[washer]

 

Wong Kar-Wai's In the Mood for Love.

Beautiful.

[atsonicpark]

so good.

[GeneticKiss]

Shaun of the Dead

8/10

Wanted to see this one since learning Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (best movie of the summer of 2010) did this one earlier. The two actually have a lot in common, with the jump cutting showing them getting ready for work and jumping in the car, "the plan", etc. I loved the homages to Romero's classic zombie films being done in a very English manner. The use of the TV was clever, though the army showing up at the end was the most obvious deus ex machina since the T-Rex in Jurassic Park. It doesn't bring things down too much, though.

also

Elephant

4/10

"The events and characters contained in this film are ficitious. Any similarities to events or persons, living or dead, should not be inferred and are purely coincidental." Yeah, right! They might as well have just called this "Columbine: The Movie". One of the killers is named Eric, for God's sake! The film's depiction of high school as being sterile and uncaring rang fairly true for me, but all in all, this film fails in the end, especially at the end when it really doesn't have an ending. This is the only Gus van Sant movie I've seen, but if this is typical of his work, he's got to be the most pretentious and overrated director of our time.

[shabbray2.0]

Originally Posted by atsonicpark

Oh yeah, Demon, it's still worth a watch -- then again, I think most things are worth a watch -- I just didn't like it at all.

Wow, al, BLACK RAIN.. I've never even heard of that, Michael Douglas looks ridiculous, it even has the same initials as Blade Runner, haha. Will d/l that.

it doesnt come near blade runner. but just because BR is THE fucking masterpiece, at least in my book.
but its almost as moody, as brutal, as dark, as smokey and as hard boiled.
if you love blade runner you will at least like Black rain.
BladeRunner is my all time favourite and I will buy a hard copy of black rain the next days, thats how much I like it.
I love the tune hans zimmer plays when they are short before landing in tokyo and you will see the city from above. it makes the whole setting, edgier, grittier and darker. and then are coming the first shots from ridley scott, as I already loved them in blade runner. dark smokey and nasty.
in the first third there is a scene where douglas and garcia are walking down a street (and will be surrounded by a motorcylce gang short afterwards) which looks exactly like in blade runner, the street before they go to the subzero eyemaker guy!

let me know if you liked it, would love to chat a bit about it!

[atsonicpark]

Hey, GeneticKiss, they made a Columbine: The Movie called ZERO DAY..

 

Also, gotta love DUCK! THE CARBINE HIGH SCHOOL MASSACRE!

 

which is fun.

In all seriousness, I like Gus Van Sant okay, he's certainly not overrated (no one really knows who he is by name except some internet people, despite the popularity of Good Will Hunting, Finding Forrester, and Milk) I LOVE Mala Noche and LOVE My Own Private Idaho and LOVE Drugstore Cowboy and LOVE LOVE LOVE Gerry. And, uh, that's it. But Elephant and Last Days both have some really great, artistic directing (also, as far as Elephant not being based on true events, he's went on record and said his so-called "death trilogy" are "three films based on deaths that occurred in real life", so....). And, no, I wouldn't call him pretentious at all (though I wouln't call almost any pretentious, aside from Brad Ford Cocks and, eh, that Spielberg-wannabe asshole Trauffaunt!), he's just an interesting director who often misfires badly but at least he always does different things -- he's kinda wild, actually, always interesting.. I don't think there is any one movie that's indicative of his style, his films all feel like they were made by different directors. TO DIE FOR certainly doesn't feel like it was made by the same guy who made PARANOID PARK for example.

[noisereductions]

yeah To Die For is really cool. I like him for the most part.

[Torn Curtain]

Originally Posted by atsonicpark

I like Gus Van Sant okay, he's certainly not overrated (no one really knows who he is by name except some internet people, despite the popularity of Good Will Hunting, Finding Forrester, and Milk)

He is overrated in France at least.

[atsonicpark]

Let's see

mala noche - 7/10
drugstore cowboy - 8/10
my own private idaho - 7/10
even cowgirls get the blues - 6/10
to die for - 7/10
good will hunting - 7/10
psycho remake - uhhh... 5/10?! ... er .. well .. completely pointless/10
finding forrester - 5/10
gerry - 8/10 (warning: nothing really happens in this movie, it's more of a meditative experience, to zone out to, rather than a conventional "film"; still, it's quite an event, and it's uniqueness and artistry makes it compelling for me, at least)
elephant - 6/10
last days - 5/10
paranoid park - 7/10
milk - 5/10

decent

[Dr. Eugene Felikson]

Last Days, Elephant, and Drugstore Cowboy were all very engaging to me. I know I'd probably like Gerry, Paranoid Park, and Good Will Hunting a lot too. I'd say Van Sant is pretty well known here in the states though.

Oh yeah, I saw the Psycho remake too. I'm pretty much neutral on that.

[atsonicpark]

I just wouldn't call him well known, you can say his name to 500 people and one might say, "Yeah, I've heard of him." They've heard of his movies, certainly, but not him -- you can mention Joel Schumucher and people will say, "Batsuit nipples!" before you could mention Gus Van Sant and they say, "Oh! Even Cowgirls Get the Blues!" Then again, this could've changed since Milk came out. I just don't think he's one of those filmmakers most people know by name, except people like us, who don't represent the general moviegoing public. Since I've started paying attention, most of his movies have played in somewhat indie theaters too, aside from Psycho, Forrester, and Hunting. I saw Elephant in indie theater an hour away from my house way back when -- 2002 I think?... I think he has a pretty cool style, I like the really really long takes in Elephant. Last Days has that awesome scene where the dolly-camera is sloooooooooooowly backing away from the house as that dude makes a bunch of random noise and there's kinda that haunting ambient music playing too. Some of his stuff reminds me of a lesser Jon Jost... which brings to mind http://grunes.wordpress.com/2007/10/...jon-jost-1990/ ... "SURE FIRE (Jon Jost, 1990) By grunes With David Lynch and Gus Van Sant, Jon Jost is one of the three great U.S. filmmakers currently working. Passages is my favorite 2006 film, and Over Here will likely be my favorite 2007 U.S. film. (Homecoming, for which Over Here is a companion-piece, is my favorite 2004 U.S. film.) But Jost has been at his calling now for four decades and, prolific, many works of his shine."

[Dr. Eugene Felikson]

Oh yeah! I completely forgot that I saw Paranormal Activity 2 last night! Got in for free.

 

2/10

Completely worthless; and this is coming from someone who would give the original (not with the cheesy Spielberg ending, of course) a 7/10.

[Dr. Eugene Felikson]

I've had Jost's Homecoming on my laptop for months now. I still haven't gotten around to watching it yet.

[atsonicpark]

It's one of his better digital films, but all his.. um.. analog films.. blow it out of the water. Easily the greatest "unknown indie filmmaker" of all time, with Godard and Kitano being the only directors I can think of who even come close to matching his talent.

[atsonicpark]

lost highway is so funny. "and you.. WHO THE FCUK ARE YOU?"

[atsonicpark]

 

 

 

sad vacation - 9/10

Another gorgeous work from the director of EUREKA.

[stu666]

 

 

[deflinus]

 

i love this movie. it's so well done
so dramatic and gory and enjoyable to watch

[atsonicpark]

 

 

 

 

go go second time virgin - 9/10


FUCKING GREAT. Only 60 minutes, it's over on btjunkie with a shitload of seeders, get this movie, so good. This review sums it up: Given that we are dealing with a no budget production shot in a couple of days on top of a roof, the result is astonishing. Koji Wakamatsu has a visual style that outdoes any avantgarde director/photographer with a bigger name. In beautifully shot black and white with some gory color sequences this film takes you on a compelling, nihilistic trip through the claustrophobic existence of two teenagers living on the edge of society. The extreme violence is sometimes lightened by unexpected moments of haunting, morbid poetry. Always true to the characters he has created, Wakamatsu finds beauty where others would only seek for sleaze. This underground masterpiece transcends its humble beginnings and can easily stand comparison with the works of Nagisha Oshima and Seijun Suzuki.


A very, very young Takeshi Kitano is in this 1969 movie as an extra! Wow..

[atsonicpark]

also

 

 

HELPLESS - 9/10

Shinji Aoyama is brilliant. Also, I'm going to go ahead and say Tadanobou Asano is the best actor of all time, at least as far as picking interesting movies. Just go through his filmography and see how many amazing films he's been in, or at least ones that are compelling. From Taste of Tea to Screwed to Dead end Run to Electric dragon 80000v to Sharskin Man and Peachhip Girl to Survive Style 5+ to Gemini, etc, etc, etc, etc. Check him out.

[ni'k]

big brotha thunda - 10/10 you can watch it here

pretty much the greatest masterpiece of the obama era thus far.