Sep 25, 2015

Chantal Akerman - from the east
JLG - goodbye to language
Rivette - out 1 / histoire de marie et julien
Garell - elle a passe tant de temps sous les sunlights
Eustache - la maman et la putain
Marker - sans soleil / level five
Carax - mauvais sang
Varda - les plages d'agnes
Duras - India song
Rohmer - le rayon vert

 

Sep 25, 2015

Yes, Monday.

Hahah, I don't know about that.. I did a full length (1000 words approx) for Brooklyn which was my only film tonight, and the opening gala/red carpet, but I think virtually everything else will be 400 word ish capsule reviews. I may do full lengths for dope ish like The Assassin and Francofonia.

Yea, I'll be seeing that for sure, and Garrel has been on my radar for a while. Who are frenchie 1 and 2??? Bresson, Carax, Marker, Rohmer, Renoir, Ophuls, Tati, Godard, Malle, Melville, Cocteau, Audiard, Varda, Resnais, Vigo, Demy, others... and he's top 3?! s---..

 

Sep 20, 2015

I watched Elegy of a Voyage

A brilliant film. I'm floored. This is my kind of cinema. As with Russian Ark, Sokurov creates an all encompassing atmosphere through narration and open form montage, yielding a sense of presence throughout the film. Open montage, the use of nondescript (yet no less arresting nor beautiful), non representational images, which resonate both forwards and backwards throughout a film, like refrains in the use of a tonic/key note in music, leaves the film's sense of time unbroken. Even with cuts and scene changes, the film remains fixed, as if the entirety of the work encapsulates a single moment. Shots such as the swimming boy, the moon, and the soldier's face serve as the 'tonic', providing structure to an otherwise poetic form which resembles music more closely than any visual art, such as theater and painting. Films like The Tree of Life, Werckmeister Harmonies, Mirror, and Man With a Movie Camera are comparable in this regard, as are the films of Nathaniel Dorsky and Robert Bresson, to name a few.

Elegy of a Voyage is perfectly observational and contemplative. A narrator, presumably Sokurov himself, leads us through landscapes, a church, a coffee shop, and a gallery. He serves as a proxy for our own selves, as we travel with him on his voyage. Speaking in a contemplative tone, he observes his surroundings with acute awareness, noticing the shifting moon, sun, and clouds, an angry face, an innocent one, those who are kind, and those who scrutinize. Sokurov charms his films with a great deal of texture. The grainy snow, visible wind, and high contrast are all exceptionally affective. The use of such contrast, together with his DOPs ability to photograph the unimaginable, only deepens his ability to elicit feelings of scale and grandeur. One might be overwhelmed by Sokurov's distinct aesthetic, which carries a somewhat eerie waviness amidst the mise-en-scene, making objects appear almost life-like. There is a certain sense of urgency and even psychological or psycho-sexual emergency in the film's rhythm, bolstered ever more by a cathartic orchestral score and the use of ominous sound effect. Thoughtful philosophy, though rather incidental, provide direction and narrative backing to superb cinematography.

100/100

Not sure if I shoulda started with your favourite film. It might be mine as well, now. Note that my thoughts above are all based on having seen just this and Russian Ark, so maybe he has some other styles and it's just that those two films are spiritually connected (seems legit)

 

Sep 19, 2015

I saw Sicario last night, which I thought was pretty solid (sorry @Rowjay Stan) and might be my favorite Villeneuve film. While its moral ambiguity feels more like an affectation than a true thematic inquiry, what does resonate is the film's pervading sense of despair and futility. This is embodied by Emily Blunt's FBI agent who struggles in vain to maintain a semblance of law and order in her pursuits against a Mexican drug cartel, as she's unable to alter the situation she's thrown into and is simply rendered as a powerless observer. The American operatives in the film are shown to be remarkably efficient at accomplishing their mission objectives, but there's no sense in the end that their achievements will make any long-term difference, instead merely providing footnotes in an endless cycle of violence.

Taking place in a fictionalized scenario where the drug war has escalated significantly over the border into the US, Villeneuve's film may not have anything new to convey about the current conflict, but where its strengths lie are in Villeneuve's considerable formal ability and his impressive feel for genre rhythm and suspense. After an effectively jarring opening sequence, the film pulses with tension throughout, even in small moments like the pregnant pauses in the action or in aerial scene transitions (both Johann Johannsson's score and silence are used effectively here to convey the gradually increasing intensity). The highlight is an extended prisoner extraction sequence in Juarez , where the camera (Roger Deakins again in beast mode) is predominantly placed inside vehicles or on the tops of trucks, as the viewer is placed alongside the officers, scanning the environment for possible threats or danger.

I do have some lingering issues with the film (the protagonist's actions often strain credulity; a subplot involving a Mexican officer is sorely underdeveloped), but if the caliber of more mainstream thrillers was on this level, we'd all be a lot happier with Hollywood.

 

Sep 17, 2015

They haven't changed anything as much as showing the potential for change. These are popular films that subvert the entire reason that they're popular. My step mom and step sister watched Spring Breakers because "that girl from High School Music" was in it. The same people who liked Forbidden Planet in 1957 watched 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968 and probably expected a similar experience. Movies can be popular as well as profound, I'm just asking when will these two qualities marry on as wide a scale as they did in the 70s. 50 years? 500 years? What stars have to align before that happens?

For all intents and purposes, 9/11 and the war on Iraq is my generation's Vietnam. Why is the resulting nihilism translating into mindless enjoyment rather than indictment of the government or dour introspection etc. New York gets destroyed in the Avengers, Metropolis gets destroyed in Man of Steel, etc. Why is the public's escapism so bland this time around? Couple that with the depression in '08, the NSA, Katrina, etc. US cinema feels so afraid to stew in these things on a large scale. When does Hollywood collapse and/or we see a new era of filmmakers who grew up this way change the landscape? Do we? Why? Why not?

I can't help but to read about the death throes of Classic Hollywood and not see parrallels. From the gimmicks (60fps, 3D, IMAX) to the harmless state of cinema (MPAA) to the epics (Avengers being a Ben Hur). Movies have been around for 100 years. I'm curious about its trajectory and there isn't much to go on.

 

Sep 17, 2015

Spring Breakers is one of the best movies of all time.

 

Sep 13, 2015

I Recently saw Yasujiro Ozu's An Autum Afternoon and i must say it's a wonderful piece of art, Ozu always finds a way to soften my heart, his family dramas really make you wonder how will your life be. I like how the main character confronts his fate with joy for his daughter but deep inside he is anxious. What an amazing character Ozu created. A notable characteristic on this film is that it didn't have one single movement, the sets are shown with several cuts but not in a big and anoying quantity. Out of the 5 Ozu films i've seen this one is shares the top with Late Spring. 9/10

Today i saw Cuaron's Children of Men, This is a fun contrast to An Autum Afternoon in the sense that in this case the camera moves alot. I must say I'm really a big fan of single-shot sequences. Not to mention this is a really thought provoking human drama with a beautiful cinematography. I declare Children of Men Cuaron's best film, yes, over Gravity and Y Tu Mama Tambien. I'll check his other films. 9/10

 

Sep 13, 2015

Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) ★★★★★


Simple yet simply impenetrable, Two-Lane Blacktop is "all about image and performance". Guys like the driver and the mechanic are the only ones who understand what's under the hood. Hearing them rattle off various car parts is no less cryptic, or magic, than anything else they do or say.

Between the motherfuckin' automobile races, the two friends barely speak. They are fixated on the road and nothing else. They'd rather listen to it than the radio. Even after a win, they remain stoic, unaffected, mechanically recounting the results and the car's performance. Conversely, g,.t.o. can't shut up. He's desperately searching for anybody along the road he can lie to or a tape he can pop in. He doesn't want a conversation either, not a real one anyway.

The little dialogue there is happens between core characters inside of their cars. The minor characters barely exist, merely garnish for the racetracks. One of the few introspective thoughts, g.t.o. drunkenly opening up, is cut short by the driver. "It's not my problem", he says coldly. Despite their differences, they're tied together. Their fixation on their rides, genuine or superficial, can't fulfill them. "If I'm not grounded pretty soon, I'm gonna go into orbit."

"The girl" is the only character not identified by something car related. Neither of the men say a word when she hops in their Chevy uninvited. She breaks the silence for them. Her character's role as an object of desire might feel like "sexism or somethin'", but it's not. She's the satisfaction she sings about. The rich, middle aged liar with the expensive car can't buy her. The good looking quiet types with the homegrown street-sweeper can't win her or win her over. She's temporary: here one minute and gone the next. "She's gonna burn you, man"

Riding off on a motorcycle, the hippie girl ends up where she belongs: with an Easy Rider headed back to the '60s.

http://letterboxd.com/redwell/film/two-lane-blacktop/

 

Sep 12, 2015

Yeah. I liked it quite a bit. It takes a fresh approach to the found footage genre by placing the main character in the role of an aspiring filmmaker making a documentary about meeting her grandparents for the first time. This allows for an actual visual style to take form as opposed to the typical sloppy shaky cam one would expect from such a movie. It seamlessly walks the line between horror, comedy and drama and never lets up on the entertainment factor. The scare scenes could at one moment have the audience laughing hysterically and the next be left completely horrified. One of the most purely enjoyable movies of the year for me with a really strong ending.

 

Sep 10, 2015

My VIFF15 watchlist, will be updating as I screen films, and will be posting reviews/ratings once published
http://letterboxd.com/kamahmed/list/viff-2015/

Mabel Cheung's A Tale of Three Cities is dope af, near masterpiece.

 

Aug 27, 2015

That feel when @Twan's post breaks your heart and feeds your perspective at once

 

Aug 25, 2015

Just bought my ticket to see it tomorrow with a Q&A from Alex Ross Perry and Elizabeth Moss #blessed

 

Aug 21, 2015

Cinematographers...

Kazuo Miyagawa
Sven Nykvist
Slawomir Idziak
Vadim Yusov
Emmanuel Lubezki
Subrata Mitra
Roger Deakins
Christopher Doyle
Gregg Toland
Pi Bing Lee
Russell Metty
Darius Khondji
Benoit Debie (for @Vahn)

 

Aug 13, 2015

thats rly annoying, these freemium sites are not a good model. click here to read the piece if you're like charlie, and hunger for my wordsmanship: https://forum.sectioneighty.com/my-...-of-black-artist-biopics.t40219/#post-1047571 @M Solo @andy.cooper @Narsh @Trackz

 

Aug 2, 2015

I bought the Blu-ray recently and just watched this for the first time...It was a f---ing experience to say the least. I can't remember the last time I was so off balance watching a film. It's one of those movies where I can comfortably say I've never seen anything like it and likely won't again. It gets to such a fever pitch so quickly and sustains this unnerving and hysterical tone the whole way through. There are also so many WTF moments that come and go throughout with no explanation (that creepy ballet scene for one among a hundred examples), with the ending itself being the biggest WTF of all.

I honestly don't know yet if I have anything coherent to say on it overall. As the essay in the Mondo Blu-ray suggests, the "Possession" in the title may be more aptly applied to the film itself than any of the characters. Isabelle Adjani also gives an absolutely incredible performance in a role that is simply as challenging as they come, deservingly taking Best Actress at Cannes. Possession might just be a horror masterpiece or maybe an overcooked mess...I'm still mulling it over for the time being, but it's definitely not a film anyone would forget.

 

Jul 27, 2015

Christian Petzold's Phoenix was really, really good and easily one of my favorites of the year so far. It even reminded me in a number of ways of my top film, Joshua Oppenheimer's The Look of Silence. Phoenix utilizes its admittedly preposterous Vertigo-esque plot as a way to explore Germany's relationship with its horrific past in the immediate wake of WWII. The film ultimately succeeds, however, because it also works on a personal level, in depicting the emotional aftermath where one character is desperately trying to recreate the past while the other is doing everything he can to ignore it. Petzold's film is able to gel on multiple levels thanks to his finely tuned genre elements that generate an air of slow-burn suspense, but also thanks to the stellar performances, particularly from Nina Hoss in a masterful and nuanced turn.

In The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence, Joshua Oppenheimer takes on the perspectives of perpetrator and victim respectively and explores how a nation could just sweep a genocide of millions under the rug and, despite the surface-level silence on the subject, how that past nonetheless continues to weigh heavily on the present. In one scene in Phoenix, when one character is coaching another on how to pretend to be his wife, herself a victim of the concentration camp, he advises her not to worry about coming up with details from the camp, because he says that no one will even ask...that they would just prefer to see her appear as if nothing happened, happy and healthy. It's this unwillingness and stubbornness to face the past and its consequences that Phoenix (the title giving away its resurrection motif) so poignantly tackles and that Oppenheimer's films powerfully reveal to be more than just matters of fiction.

 

Jul 19, 2015

Excluding Chaplin and Allen...His Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby, Sullivan's Travels, The Lady Eve and Duck Soup are a few of the classics.

 

Jul 17, 2015

Fincher's best tbh.

 

Jul 2, 2015

Inside Out

 

Jun 8, 2015

Difficult question, I don't have a 250 top movies list, and can't really process what that would entail. I do think comedies are great cultural barometers, especially the overtly satirical ones. I personally think, in terms of trends, history is going to break down mainstream 2000s comedies in a few ways:
-Apatow universe
-Frat pack
-Will Ferrell/Adam McKay trilogy of Anchorman, Talledega Nights, Step Brothers

Besides comedies often being crude laugh factories, I think the largest "image" problem they suffer from is they're usually such products of their time that it's easy for them to become dated VERY fast. Also, poor production value.