Jul 4, 2016

Cool s---! Where did you s---t this?

R.I.P. to a true legend. All the way through to his last feature, Like Someone in Love, Kiarostami showed no signs of slowing down and continued to experiment and bring something new with each work. Close-Up is a film I'll continue to rewatch for years.

 

Jun 19, 2016

RIP Anton Yelchin. He was a great young actor with so much more potential, he could have had some more great roles in his future, huge loss.

 

Jun 2, 2016

I haven't watched a movie in a few weeks. Looking forward to this breaking the dry spell. What if I watched this and Elegy of a Voyage, both for the first time...back to back?????

On another note, just saw this...

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/daniel-day-lewis-paul-thomas-anderson-fashion-movie-1201768423/

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! @Vahn @Narsh

Edit: @Dew beat me by a second.

 

May 26, 2016

Guys, I saw Woody Allen in person at the cafe in New York where he plays jazz on Monday nights. I also spoke with him, got his autograph and a picture with him, because I'm the biggest fanboy ever.

I had an out of body experience for the rest of the night. I'm still kind of reeling from it, to be quite honest. I met the greatest of all time.

 

Mar 29, 2016

Listen Up Philip (2014) ★★★★☆


As much as I'm getting sick of directors informed by their lives in New York/Los Angeles, yesterday I watched Listen Up Philip and enjoyed myself in a couple of different ways. The narration played into the literary focus. The visual comedy was a welcome throwback from the edit to the girl running away, the cut away from the punch and the wheelchair gag, The black comedy that is Philip's perspective on the world such as his response to an acquaintances' suicide or when he decides to cut the grass. The way the plot doesn't feel the need to resolve the daughter or Philip. The in depth look at narcissism while still somehow endearing us to these imperfect characters. I think everybody can see a little part of themselves in Philip and that really makes us uncomfortable.

Maybe not as clean as Queen of Earth, but Alex Ross Perry is definitely on my radar now. Not many directors have the kind of range to do a Woodie Allen anxious NY comedy followed by an Ingmar Bergman psychological chamber drama. Will definitely be checking out The Color Wheel (2011) soon. Also, I found an AMA he did on Reddit where he cites Sofia Coppola's Somewhere (2010) and Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master (2012) as two of his favorite films of the decade so far. This is an artist after my own heart.

http://boxd.it/98SVH

 

Mar 19, 2016

I dug Midnight Special quite a bit. While it's unable in the end to deliver on the intrigue or mystery it so expertly builds, Nichols' sparse, measured approach provides a fresh take to a relatively familiar sci-fi narrative. Like Take Shelter before it, underneath the surface-level genre elements lies a big heart and a parable of family, this time with a focus on parenthood, specifically the fear of letting one's child go forward into a potentially threatening, unknown world. If it doesn't quite reach the emotional heights of Take Shelter, as it skews more heavily towards sharply delivered sci-fi suspense and action (Nichols once again seamlessly blends the fantastic with the mundane with a mid-level budget), Nichols' use of open space and pregnant silences infuses his very Spielberg-ian tale with an ominous feeling of foreboding.

 

Mar 17, 2016

Wrote 10 pages of my first ever screen play

i prolly need t fix some things

 

Mar 15, 2016

I'm Back!

L'Avventura? really Twan? i thought you wasn't a big fan of that one, i'm not. You used to have the Godfather II on it

My Top 10 hasn't changed, specially because i'm not seeing films anymore =( =( =(

1. The Godfather
2. The Godfather II
3, Inglourious Basterds
4. No Country For Old Men
5. Once Upon a Time In The West
6. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
7. Once Upon a Time In America
8. Before Sunrise
9. Mulholland Dr
10. The Tree Of Life

Before Sunset, Caché, Punch Drunk Love and Il Gattopardo come really close.

On another note, i went to see 10 Cloverfield Lane with @Vahn it was good but at the end it got a bit incoherent. it reminded me of Looper, great development and weak ending. 7/10

 

Jan 15, 2016

This s--- still has me dead

 

Jan 2, 2016

I'm catching on 2015 films

Bridge of Spies is

 

Dec 27, 2015

Ordet blew me away. Might be the next to join my 100s. Same score as his Passion which is one of my favourite films, but I think I prefer Ordet.


Such perfect mastery of time and rhythm perhaps unequaled in cinema. A chamber drama with few scenes, each austerely captured by the observing and detached gaze of a languid camera, which carefully tracks the actors deeply nuanced performances in long takes. With each new setting is the beginning of a sequence shot; a silent pause before and after each cut enhances the elliptical nature of the storytelling in spite of its real-time drama. In near silence, the actors and camera move about each setting as embodied creatures belonging to life and its constant presence of time passing, both symbolically and physically expressed by the ticking clock, which moves left, right, left, right, just as Dreyer’s camera slowly rotates or pans left, right, left, right, creating a visual ticking clock with the actors as its hands: Anders shifts from right to left seat at the table, Johannes turns his head as the rotating camera glides to his other side. There is a great balance and composure in Dreyer’s cinematography, often boasting visual symmetry, parallels, and balance.

When the clock is stopped, Inger enters the eternal presence of God. For a while, the soundtrack loses the the tick-tocking which held the characters fastened to their corporeal world. The absence of time’s ticking clock brings with it notions of God’s eternal presence, which is presented both visually and aurally through cinematography and soundtrack—zooms and pans instead of rotation, high contrast black and white of faces in close-up, silence rather than the ticking clock. Until at once she arises, the darkness disappears into light, and the clock’s ticking begins again.

Though highly nuanced in tone and cinematic language, Ordet narrates a more blatant defense of God through its dense script. The clever and spiritually resonant dialogue conveys the films beliefs and integrity without ever becoming patronizing or heavy handed. Though Dreyer’s intentions and religious fervor are unambiguous, and it is absolutely clear from the beginning where his stance lies, Ordet’s subtlety and the metaphorical possibilities of religious revelation speak of humanity and of humility much more than of religion itself. The miraculous event transforms hypocrites and lukewarm believers into men of true faith. The man once condemned to a life of solitude and madness rises with the strongest faith in the Kingdom of Heaven, that of a child.

Through his faith, the resurrection not only of Inger but of the old world wherein God was wholly believed brings the warmth of life and the glow of God’s eternal presence into their cold, skeptical, doubting human hearts. The revived woman embraces and shares the flesh of her lover, reborn into the joy of the corporeal world which God created, taketh her away, and returned upon her. Her agnostic husband now a believer shares a smile, understanding finally his wife’s faith, thus bringing God’s presence into his heart. He accepts now that his deceased son is alive at home in the Kingdom of Heaven. As well, a Christian ‘heathen’ and a fundamentalist whose hatred is spurned by a lack of identical faith are brought together at this sudden and shared revelation of the God of old, the same God for which their faith proclaimed, however diversely it lead religious practice.

Each in awe of God’s glory, the tone of the room changes. No longer does one feel the negative or impure thoughts stemming from a lack of faith, from doubt, disbelief, or skepticism. Though the clock continues to tick, and the men live in the corporeal world of time passing, the eternal presence of God remains with them. Finally, the spirits of these believers becomes equal to the realization of God in Dreyer’s cinematography. The characters warm feelings of God’s presence is tantamount to the warm, silent expression of Dreyer’s rhythmic sense of time and eternity. As with the film, the characters have finally found humility and peace. The austerity of Ordet, its sense of balance, simplicity, humility, and unaffectedness, becomes a part of the characters’ experience, and so too does it become part of the viewers’ transformative experience musing Dreyer’s masterwork.

99/100 – Masterful

 

Dec 23, 2015

seems more along the lines of Bernie and Bad News Bears, at least in tone. It's interesting what a dual personality Richard Linklater is. He's certainly a storyteller first and foremost, and none of his films are particularly cinematographic. And for me there's a great contrast between his personal/sensitive films like the Before series, Boyhood, Dazed, and even Waking Life with his equally personal but much more 'fun' films like School of Rock, Bad News Bears, Bernie, and, from the looks of it, Everybody Wants Some. I'm sure it will at the least be a good watch.

 

Dec 12, 2015

Fury Road is the best. Stop the hating!

I finally saw Creed this week. Given the reviews, I was expecting it to be good but even with elevated expectations, I was still surprised by just how great it was. Pop filmmaking at its very best imo...where both formula and franchise are invigorated by a fresh and strikingly authentic take. While I felt many of Coogler's writing and directing choices in Fruitvale Station were misjudged, his approach here both on the page and behind the camera is remarkably confident and assured. Definitely wasn't expecting this to be Top 10-caliber.

Saw Spike Lee's Chi-Raq as well, which was also great. With its use of text on screen, its forceful social message, and just its sheer moment-to-moment, anything-goes inventiveness, I was reminded of some of Godard's best work.

 

Dec 12, 2015

Slant Magazine posted their top 25 movies of 2015 and it was really interesting as usual...

http://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/the-25-best-films-of-2015

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. In Jackson Heights
3. Timbuktu
4. Horse Money
5. Magic Mike XXL
6. Hard to be a God
7. Heart of a Dog
8. Blackhat
9. The Assassin
10. Chi-Raq
11. Li'l Quinquin
12. Taxi
13. Queen of Earth
14. The Look of Silence
15. Heaven Knows What
16. Jauja
17. The Forbidden Room
18. Phoenix
19. Carol
20. Creed
21. Mistress America
22. Son of Saul
23. Of Men and War
24. Eastern Boys
25. 45 Years

 

Dec 7, 2015

Speaking of Phoenix, 2015 buzz movies on or coming to Netflix this month:

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Beasts of No Nation
The Duke of Burgundy
Girlhood
Hard To Be A God
Manuscripts Don't Burn
Phoenix (Dec. 8)
Tangerine
Queen of Earth (Dec. 22)
White God

 

Nov 29, 2015

I finally saw Carol and will say that THE HYPE IS REAL

It's debatable whether this is a stronger film than Far From Heaven, but I would say that Carol's naturalism and slow-burn emotion resonated with me a lot more strongly than the prior film's self-conscious, melodramatic styling. Carol's deceptively simple forbidden love story lends the film a certain universal appeal, but its nuanced character and social dynamics are just as rich as its period detail and its textured mise en scene. It's the sort of film where every gesture and offhand remark is pregnant with meaning and the slightest of touches packs a wave of emotion. Immaculately crafted with two stellar performances, it's easily among the year's best.

 

Nov 6, 2015

Me and @Old_Parr saw The Assassin together

 

Nov 6, 2015

http://letterboxd.com/maximeproulx/list/abel-ferrara/

 

Oct 29, 2015

My official ranking of films of 2015. 93 films seen. Includes festival films.

http://letterboxd.com/kamahmed/list/films-of-2015-ranked/

Some oversights I will catch up on: Queen of Earth, Los Ausentes, From What is Before, Montage of Heck, Gangnam Blues, The Walk, The Visit, Straight outta Compton, End of the Tour, Southpaw, Slow West, The Look of Silence, Me Earl and the Dying Girl, Spy.

And some VIFF oversights: Aferim!, Victoria, Thoughts That Once We Had, Arabian Nights.

Now @Vahn can leave me alone. and @Charlie Strangelove best get to watching.

 

Oct 26, 2015

forgot to mention I saw Room at coolidge over the weekend, was great. really great. even better than great. (@Charlie Strangelove )

nah but for real, the kid was fantastic imo and the direction handled with enough nuance that you were in the kids head even w/o the need for the voiceovers (which wasn't abused, so im grateful for that as well). movie made me feel things and s--- u digg