalism. Whoever has the bigger house, is more corrupt. Only honest man Bannion lives in a modest one story home. Everyone else is living in luxury, and is corrupt. Perhaps more political analysis was attempted by showing that you couldnt be honest and wealthy.\r\n   There is one problem with the Big Heat, and that is the pacing. The film is about an hour and a half, but it does move slow. This isnt the deliberately slow pace of such mesmerizing Kubrick or Tarkovsky pictures. Instead this film seems just slower moving. Now perhaps this was slow moving because it was a little confusing. You have to think quickly while watching noir films. Things arent usually explained in much detail. Instead you have to be as quick as the detective or hero who is trying to get to the bottom of whatever is going on. So if you are confused, sometimes you can get frustrated. No noir film can even come close to the similarly titled Big Sleep (1946) as being the most confusing film ever. It is said that the author Raymond Chandler didnt even know who dunnit. The Big Heat may be a little easier to follow, but it isnt that simple. Its potential confusion is only one reason to return to it. If you need another Ill give you one, Gloria Grahame.\r\n\r\nGrade A','a5693834dcdd5bb7f835848ad9342341',0,'','WSaAJGgc',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11415,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144121280,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','Sunset Boulevard (1950) - Billy Wilder \r\n\r\nAh what greatness lies in the old Hollywood. For many, including myself at one time, this was the finest Billy Wilder film, and still the champ of Hollywood on Hollywood pictures. It was perhaps Wilders harshest satire, full of his cruelest inside jokes. It is also the film that stands on both ends of nearly every issue. Everything in Sunset Boulevard is ironic, and it is from that which gives forth its greatest attribute.\r\nAfter kicking around as a screenwriter for several years, Billy Wilder made a name as a director with Double Indemnity (1944) and the Oscar winning Lost Weekend (1945). He followed these with a few more less significant but still profitable films. His studio of the day, Paramount gave him all the room necessary to make this project. Had Wilder not been a critical and commercial success in the past, this picture would have probably never seen the day.\r\nIt was one of a string of Wilder and Charles Brackett collaborations. The two had written screenplays in the past for Ernst Lubitsch and Howard Hawks among others, and had co-written all of their own pictures. Brackett served as producer while Wilder directed, very Coen brothers. Although one doesnt usually find too many Brackett supporters claiming he was really a co-director, and there has been no evidence brought to my attention as of yet to prove that. They werent alone this time though, as additional writing was done by D. M. Marshman. Like Casablanca (1942) which also benefited from numerous writers so does this. It is almost impossible to tell who wrote what, but it all works. I feel that perhaps there was some inside competition, hence the reason for so very much brilliant dialogue. \r\nIn terms of dialogue, this has no doubt earned comparisons to Joseph Mankiewicz All About Eve (1950). Both films were made the same year, and both expose the underside of their respected art forms, movies here and the stage in Eve. Both films have been known for their ingenious writing, but whereas Mankiewicz was somewhat limited as a director, Wilder is not. His films are full of that precision associated with only the finest perfectionists. Ironic in more than one way to cast Erich Von Stroheim, whose perfectionism was notorious. Eve may have won the Oscar, but for many this will always be the better picture.\r\nThe other more noticeable irony with Stroheim is that he plays a former director. A cruel joke after the near totalitarian control he exacted on his films. Unlike Wilder though, he had no commercial success, which forced his directing days to be put to rest by the end of the twenties. He did find success as an actor, with his other most notable success coming from Jean Renoirs the Grand Illusion (1937), where he played an aristocratic German soldier in charge of a prisoner of war camp. There is also the film of Gloria Swansons that they watch, Queen Kelly (1928) , a never finished flop directed by Stroheim. \r\nPerhaps the only complaint may be in who the hero or heroine is. My heart was with William Holdens Joe Gillis the entire time. He begins by narrating from beyond. We then see his story from his eyes, which may leave it open to subjectivity. I believe that the real Joe Gillis was much more of a heel than we see. Since he is the narrator, we see his shame, his wounded pride, and his feelings of being trapped. We dont see just how much he accepted from Norma, and we know that he could leave at any time. Even though he is the narrator, he is still not the hero. Wilder and therefore Gillis seems to have a soft spot for discarded silent stars. Once Norma shows up on screen she is instantly the pitiful and sad case. She is the casualty of a timely industry.\r\nPersonally I dont by the poor and pitiful Norma Desmond. She is the victim of nothing. So her star didnt cross into talking pictures, neither did a lot of people. John Gilbert was perhaps the most famous casualty, but even Mary Pickford, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd virtually vanished from the public eye when sound came about. So Desmond was one of those few, be content with your former celebrity and the large amounts of money you still have. She seems to be reminiscent of the modern Michael Jackson. As his star declines, he gets weirder and more secluded. He seems to be in need of adulation, and seems to miss the days when he had no privacy. The same is with Norma. She is happiest when she is surrounded in the Paramount studio by cast and crew, and at the end when she officially goes crazy to a house full of reporters and police officers. Even Gillis refers to her as poor Norma, yet he is the one who got shot three times by her crazy ass.\r\nThere is always a little debate about what type of film it is. When asked the question myself I sat in silence for a while. Stylistically it is pure noir. Low light and deep focus photography, plus the all too obvious narration, make this a key blueprint. Yet this is noir like Citizen Kane is noir. There may be many things to make it seem that way, but this doesnt have the seedy underworld vibe of Robert Aldrichs Kiss Me Deadly, or the socioeconomic indictments of Abraham Polanskis Force of Evil (1948) . It doesnt even have that touch of crime and passion like Wilders earlier Double Indemnity. Yet it still feels like noir, and one person when asked argued it to be a thriller. Which is to say the modern term for noir.\r\nBy 1950 that type of picture was growing out of style. The past five years had seen a slew of films of that sort flood theaters. It is because of this that Andrew Sarris believes it lost the Oscars to Eve. I think that it was because Hollywood wasnt quite ready to accept what they had done. I have also read that Sunset Boulevard is a clear cut horror film. Although Franz Waxmans score can have horror tones to it, and the first time we hear the organ played, Max (Stroheim) is playing Bachs Toccata and Fugue in D minor, or the Phantom of the Opera music for those who know. There is also the comparisons between Norma Desmond (Swanson) and the vampire from Draculas Daughter (1933) Norma never leaves the house, except in large quantities of makeup. She hides in her run down mansion. She even holds a funeral for a chimpanzee. At times this can get a little creepy.\r\nKnowing Wilder though, he never lets us go without a laugh. This time though it takes a while to find one. It is a black comedy in the stretching the term sense. Noticing though with a bunch of ignorant movie goers though, that they thought some of it funny, and they probably werent supposed to. I noticed that Wilder did use a few melodramatic cliches. That might have been done in mockery of this film so against Hollywood, but I just think it came out that way. Joe Gillis (William Holden) makes a comment to Betty Schaefer (Nancy Olson) about having her wonderful dialogue drowned out by music. At times Wilder does just that. In particular after Max tells Joe that he was Normas first husband, cue dramatic strings. At times the accented music seems near comical.\r\nI also noticed a room full of chuckles as Norma began going officially crazy. Her crazed looks in the screen, the ridiculous narcissism, and her grand silent film gestures. All of this pulled off with the utmost perfection by Swanson. She was the best actress that year, although All About Eve had a gala of great actresses, and winner Judy Holliday was excellent in Born Yesterday (1950). Swanson topped all though in her return to the screen, in honor of Norma disliking comeback. Another irony of the film is that despite Normas great case against talking pictures, she still gets the best lines of dialogue in the film. \r\nThere were a few other cruel inside jokes. Normas waxworks were all former silent stars, including the now legendary Buster Keaton. They all play themselves, although none of them are officially introduced. Only Hedda Hopper and Cecil B. De Mille are acknowledged as themselves. Hopper arguing that her gossip column took precedence over the coroner. Another irony being that the film De Mille was shooting at the time, the set visited by Desmond was for Sodom and Gomorrah (1950). The irony being that Normas film was also a biblical epic. \r\nIt is from her Salome that another homage was found. In Peter Jacksons Forgotten Silver (1997), Colin Mackenzie spent the better part of fifteen years making a large scale adaptation of Salome. That too never made the screen, and was probably too long. There were also a slew of misquoting Normas final line. That you can blame on Bugs Bunny who probably misquoted it for the first time. I sometimes get confused myself over which is the right version. Not to mention the string of Hollywood on Hollywood pictures that emerged in its wake, and the eventual return of noir. \r\nOne last irony is that everyone wins. Max gets to direct once more, something that didnt happen to Stroheim. Norma gets her press and gets to act again. Joe gets his pool that he always wanted. Then there is Betty, who ends up with Artie (Jack Webb), who we all know is the nicest guy around. So each of them had to pay a little. Norma is going away permanently, despite her line that shell never leave them again. Max has lost Norma forever, perhaps making himself go a little crazy. His goal to keep the truth from her has finally backfired. Joe gets the pool at the cost of his life, and his pride. Betty gets Artie and the script, but at the cost of Joe.\r\nIn more ways that one Sunset Boulevard is a film that demands your attention. Wilders films always benefited from being seen through the looking glass. This picture gets better with each viewing, because of what is behind the film. The mise-en-scene is so engrossing that we may forget were watching a movie, just like we may forget Joe is dead right from the beginning. The camera work is seamless, shots are held for the right time, and never does the editing distract. My only beef then is with the score. Waxman usually does good work, but the score seems at times to be overdone. It is the only thing that reminds you this is a movie. I must also make a final note of the brilliant deep focus cinematography. It seems like a lost art, but it is slowly making its way back. Hopefully theyll be films of this quality to go along with it.\r\n\r\nGrade A','5b3f0cc4a6a91ec9c932d19532f94608',0,'','ERiPnh6M',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11416,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144121400,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','White Heat (1949) - Raoul Walsh \r\n\r\nTop of the world Ma!\r\n   That right there is why White Heat is the best gangster film ever made. It was the return of James Cagney to the genre that made him a legend. Yet it wasnt particularly a warm welcome. Cagney hated the role and grew to resent the genre. The film was quickly disregarded as a money maker and nothing more. It wasnt until decades later when Cagneys cult emerged that the true appreciation for White Heat began to emerge. After many decades many people have now come to regard it as superior to Cagneys original the Public Enemy (1931).\r\n   The film is the grand send-off to the classic gangster film much like the Wild Bunch (1969) is the farewell to the Western. It was directed by veteran Warner Bros. contract player Raoul Walsh, who also directed Cagney in the Roaring Twenties (1939). Gangster films were becoming old news. The stories of prohibition gangsters started to seem dated after World War II. Throughout the forties the output of the genre continued to decline, gradually being replaced by crime films, mysteries, and what is now called noir. Much like the character of Cody Jarrett (Cagney), the films themselves were becoming outcasts and quickly forgotten.\r\n   So if Walsh was going to send the genre off, he was going to do it in grand style. Much like the final film in a trilogy tries to encapsulate everything, so did Walsh with White Heat. It opens with a train robbery, straight from the old Edwin S. Porter days. The film has all the dimensions that you could ask for in a gangster film. Since this isnt an epic the films jam packed action makes this incredibly fast paced. It has snitchers, action, prison scenes, back stabbing, the gangster moral code, and an amazing performance by Cagney. Not to mention the fact that this adheres to the Godfather (1972) ethic that the family is number one.\r\n   Jarretts family consists only of his mother (Margaret Wycherly), and his unfaithful wife Verna (Virginia Mayo). Cody has no love for his backstabbing wife. He is abusive to her, and she in turn does everything she can to hurt him. She even has an affair with Big Ed Somers (Steve Cochran) who is trying to hone in on Jarretts gang. He even tries to set him up to be killed while hes in prison. Like the typical rat, he immediately cowers away from Cody once he is sprung.\r\n   Jarrett is not the cruel monster of Edward G. Robinsons Rico, instead he is the sympathetic one that we root for. Cagney was too likeable to ever really be a villain. All of his gangsters, from Tom Powers in the Public Enemy right up to Jarrett, was a guy that you wanted to pull through. Like his character in the Roaring Twenties he seems to lose everything. His mother dies, his friend turns out to be a cop, and his wife and her lover tried to have him killed. He has been betrayed and is standing on the outside of the world he created. On top of it he suffers from violent headaches that only seem to go away when he is looked after by his mother. When he is in prison and suffers a headache he has no one. The same is said when he is out and finds out of his mothers death. There is no place left for him in the world. So he prepares to go out.\r\n   It seems all too standard that the gangster hero needs to die. The Hollywood production code was quite vocal about punishing the lawlessness. So how do you make it interesting, even though you see it coming a mile away? You may be upset that I have virtually given away the ending to every gangster film, but thats just the way they were made. So with the script of Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts in hand, Walsh set out to stage this explosive conclusion. I couldnt have imagined any other performer for this role. Cagney truly is perfect, and it seems almost a blessing that his previous films did so poorly, otherwise he would have declined. Cagneys final line and that image of Jarrett being surrounded by flames just before the final explosion is the most memorable from any gangster film. It was the finest death for any gangster hero, and the only one that could have concluded the whole genre.\r\n   In the 1930s Cagney was one of the most ferociously active actors. He spent the decade at Warner Bros. and quickly became the top action star. After Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) Cagney greatly slowed down. He had his Oscar and formed his own production company. Like Bogarts Santana company, Cagney wouldnt have much better luck. After four failed films the chance came to go back to Warner Bros. A defeated Cagney swallowed his pride and agreed. He remarked that he couldnt wait to get on to make more family oriented pictures.\r\n   The films Oscar nominations were a staggering one, for best black and white cinematography. It didnt win, but then again how often do the Oscars overlook a masterpiece? That years big winner was All the Kings Men (1949) which was directed by Robert Rosen who had a hand in writing the Roaring Twenties. Walsh would never win a best director Oscar. His specialty was always for action films and he was responsible for bringing Humphrey Bogart into the leading man light with High Sierra (1941). Walsh was even more active than Cagney, the only director who could rival him in terms of Filmography would be Michael Curtiz. Like Curtiz, Walsh was also an immigrant who got his start in the silent days. For all of the films made by Walsh in his busy career, none are as exciting, entertaining, or worth watching as much as White Heat.\r\n\r\nGrade A','15de49952a259ffa9626d244314b463a',0,'','vC2rRhti',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11417,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144121460,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','The Maltese Falcon (1941) - John Huston \r\n\r\n   When sitting through countless brilliant films that are of amazing historical significance, you occasionally wonder just how they got that way. Frequently these movies are too serious to be entertaining. Not to say these are always disappointing, but the higher the expectations the higher the inevitable let down. One of these essential, groundbreaking, and important films is also damn entertaining, and worth watching twenty times. Not because it has so much in it, but because you just want to see it. That film is John Hustons the Maltese Falcon.\r\n   The Maltese Falcon is historically significant for not one, or two, but three reasons. The first was that it marked the directorial debut of John Huston. Huston was the son of actor Walter Huston and got his start as a screenwriter. After getting frustrated with the treatment of his work, he decided to do it himself. A big step, considering he had a very prominent career as a director that lasted up until his death several decades later. Second was that it made Humphrey Bogart the biggest star in Hollywood. Bogey was a long running contract player for Warner Bros. and wound up profiting immensely from the fact that most of Hollywoods top stars went off to fight in World War II. Bogey was a veteran of World War I, and he was actually injured there, which is where he got his trademark voice. This breakthrough for Bogey would lead him into Casablanca (1942), To Have and Have Not (1944), and the Big Sleep (1946), as well as Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), Key Largo (1948), and the African Queen (1951) also directed by Huston. The last reason is just as monumental, if not more so, and that was the fact that this film virtually gave birth to film noir.\r\n   This wasnt the first time that the Dashiell Hammet novel was brought to the screen. The original version came out in 1931, and then came Satan Met a Lady (1936), which stared Betty Davis. Both films were quite a bit off from the source, and neither are considered worth sitting through. The reason why Hustons version worked so well was that he didnt try to change the story. The other two films altered quite a bit, including a trumpet instead of the bird in Satan Met a Lady.\r\n   With Hammetts Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) Huston created the definitive noir hero. A rebellious detective, who uses any means necessary to get the job done. The anti-hero that Bogart plays is what helped to make him such an enormous cult star with the counterculture in the 1960s. Bogart falls for the girl Brigid OShaughnessy (Mary Astor) but is more than willing to sacrifice her to do what it right. As he says, I wont play the sap for you. Later spouting unflinchingly that hell be waiting for her, provided they dont hang her By your pretty neck. This stance made Bogey a definitive tough guy, and one that nearly everybody instantly admired if not worshiped.\r\n   Bogarts performance is still top notch. He is still today perhaps the best noir hero, and the model for Ralph Meeker, Sterling Hayden, and even Jack Nicholson and Russell Crowe. They all took note of his method, and even more admiration must be paid, when he hands the police the thousand dollar bill that Casper Gutman (Sydney Greenstreet), gave him as a bribe. For more historical significance, this was also the screen debut for Greenstreet. The whole time we see that Bogey was looking out for number one, then in the end he does what is right. Not in an overtly dramatic revelation as in too many other films, but in a fast paced manner that will make you dizzy just trying to comprehend it.\r\n   Its all here. The femme fatale (Astor), the crime boss (Greenstreet), the object that everyone is killing for (the falcon), and the private investigator (Bogart). If that wasnt enough, we also are given Peter Lorre, in one of his first American roles. Lorre first made a splash as Fritz Langs demented child killer in M (1931). He would go on to be a regular character actor for Warners, and end his career as a drunk horror actor in too many Roger Corman films. The other two main speaking roles are Spades secretary Iva Archer (Gladys George), and Wilmer Cook (Elisha Cook, Jr.). One of them is the only person that Bogart trusts, and the other the over ambitious young goon of Gutmans. There is also a cameo by Hustons father as Captain Jacobi.\r\n   As with most films of this nature, it may get a little confusing. There are a lot of names to remember, and the faster Spade talks, the harder it is to remember everyone. That right there is enough to try and dissect the film. It truly is wonderful, and still today without a doubt the best noir film ever made. Perhaps its only competition is the neo-noir Chinatown (1974) which starred John Huston. Huston would tackle the genre again with the Asphalt Jungle (1950). Bogey would take a turn as perhaps the most famous detective Phillip Marlowe in Howard Hawks the Big Sleep. Yet neither film could quite match the sure thrill of the Maltese Falcon.\r\n\r\nGrade A+','4ac01134906b373301822266c4b60114',0,'','KEDXPFSY',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11418,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144801500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Film Noir Journals','Don\'t bash me, but I think this belongs into this thread. \r\n\r\nBlade Runner [director\'s cut] (1982 / USA / Ridley Scott)\r\n\r\nLos Angeles 2019. We are in a future that has seemingly gone out of range, lost its scope, its proportions, maybe even its desirability. The city has 109 million inhabitants, the streets always crowded, always dark, a night that doesn\'t seem to end, a darkness that encompases everything. Even at day, the huge buildings, with thousands of storeys, some build like pyramids, seem to engulf the whole city, the architecture swallowing the people. Cars flying through the air, bicycles on ground, a carpet of different languages and sounds that could bring the fragile composition off-balance. Yet, everything seems firmly rooted, firmly centered, everything besides the people. A faceless mass, we get introduced to loners and wanderers on a closer inspection. Drifting through life in a raging hell,which has become a calm sea, enarmed with promises of a better life on advertisement banners that span over the sky, a sky that has also become dark, a shapeless mass the same as the City. In this world which entirely depends on its exterior, that has probably already sucked out all the life that ever existed in this world, all the energy and enthusiasm - if it isn\'t for whoring or drinking, that is - in this world new life is being created. New life, that is, artificial one, life that is needed for an ongoing expansion, for settlements on new planets, for the good of the human race, for... - what exactly the film never makes clear. As much as everything seems possible in this future of ours, everything is restrained, rules and regulations ordering a chaos beyond control. Nevertheless control is still a factor, at least for the mighty ones, as the artificial beings they have created are not as easily to be satisfied as the humans on earth. \r\nThe statement at the beginning of the film reads that after a rebellion of these so-called \"replicants\", their restrictions were intensified, allowing them a maximum lifetime of four years, because after this timelimit their emotions start getting out of line, that means developing on themselves on their own experience, that means...living, and cannot be controled any longer. These replicants that are regarded as machines only, with no rights of their own are constructed for precise purposes. Some are workers, some soldiers, some are even for pleasing its owners. But whatever their purpose may be, they are of no use to the ordinary man on the street. Forbidden to enter planet earth, they live on other planets for the usage of people who can afford them. Thus we have a class system that has officially reintroduced the ancient tradition of master and slave. Like in ancient Greece, the slave isn\'t a citizen, and like in fascist ideology is an \"untermensch\", a second-rate living being. Though build to be perfect, with capabilities that surpass those of a human being, he is nevertheless held in a prison of time and space. Maybe their constructors are afraid that they could replace mankind, that evolution could take a new turn? But of course what has been developed must be used... \r\nThe film confronts us with a capitalist society that has clearly gone over the zenith, that has eaten itself up, and all the \"progress\" achieved is released into a vacuum, into a society that has lost its humanity. In the end when Dekkard - the policeman and \"Blade Runner\" played by Harrison Ford - is on the run, he is accompanied by a replicant in whose arms he has rediscovered a piece of it in the form of love. Overall, the film is a very strange one. The main protagonist being space and time, the location brought to us through art design and special effects that are still stunning and beautiful to behold nowadays, everything else seems to pale in comparison, is reduced to be playing the second fiddle. What is life worth in such a world? In what is seemingly a standard \"film noir\" plot, the stoic, cynical and disillusioned hero has to hunt down the villains and win the love of the ice-cold femme fatale, who could cost him his life but is the only person he lets close to his heart. Yet, here again the roles are reversed. The hero is actually the bad guy, though equipped with a conscience, while the villains who are first introduced as cold-blooded killers are the ones who carry hope and life with them, who actually have something to live for. Deprived of a dignified life they have nevertheless rediscovered its value. And the beautiful femme fatale is actually the most vulnerable and sensitive person, for whom the protagonist gives up his former life, after a persuasion and seduction that has been initiated and carried out by him alone. \r\nThe excellent camera bathes this existential drama in long and huge shadows that act like an extension of the city, offering the possibility of comfort and refuge through anonymity, as well as presenting a danger that may lie hidden in their very center. The film is at its best when the outward action ceases and the camera only observes. It then starts to breathe, while the space expands into the inward. The great story, adapted from a novel by Phillip K. Dick, has been turned into a mediocre screenplay though, with its weakness most aparent in the dialogue. A lack of imagination and originality that stands in contrast to the rich textures of the landscape and doesn\'t bring much depth to the characters - and when it does, it seems borrowed from the book. Harrison Ford isn\'t exactly a revelation either, though his confusion and insecurity as an actor help in some ways to define the character. But a better actor could have accomplished much more. Nevertheless worth seeing for its timeless feel, and the philosophical implications. And if you want to see where the following science fiction films from Batman over Ghost in the shell to Matrix got most of their inspiration from, this is a good starting point.\r\n\r\nGrade B+','914e35d9602cda5f4256b5d54351d894',0,'','6a5tSDez',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11419,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144866300,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','It certainly counts, and I\'m damn glad someone other than me finally contributed to this thread. I love the film, but have never seen the original cut of it, only the director\'s cut three times. I\'m told the original theatrical version was much more noir-esque, and I heard at least one person say it was better.','2c21137ce939d4955033f7ce3094f2fd',0,'','lZ1qAk3m',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11420,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144962420,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Film Noir Journals','For me it\'s also three times director\'s cut, zero times theatrical version. I heard the original version has a voice over (by Ford?), and a different ending (longer and with less hope ). Not sure where to see it though. The version that seems circulating nowadays is the director\'s cut from \'92.\r\nAnd I think I\'ve also heard at least one person claim the original to be better - but maybe I\'m just hoping this myself','0ec7d9ada63c00575b17e1a8692a7c50',0,'','mZdTQ6if',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11421,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1145434620,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Anasazie','Re: Film Noir Journals','The original is far from better, it\'s practically the same other than the horrible Ford voice over, a rdiculous recurring dream image of a unicorn and a tacked on ending that was \"borrowed\" from the beginning of The Shining. The helicopter shots of Nicholson\'s family car driving down the highway, apparantly the studio weren\'t happy so lifted the ending from Kubrick\'s film. Sad!','fdeb5f95adb27410f2d4929c9a05a374',0,'','xe1VmcdP',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11422,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1145444520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Film Noir Journals','Re: Blade Runner, although I can\'t remember the finer points, I haven\'t seen any version in years, I did see it on its release in the cinema and one of the things I loved about it (apart from the look and feel of the world) was Harrison Ford\'s \"Noir\" style narrative, reminiscent of the private eye films from a bygone era.\r\n\r\nI was more than a little surprised to find the narrative missing on the dvd release. They were supposed to be releasing a dvd set with three different cuts of the film, does anyone know what happened to it?\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','e7002b73bd3e664701bb049fcae93d5b',0,'','iAvCdt5q',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11423,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147409220,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Film Noir Journals','Haven\'t heard of such a release. Would be intersting to campare the different versions. Do you know what the 3rd would be, Trev?\r\nI like the idea of a voice over, but I found out that it\'s usually handled rather badly in films. I know some comics were it works fine, but \"Sin City\" was for me the most recent example of a \"bad\" noir-voice over.\r\nI could imagine that it would destroy a lot of the atmosphere in Blade Runner, but it could also add something...\r\nCould you say more about your impressions Anasazie?\r\n\r\nBtw, this thread is getting bigger and bigger. \r\nBut it seems like only wpqx is currently watching noir films.','9d31b63c32350d575d3894159768c89a',0,'','5CcvDrf6',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11424,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147888740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','The Woman in the Window (1944) - Fritz Lang\r\n\r\nFritz Lang was a filmmaker born to make noir. The movement effectively grew out of the expressionist style of German film, and Lang was with it from the beginning. Some of his films were noir before noir was even a style or trend. His earliest American films implore the same use of hard boiled plots and stark lighting. Lang\'s films always had a symbolic use of light, primarily the reflection of bars. So by the time the movement actually began it seemed like Lang should be its forerunner.\r\n\r\nThe Woman in the Window, along with the same year\'s Ministry of Fear were the first two films Fritz Lang made that fell into the \"period\" of film noir, that being 1944. This year will forever be cited as the starting point for the style because it saw the release of Otto Preminger\'s Laura as well as Billy Wilder\'s Double Indemnity. Those two films helped define the genre, and these two efforts from Lang easily slipped in amongst them. In many ways Lang\'s films were even truer to the movement, for he set up what would be the future trend in noir.\r\n\r\nLaura and Double Indemnity were studio productions, they were lush pieces with stars high production values and plenty of publicity. Fritz Lang\'s films were independent productions, with a few names (including Edward G. Robinson of Double Indemnity), and they were financed by International Picture, a B-wing of the already B level RKO. The crew weren\'t legendary names in their fields and only cinematographer Milton Krasner might ring a bell today. Lang wasn\'t making a lush romantic melodrama for a studio, he was a hired hand making a cheap, quick movie under the guise of an exploitative plot.\r\n\r\nThe plot however isn\'t necessarily the stuff of pulp. Prof. Richard Wanley (Robinson) becomes a murderer not from the evil influence of a seductress, but out of self defense. His victim was trying to kill him. Where the noir element comes in is how they attempt to cover it up, rather than do what certainly seems most rational, which is to report it. The crime effectively in this film is two fold, one is the lie of the cover up, and the other is the intent of Wanley. Sure he\'s a happily married man, but as we already established Alice Reed (Joan Bennett) is his dream girl, and he most certainly has desires for her, regardless of his actions.\r\n\r\nNow reality plays a big role, but there are a few clues that let up to the \"twist\" at the end. The first is what seems to be Alice\'s unexplainable attraction to Wanley. Sure we know what he\'s thinking, but we can\'t quite fathom how she would feel any attraction towards him. Now this isn\'t to say she blatantly and openly comes on to him, but there is a desire in her eyes, and she is the one who seems upset about their relationship being severed. It is also her who breaks down and calls him, which may be a misogynist undertone at the hands of the writer, but is most likely a representation of how Wanley wishes to be perceived.\r\n\r\nHowever, like the dreadfully lackluster Derailed the two don\'t actually do anything. The moral code of Hollywood demands that not only killers, but adulterers be punished. So the mystery in this film is to see what will happen to these two who didn\'t commit adultery, and who only killed in self defense, hardly making them cold blooded murderers. Their crime is in disposing of the body, and there is no bylaw stating that they have to go to the gallows for that. On the other hand there\'s nothing saying they\'ll get away with it.\r\n\r\n*spoiler*\r\nNow the twist is similar to the one used in DePalma\'s Femme Fatale (2002), and this time it is slightly more effective. Its more effective because rather than an escapist bit of nonsense, it is used more to comedic effect for its conclusion. However both film suffer for the same flaws in construction. If the events of this film are to be a dream, then how could they be so logical and linear? There isn\'t anytying really in this film or DePalma\'s to lend itself to surrealism. However Lang\'s film helps to explain the cast of characters in a realistic way (for dreams anyways). \r\n\r\nThe Woman in the Window is a step from The Ministry of Fear, a rather predictable propoganda piece with Ray Milland. However it is a flawed film, and rarely do you get a feeling that Lang was making the film he wanted, only a few times does he get to do anything really interesting. He would reunite the next year with his two leading actors for Scarlet Street, which will be soon to come to the film noir journals.\r\n\r\nGrade B -','055f1e7c64ac653107fef925789408ee',0,'','P5gY9DpK',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11425,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147905960,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','Fallen Angel (1945) - Otto Preminger \r\n\r\n   The first Oscar nomination can do strange things to a filmmaker. It can make him turn recluse, ambitious, confident, or hungry for more. Otto Preminger got his first Oscar nomination in 1944 for his work directing Laura, although there has been some controversy as to whom the real director was. It didnt matter though, because producer Preminger got the nomination, but although he lost to Leo McCarey, he won that much sought after confidence and leverage. Preminger would become Hollywoods most daring filmmaker over the course of the next twenty years, but his first film made after his breakthrough was right in the same alley. Fallen Angel was a film from a director who knew that he could direct, and knew what he could direct.\r\n   The film is noir all over. The setting is a small ocean town in the middle of California, 180 miles from San Francisco, and just about anywhere else. The action begins on a bus, and goes to the only logical place possible, to the diner. How often have we seen the dark and mysterious stranger, arriving like a hobo to get a cup of coffee in the only place open in town. Whos there but the old man owner, telling the police about his girl who just ran away. After the cop gets the information, Stella (Linda Darnell) walks in, and shes sex all over. Shes got every man in town wrapped around her finger, and she knows it, and we instantly know it. For a minute we start to wonder if this is going to be The Postman Always Rings Twice all over again, but Preminger wouldnt go there, that would be too simple. Besides Bruce Cabot is her father, not her husband. That dark, mysterious stranger however is hooked when she eats his burger, and makes him pay for his coffee.\r\n   That stranger is Eric Stanton, and hes played by Dana Andrews who could scarcely be farther from the somewhat pathetic role he had in Laura. Heres a man with confidence, a smooth talker who can walk into any situation and make it his. Hes full of himself, and in this regard he makes a perfect match for Stella. Theyre too big for this town, but theyre just perfect for each other. Stellas no easy mark though, but shell bait Eric just enough to get what she wants out of him. She doesnt want fun or a good time, she wants something for the long haul. Shes heard vague and empty promises from every man in town for years, and she wants a home, a family. Shes the type of girl that everyone wants to wed, but no one wants to be married to. Her reputation is bad, this makes her instantly desirable for a conquest, but worthless as a spouse. Yet with that type of sex appeal, shell make any man promise her the world, and shell damn well get it.\r\n   Eric is the first man who seems determined to get it. Sure he rode into town on a buck, but he knows how to get more. He successfully conned a cheap spook show act (John Carradine) into publicity, and managed to dupe the whole town into making his show a sell out. Hes good when he needs to be, and just amoral enough to get what he wants. He wants Stella, but he knows that type of girl always comes with a fee, but theres a way to get it, he just needs to be a little ruthless. He finds that the towns spinster June Mills (Alice Faye) seeks to inherit $25,000. Among his other research he also found another man managed to con about half of the original sum out of her. He knows she has money, and he knows she can be fooled, the only question is can he be that ruthless?\r\n   Dana Andrews plays Stanton like a thug, but one that resents his own conscience. He wants to be merciless, uncaring, unfeeling, because he knows thats how you get ahead, but theres something inside of him that wont let him. We start to see his indecision, first its when he fails to leave town, several times, and later hes ready to call the whole plan off. He made a deal with the devil though, and shes not willing to renegotiate. She liked the original offer of 12,500 and when he balks its the same line shes heard from every other guy in town. Shell love him alright, just long enough to have some fun. Shes hardly made for domestic duties, despite what she might say, shes just tired of being used and the object of affection, she wants something for her good looks. Stanton is so self possessed that hes almost willing to believe shell have him just as he is.\r\n   The film is infused with sex. For obvious reasons no direct reference could be made, but you get a few good clues. When Stella and Eric are dancing, they kiss, and suddenly stop. They grab each others coats and walk outside. Sure the scene following shows Stella resisting, but she had an open invitation in there. Were led to believe that shes given Eric the taste, and now its up to him if he wants the rest. Likewise when June and Eric are in San Francisco the two lie in bed, and the camera pulls to the window, which slowly dissolves into day. Sure their clothes are still on, but surely this marriage has been consummated, after all Alice Faye is nothing to turn down.\r\n   Stella is murdered not just for her own good, but for the good of the town. Sure her father will never see this, and the humanist in us refuses to believe she deserved to die, but she was trouble. Her killer is punishing this Eve for tempting mankind. She wont be able to harm anyone else, she wont be taken out by a different guy every week. She wont be stared at or ogled over in the diner, and most importantly for Stanton, she wont be able to tempt him. With her gone, he can be a husband. Sure he had an impure motive for marrying, but with Stella gone, he can make it right. She bought the line that he was selling, and all he has to do is live up to it. He knows he can, but he also knows that he couldnt possibly be a decent husband with Stella around, hell he goes to see her on his wedding night, a fool move all around. However his being spotted that night sets up not only his suspicion, but also an alibi.\r\n   Preminger lets us think the worst of Eric though. Even while professing innocence, he still leaves town, and tries to ditch his wife. When she gets picked up by the police, he bolts. While hes telling June all about how he got blamed for doing things he didnt do, you hardly believe him. This is a compulsive liar who we already knows has next to no morals constantly trying to sell an image of himself. We want him to be innocent, because hes our hero, hes the guy we first see in the film and the one whos story were witnessing, its only natural for us to be on his side. But on the other hand hes a heel, and you always have your suspicions as to whether hes on the level.\r\n   Windows are a predominant image in the film. We first see the bus pull into town from the outside, looking through the windows. When Eric and Ellis go to the Mills household, Clara opens the window in the door, not the door first. When Clara (Anne Revere) sees Eric leave the house on his wedding night it is through a window. After the marriage has been consummated, the camera pulls to a window. When Stellas neighbor is woken up by Erics late night yelling, she yells at him through her window. Now this might be far off, but I believe the window motif is used to show a narrow escape. They are constantly in the film, showing that perhaps Eric can and will get out of this, but it wont be easy, unlike if the predominant image was doors. Instead it is a way out, but its sneaky, and Eric naturally has to be sneaky if hes going to get out of this. \r\n   As usual though, the feel of noir is from the look. It never rains in this town, but thanks perhaps to the ocean mist, everything seems to look fresh from a storm in the nighttime. Everyone lurks in the shadows, Clara, Eric, even Bickford. We see June standing next to an open window (Erics escape?) and we cant even make out her face from the shadow. When Eric and the detective walk into Stellas apartment, Eric takes his hat off but the detective leaves his on. I thought about the scene in Somewhere in the Night, which also features a detective played by Charles Bickford, who always leaves his hat on, because he never knows when hell have to draw for a gun. Perhaps Mankiewicz took a cue from this film when he teamed with Bickford the very next year.\r\n   The only flaw I was able to find in the film was the agitated performance of Stellas neighbor when being questioned after her murder. It is unnecessarily cooky, and you get the feeling that the actress was severely hamming it up. Considering that it is one scene, and a minor one at that it hardly detracts. What follows however is our first clue into the real killer. Obviously the watch Stella was given pops up. The film makes a point of not having Stella reveal who gave her the watch when shes questioned about it in the diner. She has nothing really to hide, but feels that its no ones business. All she wants Eric to know is that he didnt give her the watch. We get the sense that whoever did give her the watch might be the killer. When the detective beats her boyfriend asking him if he gave her the watch it is cruel. Hes jumped to the conclusion that the watch and the killer are intertwined. He says he knows that the guy is innocent, but keeps beating him because I didnt like his face. This is thug talk, and hardly the stance of a man on the law. This clues us into two things, first that the detective can be cruel and ruthless, and secondly that he knows something about this case that we and therefore Eric doesnt know. In any great mystery though, its not really finding out who done it, but how they figure out who done it. This remains one of the gems in Premingers catalogue before he was too over burdened with breaking the production code.\r\n\r\nGrade A','9b70e5d099fee7bf3f484e700b3bd0a6',0,'','Aguq4rUN',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11426,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1149628500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','The Street With No Name (1948) - William Keighley \r\n\r\nThe first thing you notice about William Keighley\'s Street With No Name isn\'t the city landscape, the forewarning shadows, the desolate skid row setting, but the horribly out of place opening music. Lionel Newman was Fox\'s primary music director at Fox, and one suspects that he didn\'t even know what this film was about when submitting credit music. It\'s loud rambunctious, and sounds like it should be played by a marching band in a parade, not the cool seductive bop music one would suspect with noir. The credits role in bright white backdrops. The story then begins with an FBI disclaimer almost identical to the one used in Henry Hathaway\'s House on 92nd Street. We see the FBI at work, and even the FBI\'s chief inspector Briggs is played by Lloyd Nolan who was also an FBI inspector in Hathaway\'s film. Things are instantly familiar, and on top of that, the film was also remade in 1955 by Samuel Fuller as House of Bamboo.\r\n\r\nWhereas Fuller\'s film employed a wide aspect ratio, bright colors, and an exotic locale, Keighley is keeping his film sparse. Its in black and white, and it takes almost 20 minutes of the film before we really get the feeling that it\'s indeed noir. It isn\'t until Eugene Cordell (Mark Stevens) arrives on skid row on a \"street with no name\" in an annonymous city referred to as Center City, that we feel this is noir. The penny arcades, the signs with lights out, this is the settign of the lowlifes and degenerates we\'ve come to expect in a crime film. Fuller used a similar contrast with his war ravaged Tokyo. Each film deals implicitly with the aftermath of war, in Fuller\'s film it is scene more as an outgrowth of postwar readjustment. How the country was left ravaged and fell prey to crime to readjust. In Keighley\'s film the war is a more ambiguous concept. It wasn\'t a hellish experience, but a training ground. The war made these men better criminals, and although they fought to protect and save their country, now they fight to rob it.\r\n\r\nMost if not all of the Stiles gang is from the military. We know that Alex Stiles (Richard Widmark) is a veteran. He is a peculiar crime boss. A married man, who maintains little to no respect for women. He uses a screening process similar to that of the army to get his \"recruits\". He frames up his prospects and then uses that as a grounds to access criminal records. Cordell even calls him General at one point. Although we\'re left to suspect where his true feelings lie, because he carries around not an American pistol, but a Luger. He is the film\'s most complicated man who\'s main flaw is believing he\'s smarter than everyone else, and he nearly is. His one physical weakness seems to be his dependency on nasal sparys, which could be perhaps a symbolic cocaine addiction, or it could just show how he has one small defect. However this trait is somewhat discarded as the film progresses, and the later parts of the film generally avoid it. Stiles plays the piano, and while playing you get a small sense that he indeed does love his wife, but his machismo can\'t show it, especially in front of his gang. His wife (Barbara Lawrence) is the one person in the film willing to fight back. When he slaps her, she slaps back. It makes her a much stronger female than we typically see as the gangster\'s girlfriend. A type usually reserved for either dumb drunk blondes, or deceptively cold femme fatales.\r\n\r\nWidmark was already being type-cast by this point in his career. He got his big break playing a thug, and the role seemed to suit him. For nearly a decade after he played a host of criminals and degenerates. Even when playing the protaganist (as in Fuller\'s Pickup on South Street) he was still a loser, and at least a failure in character. Here his greatest asset is his intelligence. His one golden rule of his gang is that he makes the rules and does the thinking. It goes over well with the majority of his gang, who are textbook cases of mindless thugs. They just want money and something to show off, whereas Stiles is out for something bigger. He wants power more than money, and doesn\'t have a very hard time parting with cash. All throughout the film he doesn\'t seem to have too much concern with his finances. He\'ll easily give money for one of his guys to get some threads, and his apartment, although nicer than the hell hole Cordell is living in isn\'t a luxurious palace we might expect from a crime lord. He even dishes out payoffs when unnecessary. Perhaps, like his Luger, he\'s more associated with the German\'s and power. His admiration is in being in control, being the boss. He\'s young, and its this quick rise that makes him arrogant and partially blind. Even when he\'s at his most clever (catching the switched Luger and getting its prints read) he commits his fatal flaw (being seen entering the police comissioner\'s house.\r\n\r\nFuller\'s film has much more life to it, but it is farther from a film noir. It is more of a yakuza film in the style of Suzuki than noir. Keighley\'s film although flirting with a docudrama approach early on, quickly assimilates itself into the style of noir. The warehouse basement of the gym is seen in complete blackness when Cordell enters it. The final scene in the manufacturing plant is all done in low key lighting. The small light reflects brilliantly off of all the machinery and metal. The final chase reminds one of the glorious finale of Walsh\'s White Heat, minus of course the explosives. Joe MacDonald, like many other photographers got his schooling in noir, he also shot The Dark Corner, Call Northside 777, and Panic in the Streets. Like Northside, this takes awhile to find its style, but by the end, this can be called nothing else but noir.\r\n\r\nGrade C','aede195a8189117aa2c4cbd231c5cea3',0,'','96PwQhuJ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11427,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1150958820,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','House of Strangers (1949) - Joseph L. Mankiewicz\r\n\r\nIn the wake of Citizen Kane many self important filmmakers adapted various techniques in the hopes of giving their films some added credibility. Joseph Mankiewicz had been steadily building as a major writer-director for 20th Century Fox, and although he was thrown into a somewhat low budget project with House of Strangers, he took this opportunity to play with the format. House of Strangers takes a non-chronoligical look at the events leading up to the eventual release of Max (Richard Conte) who spent the last seven years in prison.\r\n\r\nWe don\'t know at the outset why he was in prison, how he got out, or who put him there, but a few things begin to make shape up rather quickly. The first scene in the film has Max entering a bank. We quickly find out that the bank is owned and operated by Max\'s three brothers (Luther Adler, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., and Paul Valentine). The bank used to be run and owned by the brother\'s father Gino Monetti (Edward G. Robinson). Well details slowly unravel as we find that the old man is dead and we\'re left to believe that the brothers, either all or some of them, are responsible for his incarceration. \r\n\r\nRather than unfold as a vendetta with perhaps a brief flashback sequence Mankiewicz abandons this idea quickly. His first stop after the bank is to his old girlfriend Irene, played by an unimpressive Susan Hayward. Like most females in the noir world she falls into the category of the weak and needy type. She provokes nothing, but her suggestion for Max to abandon his bloodlust and move with her to San Francisco does wind up being a motivating factor for him. The dialogue between them is full of innuendos, and with very little interpretation we\'re led to believe that she hasn\'t exactly been faithful to Max during his long sentence. In fact more so than any visual cues or plot devices, the thing that most makes this fit in a noir cycle is the dialogue between Conte and Hayward. Their entire reparte is full of innuendos, double entedres, and all those fast talking lines that people in a real conversation would never use. Perhaps Mankiewicz and screenwriter Philip Yordan were inspired by William Faulkner\'s script for The Big Sleep. \r\n\r\nMax returns home and while sitting next to the fireplace over which a portrait of his father hangs, he begins to recall the events leading up to his social ruin, and the reason for his bitterness. When we first see Gino, we get a rather warm reaction to him. He seems a likeable guy, singing in the bathtub, opening the bank when he gets there. He\'s in no rush, and he clearly does things his own way. At the bank he\'s willing to loan nearly anyone money he feels is worth a shot, never asking collateral, just stories. Robinson plays Gino like a warm hearted Italian stereotype and we take a liking to him rather quickly. For this reason its hard for us to eventually turn on him, as Max and his sons eventually do.\r\n\r\nThe story is told through Max\'s recollections, so this might lend some reason as to why Max appears so clearly the favorite son. He takes after his father the most, the self made man. All of Gino\'s sons depend on their father for their income, working at the bank in various jobs. Max on the other hand has a law degree and makes a living outside of his father\'s business. He is also stubborn, makes his own rules, and has an extremely difficult time taking no for an answer. These two men are certainly made from the same mold, and at first we have a respect for this. Max is remembering his father pleasantly, because at the outset of the movie he has every intention of avenging himself for his father\'s sake as well as his own. Therefore we easily see why the two share a common bond.\r\n\r\nThe resentment of the other brother\'s grows, and in all honesty you can\'t be too surprised. Gino has no respect for his other sons, and possibly they don\'t deserve it. He consistently belittles all of them, keeping them in remedial tasks at the bank, making fun of them, and undermining all of their decisions. The power structure of the family is clearly set up during an early dinner sequence. Max is late and the whole dinner is waiting for him. In the meantime everyone else wants to eat, but of course Gino will hear nothing of it. The relationship between Gino and his wife is also set up as one where the love evaporated decades ago, and possibly before they even came to America. This is a family that rarely speaks, can\'t stand each other, and their Wednesday night pasta dinners are torture for nearly all involved. The title of the film begins to make perfect sense with this scene, because it is a house of strangers they\'re all occupying. Joe\'s wife serves the primary function of a supporting female in a male dominated film. She is the instigating agent, the spoiler, the biblical Eve. Everything might be alright if she wasn\'t nagging at her husband to rock the boat, demand a raise, and willing to ostricize herself from her adopted family. Its a sad role, and one that pops up far too frequently in these pictures. There is always a misogynistic undertone leading us to believe in film that women are the cause of all evil, even more than money. In the case of this film, money seems a factor, but only because the woman wants it.\r\n\r\nThe other somewhat major female role is also a rather weak individual and a poor charecterization. Maria (Debra Paget) begins the film as Max\'s fiancee. The two are to be married, but of course Irene complicates things. Gino thinks its perfectly fine for Max to have this fling before marriage and doesn\'t seem to worry when the relationship goes awry. He assumes Max is having some fun, and when its over will go ahead and marry Maria. He is convinced that in America nearly all marriages are designed to be loveless ones. Maria becomes weak because as she gets scorned, she naturally becomes weak and latches onto Max\'s youngest brother Tony. The news doesn\'t seem to effect Max too much, because he becomes obsessed with Irene. In fact he becomes so absorbed in Irene and the fact that for once he\'s not getting things his way, that he completely ignores his father\'s initial legal troubles. It is this initial neglect that help to make Max feel neglectful, and an unworthy son. He needs to make up for not listening, so he\'s willing to do anything to win the case, and it is this guilt that brings about his own misconduct.\r\n\r\nAt its core, House of Strangers is about how we take after our parents, whether we like it or not. Its message in the end however is that we need to establish our own identities. With a domineering father like Gino, these boys in many ways fear becoming like him. They all, including eventually Max, resent him and don\'t like the thought of taking after him. This is a familiar theme in Mankiewicz\'s work and something tells me this is one of the elements from the original screenplay that he helped to encourage. The film however does have a forced studio production overtone to it, and too much of it falls into conventional subject matter. Its layout and execution is rewarding, but ultimately the film gets bogged down by too many formulaic elements.\r\n\r\nGrade C+','09733c65f0bc7a59151561ac9c08a7c4',0,'','XEjLY60T',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11428,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1166593620,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','I Wake Up Screaming (1941) - Bruce Humberstone\r\n\r\nSome films mysteriously fall through the cracks only to be recovered eventually. This film is an anomaly in that it predates nearly every convention of the noir genre yet is buried amongst studio vaults where it has had next to know attention paid it for years. Part of this may be due to Fox\'s strange broadcasting rights, another part may be due to the remake of the film which brought this version out of circulation. I wake up screaming was made in 1941, the same year as Citizen Kane and The Maltese Falcon, and the picture borrows heavily from both, but without apparently being inspired by those two. \r\n\r\nThere\'s a detective, a murder, a likely suspect, a love triangle, and a jumping narrative. From the beginning we are introduced to characters in shadow, or hidden in complete darkness. Angles are canted, the frame is disjointed. Somewhere along the line Humberstone was doing everything right, and no one seemed to notice. Perhaps it may have been the fact that no one was sure what to do with Betty Grable in a film like this, an actress generally reserved for corny god awful musicals. The film\'s lone deleted scene actually featured Grable singing the song \"Daddy\", an interesting piece of music, and an ironic song considering the nature of Carole Landis\' character. However it does detract from the film, and its exclusion is for the best, because the musical interlude would have seemed wrong for the picture. It also would make more of the emphasis on the film be for Grable who stays mostly supporting to victor Mature.\r\n\r\nGrable does get the top billing here, but thats not surprising considering this was during her reign as 20th Century\'s biggest star, which would only increase over the next couple of years when she became every GI\'s favorite pin-up. Therefore it seems odd that she is the \"plain\" sister and Landis becomes the model, although not to detract from her looks. The casting however is good because you can believe these two hot blondes could be related. Mature was famous for being a lousy actor, and there isn\'t much here to convince you otherwise. He was competent at best, and his role here although nothing noteworthy is decent enough not to be aggravating. In many ways it would rank among his similar turn in Kiss of Death, in both cases he is a victim who can\'t count on the police for help. Here however, despite the fragmentary style of the opening, we never are sure whether or not Mature is Vicky\'s murderer. Based on the twisting nature of noir plots we\'re never quite sure if he may in fact be the culprit after all.\r\n\r\nEverything for the solving of the murder is set up in the beginning, but it isn\'t until the end that it starts to make sense. A few details are revealed, and suddenly everything comes together. Its always great when a plot can have several threads going that appear useless distractions and padding for length, yet culminate together. So in this regard, nothing is wasted in the film. Even the deleted scene would have explained why Jill arrived at her apartment to find Vicky recently murdered. So from the cards on flowers, to the man in the window its all just pieces to a puzzle. The twist and therefore motive of the murder seems a bit of a mystery. Even the motive established for Frankie seems a bit far fetched. Who would murder someone for getting a Hollywood contract? However every character encountered has some method for feeling some resentment towards her. \r\n\r\nIt is an ironic touch that the film score repeatedly features Alfred Newman\'s \"Street Scene\" because the film of the same name was Humberstone\'s second effort as an assistant director. You will hear throughout the film the extremely familiar \"Over the Rainbow\". It may be interesting to point out at this time that The Wizard of Oz was still considered a flop, so audiences of the day did not have the same instant recollection of the song that we would have today. The score therefore has a somewhat recycled quality to it, and is one of the many penny pinching devices used in the picture. Therefore the film also set up the noir precedent of not carrying a particularly large budget.\r\n\r\nHumberstone\'s film deserves to be ranked among the most important noir features, and although it may not be the best of the bunch, every film of its kind made afterwards owes it something of a debt. Even the tactic of camera placement is familiar here. Ed Cornell (Laird Cregar) is constantly shot from a low angle and the effect is obvious. Not surprising that the tactic is reversed following his defeat, where he is shot from above collapsed on his desk. In this way the film is symmetrical with Mature and Grable leaving together past the cops who at the films opening kept them in separate interrogation rooms. Perhaps my favorite touch of the film is the first shot of Mature where we see just his shadow reflected on the wall of the interrogation room which looks like something out of waterfront dock. We know we\'re in noir territory, for the first time too.\r\n\r\nGrade A -','576355cb945da316cd4a7d2bc60a03e8',0,'','GAErFZkY',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11429,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1167728280,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Film Noir Journals','\r\n\r\nOk, the nw year has started better than the previous one. When I woke up I actually felt good, and I ended rewatching three classic noir films (all of them favorites of mine) with a couple of guys who where watching them for the first time, and were at least as thrilled as me. \r\nNow its four in the morning, but James Browns tribute to life is playing through the speakers, and honours the death of yet another american icon. I feel good - hopefully for the rest of the year. \r\n\r\nUnfortunately our guys in the movies rarely get to feel this way. \r\n\r\nThe first one was a remake, The Maltese Falcon from 1941, which proves that trying your hand at another ones material can be the best thing that could happen to you. At least for John Ford it was, but with such a tremendous start, how will one ever be able to repeat it? Huston who wrote his screenplay for his film worked wonders. When I saw the film for the first time, some six or seven years ago, it was my entry to \"film noir\", and I loved it. Nevertheless I had forgotten much of the thrill rather quickly, and not having seen it again in such a long time, I was taken by surprise when I discovered that the whole movie, complete with every character and the dialogue plays perfectly on a second level, where the characters symbolise Hustons many personas via Freud. No wonder he would later make a film on him. An intellectual treat, similar to Hitchcocks Rear Window, but more refined, and with the grace of a greek tragedy which Euripides couldnt have planned better, nor Angelopoulos transferred with more honest inner pathos onto the screen. A monument to the art of film to function on various levels while retaining an elegant simplicity. And what sex appeal Mary Astor had. Almost a christ-like figure, she is oozing with it in a performance that is completely her own. \r\nChinatown (1974) must have been a remake of this. And although Faye Dunaway may prove to be closer to Lauren Bacall she is still acting like Marey Astors character. Polanski watched the right one. \r\n100/100\r\n\r\nSecond was Sunset Blvd. (1950), Billy Wilders ultimate expression for his love of Cinema itself and his disgust with everything that has to surround it - at least in Hollywood. An ode to human fantasy, it nevertheless doesnt have quite the belief in itself than Hustons debut. But then. Wilder was already well-established when he realized his self-criticism. Although losing something of its edge through the last monologue by Gloria Swanson in the last scene of the film, still a great effort. Swanson and von Stroheim steal the Show completely, she with one of the best performances ever captured on screen with him not far behind. + you discover that movies were smarter when they were young. Naivite as a grace and a gift of the enlighted. Death as the consequence of our society.\r\n88/100\r\n\r\nThe last one was one of my absolute favorites, Hawks The Big Sleep (1946) which I had laready watched about four times. The fifth viewing wasnt so kind to it. Watching it after two impressive outings, it paled in comparison. The chemistry is there, but while I was for the first time actually able to follow the story (thanks to my co-viewer attention to verbal information ), I ended up not caring much about it any more. Humphrey Bogart seems like a predecessor of both James Bond and Bruce Willis, as woman after woman falls to his feet while he is churning out one-liners like he was fed with them. Hawks didnt care much about the construction and the logic behind it. \r\n65/100\r\n\r\nUnfortunately Jean-Luc Godard had The Big Sleep in mind when he made Alphaville in 1965. Though he didnt create another masterpiece like Polanski, he intensified the love scenes of the original and improved upon the muddled intrigue, by enhancing its social relevance. But instead of deadpan, Godard prefers pathos. Youll have to decide for yourself, but I like both. Its also funny to see how future directors copy certain scenes almost frame by frame including (with little updates) the dialogue. Chabrol must have also been thinking of The Maltese Falcon when he directed Rien ne vas plus (1997). \r\nNevertheless it is interesting how our perception of films can change over the years, and its funny what experience can bring. Usually its not what you would expect.','64e71e46c35dd0776fe3c93f28e86440',0,'','EAH4wgDV',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11430,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1167734820,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','Which version of The Big Sleep have you seen? I only saw the pre-release version, and saw a few of the different scenes in the 1946 version that was released to theaters, and there\'s a remarkable difference in the dialogue, with the version released officially bearing the same corny reparte delivered in Double Indemnity. I must also say I\'m shocked that you gave the Maltese Falcon a 100. Granted I think the film is probably one of the 20 best films of all time, and remains my favorite film noir (Citizen Kane isn\'t noir), but a rating of 100 from you I don\'t recall ever having seen.','c4a5dc742532e9418d28cc4f001ec16c',0,'','aoe1ng9h',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11431,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1167736500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Film Noir Journals','Dont know which version I have seen, only the fact that the latest viewing didnt overwhelm me.\r\nAnd believe me, youve already seen a couple of my 100 ratings (you even replied to one ). And they are rare but not this rare. The rare ones are the ratings above 100 (yes, I have such a thing!)','a09184c27b2c10bc64b04a17dc646df4',0,'','gbXrSviP',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11432,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1167736680,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','Ok now that\'s just silly. I might start working on that foreign list soon.','1fbe60dc5b1f3178e82b3e9819c463f6',0,'','ugSADTys',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11433,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1168303200,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','The Narrow Margin (1952) - Richard Fleischer \r\n\r\nIn the annals of B-pictures Edgar G. Ulmer\'s Detour gets frequent mention as the best of the worst. An equally voiceable camp would label Richard Fleischer\'s Narrow Margin with that distinction. Of the two films there is hardly any comparison, Fleischer\'s film blows Detour out of the water and then some. Instantly classic, full of great characters, tough dames, a lot of deception, and that intricately woven plot were even the most minor supporting players play into the big picture. Nothing is out of place here, and its the type of clever noir that maxes out its 72 minute running time. \r\n\r\nWatching three noir films this past week, I found myself unable to properly write reviews of Brute Force and Raw Deal. Dassin\'s film is more prison melodrama than noir, and Mann\'s picture is another delicious noir, but the characters in it are weak. Connections are made, and chemistry is explained in the plot without ever really being believable. In The Narrow Margin everyone is played to perfection, and none more than Charles McGraw. A gravel voiced hard nosed actor that shines the way Tom Neal could only dream about in Detour. His presence is so strong, and his voice so memorable that I could listen to him deliver any line of dialogue and I\'m on his side. Like the thug of Mike Hammer, he also doesn\'t have any particular scruples about police brutality. The noir\'s of the 50\'s feature harder edged protaganists, and although they might be on the side of the good, they are more than capable of borrowing a page from the crooks playbook.\r\n\r\nWhen he is offered a bribe for the life of his passenger, you genuinely believe he\'s tempted. After all, that is a lot of money, and besides Marie Windsor isn\'t exactly the most pleasant companion. As he explains to another passenger though he is human, and sure that type of money is tempting, but as he says there isn\'t a price high enough to metaphorically sell your soul. He also has a grudge of his own, as the film begins with the murder of his long term partner. Of course this revenge motif helps to keep him honest, but it also borrows a page from the Western convention of opening with a bang. Get the audience pulled in early, and they\'ll stay with you. With this films miniscule running time, it isn\'t hard to stay with it. I have discovered my textbook use of noir technique in the early murder. Pearl\'s drop, and land at the feet of an assassin, with his whole face covered in shadow, and with just his gun visible in the light. Then the shooting takes place on the stairs with an extreme wide angle lense, everything about the genre\'s aesthetic principles is right there. This is definitely one of the best.\r\n\r\nGrade A','1b78d587d71aab4dacf8de1d5355e799',0,'','ihn2XGMy',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11434,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1168327560,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','Out of the Past (1947) - Jacques Tournieur\r\n\r\n15 minutes into Out of the Past, you wonder if its a noir at all. The film opens during the day, in a quiet California town, up in the mountains. A random gas station, a diner, a lake for fishing, nothing to make anything seem out of the ordinary. Sure we\'re conditioned to suspect something, but for a film so greatly associated with shadows and low key lighting, this film is a little deceptive, and herein lies the theme of the film. Tournieur is setting up his film aesthetically to mimic the characters in his picture. Where everyone has a past, everyone double crosses someone, and no one seems to be who or what they pretend. Only the natives of that quiet mountain town seem to be genuine. Therefore setting up the other main theme of the picture and the larger social commentary, small town America is the real America.\r\n\r\nHowever this film has earned its reputation as one of the best and most definitive film noirs, and we\'ll get into the reasons why. For starters there is the narrative. Come on a private eye, a double crossing dame, a frame, murder upon murder, stories within a story, and don\'t for a second think that shadows don\'t show up eventually. In fact to precede the narrative crux of the picture, and set up the ever necessary back story, the shadows are cast. Nick Musuraca shot the film, and he is quickly making a transition. Even though the scene before Jeff (Robert Mitchum) and Ann (Virginia Huston) meet outside in the dark, the moon is so bright that everything remains illuminated. There is no danger in the scene, but when Jeff decides to tell about himself, then the road turns dark.\r\n\r\nThe story to tell is not just how Jeff crossed Whit Sterling (Kirk Douglas) but more importantly how he met, fell for, and was abandoned by Kathie Moffet (Jane Greer). Unlike many noir films involving a triangle, the billing for Out of the Past had Mitchum and Greer with top billing, leaving Douglas for after the movie title. True Douglas was still fairly unknown, with only one real prominent starring role before, but Mitchum and Greer weren\'t exactly big stars. In fact Greer, despite an amazing presence here and looking a very radiant 23 years old never really catapulted like her two male costars did. Douglas carries the same type of force and power one would come to characterize in his films, but without the fire breathing. True Whit has a weak spot, and that\'s Kathie. Both times he calls on Jeff\'s talents he is over a barrel. The first time he\'s out of a girl and $40,000, the second time he stands to lose a great deal more. The money and potential prison time apparently evens out how much Kathie materially means. Looking at her, you can\'t help but understand how someone might be a little crazy for her.\r\n\r\nIf it weren\'t for Ann, there\'s a good chance Jeff would have probably fallen right back into her trap. Jeff gets all the best lines here and one of my favorites is the last conversation he has with Ann. When talking about Kathie, Ann says \"She can\'t be all bad\", to which Jeff replies \"She comes close\". The second time he meets Kathie, he doesn\'t buy her line. He never for a second believes anything she says, and we as viewers never feel like he\'s falling for her again. Now without Ann its questionable as to how he would react. Sure Virginia Huston is a good looking actress, but next to Jane Greer come on? Even Whit stops buying her line, and he even looks forward to the thought of hanging her for crimes she in fact did commit. Knowing Kathie is a murderer, we have to accept that she in fact will get \"dealt with\" in the traditional Hollywood justice mode. Whit and Jeff however are innocent at least in terms of cold blooded murder. We know Whit is a crime boss, but nothing is said of his activities and specifically how he makes his money. He can make the order, but his hands remain clean. \r\n\r\nThe ending is very pessimistic, and the message seems clear, there really are no second chances. Past mistakes are inescapable. Jeff can\'t run from his past, and the ending removes all attempts at redemption. This can be read as a commentary on post war Europe, and the forgive and forget policy that America was applying towards their enemies. Tourneur was an immigrant, and read in this light perhaps he was saying that his is how they should have been dealt with. The wicked, need to be punished, and don\'t deserve to live among decent people. This may also explain why Whit has his house located in the remote Lake Tahoe, and Kathie says she and Jeff belong in the mountains. It maintains consistency, because none of the innocent die here. Eels is the closest thing to an innocent victim, and even he was working for the mob, just as Jeff\'s former partner was. In this regard as well, all the morally shady characters end up dead. Anyone who had anything to do with these hoods dies, with the exception of Meta Carson (Rhonda Fleming) who just seems to fade out of the picture. This film is too good to be bypassed, and remains one of the first stops on anyone\'s film noir journey.\r\n\r\nGrade A','443f15e0e402be39884fe75971a9e3f1',0,'','g0JRAnmk',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11435,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1169072520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Film Noir Journals','If you want to know some other movies which I rated 100/100 on our board: Being John Malkovich, un chien andalou, Andrei Rublyov. \r\nOne I rated higher (105/100) was Sabu\'s \"Blessing Bell\" (2002). Though I need to see it again, as it seems almost impossible...\r\n\r\nI saw two noir films recently which ended on the negative side of my rating scale. The Postman always rings twice (1946) and Dead Reckoning (1947). Both have some memorable scenes though, and could have been made into a great film by a better (or simply more dedicated) director.\r\nAnd I need to see more films with Lana Turner. I don\'t want to say everything I thought while watching her, but her being a rather lame actress didn\'t bother me at all. If i had been the director, I would have made a film a la Vivre sa vie with her, only more radical. Lana Turner in every shot for at least three hours. Ok, I better stop, you see where i\'m going...','5cc40546ecf7b373c9496e824b413360',0,'','Z6T12Ewl',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11436,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1169077980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','I prefer Postman Always Rings Twice to Visconti\'s Ossessione, primarily on the strength of Garfield and Turner, who as you pointed out makes up for a lack in acting abilities with screen presence. You should see Turner in Douglas Sirk\'s version of Imitation of Life, she\'s actually pretty good in it, as well as Peyton Place, two slices of melodrama I can\'t help but love.','46c313d74cdde9b03217465cb42c0008',0,'','XZz0ph6d',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11437,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186570800,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','Naked City (1948) - Jules Dassin\r\n\r\nAh the good old days when you could just put the word \"naked\" in your film title to guarantee a generous return. Jules Dassin would earn a reputation in future years as being one of the most consistently good film noir directors reaching his peak while in exile in Europe. He followed up the success of his prison picture Brute Force with this gritty crime film set and shot in New York City. It deserves to be mentioned that Universal released this picture a full year before MGM made On the Town, which likes to lay some sort of claim to being the first studio film shot on location in NYC. Perhaps their argument was that they were the first musical shot there. Dassin\'s film, much like Brute Force isn\'t exactly a true film noir. It has all the ingredients at the start though. The film begins at night. A random collage of images showing the city at sleep and the few who are still up and a couple of people who are up to no good. Through this all is an omniscient narrator. Unlike most film noirs this narrator is not a member of the cast, and his opening exposition turns into a running commentary. Far different from the voice of god introductions typically found in the films of Henry Hathaway.\r\n\r\nUniversal earned a slight reputation for their film noirs of this time, then referred to as Universal International. They produced Robert Siodmak\'s landmark film The Killers and would later famously butcher Orson Welles Touch of Evil. This is one of those \"in between films\". A true urban film, and the cast of virtually unrecognizable contract players makes the film take on an extra level of realism, or at least Hollywood\'s version of it. The only member of the cast to get any sort of star billing is Barry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald may not be remembered by many today, but he made history when he won a best supporting actor Oscar for Going My Way the same year he was also nominated for a best lead actor Oscar for the same film. Fitzgerald plays the veteran police detective who tells the officer handing him the case \"I haven\'t had a hard day\'s work since yesterday\". He\'s encountered countless false confessions but he always seems to know where to get his answers, and believes in taking everything step by step.\r\n\r\nWhat is of note is that the new detective assigned to do his leg work (Don Taylor) solves the case but at the same time across town Lt. Muldoon (Fitzgerald) is reaching the same conclusion via his own method. So even at this juncture he always seems to know more than anyone else, and whatever he doesn\'t know he always seems to be aware of who to ask. What\'s remarkable in the introduction is that we are shown two different murders taking place. The narrator (producer Mark Hellinger) discusses these murders as if they were no more significant than the late night janitor, the empty theater, or any other random attraction. As viewers though we should know something is coming up here. Jean Dexter is murdered by two men and we can quickly suspect this is going to be central to our story. Therefore we are privilege to some information the cops don\'t immediately have by knowing that the murder was committed by two men, and that she was drugged before drowned. \r\n\r\nBecause this first murder comes into play immediately we have to look at the second one. Jimmy Halloran (Taylor) suspects there might be a coincidence when a body is found in the East River. He simply figures two people killed same night at significantly different times apart. Its a wild hunch, but as viewers we wouldn\'t mind knowing why this drunk guy at the beginning got knocked out and thrown overboard. Halloran wants to know too and that leads us to Willy Garzah (Ted de Corsia). It is interesting to note the confrontation scene between Halloran and Garzah. We know that earlier these two men met as Garzah was attempting to murder compulsive liar Frank Niles (Howard Duff). However neither we the viewers or Halloran get a good look at Garzah, certainly not enough to know who it is. So when he is confronted in his apartment and told that his former partner who we all know is dead is actually alive and in a hospital he plays it well. Dassin could have told Corsia to play it surprised, at least moderately so. Instead Corsia doesn\'t bat an eye or remotely fall for it. He isn\'t a particularly smart criminal but he most certainly isn\'t a dumb one. The simple fact that anyone found out where he lived lets him know that this person can\'t be trusted.\r\n\r\nContrary to much of noir nearly all the action in this film takes place in broad daylight. This isn\'t too hard to explain considering that the film was shot on location in New York, which as already has been pointed out was far from commonplace. Not being on a studio set lighting would be an issue, and if you\'re worrying about having enough light to shoot at night, then just shoot in the daytime. It gives at least the final scene a more chaotic feel because you know so many people can be witness. However the havoc isn\'t played up too well. There are no hostages taken by Garzah on the run, or huge crowds following the police. Far from the chaotic daytime rundown in Samuel Fuller\'s House of Bamboo. What keeps this film noir is basically its detective story. The murders were committed at night, but all the work is done in the day. I\'m sure Dassin and everyone else making the film considered this a detective film, because after all film noir is basically an oversimplified tag that has been used too frequently to describe nearly any film with a crime. Still it is a compelling film and among the better works of Dassin.\r\n\r\nGrade B +','3e4ad86d155d44fa650083be633646c4',0,'','XW678Trm',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11438,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1203372600,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','The Reckless Moment (1949) - Max Ophuls \r\n\r\nAfter a trio of films for Fritz Lang, Joan Bennett began to slightly modify her screen image. In Max Ophuls\' final American film she assumes her role as a the supreme matriarch in the mode of Joan Crawford\'s Mildred Pierce. Here she does any and everything to protect her family while her husband is away. The story, which came from the fountain of American literature The Ladies Home Journal was written during wartime and therefore had a more patriotic overtone. Bennett\'s Lucia Harper was a little more in line with Mrs. Minniver and her would be blackmailers were a little more German. Here however the action loses that undercurrent and instead focuses on a much more direct level, not allowing us the generalizations common with so many other films of its type. It is alarming first off that this film has been so hard to come by, but an excellent DVD from Second Sight in the UK is well worth the import. It remains another one of many studio gems that may never see the light of day on American soil because most of the multinational corporations that own studio vaults aren\'t even aware of film. \r\n\r\nThe plot is somewhat simple. A woman finds that her daughter (Geraldine Brooks) has fallen for a no good art dealer (Shepperd Strudwick) and she vows to do what it takes to prevent them from seeing each other. The man asks for money and when Bea discovers that her boyfriend is the louse that her mother told her about the two get into an altercation. In a freak accident Ted falls off the deck of their boat house and lands on an anchor, dying instantly. The next day the mother finds the body and without asking any questions puts it in her boat in a rather long extended scene with no music, sails out to sea and dumps the body. He turns up and so do some letters Bea wrote to him. In comes Donnelly (James Mason) an Irish thug who has the letters and blackmails Lucia. \r\n\r\nSo there is your conflict, rather simple in all regards. What isn\'t simple is Ophuls\' staging. His few films in Hollywood allowed for a very professional and refined approach to his directing, and there is a light breeze to the whole film. The producer Walter Wanger (who was married to Bennett) originally wanted Jean Renoir to direct the film and you can almost sense Ophuls tapping into that mode. Both directors liked to stage in depth and Renoir\'s brother Claude was certainly one to let his camera roam. Burnett Guffrey did the cinematography here and in case you\'re wondering I\'ve never heard of him either. The picture was designed largely to help ease Bennett\'s transition between femme fatale and endearing mother, a role she would perfect in Vincente Minnelli\'s Father of the Bride and it\'s sequel. She seemed poised to step into this role and her role allows her to fit into each category, providing a convincing amount of attraction to Donnelly in much the same way Crawford\'s Pierce was a little of both. Make no mistake though she\'s no seductress and her quietly suffering mother would be echoed in films for years afterwards. \r\n\r\nNow for the film noir checklist. There is a murder, there is an investigation, there is a wrong man accused of the crime, there is a criminal underworld, a slight taste of forbidden love, and of course enough shadows to make Val Lewton happy. The relationship between Mason and Bennett grows very gradually and there is no evidence of incrimination on the part of Bennett. The two grow towards each other, and as the film progresses Donnelly becomes more and more likable. It\'s easy to be on Mason\'s side as a performer and its hard to see him as the blackmailer, even when playing a gangster in Odd Man Out he managed to achieve a saintly martyrdom. His fate is very much the same here, taking the motto that a degenerate lifelong criminal can finally do something right in his life in death. A great sentiment that allows us to feel a general relief when the father of the family calls home wishing them a Merry Christmas. \r\n\r\nGrade B','7cf076dd546a175d73e333728124dc6d',0,'','wAe9chfk',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11439,2050,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1212879480,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Film Noir Journals','Kiss Me Deadly (1955) - Robert Aldrich \r\n\r\nDoes it get any better than this? That\'s the question a few critics have posed when discussing Robert Aldrich\'s incredible Kiss Me Deadly, made in the twilight of film noir, the dawn of widescreen, and in the peak of Cold War hysteria. A film noir without any movie stars, with a director few had heard of, and a budget that would make a Sam Fuller film comparable. Like any great film noir this one didn\'t get any recognition upon it\'s original release, at least here in the states. Few noirs did, the one major exception would be Billy Wilder\'s Double Indemnity, nominated for 7 Oscars in 1944. Kiss Me Deadly by comparison received zero Oscar nominations but remained a cult favorite for decades quietly becoming part of the popular culture without many people ever actually seeing the film. \r\n\r\nMike Hammer here is played by Ralph Meeker an actor who remains a small footnote in film but had a rather remarkable career on stage. He took over the role of Stanley Kowalski once Brando left the show, and was the original lead in Picnic, but was passed over in favor of William Holden when it came time to make the film. Aside from Kiss Me Deadly, Meeker is probably most recognizable as one of the condemned privates in Stanley Kubrick\'s Paths of Glory. As Mike Hammer, I will boldly declare him the greatest of all film noir anti-heroes. The character is not likable in any way. He\'s a two bit thug, a bedroom dick, a user, and too dumb to even know what he\'s even trying to figure out. What makes him spectacular is his violence. He asks once nicely, even willing to shell out a few dollars, but if you keep your mouth shut, he\'ll just slap the @**% out of you until you start talking. He\'s a man who wastes no time and eventually has enough brains to figure out what he needs to know. \r\n\r\nRobert Aldrich handles the action superbly. 1950\'s cinema began to develop a few characteristics and Aldrich\'s brand of directing seemed to be perfectly suited to Don Seigel who directed Invasion of the Body Snatchers a year later in much the same vein. Aldrich cants his angles and makes an entire film out of what we can\'t see. Action takes place off screen, and for almost the entire film we don\'t see who\'s behind all the action. A lot has been made about the infamous glowing box and what\'s in it. Dr. Soberin (Albert Dekker) doesn\'t make things any easier for us or Lily Carver (Gaby Rodgers) who keeps asking what\'s in it. All Soberin can do is constantly remind us of fables of curious characters, when he finally says he\'ll tell her all he says is it\'s Medusa\'s head in the box and if you look you\'ll be turned to ash and brimstone instead of stone. He is deliberately vague about it and it angers us as viewers about as much as Lily/Gabrielle. We do however know more than Lily does at that time thanks to the few random words we were told when Hammer gave up the key. It is something atomic, not sure exactly what, but people are more than willing to kill for it and in the estimate of both Hammer and Lily that makes it incredibly valuable. Neither person has any idea what they\'ll do with it once they get their hands on it, but if everybody wants it, so do they. \r\n\r\nHammer\'s motivation comes almost more from a disparity in his own line of work. He wants something big not so much to maintain his dignity, but because he\'s tired of the dirty double life he is constantly leading. If this is a big score he can relax from the two-bit cases that he and his assistant/girlfriend Velda (Maxine Cooper). As he goes on he gets more and more violent because more and more people are becoming casualties. What he isn\'t aware of is that he\'s leading both the good and bad guys right to the package they\'re looking for, even if he doesn\'t yet know what the hell he\'s trying to find. His friends and allies might be crass and Hammer doesn\'t show a tremendous amount of emotion for any of them, just rage at whoever is behind it. As the film progresses though we do get more of a feeling that he may genuinely care about Velda but is hiding it behind a mask of macho indifference. Hammer is of a new generation of men who are unable to express any emotions aside from rage and violence. It makes him dangerous, but also makes him effective in finding out information. \r\n\r\nCan\'t say enough about this, possibly the greatest of all film noirs. \r\n\r\nGrade A +','0f2263e5278c62ac2600659396b3eb2c',0,'','tW8m3Nlx',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11440,2051,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1185349140,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','The Simpsons Movie (2007)','Review: \r\n\r\nMatt Groening brings his long running franchise back to its roots in The Simpsons Movie by making one of the warmer comedies this year. Despite the perceived and frankly exaggerated drop in quality of the television show by naysayers attempting to keep in vogue, the filmic incarnation positions itself as still being culturally relevant, a vantage point afforded from being the elderstatesman of popular culture. With the familiar dynamics of the television show surprisingly translating into an energetic cinematic experience, the scope of its subversive charm is on a much larger canvas and pointedly at itself. \r\n\r\nAsk any fan of the television series what the most endearing aspect of the show is and they might tell you that its Homer and his dysfunctional clan. Ultimately, The Simpsons Movie boils down to familial bonds and reaches out to its extending relationships with its townsfolk. The graphic style of the movie will be familiar to everyone, but theres a new sleeker and more fluid approach that now involves more background animation as much as it does the foreground. Further reinvigorating the franchise is a new appreciation of the Simpsons family, with a creative incision into Homers advancing alienation from his wife and kids being addressed through the amplification of the characters proclivity for moronic whims and selfish inclinations. Its a theme that has been explored many times over in numerous episodes throughout the years but the decisive difference is that it works through the fishnet of film conventions to actually grow its characters personalities, and to impart new insights between them. The film rewards its longtime viewers but never punishes those that have remained unfamiliar with the protocols of the shows traditional quiescence. \r\n\r\nPolitical lunacy and the ecumenical commentary of its bureaucratic agents get the full brunt of subtext and innuendos in a plot (and subplots) thats more than an excuse for the goofiness when it brims with tongue in cheek digs at the ineffectualness of the current regime. Government agencies from Washington hone in on Springfields newly attained status as an environmental Chernobyl, as the Simpsons are ousted from their town and left to fend outside their comfort zones. Its probably a minor miracle that a film so drunk on familial cords and values never submits to mushiness but thats pretty much down to the strength of the writers awareness of the material by hitting a sweet spot between real world potshots and the self-reflexive indication of its place in the pop culture pantheon by breaking the fourth wall just enough to clue us in on the joke. \r\n\r\nIn its focused state, The Simpsons Movie operates as an examination of a household held together by latent affection and as a social parable of a town in arrested development. Theres a good-natured sweetness in its tone that eschews the smugness and extravagance of most spoofs and grounds itself by constantly coming back to what has always mattered most in the series - family.','f99e06e9096d7671da6977789beb856a',0,'','4mc3H9gD',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11441,2051,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1185781500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: The Simpsons Movie (2007)','I am one of those people who gave up on the show. Years ago the thought of the Simpsons one day being canceled terrified me. Yet after suffering through season 15 were every episode became the new winner for worst episode ever I gave up. The show has continued on to the same familiar criticisms and everytime I catch a new installment I\'m reminded how bad its gotten. I miss the days when Bart called his dad \"Homer\". When the movie was released I looked at the credits were I found that nearly all the writer\'s who helped make seasons 4-9 the best show ever worked on it. The film relishes in good old fashioned Simpson\'s jokes but stretches things just enough to let us know this is the Simpson\'s \"Movie\" and they can get away with just a few more things. Hearing Marge say \"God damn\" got at least a full hearty laugh from me. \r\n\r\nThe film plays with our sensibilities and combines well meaning pathos which always helped to make the show more than just a string of gags. The reason Family Guy no matter how funny will never be as great as the Simpsons is simply because it misses this step. Certain gags in the film you can see coming, after 400 episodes of the show its not hard to predict the writing styles of even a script with 12 people working on it. The film delivers however and I am recommending it to all my friends, even those like me who stopped watching the show years ago. I also like how the film didn\'t find it particularly necessary to include EVERY character the show has had. There could have been a chance with Albert Brooks considering his work in this film and numerous episodes he\'s appeared on. Watching the credits was of course a laugh seeing each and every character listed and the voices for nearly everyone covered by the core group of actors, but for those who always wondered who did Barney and Grandpa, yep it is the same guy as Homer. Definitely the funniest film I\'ve seen this year, but I haven\'t seen much.','64c86bd8c7a30eef8497ad3fba4c7ae8',0,'','PJQwk6EK',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11442,2051,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186128120,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: The Simpsons Movie (2007)','Both of you have made this movie very tempting for the fans. I\'ll definitely get to it before it leaves the big-screen but much like Spider-Man 3 I\'m gonna wait a few weeks.','4231e9f16f2eb239bf8f703f60a766a4',0,'','C1TRvGD3',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11443,2051,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186128840,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: The Simpsons Movie (2007)','Well the one problem is that certain films should be seen with a crowd. Granted too big of a crowd can be its own hassle, but I generally find comedies to be the best with groups. I saw it on its opening weekend and the place was pretty packed which may have helped my enjoyment. However I\'ve seen nearly every episode with scarcely more than myself and one other person, so who knows if it does much. \r\n\r\nIn other Hollywood news, the last Bourne movie is coming out tomorrow and I certainly plan on seeing it. Much more importantly however, Killer of Sheep is opening at the Music Box tomorrow as well, so if I can get out of the burbs that\'s where I\'ll be.','ed85259e35c5392ac68a6cdf856ffaa7',0,'','PtfAi7Ks',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11444,2051,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186130520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: The Simpsons Movie (2007)','I believe we briefly discussed the release schedule of Burnett\'s film a few weeks ago. Did it play at the Music Box earlier? Regardless, I think you\'ll be quite impressed.','abd67ec374fd0fb89b52a78e5eb62a57',0,'','HfiZaYSW',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11445,2051,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186130880,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: The Simpsons Movie (2007)','No tomorrow is the premiere. A friend of mine who\'s been in LA the past few months is coming home Tuesday and is dying to see it, but I don\'t know if I can wait that long. As I told her, I\'ll probably want to see it twice. Of course along with A Brighter Summer Day and The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith no film has been on my wishlist longer, and its hard for a film to measure up to that type of expectation.\r\n\r\nWhile I\'m on the subject, I hope someone somewhere gets around to releasing some of Edward Yang\'s films.','c22253a31a1fadd0e5d9494df907d248',0,'','yrNdeZLP',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11446,2051,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186198800,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: The Simpsons Movie (2007)','If you\'re willing to spend about $20, then A Brighter Summer Day is not a difficult proposition. I\'ll send you some info.','7c16991bddb41454903790419c2dd9a1',0,'','st5SzdPW',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11447,2051,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186220340,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: The Simpsons Movie (2007)','So you think you could PM it to me as well, arsaib?','ddba9d78e4cd5377581389fe3f4f3dbe',0,'','wgSUnuaN',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11448,2051,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186253100,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: The Simpsons Movie (2007)','Sure.','b2f4b32b5e4d159ff2454d5774afc511',0,'','3QCkeTjr',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11449,2051,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186259940,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: The Simpsons Movie (2007)','Thanks! I\'m could see a few of his films being released but from what I\'ve heard there seems to be a few hiccups in settling his estate, mainly film rights.','6f6c5c289d8a6e8ad20bc44de2823c3f',0,'','m8HdXSBp',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11450,2051,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186301040,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: The Simpsons Movie (2007)','So far, I\'ve been able to see three of the seven features Yang made (he also directed a segment of the omnibus In Our Time, which is regarded as one of the key early films of the Taiwanese \"new wave\"). I think once the remaining issues are resolved, his work will initially be brought back into the limelight in the form of a retrospective.','cc30003e2e7536fcfed53a117fe39431',0,'','ZXL6zdcU',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11451,2051,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186349460,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: The Simpsons Movie (2007)','I know his work has been shown in a retro before here in Chicago (long before my time), just hope sincerely that it happens again.','1c858018267486fb1cb012dde877df69',0,'','BuFr0G2D',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11452,2051,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186359780,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: The Simpsons Movie (2007)','Funny how this thread has diverted but I\'d be very pleased to see any of Edward Yang\'s films released on dvd. The U.K. dvd of Yi yi: A One and a Two hasn\'t been available for a while and I don\'t believe any of his other films were released here.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','fd818ffd766301fadc1eb5efe98eec7b',0,'','z3AXDMsS',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11453,2051,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186434960,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: The Simpsons Movie (2007)','Criterion put out a DVD of Yi-Yi which upset me only in the fact that before that release Yi-Yi was the only film of his actually released on DVD. I think the soundtrack issues with Brighter Summer Day are the reason for its perpetual delay here. Only took 30 years to clear everything for Killer of Sheep, hopefully it won\'t take to long for Yang\'s films.','b57fdf8d8853cfd1bd2e330f06e2d4a8',0,'','8v2chiCp',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11454,2052,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186270740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) - Paul Greengrass','Within a few seconds of the film opening we are running through the streets with a disoriented camera and it doesn\'t take long to recognize the mark of our director. Paul Greengrass, who helmed the last installment of the Bourne movies is on board to direct this one, and brings the same immediacy and nearly nauseating hand held camera work to the fore. Action scenes are blurry and fast, the editing never stops to rest but this pace works for us. If we are meant to feel like we are constantly on the run and can\'t rest, then this camera work does just that for us. We can\'t even get much of a break during the quiet CIA scenes, we\'re still being bounced around. To view this film as anything short of a wild ride that we are on would be a mistake. This is the last hurrah for Jason Bourne and we\'re not going anywhere.\r\n\r\nAs one would expect this film is a journey and one that should take us to the end. There were three books written, and well the franchise will most likely not go anywhere from here. Of course Bourne was a non-issue at the end of the last film, at the end of the first film for that matter. So we have to make him a target, otherwise how would we chase him around? Bourne is considered a threat because of what he knows, and although we know he isn\'t using his knowledge to compromise national security, but the CIA doesn\'t know that. A new well accomplished actor steps in as the uncaring bureaucratic villain this time, and played well by David Straitharn. There\'s a leak in the CIA and someone who knows too much has spoken about the top secret program Bourne was previously a part of. At first Bourne is suspected of being the leak, but we quickly find another is responsible. However Bourne and the CIA are both looking for the same man.\r\n\r\nNow the plot seems to hit a wall when the target is killed and we\'re left to wonder just what the hell is going to happen for the next hour. Of course the same story, Bourne wants to find out who he is and what was done to him, and this effectively carries us a good deal of the way. Along the way we run into Nikki Parsons (Julia Stiles) and the two become partial accomplices. I for one was definitely rooting for the two to hook up, but the film avoids that much of a cliche, after all they used that in the first film and Bourne is still not over Maria. However it is hinted that perhaps the two agents did have something of a past, that however is left up in the air. The secret government assassination plan is the point of controversy and what must be exposed. Yet before that can happen a great deal of building jumping, car crashing, and some extremely well done fight sequences. Certainly a film for fans of the franchise or just fans of general action films will admire. Quite a fan of these pictures, and this certainly didn\'t disappoint.','045842f3dae991d21d76156100e426f2',0,'','oemQTzAl',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11455,2052,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186279080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) - Paul Greengrass','The reviews have been great so far. Can\'t say that I feel the urge to watch it right away, but will do so in due time. How would you compare it to the other Bourne films?','29d6c7498062061b9bf90e8527261539',0,'','qyaJfXVo',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11456,2052,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186349580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) - Paul Greengrass','In all honesty I remember very little about the second film, mainly that I liked it. I\'d say it holds up rather well and its hard to put one above the other. In film series of this type the first film usually is the best, it has the most amount of exposition, but I enjoyed how this tied everything together fairly well. This being the freshest in my mind, and the only one I saw in theaters, I\'m somewhat leaning to this picture.','6b0b6f407552b881247759175942a7b2',0,'','p8edoPZl',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11457,2053,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1140784980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Robinson Devor\'s Police Beat (U.S. / 2005)','\r\n\r\nBased on a popular crime-blotter column from a Seattle alt-weekly, Robinson Devor\'s Police Beat is an innovative and daringly original film which attempts to depict the internal landscape of its unique protagonist in a vivid and impressionistic manner. \r\n\r\nThe film tracks a man nicknamed Z for nearly a week. He is a recent Muslim immigrant from Senegal who has found work in Seattle as a bicycle cop. His job involves managing, reporting and eventually logging the wide variety of crime scenes he comes across on a daily basis (all based on actual Seattle police reports). While Z is well familiar with all the \"crime-codes\" he needs for his logs, he doesnt have a solution for his own dilemma: hes concerned about the fact that his white American girlfriend (only seen via Zs flashbacks) has gone on a camping trip with her male roommate. Fearing the worst, Zs emotional state gradually deteriorates, especially after she fails to contact him like she promised to do. \r\n\r\nDevor expertly channels his protagonists inner thought process while maintaining his sense of being as an individual. Z communicates with others in English, of course, but like any new immigrant he thinks in his native language -- in this case, Wolof, which we hear while reading the translation. The director also shows Zs detachment to the world around him as even the most gruesome of crimes fail to draw his attention, perhaps for the best even though what he suffers from might be the worst case of all. \r\n\r\nPolice Beat is shot with a 35mm anamorphic lens, which not only makes the film look extremely elegant (and thus expensive -- the budget however was only around $200K), but it allows the filmmakers to extract a dreamy, evocative ambiance from Seattle\'s distinctive atmosphere and topography. The soundtrack, mostly culled form the local music scene, is also richly detailed and expansive. \r\n\r\nZ is gracefully played by Pape Sidy Niang, a newcomer who was once a professional soccer player in his native Senegal. By projecting the right amount of innocence and intelligence, he allows his character to continually evolve -- much like what the film does, because it ends being something one wouldnt have expected it to be: moving.\r\n\r\nGrade: B+\r\n________________________\r\n\r\n*POLICE BEAT is now available on DVD in the U.S. from Image Ent. No extra features.\r\n________________________\r\n\r\n[Edit]Add Grade/DVD info','b44385348784eaa4c19eb8d0d4bb2088',0,'','WUfYPXB8',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11458,2053,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1140807600,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Robinson Devor\'s Police Beat (U.S. / 2005)','I felt sorry for Pape Sidy Niang, he appeared for an interview following the film\'s screening at last year\'s Cardiff International Film Festival but due to the mess up (shown in the wrong aspect ratio) very few people stayed for the Q&A. \r\n\r\nCheers Trev','8bc65df15099b32cd12212439e34458f',0,'','U7m8ipky',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11459,2053,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1184353500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: Robinson Devor\'s Police Beat (U.S. / 2005)','Lovely review. From what I\'ve heard, was there a sort of dual narrative? A couple of friends were having discussions on the ending when *SPOILER* he meets his girl near the garage and the overlap with the lone, swing set *SPOILER*, which I could not get into without watching it first but am I right in associating Z\'s inner turmoil with his girlfriend and his \"new country\" together with the toils of his job?\r\n\r\nOf course, I\'m going blind into this without much context so I could be spewing nonsense.','2a1474d99c3c4985df2c5c7722a4df29',0,'','rx5zBjyX',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11460,2053,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1184381640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Robinson Devor\'s Police Beat (U.S. / 2005)','Thanks. It\'s short but I\'m glad it became useful even after this amount of time\r\n\r\nDual narrative? I\'d probably use the term \"parallel reality\" which is what the protagonist generates in his head. We could discuss it further once you\'ve seen the film. And it\'d correct to consider Z\'s turmoil as a product of his overall situation.','233160b953e355398b76c7c198d5c56c',0,'','7saWErf6',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11461,2053,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1184596020,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Robinson Devor\'s Police Beat (U.S. / 2005)','I have been longing to see this again since its inclusion in the 2005 CIFF but I can\'t imagine Police Beat will ever get a U.K. dvd release, is the R1 dvd good in terms of video/ audio quality?\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','62eefb837fd965589e204af5aca849b4',0,'','XRElbn40',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11462,2053,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1184639520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Robinson Devor\'s Police Beat (U.S. / 2005)','I expected more from a Image/Homevision release. The film\'s soundscape especially deserved more than the generic track provided on the DVD. The video and the subtitles are also subpar. Disappointing, but there aren\'t any other options available at this point.','d797b1f1a8ccc34206844ba7d340d41b',0,'','eGK8FrXo',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11463,2054,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1183114200,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Transformers (2007)','Director: Michael Bay\r\nCast:\r\n\r\nOh no ... the film did not wow me away ... \r\nafter some time, I soon feel that the film is kind of long ... it has its plus points, but it is not enuf to sustain me for more than 2 hours ... \r\n\r\nI will explain more if time permits ... or maybe some others will ... who knows, maybe I should allocate my time to reviewing other films ... ha ha ha','8f52e32fbf3d505f1f4eba056779edb6',0,'','U3fP2mpZ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11464,2054,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1183191780,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Transformers (2007)','Given that there are a number of reviews out there, I shall only concentrate on 1 point which I thought is MOST important ...\r\n\r\nTo me, one of the most fascinating scene that I used to recall was: the marvellous TRANSFORMATION from CAR to ROBOT ... I was in so much anticipation of it ... nope, we are not talking abt the speed of transformation (which i believe the director or editor) might have assumed and did a good job of it ... the transformation was VERY quick (say rendered within 1 second or so) ... but hey hey hey, it was TOO quick ... such that the entire \"marvel\" of how different parts of a car got transformed into another portion of the robot was TOTALLY gone ... in the end, we could only be \"entertained\" by the overdone bombs and firefights which are ALREADY PREVALENT in many CGI films ...\r\n\r\nIn essence, the main crux of the film -- the marvel of TRANSFORMATION is lacking ... what a pity ...','b62e82f79464e36c131f401b49c3e1f7',0,'','Ct6sirM2',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11465,2055,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1180974360,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Black Snake Moan (2006 / Craig Brewer)','Courtesy of MX\r\n\r\nReview: \r\n\r\nCraig Brewer looks lovingly at the South as a stormy, redemptive canvas of forgotten blues and heated sexuality threatening to seethe to the top. Following the undervalued Hustle & Flow, Brewsters penchant for wreathing gender roles, stoic religiosity and music into a fireball of provocative pulp is amplified. He transforms the sticky, lurid atmosphere of the Deep Souths salacious bravado into a passionate bravura of flaunty tells and brazen intimations of bondage, kinks and slavery in Black Snake Moan, one of the years best films. \r\n\r\nThis is no weightless homage to exploitation cinema, a trait that endless Tarantino clones pursue in a vain attempt to facetiously offset their own limitations at fanboy fantasy, an epidemic that inadvertently castrates the genre\'s interpretive tendons for the sole purpose of glorifying hollow spectacles. Black Snake Moan is in its very essence a part of exploitation cinema with a cranial capacity to include its own ravaged spirit, vitality and neurosis. Its decency of worth lies in its outrageous obscenity, an attribute that makes it so disarmingly life affirming. \r\n\r\nThe raw charm that it exudes is sagacious in manner as is its crudely effectual symbolisms. The biblical blues man Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson) is also a broken man, fraught with the burn of loves betrayal and looking for salvation through his embittered righteous benevolence. And the scandalised, apparently vandalised visage of the aptly named Rae (Christina Ricci) is abandoned at the side of dirt road for the reformative Lazarus to pick up, and then chain up to a radiator. \r\n\r\nIts the visual intensity of this imagery that propels its psychology. An emaciated, feral white girl barely covered in tattered rags, a Confederate flag in the background and an angry black musician leashing her gives way to a transgressive milieu thats fittingly guided down South, a hotbed rife with racial tensions, tenuously soothed by the calming rhythms of the blues. And it is to Brewers credit that he does not pontificate, or even nigh explore the themes he resiliently showcases. But just as there was in the stylings of true exploitation, theres an unanxious and casual evocation of absurdity in this film. With a character that could have been merely presented as a means to an unwelcoming end, Riccis nymphomaniacal Rae is the epicentre of Brewers earth shattering truisms of neglected, emotionally disabled people who redeem each other. In Raes debauched frenzy, Ricci does not just rise to the occasion. She becomes the occasion. \r\n\r\nBrewers exaggerated storytelling magnifies the illusory artifice of cinema and reveals a clearer picture of hopelessness and wont despair. The audacity exemplified through his confrontational arrangements of disparities that subvert the status quo is in of itself a cause for comfort, and that its incendiary conflicts manage a spark of perceptive lyricism through its convictions. \r\n\r\n----------------\r\n\r\nMy favourite film this year by far.','de0974aa6103ff0004637bbc7b635b0d',0,'','NKLP8XZ0',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11466,2055,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181892840,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: Black Snake Moan (2006 / Craig Brewer)','Hasn\'t anyone else seen this masterpiece of Southern Gothic? I can\'t get it out of my head even after 3 viewings.','fd6ebfebfe328c774d4caaa9435374ad',0,'','4UzNYcZT',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11467,2055,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181900760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Black Snake Moan (2006 / Craig Brewer)','Since I didn\'t care very much for Brewer\'s overly-eager-to-please Hustle & Flow -- one recent film which understands Memphis and its music is Ira Sachs\' Forty Shades of Blue -- I passed on Black Snake Moan a few months ago. But I\'ve heard good things about the film and Ricci\'s performance. I might check it out on DVD.','de08e9b2e259420145cfb32069bd5c2d',0,'','e2gfbQnC',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11468,2055,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1182151620,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Black Snake Moan (2006 / Craig Brewer)','wow ... u gave it 5 stars! i have not watched it ... \r\ni guess i know why ... it has to be the title\r\n\r\nthe title\'s to blame!!! ... \r\nBlack Snake Moan?! ... \r\nsounds like a \"crappy\" blockbuster ... sigh ... if only they have given it more thots ...\r\n\r\nmaybe, just maybe i would watch it ... can i ask for a refund if i dont like it ... ha ha ha','67f64303d34fdfee78e5a72669ca07d0',0,'','HGZj3qJv',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11469,2056,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1169557080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarn','Well good lord is all I can say. It is clear from the start that Cuaron is putting us in his own world, a place far removed from anything we may be familiar with or have seen before. Taking a reversed stance from nearly every science fiction film set in the future before, Cuaron reverses the problem plaguing mankind. Birth control isn\'t an option, there seems to be no shortage of resources, but oh lord the world has certainly turned to @#%$ because there are no babies being born. In one brief scene we hear about the strange phenomenon starting, but there is no real explanation for the world\'s infertility, and that\'s fine with me.\r\n\r\nCuaron has made some interesting pictures over the years, bouncing back and forth between north and south of the US border. Children of Men takes him off to England, and a London that looks like it never rebuilt itself after WWII. The refugee camps, called fugees here as one of the numerous references to music, are indecipherable from the military ghettos that the nazis horded Jews in during that war. Nearly all the refugees we see are partially crazy, muttering to themselves and walking around hysterical all the time. It is no doubt because of the traumatizing effect of being captured. Working so hard to make it London, and when rounded up, they are randomly beaten, literally thrown in cages, and no intention of ever actually deporting them happens. The government would rather just put them in a ghetto under lock and key and guard them like prisoners.\r\n\r\nClive Owen\'s somewhat detached manner makes him channel his inner Bogart. His Theo is every bit the sentimentalist former idealistic freedom fighter Bogart\'s Rick Blaine was in Casablanca. A man with a few loyal friends, who may say he\'s doing something for the money, but when back in the fight he quickly remembers what made him such a revolutionary in his younger years. This is brought back slightly when encountering his former lover Julian (Julianne Moore), who parted ways after the death of their child. Cuaron pulls a Hitchcock trick ala Psycho on us 20 minutes into the film, but it isn\'t even this that makes Theo accept his responsibility. It isn\'t until he discovers the plans of this organization that he resumes his heroic past, but for a much more noble cause.\r\n\r\nThe entire film was shot hand held, even the short shots. Much of the film enfolds in long takes, and towards the end, Cuaron and his camera men pull off what can arguably called the most impressive single take I have ever seen. I can\'t quite describe it, but it goes on and on, and takes us through several parts of the ghetto, and in true guerilla fashion, even some blood spurts onto the camera lense. Whereas many modern films may begin with a attention grabbing take (and this film had a pretty good one at that), this shot is saved for the climax and good lord its amazing. Cuaron has been making tremendous roads as a filmmaker, but nothing he has done before even hinted at the magnitude of this film. He has achieved something completely extraordinary and unique here. Quite possibly the film of the year.\r\n\r\nGrade A','06378f3abcddc5d7bc54c7393d2de379',0,'','6AyTdh8s',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11470,2056,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1169558880,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarn','Glad to hear you had the same thoughts. I ranked it as my favourite of the year as well. I loved the air of resignation throughout the film, even with the shock treatments. From the beginning\'s \'shock\', to the middle\'s \'shock\' to the end\'s less shocking but no more downbeat ending, with just a glimmer of hope. Although it has to be said, I think there were some silent edits to the single takes, but no less impressive as they unfolded.\r\n\r\nI\'m in a rush right now, would love to talk more about it when time permits.','13834c8785e7d89c9e229320adf32e8e',0,'','aQvJZd4e',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11471,2056,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1169593260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarn','Well considering I watched this right after Pan\'s Labyrinth, that was a film that drew attention to the editing, and it got to a point where everytime the camera panned across a tree, I expected a cut on the other side. This film is like The Road Warrior mixed with Battle of Algiers, which does nothing to describe it.','64c1d6741a855e5ae3a27bfedec1c1a1',0,'','9HMNDipC',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11472,2056,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1174005420,1,0,1,1,1,1,'peppajaa','Re: Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarn','Regarding the comment about the hand held camera work on this film. . . . . at least the individuals holding the cameras had the good sense not to jerk the cameras all over the place as they did in Babel and drive me out of the theater with nausea. I guess some directors and cinematographers think it is trendy and cool to put that bit of realism in a film, but I\'m thankful to those filming Children of Men that they considered the affect on the audience. Urgency, etc. may be achieved on film without making the audience ill.\r\n\r\nPeppa','ed0d25c32f8c4ed3f673d8a0e32ca5b9',0,'','DYykCxdo',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11473,2056,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1174011420,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarn','I\'m going to have to disagree with the comments regarding Babel. While Children of Men is a great technical achievement, no doubt about it, I believe in its own way, so is the Irritu film (it won the Technical Grand Prize at Cannes last year and has received various other mentions in formal categories). I plan on watching the film again next week (it\'s still playing in theaters here even though the DVD came out about a month ago), but compared to his earlier efforts, especially Amores Perros, I didn\'t think that the camerawork drew as much attention to itself.','9e61e5151ed3f0bd18d7a642ada03430',0,'','yECQNWlp',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11474,2056,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1174012080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarn','I don\'t think the camerawork in Babel was as noticeable as Children of Men, but that doesn\'t make it better. Cuaron\'s film will most likely come within my top three of last year, Babel won\'t even make my list.','f6e189af78e1863a5aa26ddc2f95cf67',0,'','HyJ3ex4D',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11475,2056,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1174027560,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarn','Well, that\'s wonderful to know, but I was responding to an earlier comment about camera being \"jerked around,\" and wasn\'t comparing it to Chidren in regards to the value of steadiness.','e3490233ff06dc1f65190415c9c49483',0,'','2utJfx3K',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11476,2056,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1174029720,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarn','Sorry to get off topic, damn if these bastards would ever return DVD\'s to facets I\'d be able to make my list for last year.','70cd15d7d578077797763bec89330163',0,'','GLXJfxnW',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11477,2056,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1174099200,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarn','I resubscribed to Netflix a couple of months ago to catch up with the new releases. A Facets membership is tempting but the shipping charges are relatively high, especially for video tapes.','71fb4c40df7f984bcc5cede105c0392b',0,'','pdbuUzvo',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11478,2056,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1174101060,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarn','Facets is very select with import DVD\'s. They have a few but not enough to really get excited. I found out there is a UK release of Sons and Lovers as well as Way of the Stars, but neither are available here.','45644f956389e3954a8487d407870f0a',0,'','QkRgXYJA',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11479,2056,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1175707740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarn','Personally I thought both Children of Men and Babel were excellent films, I could find fault with both but they were far superior to the majority of mainstream releases. Both used the sense of paranoia that is all too pervasive at present, Children of Men certainly hit the spot as regards the general attitude towards immigrants in the UK, not that far from reality either with plenty of talk of internment camps and fears of an East European invasion. \r\n\r\nStaying off topic though, wpqx, I couldn\'t find anything on Way of the Stars, could you elaborate, is there another title etc.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','5020356b35735a7e889fa43083f8d9cf',0,'','UxM3WL6b',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11480,2056,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1175722380,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarn','My mistake its called The Way to the Stars, and was also known as Johnny in the Clouds. Anthony Asquith directed it in 1945.','b3df8cff72ca13c1069db3b993dd5f35',0,'','Kqyok4ip',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11481,2056,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1175752500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'bamboomedia1','Re: Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarn','I thought this film was great! I mean I was on the edge of my seat throughout because it was very tense. The camera work was incredible and watching the special features I saw that they implemented new technologies that pushed the film industry forward. They totally invented/constructed new equipment to shoot the shots they did. As much as I loved Pans I really thought this movie should have won best cinematography. I really liked Babel but I thought it was the weakest of the three that he directed. If you look at my thoughts in a previous post I was almost bored throughout. That was not the case with this film.','59086796ef535bad18ffcf6dee22c7b9',0,'','X4wPi8NV',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11482,2056,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1175769720,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarn','For once a dvd distributor is doing the right thing.\r\n\r\nAlfonso Cuarn was none too pleased to find that the (I assume) UK release had very little in the way of extras, he encouraged Universal to issue a new edition just weeks after the initial dvd release.\r\n\r\nThe good news is that anyone who bought the original release can get the new improved version for the price of postage. Now how often does that happen?\r\n\r\nI\'m very happy as I picked up my copy for a paltry 3 GBP and will be sending it off asap. \r\n\r\nNew extras include:\r\n\r\nDeleted scenes,\r\nSeveral featurettes,\r\nThe Future of Hope, a series of discussions on the future of humanity.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','4c0c35b4b650281dc412800b12d8e8e4',0,'','1jYgQlmo',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11483,2056,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1175774940,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarn','How abt the US version?\r\nIs that a better or worse version?','ab6cfbce918ac2a406379e8d435d7ee4',0,'','tD7843VG',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11484,2056,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1175861340,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarn','From what I can see the US had a decent release first time round, looks like the external markets are treated with a couldn\'t give a toss attitude by some of the bigger companies. A big thank you then to Alfonso Cuarn, a director who obviously does give a damn.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','19b5c6bf9e8abdb56c2e0d987c4c46ca',0,'','x5sfGtL1',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11485,2056,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1182150720,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarn','I\'ve finally watched this too','f3e96829dfcdf88c7bf218235f2640e2',0,'','Rz1sdkuw',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11486,2057,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181913600,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Jesus Camp (2006)','Review:\r\n\r\nJesus Camp has its own crossfire to bear. Perhaps the biggest burden that its filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady are forced by their detractors to overcome are the accusations of being part of an uber-leftist, anti-religious agenda. Its an individualistic venture to be sure but one with a philosophy undertaken that maintains the filmmakers subjectivity (even as it purports objectivity) and in its most distilled state, a continued articulation of the waging culture war in Middle America. With Jesus Camp, it seems like at least one side now has an upper hand. \r\n\r\nWithin Ewing and Gradys apparently unrushed observations lies a construct of a horror film, set in the unassuming heartlands of the country. The heightened tension eked out of its creepy ambience and exaggerated scores ultimately threatens to invalidate its composite, as if trusting the inherent verities of its expansive subject would be insufficient. But to its documentarians credit, the horror story that theyve attempted to craft ends up being quite chilling in spite of its discernable engineering. The real brunt of its repulsion comes from the understanding the human capacity for zealotry and the lines that are being crossed.\r\n\r\nPolitics becomes part and parcel of the belief system that the Pentecostal Pastor Becky Fischer preaches at her \"Kids on Fire\" camp in North Dakota. Awkward prayer sessions extolling the staples of the harshest right wing conservatism becomes a facet of the Bush syndrome flowing through the congregation. Fischers candidness in front of the camera reveals a woman who was brought up on the very system she vehemently advocates, fueling a legacy being passed on to her charges. Theres no sense of her being anything other than what she presents herself to be and what she believes to be true. Then again, the filmmakers do show politics rearing its ugly, disingenuous head in the form of New Life Churchs influential founder, Ted Haggard whose smugness in this film was worn down considerably when a scandal broke just weeks after the films release of his trysts with a young, male prostitute. Its an apt precursor to know that his smarmy, distrustful faade during his interview hid the hypocrisies that realistically thrive in organisations.\r\n\r\nThe silent juxtaposition of the varying degrees of radicalism is the films strongest intrigue. Routinely comparing the fanaticism involved in Jihads and the veritable boot camps preparation of its young uns, Fischer adds to the militaristic inclination of her fervour and readies kids who are as committed to the cause of Jesus Christ as the young people are to the cause of Islam and that shed like to see them laying down their lives for the gospel\". For all the polemicising rhetoric against the enemy and the constant threats from terrorists, to Fischer and her brethren, the biggest menace remains the unbelievers in their very own nation seen when a large part of her sermons are spent on persecuting pop culture and skewing the natural inclinations of her young contingent to the most literal passages of the bible. The three preteens featured in the film maintain an innocence that becomes all the more sympathetic when we sense the disconnect between their childhood and their parents ideologies.\r\n\r\nDespite deriding the war of cultures being waged by the fundamentalists, this documentary becomes a part of that very war and slings its own weight around when it enlists the harshly sweeping anti-fundamentalist views of Christian Air America radio host Mike Papantonio as a foil, even with its previous interviewees damning themselves to the audience (vis--vis the documentarys tone of encroaching terror) and giving enough ammunition to the converted, suggesting that the film is not entirely as evenhanded as it proposes to be.','bc52fc7c45836b80c734eaf2e7b88584',0,'','SVBEcAUm',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11487,2058,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1165268580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','United 93','UNITED 93\r\n\r\nDirected by Paul Greenglass (2006)\r\n\r\nLittle is known about what actually occurred in the waning moments of United Flight 93 on the morning of September 11, 2001. All we have is the mute cockpit voice recorder and the recollection of families based on cell phone messages received from passengers before the hijacked plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pa. with no survivors. We also have the speculative recreation of director Paul Greenglass (Bloody Sunday) in his powerful film, United 93. Shot by Barry Ackroyd using a hand-held camera that makes you feel part of the action, (not recommended for viewers with a tendency to motion sickness), the film dramatizes the efforts of some passengers to free the plane from their captors whom they believed to be dedicated to carrying out a suicide mission, presumably in Washington, D.C. \r\n\r\nUsing more than 100 interviews with families, friends, and civilian and military officials, director Paul Greenglass shows us what might have happened to the 40 passengers and crew of the ill-fated plane. Striving for a documentary-like reality, Greenglass uses unknown actors and key civilian and military personnel to play themselves, including Ben Sliney who was in charge of the FAA command center. The film, however, does not hesitate to utilize conjecture such as a terrorist placing a picture of the Capitol building on the cockpit steering wheel or details of a final heroic assault on the cockpit. \r\n\r\nUnited 93 begins in chaos and ends in flames. From the barely audible entreaties of the hijackers that open the film to the final prayers of the passengers and crew, the film revisits the fear and confusion of that day. Shifting between the passengers and crew as they prepare the plane for takeoff and air traffic control centers and FAA headquarters in Virginia, we watch helplessly as the nightmare unfolds before befuddled air traffic controllers and military personnel. Without belaboring the point, the director makes it clear that the lack of communications between key sectors and the unavailability of the President and Vice-President contributed to the disaster. Unlike Michael Moore\'s Fahrenheit 911, however, there is no explanation of the fact that the Air Force requests orders from President George W. Bush but receives none. \r\n\r\nExcruciatingly slow to move, when the leader Ziad Jarrah (Kahlid Abdalla) decides the time is right to take over the plane, we brace ourselves for what is to come, knowing there can be only one result and the last fifteen minutes are extremely harrowing, to say the least. While, to his credit, Greenglass does not add extraneous human interest dramas, political commentary, or overt demonizing of the Islamic hijackers, the decision to avoid character arcs is both a benefit and a detriment. While it avoids reducing the action to the level of a TV movie of the week, it also deprives us of any knowledge of the individuals involved, knowledge that might help us care more about what is happening. \r\n\r\nUnited 93 does not bring closure to the tragedy or put it in perspective relative to subsequent events but only succeeds in rekindling our anger toward Islamic militants and, perhaps inadvertently, supports the Bush agenda. The result is a powerful experience but one that is strangely devoid of humanity and left me feeling drained and depressed with little space for quiet reflection or contemplation. \r\n\r\nGRADE: B','6cc093acf956441e44d727fb569b2a7f',0,'','9l5TzPGH',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11488,2058,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181828040,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: United 93','I\'ve read some discussions on imdb about the film, and although I initially wasn\'t interested in watching a film that dramatizes the 9/11 events (Michael Moore\'s Fahrenheit 9/11 was disappointing to say the least, and Spike Lee\'s 25th Hour says it all for me), after following the discussion and reading some interesting reviews (e.g. Film Comment) I changed my mind. \r\n\r\nThe interesting thing about differing opinions on this film is that one side seems to see it \"devoid of humanity\" (as you put it) and lacking an honest emotional impact, while the other side claims it is the best account of these events so far, and an incredibly moving experience.\r\n\r\nI believe wpqx is an advocate of the film, so it would be interesting to read his opinion.','c5475044eef4afd73af53dedf3363295',0,'','tJZjwrfV',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11489,2058,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181833500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: United 93','I didn\'t take to the film, even to the extent of disliking it on a major scale because I saw this a banal, pedantic little docudrama that tries ever so subversively to lionise its victims and by that very action, invalidates its entire premise for existing.','28406576744fd1d5713f0b997bba5f23',0,'','FUPmy18Y',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11490,2058,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181859540,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: United 93','I thought I posted something way back when I saw it. I certainly was moved by the film, and thought it was very effective, but the subject is still too touchy for people to deal with directly.','7fbca764375565a998a2b0ddd01774da',0,'','K7s3geyM',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11491,2059,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164739020,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Quinceanera (2006)','Courtesy of MovieXclusive.com\r\n\r\nReview:\r\n\r\nQuinceanera has an understandably broad appeal in its keenly observant and unassuming exploration of a Mexican American family and the extending community. And that proved to be the case when it seized both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury prizes at Sundance, a feat unheard of in these times of divided opinions. It gladly wears its optimism and giddy exuberance on its sleeves when it introduces us to the innocent charms of its ingnue, Magdalena (Emily Rios) during a zestful celebration, a rite of passage for young women called a quinceanera. But will Magdalenas own quinceanera be as joyful?\r\n\r\nWhen the threat of an extra mouth to feed comes looming over her familys celebratory mood, the shamefaced Magdalena finds herself exiled to her great-uncles rented apartment in a building owned by a duo of gay white yuppies eager to cash in on the burgeoning property market. She finds herself sharing a common but uneasy bond with Carlos (Jesse Garcia), another family member ousted because of his sexual preference. \r\n\r\nThe writer-directors in Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland do not condemn the conservatism of the immigrant Latino community. Their social commentary is primarily concerned with the ones that are forgotten, misplaced in the functioning societys own religious principles and way of life. Astutely crafting a smooth flow and a nicely paced narrative, it has an astonishing amount of detail and observations in its compact and decidedly simple story of outcasts in the countrys minority neighborhoods. Transcending its clichd scenarios, it manages to convey a sense of longing in the pariahs while they huddle together in a small apartment with problems that can only be sorted by them. Staying clear of odious stereotypes about gangland lifestyles and contrivances about inhabitants of the barrios, it finds an able and authentic footing in its environment that effuses a rare amount of sincerity. In its packed house of flawed but relatable characters, each of them is made real by distinctive and natural performances.\r\n\r\nIt sympathises with them, it agonises with them and it also offers these roommates something to live for. Never pitying them, theres an upbeat sense of self-preservation amidst changing social orders in familial ties and the ruthless financially driven gentrification of life-long neighbourhoods. Striking a nerve with a limpid view of the populations inner demons and better angels, it doesnt slyly attempt to condescend or amplify struggles of class alienation and economic disparities between the races. And it even seems coy in parallelising the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary with Magdalenas own self-justification of her guilt.\r\n\r\nNot without its necessary evils, the openly gay directorial team almost seem like apologists for their race amidst their respect and affection for the Latino community and culture. This puts a slant on the gay white couple that finds their presence fueling tensions within the makeshift clan of misfits. Lascivious and predatory in their sexual practices, it comes across as a scathing scrutiny against the trend of accessorising young, attractive minorities. Despite the stronger than expected sexual dialogue, its inherently heartwarming and free of the pretensions that plague similarly themed films. \r\n\r\n4/5','9ec582321c7a8acbccc7b8f5d563c5e6',0,'','CghvN43V',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11492,2059,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181825580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Quinceanera (2006)','Wasn\'t interested in the film before reading your review, as what I had heard had led to me to believe this is yet another contrived hollywood soap-opera about minorities which also wants to see itself as a socially conscious and politically relevant film - a combination I usually despise, and something that even bothers me in more ambitious ventures like Paul Haggis\' Crash (2004). \r\nBut you make it sound entertaining and self-conscious, so maybe I\'ll give it a try if I come upon it. At least I won\'t forgo it anymore and unconsciously disregard it as trite.','ef0690d31d708995c9db45aae15becb4',0,'','qLdEjAR6',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11493,2059,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181833740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: Quinceanera (2006)','It certainly isn\'t heavyhanded at all like Crash and like other minority faux-caring films coming out the bellend of the politicised Hollywood machines.\r\n\r\nReminescent of David Gordon Green\'s artless approach to the lifes of listless youths, it approaches them with realness of character and keeps the colourful traditions of their cultures in the background that pretty much acts as a foil to their own identities. It never romanticises them, but it almost mourns their existence in an environment that they aren\'t suited for.','fe7d1b346210569df71c3a6f5dcd597e',0,'','gDyQ8NRp',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11494,2060,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147889400,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','The Da Vinci Code (2006)','\r\n\r\nDirector: Ron Howard\r\nCast: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Jean Reno, Ian McKellen, Paul Bettany\r\n\r\nThe official website\r\nsee\r\nhttp://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thedavincicode/\r\n\r\nMy thoughts ...\r\n\r\n-- Well, i guess i may be one of the rare few who choose to watch the film before reading the book (ALTHOUGH i have bought the book when it was first launched in US, and way before all the media hype and controversy) ... The reason is: Initially, I was so busy that I had no time to read it ... and finally, when I had the time, I heard that it was going to be made into a film ... because I wish to evaluate the film as it is and not try to compare the two media, I procrastinated reading till after watching the film ...\r\n\r\n-- And guess what\'s my verdict ... \r\n\r\n(i) I feel that the film is watchable as a commercial film (i.e., not as horrible as some critics pen it), BUT I have to qualify that I am NOT blown away by it at all ... it is just another typical (to slightly above average) COMMERICAL film ... the film has some moments/cinematography/choreography/art direction that really look like \"A Beautiful Mind\" (what to do: the same director) ... it also has some scenes that may need inferences or prior knowledge from reading the book (e.g., in the flashback, how Silas escaped is unclear) ...\r\n\r\n(ii) When I read the book immediately after the film, I have to admit that the book is really a PAGE TURNER ... wow ... a lot of humor and interesting discussion have been lost in the film ... (unfortunately, in the film, only Leigh came across as humorous) ... also, a lot of thoughts/motivation have been lost in the film (but that is understandable because thoughts/motivation are hard to capture)\r\n\r\n(iii) While I do not mind 2.5 hrs of screen time (cos I am used to it), I thought the screenplay could be vastly improved ... although it was kind of faithful to the \"overall\" plot, there are some scenes that are kind of slow/draggy (could be edited out); instead, the script writer could have added in some portions of the book which have been omitted, to make it more compelling ...\r\n\r\n-- In terms of casting ... wow ... Ian McKellen (Leigh) and Paul Bettany (Silas) stole the show ... the two leads (while being credible actors in OTHER films) did not actually shine nor have much chemistry ... sigh ... in fact, when I first heard that Tom Hanks was cast as Robert, I did tell some of my US friends that I would rather have \"unknowns\" (even though Tom Hanks is well liked by many, cf. Julia Roberts). I told them that a less known actor might make it easier for him to \"jump out\" of any preconceived mindset ... in sum, just go watch for the performance of Leigh and Silas ...\r\n\r\nConclusion\r\n-- Can watch (as a commercial film), but could be much better ... the performance by Ian McKellen and Paul Bettany is great ... if you think you like the film, I have to admit that the book is MUCH better ...','8c22ee749149172a69c6ee4f7c4ff274',0,'','0QCxUzvH',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11495,2060,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1148025960,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Anasazie','Re: The Da Vinci Code (2006)','Uh oh..... here we go!\r\n\r\nWhy fuel the money making machine further?','fd22a70bb2d387c84702b638c9ee1075',0,'','fgW7UwRb',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11496,2060,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164665760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','Re: The Da Vinci Code (2006)','THE DA VINCI CODE \r\n\r\nDirected by Ron Howard (2006)\r\n\r\nRon Howards The Da Vinci Code postulates that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were husband and wife and that Mary gave birth to a daughter named Sara who married into the bloodline of the Merovingian kings in early France. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Dan Brown, the film tackles a great theme, the early history of Christianity, but does not rise to the occasion. The direction is flat and the story is complicated rather than complex. Yet, notwithstanding the knee-jerk reaction of some critics who become apoplectic at the introduction of any ideas outside of their orthodox straitjackets, it is an entertaining and stimulating film that may cause people to think about the role of women in the Church or ponder the veracity of 2000 years of Christian orthodoxy. \r\n\r\nThe Da Vinci Code starts with a murder and a mystery. A curator of the Louvre, Jacques Sauniere (Jean-Pierre Marielle), is found murdered and Police investigator Bezu Fache (Jean Reno) thinks that Symbology Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is the killer since he was mentioned by Saueniere in a dying message. Langdon is summoned to the crime scene to aid in analyzing symbols painted in blood on the deceased along with cryptic codes left near the body but soon discovers that he is the main suspect in the murder. Together with Saunieres granddaughter, cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tatou), he tries to decipher the clues and solve the crime while on the run from the police. She thinks that her grandfather asked for Langdon in order to protect a secret that threatens the entire raison d\'tre of the Catholic Church.\r\n\r\nThe two suspect that Sauniere was killed because he was a member of The Priory of Sion, a super secret society which is sworn to protect the knowledge of the Holy Grail. The Priory naturally is opposed not only by the Church but by an extremist sect called Opus Dei, personified in the film by Silas (Paul Bettany), a self-flagellating albino monk who together with the French police, hunts the fleeing couple. The skeptical Langdon and Neveu enlist the aid of eccentric Grail researcher Sir Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellen) to help in their quest. He tells them of his belief that Leonardo Da Vinci hid clues and codes in his artwork describing how to find the Sangreal, the Priorys documented record of their history, and, ultimately, the Grail itself. \r\n\r\nThe true Holy Grail, according to Teabing, is not the chalice shared at the Last Supper but the missing sarcophagus of Mary Magdalene who fostered the royal bloodline. After many chases and power plays, the two escape to London where they visit the Temple church, founded by the Knights templar in 1185, and Westminster Abbey where they explore the tomb of Priory member, Sir Isaac Newton. Tom Hanks does his usual fine if not spectacular job as the thoughtful private investigator and Audrey Tatou is a pleasant presence throughout. While neither role offers the actors many opportunities to showcase their dramatic talent, the performances are neither dull nor lacking in energy as some have claimed. \r\n\r\nI particularly welcome the exposure the film gives to the denigration of women by the Catholic Church and the role of Mary Magdalene in church history. While The Da Vinci Code never reaches its full potential as a compelling work of art, it is solid entertainment that creates awareness of the differences within the early church and may spur people to read apocryphal writings such as the Gnostic Gospels and The Gospel of Thomas. Of course, the theory, first expounded in the book Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, is out of the mainstream, yet, it is not as preposterous as Roger Ebert has claimed. Given the paucity of historical records referring to a historical Jesus and the passing of two thousand years, it is no more implausible than many other theological notions, widely accepted as the unvarnished truth.\r\n\r\nGRADE: B','219d016a0ab7eaa659a2a01c855a2f8c',0,'','DMB9lZc5',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11497,2060,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181824740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: The Da Vinci Code (2006)','Interesting to read a cautiously positive view of the film. As this was such a big-budget extravaganza, and unarguably a planned blockbuster, there weren\'t many voices not complaining about its shallowness. And having Ron Howard helm a picture isn\'t always a good idea. \r\nBut you and hengcs seem to think it\'s good entertainment and that it even raises some interesting questions - which is actually quite something for a mainstream studio product','236f07f5fbb2872f30cba7a5ec574248',0,'','w3qCXyP1',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11498,2061,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181699160,1,0,1,1,1,1,'peppajaa','Waitress (2006)','Waitress is a film that is almost impossible not to love. It is such an obvious labor of love for all involved and brings out some of the best work of many of those involved. And unlike many \"labor of love\" films, this one is actually both highly entertaining and easily accessible. From start to finish, it is a heart moving and amusing film with many quirks and magnificent originality. While it is a romantic comedy, it is not a \"Hollywood\" romantic comedy in that the film rarely -- if ever -- goes where you expect it to go.\r\n\r\nThe story follows a young waitress (played by Keri Russell) who is married to a full-time loser (Jeremy Sisto) with a mean spirit. She finds out she is pregnant which ultimately puts her on a collision course with the new doctor in town (Nathan Fillion) whom she falls into a passionate love affair with. The film follows this waitress as she tries to sort out her own problematic relationship with her husband, understand what her heart is telling her about her affair, all the while dealing with her everyday life with her fellow waitress friends (Adrienne Shelly and Cheryl Hines) and a grumpy old customer (Andy Griffith) who happens to own the restaurant where she works.\r\n\r\nEvery character in this film is memorable for one reason or another, including several minor character such as the short-order cook of the restaurant, and even a mother and her young, obnoxious son who frequent the restaurant and strike fear into the pregnant protagonist. Andy Griffith in particular grabs the audience\'s attention and makes his role a true standout.\r\n\r\nFor the first 30 minutes or so of the film I couldn\'t stop laughing it was so delightful, then it took a turn and started to get a little dark. Later, I realized that the transitions from comedy to serious and back again were very smooth. I liked the quirky, almost fantasy-like feel to parts of the film. \r\n\r\nAdrienne Shelly who acted in, wrote and directed the film (as well as co-set designed, co- costume designed and even provided one of the songs for the film) has left one perfect little film here. It is such a tragedy that she did not live to see this film\'s release as it certainly would have given her the success she so richly deserved. \r\n\r\nPeppa','a9d785bc0cab2786ae1f7eb047452c90',0,'','QmxtfKj3',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11499,2061,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181711580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Waitress (2006)','Nice review, peppajaa. I haven\'t watched the film yet, but I certainly plan on doing so in the near future.','f2554a80d9abfb6ac58f8ac339d75839',0,'','siFmQrCz',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11500,2062,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1161139740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','The Fountain by Aronofsky','Seen at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF)\r\nTHE FOUNTAIN \r\n\r\nDirected by Darren Aronofsky (2006)\r\n\r\nDeath is a creative act and, as part of the process of rebirth, it is to be embraced, not feared. This is the message of The Fountain, a dazzling visual extravaganza that spans thousands of years in the relationship between Thomas (Hugh Jackman) and his dying wife Izzy (Rachel Weisz). According to the director, Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem For a dream), it is a love story is about a man whose wife is dying. While trying to save her life, he stumbles upon the fountain of youth and \"has to decide how that affects his own life and his own death.\" The film is about love and human emotion, but does not shrink from confronting the big questions - the nature of death, the search for enlightenment, and whether our true essence is human or divine. It has an epic feeling, a 2001 for the 21st century.\r\n\r\nThe story takes place in three overlapping time frames. It begins in 16th century Spain where Tomas is a conquistador who is serving Queen Isabella. She is being threatened by the Inquisition for her belief that the Tree of Life has been found in New Spain and is being guarded by the Mayans. She sends Tomas to find the tree, promising to be his wife if he succeeds in finding the tree whose sap brings eternal life. Tommy Creo is also a present day research doctor who is experimenting on a monkey, using the bark of a South American tree to desperately try to find a cure for his wife\'s brain tumor. In the third sequence, Tom is a 25th century astronaut grieving over the death of his wife. \r\n\r\nHe is traveling in a space bubble as he transports the dying Tree of Life to a distant galaxy that the Mayans identified as the home of the dead awaiting reincarnation. While the film is compelling on many different levels, its heart is the intimate relationship between husband and dying wife and both Jackman and Weisz turn in very strong performances as the film shifts seamlessly between time periods. Put on the backburner four years ago after Brad Pitt pulled out, The Fountain is a hypnotic work of imagination and creativity that cannot really be described. It must be experienced and reflected upon and its ultimate message will be different for each viewer. For me, it is simple - life is forever, love is forever.\r\n\r\nGRADE: A','d6489c8642bff7dee3ee56f4a40c39a0',0,'','UcGEziMr',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11501,2062,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1161145680,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: The Fountain by Aronofsky','Wow, this sounds like a totally gorgeous movie experience. \r\nArronofsky is simo one of the most talented american directors working, and it is too bad it took him so long to make his next film. I guess I would have still loved to see his version of \"Batman Begins\", but this one sounds so much better. My favorite topic - love. I\'m a sucker for these kind of philosophical melodramas. \r\n\r\nYou seem to be going through my \"most awaited\" list Howard. I wonder which film you\'ll see next.','feb77d5e7c80fb3968320327947da317',0,'','AUgHXLpB',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11502,2062,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164668880,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','Re: The Fountain by Aronofsky','Have you had a chance to see it as yet?','8a26fc4e516ae1407d28cc78e9caf5b9',0,'','nsXzbH5d',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11503,2062,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164833220,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: The Fountain by Aronofsky','Nope, but I\'m glad to see that it has found a distributor here in Germany and will be released into theaters in January. \r\nGive me two months, and I might be able to write something about it.','89c5e4c409604caaa27549ed789be16f',0,'','MBsjuGlz',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11504,2062,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1165031820,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: The Fountain by Aronofsky','Well I saw it, and unlike the reaction Howard had, I found it an uncompelling mess. Its as if the story was so thin, weak, and short that Aronofsky had to create that nonsense floating in a bubble (how you gathered he was an astronaut is completely beyond me), and all those scenes repeating, just seemed to make the film longer. I tried to get it, and enjoy it, being so fond of Aronofsky\'s last film, but this film is a mess. Its not weird for the sake of being weird its weird for the sake of trying to hide a bad film. Jackman hands in a strong performance for sure, but its unfortunately wasted on a sloppy film that I found no connection to.','a46c8fc564edff7a0339d387b3cc7448',0,'','TUwyC1jA',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11505,2062,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1172491560,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: The Fountain by Aronofsky','I will try to catch this ... \r\nnow showing in Singapore','8ef5e0ea5a24c9e29029eb04076ca88a',0,'','S0BMiag2',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11506,2062,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1173074220,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: The Fountain by Aronofsky','I didnt know to watch or not initially, because there were some who claimed it was too slow for comfort ... some even claimed it to be boring ...\r\n\r\nBut finally, I did watch ... because a source claimed that it was the Top 10 films from US for 2006 ...\r\n\r\nMy verdict ... while the beginning was not very captivating, I thought the ending was VERY visually stunning ... wow ... and the music was captivating too ... another wow ...\r\n\r\nThere were some \"religious influence\" (even in terms of choreography/filming) near the end (at least I thought) ... but how could you not, esp given that it is such a philosophical and rather CRYPTIC film ...\r\ne.g., \r\n(i) ... very humbly, I thought the \"pose\" Hugh Jackman had in the bubble seemed to have some influence from images of \"Buddha\" and \"Buddhism\", simply look at the way he crossed his legs and more imptly, how his fingers are laid ... \r\n(ii) ... yet, I also thought the director \"borrowed\" some choreography from \"images of \"resurrection\" (i.e., \"Christianity\", and/or even Beauty and the Beast The Musical) ... esp. when Hugh Jackman arched his back, and got elevated into \"space\" ...\r\n\r\nIn sum, a film worth watching for its visuals, and to some extent, its philosophical take ... as to the mainstream audience, I am not sure if they will appreciate it ...','0b6335028b8a58d60cd399b259d799b1',0,'','FQylXBG9',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11507,2062,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1181202720,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: The Fountain by Aronofsky','As long as The Fountain remained a love story first, and everything else second, I thought it worked -- and that lasted, well, just about the whole of the initial \"12 Chapters.\" It was a moving and sensuous experience (the color palette was exquisite), though not necessarily an intellectual one (and there was really no need to drag in the Mayans once again). The sharp, surprisingly comprehensible screenplay and, as wpqx has mentioned, Jackman\'s performance were also key factors. But, unfortunately, in the final chapter the film succumbed under its own pop-theological-philosophical \"weight.\" Having said that, Aronofsky\'s ambition needs to be respected. We want our filmmakers to take chances, do something out of the ordinary -- and when they do, they get clubbed over the head. That\'s not fair!','3d12b73a824f2f5242c4ec963a2a0adb',0,'','wdaPA1te',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11508,2063,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1179941760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Pirates of the Caribbean: At World\'s End (2007)','Director:Gore Verbinski\r\nCast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush\r\n\r\nConclusion\r\nOh no, I actually ache in my seat ... waiting for it to be over ... \r\nbut to be fair, there are a few nice scenes, though \"rare\" (IMHO) ...\r\n\r\ni like\r\n(i) the iceberg scenes ... wow ... rather cinematographic ...\r\n(ii) as usual, Johnny Depp and his many selves ...\r\n(iii) near the end ...\r\n* can be a major spoiler *\r\ni.e., what happens to orlando bloom ... so sad ...\r\n* end of spoiler *\r\n\r\nbut frankly, everytime we think it is ending, it does not ...\r\noh no, will it have a sequel again?!\r\n\r\nPS: IMHO, maybe spiderman and pirates should stop at 3 ... \r\ni apologize if you happen to be one of their fans ...','c689b5f46f9412a571256b755c0f4322',0,'','kT5jbls6',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11509,2063,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1179945180,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World\'s End (2007)','That was quick. I was unaware that it was already out. 3 hours in a crowded cinema with teenagers and kids doesn\'t seem like something I would like to do. Less definitely is more.','14e7069080aa5df96c8ef64d7de3fcf2',0,'','fRxBUDHL',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11510,2063,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1179987360,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World\'s End (2007)','ha ha ha\r\nbeing an old man, i need to be among the young to feel young again ...\r\n;P','293758815a4b5674746941ffefb53396',0,'','AufnTcCg',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11511,2064,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1179848700,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Infamous (2006)','Review: \r\n\r\nDivisiveness was always going to rear its disfigured head as soon as Infamous started to make the rounds a year after Philip Seymour Hoffman lifted his Oscar for Best Actor in recognition of an exceedingly swollen and mannered performance as Truman Capote in Capote. Both films centre on similar events, similar scenes and similar contrivances that led to Capotes celebrated non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood. Set in the late \'50s to mid-\'60s, this very crucial period in Capotes life has been postulated as a milestone that marked the rest of his life as a tortured artist. \r\n\r\nIf Hoffmans Capote is observed upon as a study on precise technique, then Toby Joness naturally impish, and lively performance of the man succinctly captures the disparate essences of both films. Capote being the dourer, intellectually stimulating sibling while Infamous fleets by initially with warmth and ultimately anchors itself with a frank consideration for Capotes emotional capacities and hidden vulnerabilities. Douglas McGraths Infamous explores the Faustian tones existing in Capotes final bargain in trading his soul for his greatest opus with a certain sense of gallantry missing from Capote by emphasising the despair of soulnessness rather than just leading up to what initiates its disintegration. \r\n\r\nAnd as the comparisons keep on rolling, the tonally confident Capote does include a showy bravura of supporting performances, notably from Catherine Keeners Harper Lee. Her counterpart, Sandra Bullock adds another layer to Capotes confidante by painting her with solemn weariness, a tortured writer and on a more understated level, as her closest friends keeper and peer. Daniel Craigs pre-Bond foray as the convicted murderer, Perry Smith incorporates further complexities into his poetic brute and the unlikely attachment that grows between Capote and himself. As far as fictionalised novelisation goes, Capote reserves a great deal more liberties than Infamous posits in the quiet moments between conflicted writer and the dead man walking. It all but spells out the sexual dynamics at the heart of Smiths tenderly vicious brawny presence in the tiny jail cell recounting his experiences with the diminutive and enthralled Capote. \r\n\r\nWhile both films succeed on the levels it sets out to be and both possessing rarely seen strengths, Infamous achieves something in its intrinsic sadness that Capote did not comprehend in its brooding, achingly devastating mood piece. This one builds a fuller, more personable hypothesis of Truman Capote, highlighting his flaws and weaknesses suggesting a greater significance on the person rather than on the circumstances surrounding him.','dcaba2b6cbae675e1dd74ad7129eb427',0,'','NaABMiY1',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11512,2065,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1178530380,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Bridge to Terabithia (2007)','Review: \r\n\r\nThe biggest fallacy that will plague Bridge to Terabithia is that it is just another childrens movie, from Disney no less. The second biggest fallacy would be that it will be reminiscent of The Chronicles of Narnia especially since its true strength lies in director Gabor Csupos weaving of My Girl tropes with an intelligent insight into sporadic retreats into childhood repositories of imagination and the painful realisation of burgeoning adult responsibilities. It recalls innocence found and innocence lost at that tender age when you are no longer a child and not a grown-up just yet. \r\n\r\nJust as in Csupos Rugrats movies and television series, a real knack is shown when fully developed adult matters are delicately handled in the context of a children\'s movie that never shies away from asking one or two tough questions. This obviously poses a dilemma of sorts for parents that expect reasonably light-hearted fare, which Bride to Terabithia definitely is not. So instead of an escapist romp, children and parents alike end up with something much more meaningful that could possibly offer kids more than just fanciful distraction. Addressing socioeconomic issues, faith and the certainty of familial tethers, the film approaches it with a measure of daring confidence a refreshing trait that never undermines the audiences potential to appreciate reality side by side their CGI. This is the quintessential coming of age film for children on the cusp of their teenage years. \r\n\r\nPossibly the most effective decision that ends up grounding the films flights of fancy would be the unpretentious and utterly rudimentary design of its fantasy sequences that are so restraint that it refuses to distract from the pertinent issues. It trenches the story in realism and becomes a clever reflexive tool when audiences are forced to look beneath the shimmering special effects and see its true significance of the materials amazingly sensitive portrayal of young psyches. \r\n\r\nAnchored around the introverted Jess (Josh Hutcherson) and the sprightly new girl in school, Leslie (AnnaSophia Robb), the story introduces them as unlikely friends that grow to need each other as time goes on. An interesting dynamic that yields numerous nuances is that Jess is the only boy in a big family of sisters. His loneliness and isolation is attributed to circumstances at home causing it to be rather ironic or perhaps even natural, that his best friend turned out to be a girl. \r\n\r\nBridge to Terabithia is a distinct novelty in the realm of childrens films that usually begin by applying artifice first before attempting to fit in the essentials of youth and heartfelt aspects of real life. It actually cares about the ideals that it endeavours to inculcate and becomes a triumphant testament to the truths we have faced that made us who we are. This film extols a whole different kind of magic than youd expect.','837263bbde53105fe1b16a58be921826',0,'','NQDKLVt7',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11513,2065,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1178537640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Bridge to Terabithia (2007)','Thanks for your comments justindeimen, I would readily admit that from the promo material I would never have considered seeing this.\r\n\r\nToo many fantasy films under the belt, especially in recent years, Harry Potter etc, Bridge to Terabithia would have gone by the wayside as other recent ones have. I can\'t say I\'ll definitely see it, time is always an issue but if I can fit it in, I will.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','b0b64b2a95a8421334fe8662b559e1f9',0,'','rpqRtUNw',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11514,2065,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1178796720,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: Bridge to Terabithia (2007)','I think (presumptuously) it translates the ideas from the book quite well.','d9a894c94dd666e04aa6a87a429d665d',0,'','zwBKjcl6',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11515,2066,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1178188080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Micha X. Peled\'s China Blue (U.S. / 2005)','\r\n\r\nIf youre familiar with Jia Zhang-kes socio-politically conscious efforts, then you probably wont be surprised to learn that the workers in China are on the move. What might astound, however, is the fact that just in the last few years, nearly 130 million, mostly young woman, have migrated from the countrys impoverished provincial areas to its rapidly developing cities. Their goal is to take advantage of Chinas swift economic growth in the global market, which has produced a variety of employment opportunities. Thematically similar to Jias The World (2004), which delineated the lives of migrant workers as they faced numerous personal and financial hardships in their new surroundings, Micha X. Peleds insightful and penetrating documentary, China Blue, portrays another victim of the corrupt and oppressive system.\r\n\r\nAfter trekking from her small farm village in the south-central province of Sichuan, sixteen-year-old Jasmine finds work as a thread-cutter in Shaxi, a town known for its robust garment industry. Her grueling workday at the Lifeng denim factory begins early in the morning and, depending on the number of export orders, often ends around midnight. Overtime? While additional wages are promised, theyre often not delivered, and certainly not on time. Benefits? What? Through narration and hidden interviews, the film ably projects the despotic reality which strongly prohibits any independent labor organizations. Those who dare to protest the violations are sent to \"re-education camps\" without the due process of law. So its not surprising to hear Lifengs owner Guo Xi Lam -- a former police officer whos also taken a step up the ladder due to economic reforms -- describe his approach as \"laissez-faire.\" His only major worry is to meet the shipping deadlines, which calls upon the management to keep at least a few of the better workers reasonably happy. \r\n\r\nClandestinely shot over a three-year period (Lams initial cooperation was conditional), China Blue also puts the onus on the major Western corporations who apply economic pressures on the factory owners to meet their own demands (which in turn makes the situation even worse for the measly-paid workers). After all, thanks to so-called \"globalization,\" the buyers market has only strengthened: if its not Lifeng in China, then its perhaps another producer in Costa Rica or India willing to deliver the goods for even less. To Peleds credit, however, the film isnt bogged down by unnecessary rhetoric. Ample screen time is spent with Jasmine and her co-worker friend Li Ping in the dorm room they share with about a dozen others. Its remarkable to see the spirit and resolve of these young women, who in many cases happen to be the lone breadwinners. The female superhero Jasmine discusses at one point could simply be a wondrous reflection of her daily reality.\r\n\r\n_______________________\r\n\r\n*CHINA BLUE is currently in limited release in the U.S.\r\n_______________________','391dd852c30edf6b0265d0828a707ff3',0,'','S7nyRPcN',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11516,2066,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1178238000,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Micha X. Peled\'s China Blue (U.S. / 2005)','Excellent review arsaib4, glad you\'ve managed to see it, it isn\'t an easy watch considering in a way, we are all partly responsible.\r\n\r\nOnly recently it was announced that a very well known clothing manufacturer (Burberry) was relocating from Wales to China with the loss of 300 jobs, not happy with the 400% mark-up they were getting, they will now have a mark-up of 1375%.\r\n\r\nAt least thanks to China Blue, we know the working and living conditions of the workers and can make a choice accordingly. It reminded me of the work houses and factories that existed in the UK throughout most of the 19th Century.\r\n\r\nThe factory owners may bend to the Western buyers but they don\'t appear to suffer from their low manufacturing prices, it\'s the poor workers who are held as virtual slaves who take the brunt of the ultra cheap costs. A buyer from a UK company was shown haggling to get the cost as low as possible, unfortunately they didn\'t name the company but I\'d love to know who it was, simply so I could ensure I didn\'t shop there.\r\n\r\nI wish they would show this in schools and colleges to make people more aware of where many of their over-priced jeans etc come from.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','b162f6439f1f2fbfa4f907caf8f9de02',0,'','M8Ngwozh',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11517,2066,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1178246400,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Micha X. Peled\'s China Blue (U.S. / 2005)','Thanks, Trevor.\r\n\r\nIt\'s a complex situation. On one hand, whatever these people make, it\'s still much more than what they would earn from working in the fields. But, as you\'ve stated, when you consider the profits margins of these multinationals, it\'s remarkable how little goes back to the grassroots. \r\n\r\nI agree, this documentary deserves to become a part any school library system. It\'s sound enough structurally to withhold the interest of kids who decide to watch it.\r\n\r\nA couple of days ago, I decided to pay a little more attention to the label on the shirt I was wearing. \"Made in Vietnam.\" Fun!','4c6b71c8ad55d114951db62437c68421',0,'','5hDXQrBl',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11518,2067,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1177974360,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Born Into Brothels (2004)','Review: \r\n\r\nIt seems almost impossible to create such a documentary without getting personally invested into the lives of those situated in the locale of Born Into Brothels. The denizens in the Calcutta red-light district exist in a sort of socioeconomic limbo. Cast aside from the rustic charms of the Indian countryside where some live in enviable harmony with nature and others who are cloaked in the indifference of a prospering economy, the child prostitutes in Zana Briski and Ross Kauffmans Oscar winning documentary manage to subsist right in the middle of these painfully close ways of life. They are in bondage to the legacy left to them by their elders and are seemingly destined to carry forward the fatalism of their heinous occupation to their own progenies. In this respect, the gift that these particular filmmakers offer their subjects is not just the promise of exposure to their unseen plight but a very real chance to escape the cycle. \r\n\r\nBy the films end, we realise that its strongest suit is possibly its weakest as well. The duos close proximity and attachment to each child opens up a rewardingly trenchant perspective that we wouldnt have been able to get otherwise. But then again, it is this narrow and obscured view that hinders a complete spectrum of this vile practice in the countrys provinces. It is indeed as much about the filmmakers as it is about its subject and Briskis struggles with the bureaucracy and the insidious caste system that threatens to exclude her efforts to help the pubescent group of boys and girls to whom we are introduced. These children are shown to be intelligent and through interviews, we discern their underlying sense of wisdom about the world around them and the fascination with Briskis interaction is a welcome retreat from the sadness that permeates their livelihoods. \r\n\r\nA criticism can be levelled at its crew in this case when the complexities of grassroots efforts in the country remain ignored in lieu of Briskis borderline indulgent commentary about her personal sacrifices and devotion to her blossoming protgs. The situation that Briski and Kauffman find themselves in can be easily misconstrued as a self-congratulatory pat on the back for white charity that redefined the meaning of prostitution that can be understandable from a prima facie outlook. And in all honesty, the cynical thought did cross my mind as I recall its Academy Award win. But then again, given that its alternative is letting the atrocities go unwitnessed, that momentary betrayal to the spirit of the documentary is swiftly driven out. \r\n\r\nThe potential for change in the lives of the featured few is highlighted in a big way. I will not pretend to understand or chastise those who have refused the opportunity presented to them because of the unsettlingly unexplainable reason that I am here and they are there. But its effects still continue to be felt in the few children (and more crucially, the parents) who chose to accept the changes to their ingrained, hardened way of life by allowing the chains to be finally broken.','17c05d55ba5aecd0edbad9fb2730dec1',0,'','u1MwLsqi',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11519,2068,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1168893960,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','Old Joy - The Big Chill Out','OLD JOY\r\n\r\nDirected by Kelly Reichart (2006), 76 minutes\r\n\r\nTwo friends in their early thirties meet to renew their previous friendship on a camping trip in the gorgeous Cascade Mountains of Oregon. Kurt (Will Oldham) is a balding free spirit, while Mark (Daniel London) is a working man who is about to take on the responsibility of being a father. Both men seek to recreate the magic that once brought them together but their connection is now so tenuous and their worlds so divided that it seems as if there is no longer anything to hold onto, even memory. \r\n\r\nKelly Reicharts superb Old Joy is a film of rare beauty unburdened by typical male-bonding clichs, more the big chill out than The Big Chill. While it is the story of male friendship, it is not about plot or even character but a film of mood and atmosphere that tells its story with gestures, expressions, and silences punctuated by the ambient sounds of nature. On their drive through pristine countryside to the music of Yo La Tengo, Mark listens to Air America talk radio bemoaning the state of the Democratic Party and talks about how his father decided to leave his mother when he turned seventy but nothing is said about what the two shared together in the past. \r\n\r\nWhen Kurt fails to find the turnoff to the Bagby Hot Springs near Oregons Mount Hood, the two (three if you include the dog) spend the night at an abandoned campsite, prompting Kurt to remark that there are trees in the city, and garbage in the forest, so what is the difference? At the campsite, Kurt relates his experiences of recent trips to Big Sur and Ashland which he calls transcendent and life-changing and about how he took a course in physics but knew more than the professor and volunteers his theory that the universe is enclosed in a tear that is falling and has been for millennia, but Mark seems to hardly notice. \r\n\r\nHe only perks up when he receives phone calls on his cell from his pregnant wife (Tanya Smith) who had only given grudging consent to the trip, sensing that the pot smoking Kurt was not a good influence. The next day they reach the springs and enjoy a moment of peace in the hot tub but it is interrupted by Kurts telling Mark how much he misses him and how something is wrong with their relationship which Mark denies but the sense is that something has been lost forever. \r\n\r\nNothing really happens in Old Joy. There are almost no peak dramatic moments but almost every scene has subtle undertones of meaning. A sense of loss permeates the film, the loss perhaps of a time when people were connected and fighting for a cause meant human involvement rather than the distancing of todays radio talk shows or anonymous Internet message boards. When the aging hippie shares a Chinese proverb that Sorrow is nothing but worn out joy, it feels as if the film becomes a metaphor for the joy that seems to be wearing out in an age approaching its zero point. \r\n\r\nGRADE: A','aa4d24f8d49abf377e613df7303f394d',0,'','UKqGEoSD',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11520,2068,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1169182860,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Old Joy - The Big Chill Out','Great review, Howard. Films like Old Joy don\'t come around very often.','21e9d28545e657ad5cf10f7fae466af5',0,'','9dQWjUPe',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11521,2068,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1169186400,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','Re: Old Joy - The Big Chill Out','Thanks very much.','643c15699620e0ed90cd525fa72253f0',0,'','pdVRzQB7',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11522,2068,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1177430160,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Old Joy - The Big Chill Out','Fine review from Howard, I must make mention of the amazing forest scenes, so primeval and chaotically beautiful. What a treasure, just as outstanding in its own way as any of better known natural landmarks in the U.S.\r\n\r\nAs far as the relationship between the two friends is concerned, it serves as a healthy reminder as to why I don\'t attend events like school reunions. \r\n\r\nNo matter how well you once got on, life sends each of us on our own little journeys, our past shapes the person we are now and will reflect on our future choices. You can never recapture that once shared connection and will spend ages afterwards wondering what you ever saw in many of the people who were once your best friends.\r\n\r\nActually, I get the same problem with my older brother who seems to be stuck in the 1970\'s. \r\n\r\nCheers Trev.\r\n\r\nR2 dvd released by Soda Pictures.\r\n\r\nAlong with the usual trailers etc the dvd also includes the short film Slitch directed by Dianne Bellino, the only connection appears to be that Will Oldham appears in both.\r\n\r\nNeedless to add but Old Joy impressed me a lot and has become part of my dvd collection.','4d8e0e877b4f64d74734893ae2502892',0,'','rbEnYp7w',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11523,2068,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1177741380,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Old Joy - The Big Chill Out','The U.S. DVD release by Kino International is scheduled for May 1st. The full-length audio commentary provided on the disc features director Kelly Reichardt, DP Peter Sillen and filmmaker Michael Almereyda.','77afabc40852147e7ec79db7ee8d9d76',0,'','Hch0Ns52',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11524,2068,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1177752180,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Old Joy - The Big Chill Out','An audio commentary is the one extra I would have loved to seen on the U.K. release, I\'m surprised they haven\'t done one with the cast though.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','2744ca32a19cc5de3d31d93457349348',0,'','lqH2YpWn',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11525,2069,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1170108240,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','Letters From Iwo Jima','Did not see any other thread discussing this film.\r\n\r\nLETTERS FROM IWO JIMA\r\n\r\nDirected by Clint Eastwood (2006)140 minutes \r\n\r\nDuring World War II, Japanese were characterized in the media as sneaky and fanatical, almost sub-human and many had a hard time adjusting to our being allies after the war. Clint Eastwoods Letters From Iwo Jima seeks to balance the equation. Adapted from a book of letters from Japanese soldiers found on Iwo Jima, the film takes place in 1944 during the fight for the island that was deemed strategic for both sides, a fight that ended with 21,000 Japanese and 6,000 American casualties. Spoken in Japanese with English subtitles, the film, a companion piece to Flags Of Our Fathers, dramatizes the battle from the Japanese point of view. Eastwood asks us to suspend our judgments and our knowledge of Japanese atrocities in China and the Philippines and look at the bravery and nobility of Japanese soldiers fighting against insurmountable odds. \r\n\r\nThey are depicted as soldiers who loved their families but were victims of Japanese militarism, forced to adhere to the Bushido code of serving the Emperor by dying honorably rather than preserving ones life. Throughout the film, the Japanese soldiers write letters home, most of which they know will never reach their destination. The hero of the film is Commander Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe), an American trained Japanese General who was outnumbered by a ratio of five-to-one yet fought off the US invasion for over a month without air or naval support. He is portrayed as a warrior with dignity and courage who was called an American sympathizer by some officers but who only wanted to give his men a fighting chance. \r\n\r\nAssisting in the preparations for an expected American invasion, are Baron Nishi (Tsuyoshi Ihara) and Lieutenant Ito (Shido Nakamur). Ito is a fanatical warrior who wears landmines around his shoulders and vows to destroy an American tank by pretending to be a corpse. Kuribayashi, countermanding the order to build trenches on the beach to resist the invasion, orders the soldiers to build underground tunnels in the hard rocks. While knowing the battle is a lost cause because of the American advantage in technology and numbers, he hopes to inflict enough casualties on the American troops that they will lose the will to go on. \r\n\r\nWe get to know Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya), a Japanese soldier who left his job as a baker and his pregnant wife to join the military. In a flashback, Saigo learns that he is called to serve and is unwilling to leave his wife and their unborn child, but, encouraged by his neighbors, is forced to surrender to the idea of it being a privilege to fight. He stands out as a soldier who values life more than an outmoded code of honor. After a day of shoveling trenches, he writes to his wife, \"Am I digging my own grave?\" and wonders why he should die trying to kill Americans. \r\n\r\nShown in a faded color palette that is almost black and white, Letters From Iwo Jima is a beautifully executed film, though I did find it a bit overlong and the battle scenes repetitious. Additionally, the film may go a bit too far in its attempt to show fairness to both sides, idealizing Kuribayashi and Nishi and inventing an incident in which American soldiers left in charge of two Japanese soldiers who surrendered, ruthlessly shoot them to death rather than stand guard all night. Despite its flaws, however, Letters From Iwo Jima serves as a powerful reminder of our common humanity and makes clear the insanity of war and how it corrupts everyone involved.\r\n\r\nGRADE: A-','c4de4ef540da77b4c60812011b684315',0,'','ClB9g23L',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11526,2069,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1173752460,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Letters From Iwo Jima','After watching Flags of Our Fathers I wasn\'t too excited about this second installment. I found the films to be remarkably different and this film ranks alongside The Burmese Harp and Fires on the Plain as one of the best films about the Japanese in WWII. Granted this one is told from an American\'s perspective, but we quickly realize that we are seeing this via a Japanese lense. Extremely well executed, and brilliant all around, I didn\'t find the boredom that I did in Flags of Our Fathers. Perhaps one too many flashbacks involving the general, but that is forgivable. Eastwood has really come into his own, and I can only hope he steers clear of crime thrillers indefinitely, because he definitely seems to be on the right track here.','8defcc64991dfa40fc78209716a27501',0,'','JvwpqnA8',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11527,2069,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1173763260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Letters From Iwo Jima','wow, i am so glad you have a posting on this ...\r\n\r\na few of us did discuss this, but becos of time constraints, they were just a few lines (posted in THE LAST MOVIE SEEN) ... PS: we will link those \"few lines\" when located ...\r\n\r\nbut this is really great ... we shld even add the review of \"Flags of Our Father\" in this thread (if anyone is willing to write) ... hiaks hiaks ...','3e070acbc349dbe181f76bfb7142ec73',0,'','DLb5o3nq',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11528,2069,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1173799500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: Letters From Iwo Jima','I just purchased The Burmese Harp and Fires on a Plain from Criterion. I did not like Letters from Iwo Jima, but hopefully I\'ll prefer the formers.','80470a8281b9e36ea3aac80b1180c1db',0,'','NLDxBYEu',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11529,2069,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1176845100,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Letters From Iwo Jima','Just back from Letters From Iwo Jima, enjoyed it but I still left the theatre with the impression of seeing a Hollywood film which was a little dissapointing. \r\n\r\nThe constant crossing of paths between Kuribayashi and Saigo just felt too manufactured but at least the film has shown a human side to the Japanese troops rather than the one dimensional banzai sreaming suicidal image usually depicted in American films covering this era and theatre of war. \r\n\r\nI\'m also glad that it didn\'t descend into a tear-jerking melodrama as Taegukgi turned out to be.\r\n\r\nI must say it\'s the best I\'ve seen from Clint Eastwood as a director and the scenes of the aerial bombing and naval barrages were truly traumatising. \r\n\r\nI\'ll catch Flags of our Fathers on its imminent dvd release. \r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','b0e8c56c7c80c881975641fa88989130',0,'','fVwGtJhK',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11530,2070,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1150336020,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','A Prairie Home Companion (2006) - Robert Altman','Well to say Robert Altman is back and in top form seems like a phrase rehashed every five years or so. After the out of touch The Company, Altman goes back a little ways into a territory he seems very familiar with. The subject is old time country music, its cast is large and familiar, and everyone does some singing. There is a random, spontaneous feel to the film that was horribly lost in the Company. On the other hand it isn\'t as meticulous or contrived as Gosford Park. This recalls the freer, more carefree Altman of Cookie\'s Fortune. Everything about this film seems familiar, and its so simple in its premise that the film is just a joy to watch. Its a film thats great simply because it doesn\'t take itself at all seriously, and not just in a comedic sense. It isn\'t trying to envoke the spirit of some bygone time, it isn\'t trying to be a representation of some historical landmark, its simply a movie, and a damn fine one at that.\r\n\r\nFirst time screenwriter Garrison Keeler adapts the loose story of his own long running radio program of the same name. It is just as much his film as Altmans. He interpreted most of the music, and his emcee has the greatest amount of work to do in the script. He plays his role so perfectly that you just become convinced he\'s not even acting, and I really believe he isn\'t. This is a man who really knows all those dumb old commercial jingles, and has over a million corny jokes to fill any conversation. He also plays his role as if sometime year\'s ago he lost all sense of emotion. There is no inflection in his words and deeds, simply a professional radio man who doesn\'t want to make speeches, get emotional, or even laugh. More than the show itself, he\'s a relic of a long deceased era. Right along with him is the ironically named Guy Noir (Kevin Kline). He opens the film with narration from a roadside diner looking straigt out of a 1950\'s movie. We almost believe for a minute that this might be a story with noir tendencies, or at least set in that era, but as he crosses the street we see that we\'re sitting in the present day, and for some reason this show which should have died decades ago is still on the air, but of course for only one more night.\r\n\r\nMeryl (I can do anything) Streep plays one half of the remaining Johnson sisters, which were a real life singing group of siblings. Like she tells her young daughter Lola (Lindsay Lohan) when mentioning the Carters \"They\'re like us, only famous.\" The other half is the far less talented Rhonda (Lilly Tomlin) who got off the hook from singing in Altman\'s Nashville but is unfortunately not spared here. She\'s more of a hard nosed old broad here who seems like performing comes second to breathing. Whereas Yolanda is full of nothing but memories, and has a slightly harmless senility to her. She constantly tells stories and voices opinions on topics so often that her daughter has grown to memorize all of them and also come to detest them a bit. She realizes her mother is no longer the sharpest tool in the drawer, but the music is of course her life. Lindsay Lohan plays her role with a small degree of uncertaintiy. The groundwork is set for her to become the \"star waiting to be born\", but you\'re not sure if this film will go for that cliche, after all it is an Altman picture. Of course with Lohan being the only member of the cast with a current recording contract you don\'t have much doubt whether or not she\'ll get up on stage.\r\n\r\nIn a purely Altman touch, is a mysterious blonde woman (Virginia Madsen) wandering around in a white trenchcoat. For Guy, she\'s the classic lady in white, the mysterious enchantress who he of course thinks he\'s charming the pants off of. Kline who\'s usually in top form just doesn\'t seem well suited for this hapless would be detective, and he plays him at times like an inspector Clousseau making it rather irritating to watch. Madsen does her job well and has the benefit of not having any emotion to display, she simply has to be a figure. Much more interesting a character is LQ Jones who plays a rather horny old bastard Chuck Akers. Although far past his prime, we nevertheless see him running around backstage with a girl, and even lighting candles playing romantic music and waiting for her in his dressing room (in boxers no less). I can hardly picture anyone better for his role.\r\n\r\nJohn C. Reily and Woody Harrelson are a pair of guitar playing cowboys who don\'t get a great deal of depth. You get the feeling though that although these two may bad mouth each other all the time in front of everyone else, they\'re the best friends they\'ll ever have. Harrelson\'s Dusty is a bit of a low brow artist though. He loves a good, bad joke, and you get a feeling he\'s also got it in for the youngins. His sleaze is kept purely for comical purposes, and their rendition of \"Bad Jokes\" received the best reaction from the audience I was with, which as always consisted of a bunch of old people. \r\n\r\nThe pace and delivery of this film link it directly to Altman\'s oevure. I can\'t say its another masterpiece, but it is certainly a hit, and all of Altman\'s retrospective boils down to hits and misses. I\'ll admit my expecations for this weren\'t particularly high after his last disappointment, but there\'s still some life in the old man. Prarie Home Companion will hopefully grow to be listed as one of those occasions where his style and pace found a perfect subject matter and the right chemistry.\r\n\r\nGrade A - \r\n\r\nbtw I topped myself in the world of dorkiness today. I showed up blindly at my local multiplex wondering if anything was playing when I arrived. I saw that the Proposition was starting in 10 minutes so I bought a ticket. After the movie ended, I stepped out into the hallway, to find that Prarie Home Companion was starting in another 20 minutes. I went to the bathroom and went back down the hall to catch my second film of the day. But hey with movie prices the way they are these days, I\'ll rejoice at my 2 for 1 special. Even if seeing two movies by yourself in a theater makes you a loser.','f8cfd0783f039005f6cb2d270620ce3b',0,'','1gSQ0CmR',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11531,2070,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1150595520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: A Prairie Home Companion (2006) - Robert Altman','2 for 1 special, indeed, and both of the films in question are \"indies.\" (It\'s not like you risked being thrown out for, say, Nacho Libre, or some @#%$ like that.) So when are you planning to pull this off again?','1582ce22e413ed849fe581b8618f11a0',0,'','ocJhMk7z',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11532,2070,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1150616760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: A Prairie Home Companion (2006) - Robert Altman','Might be awhile, the odds of two decent films playing at the multiplex at the same time is rare enough, that they would be timed so well for me to catch a two for the price of one is even rarer. By the end of the year it might happen again, fourth quarter good movies start playing. Even people who generally like Jack Black seem to want to stay away from Nacho, I\'m predicting disaster.','78d05b6c78d7cb41f48b6e8948c5c285',0,'','2hZNsmD9',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11533,2070,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1176713760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: A Prairie Home Companion (2006) - Robert Altman','\"It isn\'t trying to envoke the spirit of some bygone time...\"\r\n\r\nYou probably meant that in cinematic terms (though it must be said that Ed Lachman\'s camerawork was purposefully dated -- the film was shot in HD, btw). It was hard not to feel a tinge of nostalgia towards the AM-based old-fashioned variety shows that didn\'t give a darn about marketing and advertising and simply fed off their core audience for generations. Until, of course, like any other business they also became corporatized and were either forced to fold or to make changes in their format.\r\n\r\n\"He plays his role so perfectly that you just become convinced he\'s not even acting, and I really believe he isn\'t. This is a man who really knows all those dumb old commercial jingles, and has over a million corny jokes to fill any conversation.\"\r\n\r\nKeillor was great. His high point might\'ve been the \"on-the-spot\" duct tape commercial\r\n\r\n\"Kline who\'s usually in top form just doesn\'t seem well suited for this hapless would be detective, and he plays him at times like an inspector Clousseau making it rather irritating to watch. Madsen does her job well and has the benefit of not having any emotion to display, she simply has to be a figure.\"\r\n\r\nYou might be right about Kline, but I don\'t think the character worked very well; it just didn\'t resonate thematically. Madsen\'s \"angel of death\" wasn\'t as problematic because in many ways the film does deal with finalities.\r\n\r\nOverall, I feel the same way about Prairie as I did a few months ago when I watched it initially. While I don\'t believe that it will be remembered as one of Altman\'s best films, he certainly could\'ve gone out on a worse note than this \"last show.\"','90c0f61c83484e470f1776cc2f16a79c',0,'','XSBfvMkH',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11534,2070,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1176743160,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: A Prairie Home Companion (2006) - Robert Altman','I just think that this coming after the Company was a vast improvement, and this was certainly much more \"Altman-esque\".','b4411d7b82632ce0302fe970235355ab',0,'','Esw4ZLGR',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11535,2070,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1176787620,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: A Prairie Home Companion (2006) - Robert Altman','Agreed.','2b536ff65f484a0665c5fc023e0d15f0',0,'','iUzPsvCm',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11536,2071,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1175699040,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Breach (2007)','Courtesy of MovieXclusive.com\r\n\r\nReview: \r\n\r\nIn Breach, director Billy Rays thematic follow-up to 2003s Shattered Glass, works within its predecessors docudrama confines but steadily ratchets it up to a full-blown thriller well worth its dramatic salt. Despite the ending being splashed across the headlines and its case study still being referenced till this day as possibly the worst intelligence disaster in US history, the premise of a secrets being sold to foreign regimes continues to maintain an air of unreality that remains unnerving. This is especially so in a post-9/11 world that constantly expounds on the careful handling of counter-intelligence and sensitive information being touchstones of security in this brave new world. \r\n\r\nRay adheres to a disconcertingly effective cut and dry interpretation of true-life FBI man turned agent provocateur, Robert Hanssens (Chris Cooper) world. Unfolding underneath the cloudy grays of the countrys capital, the film works through the drones that walk the hallways of dull furnishings and tightly wound bureaucrats protecting their turf at every turn, remanding their responsibilities for somebody else to follow through on while feeding their own cynicisms through inadvertence. Its mindful of not romanticising the shady, cloak-and-dagger world of spies or the circumventive thrill seeking of slipping one past the establishment but forms itself into a careful and observant record of Hanssens final months leading up to his arrest, all through the eyes of Eric O\'Neill (Ryan Phillippe), a surveillance specialist for the FBI. \r\n\r\nWith Breach, Ray now deals with deception on a much larger canvas. The stakes are set much higher in the psychological poker game between the men right in the heart of the scandal. Ambitious and competent, ONeill is assigned to Hanssen as an assistant at a new division of the Bureau with the true intent to shadow and detail his bosss every activity. They fabricate and withhold information from one another to conceal their true interests. But as the lies start to pile up and a burgeoning respect for each other hinders their defences, their responsibilities and intentions become hazier. \r\n\r\nThe conjecture used for its artistic merit was principally constructed from numerous biographical accounts of Hanssen and those close to him as well as ONeills own input about his experience. The impetus of Hanssens actions as well as his perspective on his countrys intelligence failure are only eluded to and insinuated upon. The film does not inform and detail as a mere procedural but like every good film, puts its characters in the forefront instead of its plot. Thats not to say that the story isnt up to par as there is not one wasted scene or lull in the tight script. Ray establishes a tone of continued discovery by using Phillippes character as a narrative linchpin in crafting an utterly fascinating portrayal of Hanssen through Chris Coopers superlative turn as the countrys most dangerous man. \r\n\r\nTheres just so much to be said for Coopers performance here that could very well be his most complex and perplexingly nuanced role of his career. He pulls each and every one of his scenes off with a consummate understanding of a man racked with paranoia and personal sin despite the strong waves of pharisaical religiosity that he exudes, which ONeill wisely uses to his advantage. This is one of the strongest performances of the year. \r\n\r\nIn a film teeming with politics unseen ever since the terrorist attacks in September 2001, mere months after Hanssens arrest, theres a point being made by its director in his lingering shots of the hanging portraits of George W. Bush and John Ashcroft that parallels Hanssens growing disillusionment with his governments complacency and lax disregard for the importance of intelligence in the administrations hierarchy.','735c3624a6c9ed2ace0e584149db1768',0,'','dN4EGHtA',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11537,2072,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1174930140,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','The God Who Wasn\'t There','THE GOD WHO WASNT THERE\r\nDirected by Brian Flemming (2005), 62 minutes\r\n\r\nOne of the most popular rentals at my local video store is not Borat or The Departed but a 2005 documentary about Jesus Christ called The God Who Wasnt There by director Brian Flemming, an ex-Christian Fundamentalist. Flemming, in his 62-minute documentary, asserts that Jesus was not a historical figure but a legend based solely on Pagan traditions. Using interviews with authors, philosophers, and historians to debunk the long-held Christian belief that Jesus, the son of God, lived among men, was crucified, and was resurrected, Flemming compares the Christ story with those of cult figures Isis and Osiris in Egypt, Dionysus and Adonis in Greek mythology, and Roman mystery cults such as Mithraism and finds many surprising similarities. \r\n\r\nIn addition to his evidence about Pagan cults, he also states that the earliest sources for the Christ story, the four gospels, were written forty or fifty years after the date given for Jesus crucifixion and that the letters of St. Paul show little evidence of Jesus being a flesh and blood figure. Flemming, unfortunately however, is not out to conduct a solid investigation of the truth about Jesus life but to use the subject only as a point of departure for a full throttle attack on Christianity and all religion. Most of the interviews are with those philosophically aligned with the director including avowed atheists such as Biologist Richard Dawkins and author Sam Price. The only Christians interviewed are those on the fringe such as Scott Butcher, the creator of the website Rapture Letters.com, and Ronald Sipus, principal of the fundamentalist Village Christian School, which Flemming attended as a boy. \r\n\r\nLike Michael Moores interview of Charlton Heston in Bowling for Columbine, his interview with Sipus is so contentious that Sipus walks out in the middle. In a sarcastic tone, Flemming tells us how wrong Christianity was wrong about the sun revolving around the earth, then points to atrocities committed in the name of Christianity such as those by cult leader Charles Manson who killed 11 people and Dena Schlosser, who cut her babys arm off for God. He also lifts a statement from a book by LaHaye and Jenkins that says that Christians look forward to the day when all non-Christians are thrown into a lake of fire, howling and screeching. \r\n\r\nTo further turn us against Christianity, Flemming shows us extended clips from Mel Gibsons The Passion of the Christ, detailing in minute detail each scene of violence and torture. What could have been a serious discussion on a very interesting subject eventually becomes a childish rant and a polemic against all religion. In the process of condemning those who used Christianity to commit unspeakable acts, he ignores such people as socialist Muriel Lester, a famous Christian pacifist, Rigoberta Mench Tum, a Mayan Indian of Guatemala who helped found the Revolutionary Christians and received the Nobel peace prize in recognition of her work for social justice, and Mother Teresa, whose work was about respect for each individuals worth and dignity.\r\n\r\nHis most telling argument is his comparison of Christian doctrine with the Pagan cults and he makes some good points, yet Flemming does not tell us that while some aspects of these cults may resemble Christian doctrines, there are no texts or source materials for these cults before 300AD, long after the New Testament. Also it is important to note one major difference. The immediate goal of the initiates was a mystical experience that led them to feel they had achieved union with their god. This is anathema to Christianity which believes that a Church hierarchy including priests and bishops all the way up to the Pope are required to interpret Gods will to mankind.\r\n\r\nAlthough I am not a Christian and have some doubts about whether or not Jesus Christ was in fact a historical figure, the truth is that, in the long scheme of things, it may not matter. What matters is that a message was introduced to mankind and spread around the world that contributed to mankinds spiritual evolution. Regardless of the distortions and crimes later committed in its name and there were many, Christianity as conceived was a doctrine of compassion and love, and a moral and ethical code that furthered respect for our fellow man. \r\n\r\nWhile I applaud the fact that the film was made and that a taboo topic was discussed, what is sorely needed is not another divisive attempt to use religion as a field of combat but to see it as a common thread that can bring the worlds people together. While there is room for debate and discussion on religious subjects, in the words of Annie Besant, spiritual truths are best seen in the clear air of brotherhood and mutual respect. The God Who Wasnt There is recommended only for those whose idea of a good time is to trash the religion of others. \r\n\r\nGRADE: C-','4adfd82dac3cc336462263a7de6108f1',0,'','iRMnozS1',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11538,2072,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1175685600,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: The God Who Wasn\'t There','what is sorely needed is not another divisive attempt to use religion as a field of combat but to see it as a common thread that can bring the worlds people together. While there is room for debate and discussion on religious subjects, in the words of Annie Besant, spiritual truths are best seen in the clear air of brotherhood and mutual respect.\r\n\r\nI couldn\'t agree more with these sentiments, I hold no religious convictions myself but respect everyone elses right to believe what they will. After all, a sense of spirituality can bring out the best in all of us. \r\n\r\nThanks for the review Howard but I think it\'s one I\'ll definitely avoid. \r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','e41975f5a301cc67b6a20ed2d2dd801e',0,'','VL4GMn3a',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11539,2072,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1175710500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','Re: The God Who Wasn\'t There','Thanks for your comment. I think the film would have been more useful if the director had concentrated on the subject of the historicity (I hate that word) of Jesus rather than trying to play Michael Moore and launching a broadside attack against Christianity in general.','a6ee9b6ee14b01c5915074f8ee1b269c',0,'','wjQz6thK',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11540,2073,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1175532120,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Duane Hopwood (2005)','Duane Hopwood (2005) - Matt Mulhern\r\n\r\nThere\'s a certain tenderness that sifts its way through \"Duane Hopwood\", a post-Friends starring vehicle for David Schwimmer that navigates the tentative dialogue between alcoholism and the dark cloud that hangs not just above the individual, but those who surround themselves around the afflicted throughout their darkest days. Take comfort in them, as they are the saints who prop you up when you\'re down and show you life\'s little rainbows over the puddles of rain.\r\n\r\nThere\'s considerable sincerity in Matt Mulherns second feature and credit has to go to its cadre of performers who are mainly made up of fairly well known stand-ups and comedians. They shed their onstage personas to become real people and it shows that the understanding they share also allows these actors to have better chemistry among themselves. Schwimmer, in particular, breaks his personal mould and gives a nuanced, careful portrayal of a man teetering on life\'s edge. His perpetual hangdog exterior allows Duane some measure of sympathy even through the most appalling decisions that he has made. \r\n\r\nIn one astoundingly bad decision, he drives his youngest child home while drunk and in the process loses the only things that has tethered his life together in an uncaring courtroom that does not deal in circumstances but the cold, hard facts of Duane\'s unforgivable mistake. That instance proves too much for his wife, Linda (Janeane Garofalo) to handle. She\'s not an uncaring woman in any respect, just a mother who does not gamble the lives of their two young daughters with the hope of her husband changing anytime soon.\r\n\r\n\"Duane Hopwood\" does not make a caricature out of its titular character, and it does not pile on the disheartening melodrama out of alcoholism. While not concerning us with the issues of why and how Duane becomes who he is, it does specify that it\'s a whole different world for alcoholics especially the ones deep in denial. It truly excels in crafting a delicate and carefully drawn portrait of an alcoholic who\'s made mistakes in his life and has to find a way to live through them. Understanding in only a way that comes to those who observe life through fortitude, it\'s genuine in the sense of showing ordinary people in ordinary situations who react in ordinary ways. They cope and the film is thoughtful enough to refrain from putting cinematic spins on issues that are already inherently interesting.\r\n\r\nThankfully, its mindful of not becoming too much of a downbeat, despairing approximation of Duane\'s life. Despite everything, he is surrounded by friends and family who still love and yearns for him to be happy. They never forget that he is a good worker, a good father and a good husband cursed with flaws that are slowly taking him over. It\'s frequent, but low-key sense of humour does hint of the redemption that waits around the corner for the wretched. \"Duane Hopwood\" is ultimately about picking up the pieces and moving on, and not about fixing what\'s broken.','c6957ade6e9d037477bfd47823287070',0,'','JotZmfQP',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11541,2073,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1175695620,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Duane Hopwood (2005)','Well written and considered review Justin, I don\'t know if I\'d actually watch the film though because David Schwimmer along with a few other actors always makes me want to switch the T.V. off.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','7d21265c92cc682506f332f0d45c80fa',0,'','LkV9nMa7',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11542,2073,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1175708820,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: Duane Hopwood (2005)','Thanks Trev. This really is one of those performances that changes the way you view an actor. I\'ll never watch an episode of his television show without thinking about this film again, in all probability.\r\n\r\nOn the flipside, by complete coincidence I saw All the Queen\'s Men (2001) the same day which had \'luminaries\' such as Matt LeBlanc and Eddie Izzard in it. An utter disaster of a movie about soldiers in drag at the end of WW2. Perhaps life imitates pop art when LeBlanc takes the sort of movie roles his \"Friends\" character, Joey, a struggling actor would have taken for a laugh on the television show. One thing I can say is the lush cinematography is its only selling point. But in the end, for a film designated for numerous Gay/Lesbian/Bi film festivals, it\'s quite astounding that it manages to insult this group of people more often than not. Possibly the worst film I\'ve seen in years.','59733ea80e3aba277ea0b399bb4a140f',0,'','6xl3qeyj',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11543,2074,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1146672720,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Unregistered(d)','Hard Candy','\r\nGreat little suspence / exploitation film.\r\n\r\nwww.apple.com/trailers/li...hardcandy/','95ba8d7ebc0a5ed9e7f0e7faaa0cbb99',0,'','NXmkK0f3',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11544,2074,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1175220000,1,0,1,1,1,1,'peppajaa','Re: Hard Candy','Ho!ho! This was one of the most intense films I\'ve seen in a long time. Basically two characters thrash it out -a 14 yr. old girl and a 30 yr. old man in this grueling test of wills. A power struggle that left me with nightmares for a week or more. Wonderful acting, directing, etc. A heavy-duty topic, be warned.','f3e8c8afa7f6399c1451c59baef8e867',0,'','n3PZRsTK',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11545,2075,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1173509640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','300 (2007)','I just caught it yesterday ...\r\nDid anyone else?\r\n\r\nVisually, it is stunning ... in part credited to the \"slow motions\"/some art direction/choreography ... ha ha ha','586af1c54aba7f961155b235223c8614',0,'','p8oNmGVZ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11546,2075,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1173674880,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: 300 (2007)','I saw it and was not a really big fan and there are a few reasons why.\r\n\r\n1. The narration was way overused, stated the obvious, was distracting, and could have been limited.\r\n\r\n2. The dialogue was hideous. Almost every line sounded like it was from at least 40 other films. \r\n\r\n3. The slow motion crap got annoying and was far overused. The film could have been a good 20 minutes shorter had they done away with all that nonsense.\r\n\r\n4. Every scene that didn\'t involve fighting was extremely boring and horrifically slow. The pacing of this film was way off, and there was no real flow to anything.\r\n\r\nI know it wasn\'t a complete waste, but this severely let me down.','b598924437a04e328e9a02b13f021210',0,'','TGlzx8fK',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11547,2075,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1173778740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: 300 (2007)','IMDB :\r\n\r\n\"It seemed like summer at the box office over the weekend. Not only did some areas of the West experience a heat wave and temperatures in the East surge to their warmest levels of the year, but kids packed movie theaters as if mid-year recess were in full swing. The comic book-like 300 took in an estimated $70 million, a record for a March opening. Analysts had expected a huge opening -- somewhere in the neighborhood of $45 million -- but none had predicted an opening that big. The film had a reported budget of $60 million. The results were all the more surprising since the film had an R rating. (It had also received decidedly mixed reviews from critics.)\"','df92b18209c6ded3a26b903e9429a5ce',0,'','mnbEFU1K',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11548,2075,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1175071500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: 300 (2007)','Before watching it, I really did think the vitriol that quote on quote critics descended on the film were perhaps just hyperbole - much like the plaudits self-appointed fanboys bestowed on the film as well.\r\n\r\nI must be getting old then at 22 if I found this to be one of the worst tripe that I\'ve seen in the past year. This, my friends is not genre proof. It is not beyond reproach. It\'s an insufferable shell of a movie that rings so hollow, and is so devoid of any emotions that it condescends its audiences. Style over substance for the most part and although in some events just very pretty to look at, it pretty much just aims to encapsulate the ferocity of LOTR, Braveheart and Gladiator.\r\n\r\nThe added slo-mo becomes a parody of itself sooner than I expected it to. As controversy about the depictions of the Persians makes its way around news outlets, I have to say that showing them as hedonistic fiends was perhaps the most intriguing part of the film, when a chill did threaten to find its way down my spine when the Dr Doom-esque Xerxes first reveals himself.','32b5cd4ad2e023ced8dd977ee16f8fc8',0,'','02GBSQEt',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11549,2075,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1175129100,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: 300 (2007)','ha ha ...\r\nit is a film targeted at mainstream audience and teenage audience (who prefer action over \"art\" films) ...\r\n\r\nfor me, i thot it deserve 2 praises \r\n(i) MAINLY for its \"art direction/choreography\", one cannot help admit that a number of \"screen shots\" are very well choreographed ...\r\n(ii) its TRAILER looks like one of the better ones ... \r\n\r\ni watched it a second time, NOT becos i like it a lot ...\r\nbut on the second watch, i actually like it better than the first time i watched it ... maybe i had \"too much\" of art films ... an occasional \"do not need to use brain\" shows help to make the day \"lighter\" ... hiaks hiaks','58e60a33f2a598c88ed771f642e7d250',0,'','fRHgSiel',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11550,2075,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1175156100,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: 300 (2007)','Yeah but this film seems to be trying to strive for some sort of high art. Perhaps my expectations were too high, or I let that slow motion @#%$ get under my skin.','310f0dfce1bbf513fe389d7f4ca8dd0c',0,'','81UKDwBz',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11551,2075,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1175219640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'peppajaa','Re: 300 (2007)','Maybe trying to translate a graphic novel to the screen can be challenging? I haven\'t seen 300 yet but I was hoping for the best, not (at least for me) watching 300 Spartans in a little more that a g-string.','beed13f97426d984a3928edda2f03298',0,'','oLdSA70t',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11552,2076,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1174819140,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Freedom Writers (2007)','Courtesy of MovieXclusive.com\r\n\r\nReview: \r\n\r\nTheres no denying that the hallmarks of the Freedom Writers have been used before. One of those hallmarks in particular plays a strong, if not systematically elongated role throughout its proceedings. Its notably set in the Long Beach area of California, right smack in the middle of the states most caricaturised and economically dissimilar cities in Orange County and Compton. The timeframe becomes relevant as well when it transpires that it is set just 2 years since the hate resonating from the 1992 LA riots trickled down to the denizens of the county, and most saliently into the hearts and minds of its young. \r\n\r\nIn steps Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank) into a high school with her handful of lesson outlines, a plan to playfully introduce herself to her new students with a winning smile and her novel enthusiasm that is yet to be beaten down by the bitterness of the schools waning ideals. The students have not seen anyone like her in a long time. The wholesome quality she radiates takes a severe knock backwards when she realises that the students are not there to learn, or to respect any sort of authority figure especially when her very nature is the antithesis of all they know and understand. With a racially divided student population, the only things these students have in common are their uncertainty and despair. \r\n\r\nAnd so the formula dictates the rest of the action, with Erin soldiering on through administrative obstacles (by way of a terrific Imelda Staunton) to earn the trust of her wary classroom, in the process changing their lives and inevitably hers as well. But what Freedom Writers does well during the familiar process of change and redemption is the remarkably deft handle it has on its characters and the keen sensitivity that it shows during its more evocative scenes. Based on the true-life story of Gruwell and her students, they published \"The Freedom Writers Diary\", a collection of the assignments they did to lend others insight into their lives. These assignments provide a framework for the narrative in the film, which thankfully understands its source well enough to have given the students stories a pulpit instead of revolving the vignettes around Gruwell. And true to form, Swanks presence does not take anything away from the key dramatic instances of these young actors. \r\n\r\nTheres a starkness of ferocity shown in the film. It feeds on the aftermath of anguish not the explosions of rage, and this fuels the need for a change in the cycle of misery. The hard means of subsistence that the students face are narrated with passages from the book, their perspectives play the most crucial parts of what sets the film apart of its contemporaries. Despite the crutch of its basic formula, it feels refreshing and remains passionate till the end. \r\n\r\nTheres a level of cynicism that operates beneath most films dealing with the hardships of urban youths. And although Freedom Writers begins by amplifying this cynicism and apathy by those that could have made a difference, its unabashed hopefulness takes over in the end.','efb6ef98a56d6e85b0296cd69c676aaf',0,'','hw3jvoxH',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11553,2077,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1174116360,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','The Messengers (2007) (Pang Brothers)','Courtesy of MovieXclusive.com\r\n\r\nReview:\r\n\r\nTiming is everything. Especially when it just seems a flawed idea to consider bringing on the much-imitated resuscitators of the Asian horror genre this late to American shores, and particularly onto the big budgeted (and quite ruthless) Hollywood dais where expectations are high. \"The Messengers\" giddily welcomes the Danny and Oxide Pang to transpose their talents and distinctive visual style to the classic poltergeisty Americana setting. Their inclusion almost seems a dubious summon to the directors cult following of American Asian horror fans, given the hype surrounding the Pang Brothers first cross-continental foray.\r\n\r\nBut then what does this mean to those that have not heard of these revered auteurs? Seeing as their techniques as it were has already been cribbed by Hollywood horror remakes that have already placed their mark on the box office and American audiences by imposing typically Asian scare devices on them. It would be immensely unfair (but tempting) to the Pang Brothers to call them a spent force. But unfortunately it is made easy when much of the direction and visual flair that has served them well on their native soil does seem awfully antiquated on a Hollywood canvas that has already been inundated with remakes of various Asian frighteners, each replete with the similar horror tropes such as an increased tempo of loud noises, blurry figures in white and freaked out animals. This simply is a step back for them, given the spectacle of their last film, the genre transcending Re-cycle which demonstrated a brave change of pace, yet coolly retained their signature flourishes.\r\n\r\nIndeed, the movie ultimately smacks of a great deal of technical and aesthetic expertise being stretched upon a threadbare story that centres about a domestic situation that is inconceivably measured and presented. A family of four (father, mother, teenage daughter and toddler) moves from Chicago to Anywhere, North Dakota to start a new life. The brief flirtation with heavy subject matters such as unemployment and city-living looks too hot to handle for the filmmakers as it gets erroneously gets benched for an uninteresting subplot of teenage angst. But puberty gets shoved out of the way when teen daughter Jess (Kristen Stewart) finds that not all is right with their new farmhouse.\r\n\r\nNow, this is where the Pang Brothers show their slick sleight of hand and mastery of tone that seemingly defies the scripts meandering and lumbering pacing. The atmospheric tension of innocent pastoral romps does evince certain menace given their confident grasp of enveloping terror. But then the direction is betrayed once again by the script when its usually followed up by dialogue that appears almost disdainful of the Hitchcockian suspense being expertly wrought, so much so that the film either feels incredibly dumb down or has no where to go in particular. Unsurprisingly, it just ends up driving a long arduous nail into the uninspired, hokey coffin when the obligatorily senseless plot twists come thick and fast.','ea5cf00ce424a781745200ad8b449dc7',0,'','y7GrD9n2',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11554,2078,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1132015560,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','Mysterious Skin','MYSTERIOUS SKIN\r\n\r\nDirected by Gregg Araki (2004)\r\n\r\nFive hours, from the time it was raining after a Little League game until he woke up in the cellar of his home with a bloody nose, are a blank to eight-year old Brian (George Webster). In Gregg Araki\'s powerful drama, Mysterious Skin, Brian accounts for his missing time by confabulating it with stories of alien abductions and sets out on a path to uncover long suppressed memories. This is not a film about alien abductions, however, but about inappropriate sexual seduction of children and its deleterious effect on their development. While it is often graphic and difficult to watch, it is a sensitive film, held together by authentic and heartfelt performances by Joseph-Gordon Levitt as Neil and Brady Corbet as Brian that allow us to connect with their open wounds.\r\n\r\nBased on a 1996 novel of the same name by Scott Heim, Mysterious Skin opens as Brian and Neil (Chase Ellison) are on the same baseball team in their hometown of Hutchinson, Kansas. Neil is the star athlete on the team, while Brian is not as good, a fact repeatedly pointed out to him by his father (Chris Mulkey) who later abandons the family. Neil is the son of a single mom (Elizabeth Shue) who is more attentive to her many boy friends than to Neil. Although only about ten, he feels that he\'s gay and is flattered when the coach (Bill Sage) takes an interest in him and brings him to his house to introduce him to snacks, video games, and sexual activity. \r\n\r\nThe film then moves ahead ten years to reveal two boys who have gone in different directions. Neil has become a male hustler who prefers older men and has found a niche in the town park that is available to prostitution. Though he seems to be to searching to recover the special loving feeling that he felt with his baseball coach, this proves elusive and he goes from one unloving john to another (typically depicted as old, fat, ugly, wealthy, or sadistic). His friend Wendy (Michelle Trachtenberg) describes Neil to his gay friend Eric (Jeff Licon) as a person with a black hole for a heart. To find more edgy experiences, Neil follows Wendy to New York but all he finds is more of the same and a lot edgier.\r\n\r\nBrian, on the other hand, has become a deeply introverted teenager who accounts for his memory loss by assigning it to a UFO-related abduction, though he has none of the other common signs of alien abduction and is without physical evidence to prove it. He watches a television program about alien abductions and decides to meet one of the abductees on the program, a young woman named Avalyn (Mary Lynn Rajskub) with whom he visits and shares the dreams he has recorded in his notebook. Brian tells her of a dream he has had about a young boy on his baseball team and she encourages him to find out the boy\'s identity to shed some light on the missing time incident. When the young woman tries to seduce him, however, he recoils in horror. Eventually, Brian discovers Neil\'s identity by researching the team history at the library and the final sequence in the coach\'s empty house when Neil and Brian meet at Christmastime is memorable for its tender beauty. \r\n\r\nMysterious Skin is an honest and compelling film in which there are no good guys and bad guys, just flawed people who act out their deep-seated needs in a harmful sexual way. Although Araki doesn\'t stand in judgment of his characters or their behavior, the results of their actions are unmistakable. Although we watch Neil engage in self-destructive behavior, the performance of Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so revealing that we root for him in spite of reluctantly noticing the open pit into which he is falling. The only false note in the film is the implication that \"screen\" memories masking the repression of sexual abuse are an explanation of alien abductions. According to David Jacobs (Secret Life, 1992), of the thousands of accounts of UFO-related abductions no screen memories have ever been stripped away to reveal a past history of abuse. This is only a minor flaw, however, in one of the best films of the year.\r\n\r\nGRADE: A-','d746526d920eaa6536c199d9878a2b5a',0,'','5sql9e7o',1,0,'',0,0,0),