Oct 21, 2015

I'm a landmark for the next few decades

 

Oct 21, 2015

Twan liked two of my posts in 20 minutes, that's all matters

 

Oct 21, 2015

Wtf

 

Oct 21, 2015

s/o @Pinhead man

 

Oct 21, 2015

Interstellar is much better than gravity. Gravity is a good reference film for technicality. Haven't seen the Martian but I doubt it's better

 

Oct 20, 2015

Blackhat (2015) (Dir. Michael Mann) (Cin. Stuart Dryburgh)



A little over two decades ago, an avant-garde filmmaking movement started by two Danish directors intended to take power back from the studio system spurred the creation of some of the first feature films to be shot digitally, all with consumer grade equipment.

A little over a decade ago, Michael Mann's Collateral paved the way for mainstream films to shot digitally, this time using equipment far more suitable for the job.

Since 2008, the Academy Award for Best Cinematography has been awarded exclusively to films shot digitally.

None of them look better than this. 4/5

 

Oct 17, 2015

Xavier Dylan cause he spits that fire

 

Oct 17, 2015

cringe Charlie really airing out his horrific opinions atm

 

Oct 17, 2015

crine you mad af

 

Oct 17, 2015

R8 me bb

The Master
Amour
The Social Network
Oslo, 31 August
Frances Ha
Take Shelter
Under the Skin
To the Wonder
Her
Ida
12 Years a Slave
Inside Llewyn Davis
Pacific Rim
Moonrise Kingdom
Before Midnight

 

Oct 10, 2015

I just wanted to pop in to say that Right Now, Wrong Then was sooooo f---ing good. It made me really happy. This is my review.

 

Oct 10, 2015

8 1/2
The Apartment
A Serious Man
Before Sunrise
The Bourne Identity
The Conformist
Days of Heaven
The Departed
Die Hard with a Vengeance
Dogtooth
The Face of Another
Frances Ha
GoldenEye
Jingle All the Way
Julien Donkey-Boy
M
The Master
Moonrise Kingdom
Nashville
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Pianist
Possession
The Seventh Seal
The Shining
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Synecdoche, New York
Take Shelter
Two-Lane Blacktop
Uzak
Videodrome

 

Oct 9, 2015

Top 10 of the 2000's:

01. As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (Dir. Jonas Mekas)
02. Tropical Malady / Syndromes and a Century (Dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
03. La Libertad (Dir. Lisandro Alonso)
04. Elegy of a Voyage (Dir. Aleksandr Sokurov)
05. Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (Dir. Wang Bing)
06. Inland Empire (Dir. David Lynch)
07. Yi Yi: A One and a Two (Dir. Edward Yang)
08. Goodbye, Dragon Inn (Dir. Tsai Ming-Liang)
09. Kader (Dir. Zeki Demirkubuz)
10. Miami Vice (Dir. Michael Mann)

Honorable mentions:

Histoire de Marie et Julien (Dir. Jacques Rivette)
Trick r Treat (Dir. Michael Dougherty)
Colossal Youth (Dir. Pedro Costa)
Les Amants Reguliers (Dir. Philippe Garrel)
At Sea (Dir. Petter B. Hutton)
Ten Skies (Dir. James Benning)
Oxhide (Dir. Liu Jiayin)
Letter from a Filmmaker to His Daughter (Dir. Eric Pauwels)
Mulholland Dr. (Dir. David Lynch)
A Serious Man (Dir. Coen bros)
Millennium Mambo (Dir. Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
War of the Worlds (Dir. Steven Spielberg)
Werckmeister Harmonies (Dir. Bela Tart)
Go Go Tales (Dir. Abel Ferrara)

Top 10 of the 90's:

01. Satantango (Dir. Bela Tarr)
02. Vive L'amour (Dir. Tsai Ming-Liang) / Scream (Dir. Wes Craven)
03. The Match Factory Girl (Dir. Aki Kaurismaki)
04. D'est (Dir. Chantal Akerman)
05. New Rose Hotel (Dir. Abel Ferrara)
06. Chungking Express (Dir. Wong Kar Wai)
07. Mother and Son (Dir. Aleksandr Sokurov)
08. Gummo (Dir. Harmony Korine)
09. Ossos (Dir. Pedro Costa)
10. The Last Days of Disco (Dir. Whit Stillman)

Honorable mentions:

Eyes Wide Shut (Dir. Stanley Kubrick)
I Hired a Contract Killer (Dir. Aki Kaurismaki)
Histoires du Cinema (Dir. Jean Luc Goddard)
Close-Up (Dir. Abbas Kiarostami)
The Corridor (Dir. Sarunas Bartas)
Julien Donkey Boy (Dir. Harmony Iodine)
Trying to Kiss the Moon (Dir. Stephen Dwoskin)
Few of Us (Dir. Sarunas Bartas)
Goodfellas (Dir. Martin Scorsese)
Show Girls (Dir. Paul Verhoeven)

Top 10 of the 80's:

01. La Ville des Pirates (Dir. Raul Ruiz) / Querelle (Dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
02. Elle a passe tant de temps sous les sunlights (Dir. Philippe Garrel) / Offret (Dir. Andrei Tarkovski)
03. Mauvais Sang (Dir. Leos Carax)
04. Sans Soleil (Dir. Chris Marker)
05. Shadows in Paradise (Dir. Aki Kaurismaki)
06. Nightmare on Elm Street (Dir. Wes Craven)
07. Hail Mary (Dir. Jean Luc Godard)
08. Landscape Suicide (Dir. James Benning)
09. A Story of the Forest: Mavka (Dir. Yuri Ilyenko)
10. L'Ange (Dir. Patrick Bukanowski)

Honorable mentions:

Le Rayon Vert (Dir. Eric Rohmer)
Trop Tot, Trop Tard (Dir. Jean-Marie Straub & Huillet)
Days of Eclipse (Dir. Aleksandr Sokurov)
Berlin Alexander Platz (Dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
La Chouette Aveugle (Dir. Raul Ruiz)
Les Trois Couronnes du Matelot (Dir. Raul Ruiz)

 

Oct 7, 2015

Well said, and I would agree with much of it. Also felt a Kiarostami connection with the close up of the flower later placed on the dashboard. I unfortunately missed the first 15 minutes, though, and will not be reviewing the film as a result. Regardless, It's my personal favourite Panahi, as his earlier films (of which I've seen) all seem overly conceptual to me.

Weerasethakul the GOD. Cemetary of Splendour is magnificent. Letting it wash over me but it's good competition with Assassin and Innocence as fave of the year, and it seriously contends with Syndromes... for top Weerasethakul.




ecent reviews
More

• 
  Youth 2015
  ★★★ Watched 30 Sep, 2015
  
  [REVIEW] 66/100 - Youth (Paolo Sorrentino, Italy)
  
  As levity overcomes meaning and the film comes to an unearned closure, viewers might feel tricked by Youth’s self-flattering nature, an undeserved egotism that fails to match the film’s worth.
  
  Read full review:
  nextprojection.com/2015/10/06/viff-youth-beautifully-shot-depiction-old-age-regret-good-old-days/
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  The Assassin 2015
  ★★★★★ Watched 30 Sep, 2015
  
  [Review] 97/100 - The Assassin (Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Taiwan)
  
  The Assassin presents Hou at his most confident and professional manner, with such perfectly measured pacing and framing it brings tears of beauty to one’s eyes. Typical of Hou, the images linger and wash over one’s conscience, leaving marked poetic resonance and transcendental value. The Assassin is no short of a work of art.
  
  Read full review:
  nextprojection.com/2015/10/06/viff-assassin-mesmerizing-opus/
  

 

Oct 6, 2015

Dude, get the f--- on with Tree of Life now. lol

@Rowjay Stan right about In The Shadows of Women. First two acts are pure brilliance, third act is pure poop. I think I'm forgiving though.

Some big guys coming. Cemetary of Splendour tomorrow, Son of Saul Wed, Our Little Sister and Francofonia Thurs and Anomalisa Fri. s--- bout to get real.

 

Oct 2, 2015

• Never Steady, Never Still (2015)
  Never Steady, Never Still 2015
  ★★★ Watched 01 Oct, 2015
  
  Intriguing, well shot short. Seen at VIFF15 in the Coping Mechanisms program.
  
  65/100
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  Room 2015
  ★★★★★ Watched 28 Sep, 2015
  
  [Review] 91/100 - Room (Lenny Abrahamson, Canada/Ireland)
  
  A thrilling and highly captivating film, Room tells the unique, highly intriguing story of a boy born and raised in a single room finally seeing the world. Told from his perspective, the film genuinely captures the frightening yet euphoric experience of discovery.
  
  Read full review:
  nextprojection.com/2015/10/01/viff-room-thrilling-highly-captivating/
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  A Matter of Interpretation 2014
  ★★★ Watched 28 Sep, 2015
  
  [REVIEW] 65/100 - Matter of Interpretation (Kwangkuk Lee, South Korea)
  
  A protégé of Hong Sang-soo, Lee Kwang-Kuk shares in his master’s whimsy and prose, but lacks severely his charm and depth. Though as lighthearted as a Sang-soo film, Matter of Interpretation does not have the underlying philosophical motive or deep character resonance which makes the former’s films so brilliant. Instead, A Matter of Interpretation is rather childish, despite its obvious sincerity.
  
  Read full review:
  nextprojection.com/2015/10/01/viff-matter-interpretation-rather-childish/
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  Louder Than Bombs 2015
  ★★★★½ Watched 28 Sep, 2015
  
  [REVIEW] LOUDER THAN BOMBS (Joachim Trier, Norway)
  
  The film is genuine and refined with an understated narrative arc which authentically portrays the characters in question.
  
  Read full review:
  nextprojection.com/2015/10/01/viff-louder-bombs-exceptionally-cinematic/
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  Topophilia 2015
  ★★★½ Watched 28 Sep, 2015
  
  [Review] 75/100 - TOPOPHILIA (Peter Bo Rappmund, USA)
  
  Topophilia undoubtedly has much to offer; it is certainly a fascinating example of observational cinema.
  
  Read full review:
  nextprojection.com/2015/10/01/viff-topophilia-fascinating-example-observational-cinema/
  

 

Sep 28, 2015

The Martian
A lightweight but mostly entertaining grand scale, sci-fi adventure. As a survival tale, the film never really registers a true sense of peril or danger despite the gravity (no pun intended) or desperation of the situation, as its tone is arguably too light-hearted and its arc too conventional. With that said, this isn't necessarily unwelcome, given how joyless some of Ridley Scott's recent efforts have been (Robin Hood, Exodus*) and how serious blockbusters have been in general. The humor is well placed and the storytelling is crisp, though somewhat schematic,and the film's overall tribute to problem-solving and science is easy to rally behind. Matt Damon gives a polished movie star performance and Scott's 3-D visualization of Mars' landscape is as striking as one would expect from the sci-fi veteran.

*I haven't actually seen Robin Hood or Exodus: Gods and Kings. Couldn't take more than 20 minutes of the former and the TV on my plane broke after 15 minutes of watching the latter.

The Lobster
This certainly won't win over those already cold to Yorgos Lanthimos' prior work and, from what I read, it's even disappointed fans of last films. However, this one resonated for me more or less just as strongly as the previous two. Like Dogtooth and Alps, Lanthimos once again rigidly constructs an oppressive fantasy world, one with harsh rules, brutal punishments and strict social norms. Here, with his dark, absurdist satire, he sets his aim on the nature of love and relationships, specifically the social pressures to find a match and the illusive nature of attraction and connection. Lanthimos follows his conceit through to its logical ends, leading to a number of expertly realized gags, often hilarious and poignant in equal measure. The cast from Farrell to Weicz is more than game to deliver his deadpan humor via sharp line readings and physical comedy.

I can certainly understand the criticisms of the film being excessively cruel or mean-spirited. It is without a doubt pitch black and twisted. However, I don't find Lanthimos' vision to be quite as cynical as others, as I think there's a certain emotional truth to his latest and, in his own f----- up way, even a little bit of romance.

 

Sep 28, 2015

FORBIDDEN ROOM insta-classic. SLEEPING GIANT dope af.

 

Sep 27, 2015

First 3

• 
  45 Years 2015
  Watched 26 Sep, 2015
  
  Review published at Next Projection
  
  75/100
  
  …the film elicits genuine feelings of a long life together; moments of grief, regret, and resentment are presented alongside tenderness, compassion, and love.
  
  Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years is a taut, emotionally charged duel character study examining a husband and wife during the week leading to their 45th wedding anniversary.
  
  Read full review:
  nextprojection.com/2015/09/27/viff-45-years-taut-emotionally-charged/
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  One Floor Below 2015
  ★★½ Watched 25 Sep, 2015
  
  Review published at Next Projection
  
  While the film may momentarily captivate or impress, it never truly feels complete.
  
  Read full review:
  nextprojection.com/2015/09/27/viff-one-floor-slow-burn-suspense/
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  Brooklyn 2015
  ★★★½ Watched 24 Sep, 2015
  
  Review published at Next Projection.
  
  74/100 - Saoirse Ronan’s versatile, sensitive, and remarkably mature portrayal of Eilis Lacey provides the film with a great degree of personal depth and genuine expression.
  
  Read full review here:
  nextprojection.com/2015/09/26/viff-brooklyn-triumph/

In anticipation of my review being published, I will mention that Right Now, Wrong Then is my current favourite of the festival and of the year.

 

Sep 26, 2015

@Pinhead watches Spring Breakers once a week. I need to step my game up.