[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by Antagon

as the plot progressed

by looking for an absent "deeper meaning" you lost sight of the beautiful glossy surface

it's like getting a nice bowl of silky ice cream and complaining that there are no vegetables in it

of course there aren't supposed to be vegetables-- these are stock stories. everybody knows how they're going to end. they won't provide you with the key to life or shocking plot twists. they're an excuse to get your senses bombarded with color, sound, blood, and beautiful faces. there is nothing underneath. just stylistic overload.

drive works with the logic of dreams, not the logic of reality-- like melville's "le samourai". it's not supposed to be examined for plausibility-- what hitchcock called "moronic logic"-- looking for explanations instead of having fun: http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=5468,3832269

if this movie isn't doing its thing you need to calibrate your screen and fix your speakers. don't ask for what it never offered in the first place. its offering is postulated from the start. then again, not everybody likes ice cream.

[Antagon]

I didn't necessarily look for a deeper meaning, but I admit all those rave reviews around the time of its release did influence my expectations. All this "Exhillerating, slow moving Neo-Noir" and whatnot. They really made it sound like a modern Taxi Driver or some great character-based film with a morally gray, tight-lipped protagonist. He was somewhat morally gray and certainly tight-lipped but I thought all the stuff around him was just too distracting.

Yes, it certainly was glossy. The style just didn't fully connect with me. I didn't hate the movie though. Some of the quieter moments were brilliantly executed and some nice cinematography here and there. It's just that some of the creative choices, in my opinion at least, really clashed with the tone set by the brilliant opening. But then again, I didn't hate it. I thought it was certainly a mess but an interesting one. I guess it all boils down to tonal issues in my case. But I can see why people like it.

[Antagon]

The way movies are received usually depends on how well people can connect with them. There are some examples where opinions differ wildly because people's personal experiences, viewing habits and preferences differ wildly. How can one possibly judge a movie in an objective way? It's not possible. Drive didn't fully connect with me. But a lot of people can absolutely relate to its established atmosphere. That's perfectly fine.

[!@#$%!]

oh, i see. i hadn't heard anything about it before-- i was presented with an ugly disc menu with an 80's font and said "whatever, press play". then the movie started and i was very pleasantly surprised. it wasn't a morality play or a character study-- it was a pretty awesome action/noir movie that happens almost in slow motion. action movies require their own sets of expectations though-- just like horror or murder mysteries.

and a great opening scene can't be sustained for a whole movie. take a masterpiece like "touch of evil". that opening sequence is legendary! can you think of any other scene like that in it? of course you can't. touch of evil is a great movie, one of the best ever made, but the superfantastic first scene stands on its own as a mini-film and a great technical achievement.

anyway-- sorry you didn't like it!

--

ps- speaking of my own bias/limits, i generally don't like horror movies. i like some horror movies, and i like them a lot, but not the genre itself.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Good im still finnin to check out nightcrawler then

[Antagon]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

oh, i see. i hadn't heard anything about it before-- i was presented with an ugly disc menu with and 80's font and said "whatever, press play". then the movie started and i was very pleasantly surprised. it wasn't a morality play or a character study-- it was a pretty awesome action movie that happens almost in slow motion. action movies require their own sets of expectations though-- just like horror or murder mysteries.

and a great opening scene can't be sustained for a whole movie. take a masterpiece like "touch of evil". that opening sequence is legendary! can you think of any other scene like that in it? of course you can't. touch of evil is a great movie, one of the best ever made, but the superfantastic first scene stands on its own as a mini-film and a great technical achievement.

anyway-- sorry you didn't like it!

--

ps- speaking of my own bias/limits, i generally don't like horror movies. i like some horror movies, and i like them a lot, but not the genre itself.

Maybe I'll re-watch it with the mindset that I'm going to see an action movie. Might be a better preset. I'm not averse to action movies that are executed well. I just thought it's going to be a character study of some sort. All the reviews and recommendations made it sound like that was its intention.

Yeah, you're right about the fact that great openings can't be sustained for a whole movie. I personally just found it to be a bit misleading. Here we have the stone-faced cold professional in the line of his work - an intense, somehow claustrophobic scene, and then later on the aforementioned montage. I get the reason behind it - it's there to show the viewer that he is perfectly capable of being a caring person as well. In my opinion it was just laid on way too thick. Especially when compared to some of the subtler touches throughout the movie. But maybe I'm analysing it too much again.

I'll re-watch it and let you know what my second thoughts were. But first I'm gonna finally watch the films you recommended to me. I'm really looking forward to that.

And as for horror movies - I used to be really into them many years ago. Nowadays I'm kind of lukewarm towards the genre. I just think the market is oversaturated with subpar output. There's a huge demand for cheap thrills. There are great, even phenomenal horror movies, but they are few and far between. I'm still a sucker for atmosphere-based horror though. For the most part I prefer Mystery to straightforward Horror. But I also enjoy some good old tension buildup.

[HenryHill51]

Last few:

1. Daughters of Evil (aka Filhas do Fogo) 1977- atmospheric but disjointed 70's Portugese psychological horror. A bit deriviative of other films like "The Haunting of Julia" which came out same year.

2. Tiresia (2002)- Love the work of Bertrand Bonello and the way he collides almost pornographic material with more serious (or pretentious) matters is quite stunning at times. His masterpiece is still "House of Tolerance" tho!

3. Flowers of War (2012)- Holy crap a good film when I was expecting something sub par. Zhang Yimou hasn't lost it. Also features one helluva great, long tracking shot that begins with tension and ends in misery.

4. Ballet 422 (2015)- reviewed for publication at www.DallasFilmNow.com documentary that simply observes the process of creating a ballet. Sounds boring, but for a neophyte such as myself, I found it interesting.

5. Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014)- not one of Spike Lee's best, but still worth watching because its Lee and it looks great. Remake of "Ganja and Hess" if that motivates anyone.

6. It Happened In Broad Daylight (1958)- great, little-seen German film about the hunt for a serial killer. Covers the "M" murders, but done from the POV of the detective. Nice little crime procedural. can be found on torrents.

7. Night Across the Street (2012)- Sometimes I wonder if director Raoul Ruiz is just that much smarter than me or he's pulling my chain. I never quite "understand" any of his films and this one is dense, obscure and full of quotes about everything from literature to folklore.

8. Focus (2015)- Another obligation for print media work. I try to go into every film with a sense of anticipation, and "Focus" is okay, but nothing more. Forgettable fluff.

9. Burned Barns (1973)- Bland, dreary and completely uninvolving. Saad since its caliber of stars includes Alain Delon, Simone Signoret and Miou-Miou

10. Serena (2015)- Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence re team for a western drama. I believe I can't write about it until the embargo for reviews lifts. I've seen it though!

[demonrail666]

 

House By the Cemetery

One of my favourite Fulci films, even though the dubbing gives the boy one of the most annoying voices I've ever heard.

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by Antagon

I'll re-watch it and let you know what my second thoughts were. But first I'm gonna finally watch the films you recommended to me. I'm really looking forward to that.

don't worry about rewatching it and check out "johnny guitar" instead!

---

recently saw

 

TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM - wow! i got goosebumps in weird places, like my shins. maybe not about the type of music that people listen to here, but if you like music, well worth a watch.

 

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD - i wasn't familiar with the comic (though i knew there was one) and i was expecting more of an indie comedy so it took me about 1/2 hour to adapt to the elliptical/fantastic narrative style of this. weird thing, i didn't like it that much while i was watching, and scott pilgrim came across as a feckless asshole for most of the movie, but in the end i liked it okay; and what's most strange, i like it better in recollection than i did when actually watching. maybe i like the addition of its mythology to my imagination more than the actual movie. also, knives chau > ramona flowers. though she was 17! (criminal, i know). how come this fucking poster doesn't show knives? lol white people's fantasies of asian subordination.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

 

I actually liked this, yeah it could have been better but the cinematography was gorgeous and i have to love a movie that costs only $4million with effects and production that rival movies that cost 10 and even 20 times as much!!

 

This movie was going really really good.. you weren't sure WHAT THE FUCK was happening, was it aliens or ghosts? Is it a conspiracy of some kind? Are people just fucking with him?? Then it is wastes an otherwise fantastic flick on a total shit ending! Ruined it

 

This was a throwback to the best horror of the mid90s like People Under The Stairs kind of ahit.. some straight up wtf??? I also like how it satirized real controversial issues from Asia particularly the new rich

[rebeccagotcursedout]

Get on Up.

huge James Brown fan but this bored me after about an hour. had to cut it off.

doing this rebox thing now but all the new movies are very unsatisfying. think ill go back with Netflix.

also Dan Aykroyd should not exist at all in popular culture now. his slimy white canadian ass has been bumming off nostalgic black culture for awhile now. hasn't he been playing the same character since the Great Outdoors. oh look everybody, it's Dan Aykroyd!!!!

just one thing i hated about this bio boring topic. guess it's easy to fuck up a James Brown film.

got to have a mutha fo me!!!! p.s. if you want seizure enducing James live, then check out Newport 69. kills!!

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Fuck a James Brown bioflick, can I just watch a few hours of late-1960s era LIVE James Brown?? Enough said.

 

[rebeccagotcursedout]

^^ YES!!!

have you heard the version of "Popcorn" from Newport 69? fucking insane!! fucking insane!!

[Dr. Eugene Felikson]

 

5/5 - my favorite film of the year so far.

 

5/5 - Best horror film I've seen in a very, very long time. noise go see this you'll love it

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

 

I actually really liked this movie and realized i like a lot of Marky Mark movies.. this one was totally over the top in unbelievable shit but it also some interesting twists like an early 90s thriller, i found myself totally surprised like at least three times!

[!@#$%!]

 

WOODSTOCK. director's cut/ 40th anniversary edition. great movie overall. historic footage, great editing, some fantastic performances. everyone knows about jimi hendrix-- but santana! holy shit, santana.

i feel a little jealous watching this. sure, those filthy hippies failed in many ways, but the idealism that shows through the movie is just amazing. we live in a much more cynical age. e.g., while woodstock was famous for nudity everywhere, woodstock 99 (wtf was that anyway?) is remembered for gang rapes.

not saying that there isn't a desire in people to change the world somehow, etc, but this aspiration has moved from mass consciousnes to the fringes.

great little piece of history. bluray looks great. scorsese was an editor in this! and his long time collaborator thelma schoonmaker as well.

[tw2113]

"21 Years: Richard Linklater" and "10 Things I Hate About You".

[schizophrenicroom]

last year in marienbad

[cryptowonderdruginvogue]

Originally Posted by Dr. Eugene Felikson

 

5/5 - my favorite film of the year so far.

 

5/5 - Best horror film I've seen in a very, very long time. noise go see this you'll love it

Watched this on Thursday and I was incredibly let down

[Rob Instigator]

Santana was fried on Orange Sunshine LSD during that woodstock set. It rules

Ritchie Havens rules too in that. he wakes everyone the fuck up