Movies Serious Movie Discussion

[Tycho- Taylor's Version]

Ahhh that makes me

 

[europe1]

If only I had been more active. If only I had seen the movies Rimbaud82 wrote about. If only I had thrown around a couple of Rickson by armbar. Then... maybe.


Curse that stupid SMC, curse it all the way to hel--oh shit I'm its leader.

 

[TheRuthlessOne]

Mayberry has been shitty for a while now

Just the same threads over and over again

 

[Rimbaud82]

No sticky

 

[Rimbaud82]

Anyway I just watched one of Tarkovsky's first films, his first independent student film (which was his final project). It was a short film released the year before Ivan's Childhood.

The Steamroller and the Violin (1961)

As you would expect from a student film (though perhaps not from tark) the plot is pretty straightforward. It's about a young violinist who makes friends with a steamroller operator who saves him from a group of bullies. The film basically goes through the events of that day in fairly linear fashion, as the two interact with one another and change each others perspectives. It's simple, but it's actually a very touching and, for lack of a better word, sweet film. However, it is ultimately still a Tarkovsky one and it is the cinematography that makes it really worth watching and raises it to a higher standard. As such the themes/ideas are suggested through images rather than made totally explicit, namely the spiritual (represented by the child and his music) and the material (represented by the industrial worker). Visually, it is certainly suggestive of what was to come...reflections, sunlight and water all feature prominently; it feels mostly quite realist, especially in terms of the plot,but the visuals are suggestive of something more.

 

[Rimbaud82]

So, 23 pages in and I'm not reading all that to catch up.

I'm a huge film aficionado, and have been for decades. Ask me about how I became so into film sometime, it's an interesting (and TRUE!) story.

Just throwing somethings out there that are fresh in my mind:

Ladybird is fantastic, for those of you who have not yet seen it. No action, no plot twists, no overt humor, no scares, no dramatic tension. It is a remarkable look at the powerful undercurrents of the transition from child-to-adult, the reactions of both parents and children, and what is really happening. The director and writers do an excellent job of letting you recognize what is happening without spelling out every last detail in capital letters (i.e. idiots won't understand what is happening). If you are over 30 and/or have children, it's worth at least one watch.

Roller Town is an absolutely brilliant comedy that you currently can NOT purchase in ANY format. It is available on Amazon PRIME Video for a limited time. Try to watch it before it disappears. I generally hate comedies, but I laughed my a$$ off through-out this film. Will Ferrell (of SNL) actually appears in this film based solely on the quality of the material.


Best Nolan Film: The Prestige
It was early, and from speaking with people I don't think most of them really understood the film. It really HAS to be seen at least twice to understand.

The Babadook is an amazing horror/metaphor film for those of you who have raised toddlers.

Other favorite films that frequently don't get quite the place in film discussion they deserve include:
Sunset Blvd., The Orphanage, Pirates of Silicon Valley, Touch of Evil, Moonrise Kingdom, Punch-drunk Love, Amadeus, The Last Emperor, Destiny, and many more.

Talk to me! I'm certain I'll have a lot to write

I was just scrolling back through the thread, missed your post first time. Tell us then, how did you get into film?

 

[Ricky13]

Bumping for sadness.

Was great while it lasted.

Why @Bullitt68? Why?

I'm guessing most of the former regulars feel like this. I know I do:

Thanks to @Flemmy Stardust, @Bullitt68 for getting me into classic film. I grew not only as a movie lover but as a thinker because of you guys. I'm genuinely a better person for it. I disagreed with you guys on almost everything, but it was always so healthy.

Also found a true buddy in @Caveat here.

Much love also to @HUNTERMANIA, @europe1, @Rimbaud82, @chickenluver, and of course, my perennial hatefuck, @HenryFlower.

This is especially sad for me because I don't post outside of SMD really. And I doubt I will much. This place was perfect for me, personality-wise.

Good luck to the SMC! Be worthy you bastards. You've replaced a beautiful thing.

Yours aye,
Ricky

 

[moreorless87]

I'll keep it going anyway, no offence to the movie club at all but I generally don't bend my viewing to fit in with that kind of thing.

Watch Uzak yesterday, Turkish film from 2002 about a photographer who has to deal with a country relative staying at his flat. Probably about as far as you can get into cinema focused on subtle atmosphere this side of Bela Tar(although less grand), most of the film is men glumly sitting around the flat or wandering around a snow clad istambul. Very well shot indeed in an atmospheric but understated fashion and excellently performed as well with surprising touches of comedy.

I have to admit I watched it partly to see a fellow photographer onscreen although the lead character ended up being rather too close for comfort, I spose I don't smoke although I was actually disturbed halfway though watching it by a friend I'm putting up for awhile.

 

[Rimbaud82]

Never come across this channel before, can't believe it, it's got some excellent video essays:

 

[LC Shepard]

Just watched Shape of Water. Spoilers ahead:

I thought the movie was freaking dumb.
1) The characters were as steteotypical ans moronic as they come:
- main antagonist is a moustache twirling embicile. "We have to kill the monster, instead of researching it properly because I said so, muahahaha" - is his stupid contribution to this movie.
- the Russians were also a bunch of typical evil douches who also spoke TERRIBLE russian
- that black hating homo bashing bar owner was so forced
- the gay painter friend was just plain ol symtupid (crashed the van into the car for no real reason, was quickly ok with the cat being killed by the monster)

2) The story is as cliche as you can get. Its so predictable it hurts.

3) putting a rag under the bathroom door doesn't suddenly change it into an isolated water chamber. How they mamaged to fill the whole room with water ia beyond my comprehension

4) the mute bitch falls in love with the creature way to fast and procedes to fuck it? What kind of bestiality promo is this?
The funniest (retarded) part is when the mute one and her black friend talk about the fish sex and penis, and the black chick is suddently ok with that and just cheers her on. ON WHAT PLANET does it work that way? How is everybody in the movie (gay dude, black chick) ok with this?

5) is this even a movie or some sort of amphibiality fan fiction? I am all for cross species loving (i love me some mass effect) but not when its presented in such a primitive way

6) how did this get rewards? Are people in Hollywood into fish fucking all of a suden?

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

Just watched Arrival.

I enjoyed it. I like slow moving sci-fi with a good story.

The only thing I didn't like was the played out trope of "tragic protagonist is woman who tragically lost her child in a tragic circumstance".

But that character's motivations didn't flow solely from that, so it's acceptable. It wasn't very heavy handed or messagey either.

8/10.

 

[moreorless87]

Just watched Shape of Water. Spoilers ahead:

I thought the movie was freaking dumb.
1) The characters were as steteotypical ans moronic as they come:
- main antagonist is a moustache twirling embicile. "We have to kill the monster, instead of researching it properly because I said so, muahahaha" - is his stupid contribution to this movie.
- the Russians were also a bunch of typical evil douches who also spoke TERRIBLE russian
- that black hating homo bashing bar owner was so forced
- the gay painter friend was just plain ol symtupid (crashed the van into the car for no real reason, was quickly ok with the cat being killed by the monster)

2) The story is as cliche as you can get. Its so predictable it hurts.

3) putting a rag under the bathroom door doesn't suddenly change it into an isolated water chamber. How they mamaged to fill the whole room with water ia beyond my comprehension

4) the mute bitch falls in love with the creature way to fast and procedes to fuck it? What kind of bestiality promo is this?
The funniest (retarded) part is when the mute one and her black friend talk about the fish sex and penis, and the black chick is suddently ok with that and just cheers her on. ON WHAT PLANET does it work that way? How is everybody in the movie (gay dude, black chick) ok with this?

5) is this even a movie or some sort of amphibiality fan fiction? I am all for cross species loving (i love me some mass effect) but not when its presented in such a primitive way

6) how did this get rewards? Are people in Hollywood into fish fucking all of a suden?

I still think the academy got it backwards giving it best pic/director rather than best actress to Sally Hawkins and its strengths were mostly around her character/performance.

The cold war/Americana stuff was decent enough I thought as a kind of fantasy depiction of it but didn't really go anywhere that interesting.

 

[SomebodyElse]

I was just scrolling back through the thread, missed your post first time. Tell us then, how did you get into film?

I grew up in some of the worst neighborhoods in St. Louis. As a teenager, one of the only stores in walking distance was some family-owned video hut. It took me a few weeks to burn through EVERY movie a teenager would choose. After that, I was forced to start taking second-tier selections. Then third.

Along the way, I started noticing things. I REALLY enjoyed films I thought I was getting just to pass the time. I started wondering "Why is X SO good, while Y leaves me yawning?". My 'breakthrough" film was Searching for Bobby Fischer. No monsters, no martial arts, no guns, no boobs, no jokes, ... and it was one of my favorites. I started looking at the whole media differently.

Then, in my very early 20's, I found a new friend that loved film just as much as I did. We actually went to the debut of Pulp Fiction because we had seen Reservoir Dogs at the local art-house theater and were excited to see if Tarantino could translate to a major budget project. I started looking at what past critics praised as great films, discovered foreign cinema, and so forth. Every piece reshaped my view of everything I had seen before.


Thanks for asking.

 

[SomebodyElse]

Also, general thread follow-up regarding The Prestige:

Spoiler

The whole trick is explained in great detail in the opening monolouge. Re-watch, and it's stunning how blatantly they hide the mystery right in front of your face.

Other than that, I absolutely agree the whole film is an amazing metaphor about illusion & transformation, about how in every aspect of life, one man enters a door ... but a different man comes out the other side.

 

[SomebodyElse]

Dr. Strangelove
...
those are up there for me

I laughed at the whole film, but when Sellers started screaming "MY FURHER" with the Nazi salute, and when the hand started choking him, I laughed so hard I actually had to stop the film.

 

[ufcfan4]

This deserves a lot more than I have the time to give it right now - which, fittingly enough, is symptomatic of the issue at hand - but I wanted to make an official post in here: From this point forward, the SMD will no longer be a sticky.

Given the relative inactivity of this thread in recent months and years, especially relative to previous years, I feel (as do fellow Mayberry movie mods Dragon and jei) that it's time to give others this "movie sticky" space. To that end, from here on out, the SMD will just be a regular thread to be bumped as you guys see fit while the SMC will replace the SMD as a sticky. Each week, on a rotating basis that coincides with the weekly club selections and discussions, the current round of the SMC discussion will be stickied.

Obviously, I'm not going anywhere, so I'll certainly be bumping this thread from time to time. And it's not like the SMD is being deleted from existence. I just feel, and I've felt it for a long time now, that the SMC community has been bigger and more active recently than the SMD and I think that it's earned the right to be front and center as the major Mayberry movie community.

So, as the SMC makes it to the majors, the SMD can take a trip back to the minors

Oh man- didn't even see this. But saw Ricky's post and feared the worse. Went back and while this is sad news, it's better than say, the thread getting shut down altogether or you guys bailing.

Will be looking to bump the SMD often.

 

[SomebodyElse]

Wind River I really wanted to like but it just had some serious problems. It's one of those movies were everyone garishly states the themes of the movie outright -- instead of just allowing the situation presented to speak for itself. And the bad guys plans were just head-scratching (what excactly were they trying to accomplish by killing an FBI agent, it'll just bring even more heat on them).

Yeah, that was in the "disappointed" category for me. The setting was great, the cinematography was strong (possibly because of the locations used), Renner turned in a strong performance, the attempt at Noir was appreciated.

BUT, at the end of the day, it was somewhat nonsensical and misandrist. Surprisingly mundane in plot, and nothing particularly outside the realm of typical studio released fare. Overrated in my opinion.

 

[SomebodyElse]

I have yet to see a single Ingmar Bergman film. What would you recommend to start with?

How do your tastes run? Are you comfortable with B&W, subtitled?


Jungfrukällan (The Virgin Spring) - Do yourself a favor and don't research anything about the film or it's plot before viewing. It is one his best creations but less discussed than some of his other works. It is not a "feel good" film, if that is a problem for you.

 

[SomebodyElse]

So, mostly disappointed lately.

Thought Black Panther was a wasted opportunity; turned what could be a great action/superhero film into an overtly political preach-fest with HIGHLY questionable morality that focused more on the villain than the hero.

Lost City of Z: very similar problems to the above, though it would not have been a superhero film. I hate it when modern morality is projected into the past.

La La Land: Beautifully shot. Great costume. Great 50's style Romance film. Deserves it's kudos, IMO.

I commented on Wind River upthread. Renner doesn't get recognized for his acting as much as he should, nor does he seem to be offered the range of roles he should. He should be careful, everything I see him in lately is a version of Hawkeye.

Bladerunner 2049: Okay. Not worthy of the original, but those were pretty damn big shoes to fill. Not bad, not going to be remember either.

Speaking of Bladerunner; anyone with Amazon Prime should take a look at Electric Dreams. Episodes are ~ 1 hour, so they kind of blur the line between film and television. Some are terrific by either standard. The Hood Maker & Crazy Diamond in particular are worthy of attention, with the later being a far better take on the Bladerunner concepts than 2049 (though not with androids). Crazy Diamond just has shades of brilliance that are hard to quantify in text (Steve Buscemi plays a 40's Noir role in a Sci-Fi series).

Hated Arrival. Contrite and predictable from start to finish. Absolutely nothing above average in the whole film.




Great movie you owe it to yourself to watch that most people have never heard of #721 - The Name of the Rose

 

[moreorless87]

Villeneuve for me feels a bit like Nolan in that his sci fi is almost too hard, he gets too caught up on the details of his stories/worlds rather than focusing on dramatic depth. I mean the details of working out an alien language might be interesting to linguists but I think the idea of non linier awareness was much more interesting yet ended up relegated to the side-lines for most of the film. With something like Uzak yes as a photographer I'd have been interested if it had gone into detail about potential artistic career choices the lead character might have made but the story it did tell was I'd say deeper and more universal.

Watching it again recently I do find the Blade Runner sequel both interesting and a bit frustrating, to me it feels that you have material there like the K/Joi relationship and his life in the LAPD that are really interesting but don't get fully explored in favour of the mystery/thriller elements. I would IMHO have been much better off avoiding any direct follow up on the original and just telling another small scale story, both artistically and financially.