Apr 8, 2016

Since the communal film club has failed a couple of times due to participation, I've decided to try something new... an individually curated film club. Each week I will announce a film I am planning to watch. Whoever wants to join will watch said film and then come here to participate in the discussion. If no one joins, it ends up with me just providing a review of the film on my own, so no harm done. I will take recommendations of films to choose and if people catch on I'll start nominating others to choose the film for that week.

I'll try not to pick overly obscure films, but I will definitely be picking films that challenge the viewer and which may or may not have been on their radar but which remains, for whatever reason, unseen. Mainly, it'll be for myself, and I'll be picking films that I want to watch anyways. But basically I'll try to pick films that people generally want to watch and I'll be consulting with the IMDB top 250 list to make sure the film I choose is popular enough to perhaps bring some non FlickYouCrew members in here.

The film will be announced each Friday, with the hopes that by Sunday I will have watched and made a post about it, something which will perhaps entice you guys to watch it yourselves and to come in to discuss. If you've seen it, obvs shed your two cents.

@Twan @Woody @Vahn @Rowjay Stan @Old_Parr @Charlie @Bleed @captain awesome @Howie @Dew @Kon @King V

THIS WEEK'S FILM:

Film This Week (May 29)

Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone, 1984)

A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan over thirty years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087843/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Past Films:

La Haine
Magnolia
The 25th Hour
On the Waterfront
Once Upon at Time in the West
Jaws

 

May 19, 2016

Leone's meticulous cinematography, iconic photography, and brilliant sound design distinguish Once Upon a Time in the West not only as a masterpiece but as one of the most important western-genre gems of the 20th century. While some, including myself, might feel more fondly towards the somewhat more personable and culturally respected Good, Bad, and Ugly, the production of Once Upon a Time in the West is inarguably more sophisticated. To some degree this is due to panavision, technicolor, and a significantly raised budget, but there is also a noticeable development of Leone's craft, to the point where one could rightly argue that the 'man with no name' trilogy was a workout—practice for the magnum opus to come.

In visually immersive yet highly textural 70mm, Leone is able to use wide-screen space to his advantage, and he does so masterfully. The opening medley wherein three of Frank's (Henry Fonda) men await to meet with Harmonica/the man with no name (Charles Bronson) displays a unique visual and aural mastery unfamiliar outside of Leone's ouevre. It is almost operatic and exceptionally detailed. There is almost no dialogue; instead, the camera glides around the location, giving a sense of the space and its openings without ever resorting to an establishing shot. It cuts between the three characters to further establish space, but dynamically shifts from images of their figures in open spaces to their figures in close up. All the while, the sound effects render atmosphere, as it does throughout the film, providing an organic sense of the inhabited space and the characters' experience thereof. From the rhythmic squeal of the windmill to drops of water to the train's engine, these accentuated sounds engage the viewer's attention and summon a great deal of tension for what is to come.

Yet, in addition to a meticulous soundtrack of aptly dubbed effects, Leone's cinematography is perhaps even more remarkable. Using 70mm, he is able to show a great deal of foreground and background activity, and by using a slowly mobile camera he is able to shift from sophisticated long shots into iconic close-ups. For example, when Harmonica is seen in the saloon, the camera tracks towards his profile which becomes a perfect silhouette amongst a blue sky; when Frank is first seen, the scene begins with a long shot of the young boy he is about to k---, but the camera slowly cranes from behind Frank, turns to his side thus obscuring the boy, and then closes in on his face. Both of these shots are highly powerful and truly cinematographic moments.

These powerful moments are made ever more impacting due to Ennio Morricone's creative score which is used characteristically to enhance the emotional expressiveness of the images. But the soundtrack does not simply add on to the visual spectacle, it is an inextricable part of the experience. These impressive audio-visual moments make it difficult for one to listen to the music without imagining its associated image, and wherein it is difficult for one to see the image without hearing its associated score. This is the sign of a great soundtrack, when the music is not merely in the background or abstractly connected to the film but integral to the moment and experience of the film. The use of motifs/themes throughout the film add that much more since music provides a strongly resonant quality to one's experience of film. Shifting from Harmonica's theme to the riding theme to Frank's theme to the Widow's theme helps the film build through repetition and variation thus by the end offering an expansive, intricate, and most importantly personally resonant experience for the viewer.

On the downside, by far the greatest problem of the film is its absolutely terrible voice dubbing which is difficult to ignore and makes certain conversations appear awkward and certain dialogues appear disconnected. It is the one major failure of this otherwise brilliant film.

95/100 - Amazing.

 

Apr 30, 2016

Glad you liked it @FilmAndWhisky

Spike Lee has said Martin Scorsese was a significant influence on the film and that certainly is evident in Monty's guilt (Catholic guilt being one of the most prevalent themes in Scorsese's career). The famous mirror rant, in addition to being Lee's inverted love letter to the city, also shows Monty trying and failing to project blame for his fate onto others, his environment, his friends and his family, culminating in the recognition that the only one to blame is himself. The scene towards the end where Monty asks his friends to "make him ugly" so that he will be less of a target in prison is ludicrous and naïve on the surface, but makes more sense as Monty's desire to punish himself for what he's done. This leads to an extended voiceover montage in the vein of Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ that shows an alternative path that could be, but won't as Monty accepts what's coming.

Another important point about the film to note is that it was one of the first fiction films to deal with immediately post-9/11 New York. While other movies and TV shows at the time chose to ignore it, Lee chooses to confront it directly and incorporates it into a central story that's not overtly related to the terror attacks (the novel was written before 9/11). However, 9/11 haunts the film in the background and, like it did in New York at the time, colors the thoughts and actions of all of its inhabitants.

This ReverseShot piece also really good on the film:
http://reverseshot.org/symposiums/entry/539/25th_hour

 

Apr 23, 2016

I can understand now why I didn't remember Magnolia well. With rapid editing, montage, multiple climaxes, inter-cutting, etc. there's much to pay attention to and so much more to easily gloss over. Nearly the entire film plays out like its in this perpetual climax where each character is about to explode in relentless emotional expression. Even the music is constantly reaching cathartic heights that mirror climactic shifts, and the quicker the cuts the more extreme the circumstance seems to become, even when the events are all rather innocuous. What such a technique does extremely well is get the audience into the mind set of each of these suffering characters, their frustrations and turmoil, so that we can feel the connection they have with one another not only by their potential proximity to each other/relationship etc. but by their sheer humanism, their will, their isolated stories of struggle.

81/100 - Great.

Definitely one of the quickest seeming 3 hours of film...

 

Apr 11, 2016

La Haine was pretty dope, indeed, and clearly an important precursor to films like American History X or French Blood (and probably many others).

The stark black and white works really well to give the film that gritty feel of urban decay and desolation, and the cinematography is pretty d--- impressive with all the circling tracking shots to show both the front and back of the characters (as well as sometimes 180* cuts to the other side of them). It gives a sense that at any moment something could happen and illustrates that these men (boys?) have to constantly watch their back, as they're constantly in an agitated, anxious state, with the presence of the gun being this seeming answer or relief from that agitation/anxiety. The sudden whip pans and whip zooms are quite affecting and stylistically interesting, especially as they contrast moments of routine-like violence.

The presence of the gun aptly and thematically acts as a motivation for much of the film's characterizations and narrative developments. The three characters which are focused upon are connected by their shared plight of poverty, living in the projects, searching for respect, etc. but they each deal with the threat of police and the threat of others very differently. Their unique personalities may be defined by how they respond to the presence of the gun. Each obviously spewing much hatred for others, their bred hatred is quite certainly the product of both environmental factors and the need to put on airs or bravado in front of one another.

While Vinz' pain and possession of the gun causes him to act like more of a badass out of a mistaken sense of power which perhaps he has never before felt, we can see through and through that his convictions arise from a source of well intentioned guardianship over his self and friends. He doesn't show it outright but actions such as following his buddies on multiple occasions after they leave him behind with him saying "I don't need you" illustrate this. Sayid uses comedy to perhaps hide from the real drama and seriousness of circumstances around him. He is not only the jokester but he is a joke in himself, being told of by Nordeen, by the girls, etc.. He takes false pride in holding the piece and talking about the pigs, but most of what he says is superficial, and he's really probably the most insecure and afraid of the three. Hubert shows reason and an unbridled realism. He wants out and he has perspective about how hate breeds hate, how the cops respond to the rioters hatred and vice versa, and that not all cops are bad. Yet he is still a rather hateful person, a racist perhaps, and his speech that a skinhead doesn't deserve to live is one example of how we know that his restraint could be broken.

When Sayid and Hubert are tortured by those corrupt-as-f--- cops, one can see Hubert's repressed violent side come out--a violent side which was perhaps more active as a troubled young thief and which was conditioned during his time in lock-up. This scene motivates the sheer amount of tension we feel when Hubert begins to walk towards the cop car holding the gun in his hand. Out to save his friends and now holding that symbol of power, we know that Hubert might be willing to do what Vinz could not: he could k---. He could especially k--- the cop that tortured him. The ambiguity of the final shot paired with the close up of Sayid's clenched eyes is perfectly exemplary of the reciprocal nature of this hate and violence. Like we saw Hubert try before this, the idea of erasing the present and somehow making the hate and violence in front of you disappear is bound in the lives of all these so called 'hoodlums'. But such magic doesn't exist, and a system can't change from 24 hours of constructed hatred.

83/100 - Great.

 

Jun 27, 2016

Kind of fell to the wayside on this one--sorry guys. Took a while to watch because of runtime, kept putting it off till I had a freer evening, and then kept putting off writing on it, and now I realize I'm not gonna get a chance to come in and write for a while cause I'll be busy and in Portland for the next few days so I'll just put in my Twitter-style 2 cents.

An expansive and intricately layered exploration of friendship, a changing society, and nostalgia for youth.

92/100 - Amazing.

I really loved the film's tone, the music, and depth of characters. The child actors are quite impressive, and I found myself most connected to the youth story--same reason why I prefer Godfather II to I... The cinematography is brilliant as usual for Leone, though there are a few sluggish scenes such the long conversation between Noodles and Deb in the changeroom towards the ending or multiple scenes with Max's girlfriend where there's just too much talking and the rhythm loses some energy. I'm also not entirely convinced by the twist, primarily because we spend so much more time with the characters that ideas of revenge and LA become abstract and impure and unconvincing, which is perhaps the goal since Noodles chooses not to even acknowledge Max' presence as the Secretary. Several scenes of collaborated cinema and music (leone and morricone) reminded me of Kieslowski/Preisner, particularly Decalogue, and especially during the piano scenes of Once Upon... there's a certain melancholy in the film's tone which I feel corresponds well with Kieslowski's ouevre, especially upon appreciation of the use of music as a formal+objective expression of deeply layered character emotions and film themes.

 

May 1, 2016

Film This Week:
On The Waterfront (Kazan, 1954)

An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047296/

Yup, shameful to admit, I have never seen it.

@Twan @Woody @Vahn @Rowjay Stan @Old_Parr @Charlie @captain awesome @Howie @Dew @Kon @King V @Devil White @Radeem

 

Apr 26, 2016

^ I agree there are some clumsy parts between the narratives, but it all comes together quite well so it's easy to overlook it for the bigger picture.

Film This Week:
The 25th Hour (Spike Lee, 2002)

Cornered by the DEA, convicted New York d--- dealer Montgomery Brogan reevaluates his life in the 24 remaining hours before facing a seven-year jail term.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307901/

@Twan @Woody @Vahn @Rowjay Stan @Old_Parr @Charlie @Bleed @captain awesome @Howie @Dew @Kon @King V @Devil White @Radeem

 

May 30, 2016

With the aid of Panavision and Technicolor, Spielberg creates a monumental 70s film bringing together the epic scale of David Lean and the captivating action of Alfred Hitchcock. Jaws grabs you and sinks deep. Though psychological and violent, Jaws is somehow wholesome too, and today it is a household name. This is because Spielberg, as usual, draws his characters with a lot of heart--they are somehow relatable. And while Sentimental Spielberg has become a bit cliche--and copied a million times--Jaws purports Spielberg's human sentiment at its most poignant and genuine manner. Because of this, we come to care about the characters, particularly Roy Schieder who goes from pipsqueak to hero in the course of 2 hours, and we feel invited into their world. This is Spielberg. And Jaws is perhaps the ultimate Spielberg.

What's most underrated in this film is how technically proficient and creative is the cinematography--nevermind the special effects. There are many Hitchock-influenced cranes, sure, like the one which crosses the room to show Quint for the first time, or the many action takes across the boat. But Spielberg uses the advent of Panavision and Technicolor to make his own cinematographic statement. When Brody notices the boy being attacked, there is a rapid shot of his face in response. The camera appears to zoom out while tracking in. There is a kaleidescope of colour. It gives one vertigo. It gives a similar impression but is the exact reverse of the technique actually used in Hitchcock's Vertigo. It is the best shot of the film.

Many other scenes of the film utilize virtuosic camera movements, which frankly are not nearly as pronounced in the majority of Spielberg's films to follow. The score from John Williams is not only iconic--nor a mere derivative of Bernard Hermann's work with Hitchcock--but a necessary force in story development and aesthetic appreciation of the film. Utilized as a motif, the film's theme becomes not only a haunting aspect of the film but a resonant feature of post-screening affect.

87/100 - Excellent.​

 

May 22, 2016

Okay so this is my embarrassing moment. I've never seen jaws

 

May 15, 2016

I Wrote this a few months ago
http://letterboxd.com/jesusv12/film/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west/

This is the Ultimate proof of how you can create art with anything; Once Upon a Time In The West is a magnificent film that rewards patience in a way you cannot imagine.

Sergio Leone arrives full in force and wants you to admire every dimension of the film as the camera moves slowly showing you landscapes while accompanied, off course, with Morricone’s amazing soundtrack, the cinematography is once again amazing, you could pick any frame of the movie and make a painting out of it.

This time with Charles Bronson, the movie presents the man with no name Clint Eastwood made famous, sure I would’ve loved to see Clint Eastwood as Harmonica but Bronson was so good with his sad smile and revenge seeking look that it didn’t make me miss Eastwood.
Another thing to point out is that finally we are allowed to see a bit of the background of the man with no name, a very mysterious character, what is he looking for? This time it’s not the money, it’s all about revenge, forget about Chan-Wook’s vengeance trilogy, this is what you’re looking for!

Leone’s first film of his unrelated ‘Once upon a time…’ trilogy presents us two stories, revenge and greed, both a natural feeling in humans, these stories develop slowly until we see how they confront themselves in the godly constructed duel which is where all our mysteries are solved, we finally see who is that shadow coming us in those flashbacks shown during the whole movie.

Once Upon a Time In The West is a simple story turned epic and we should make responsible the carefully constructed pace for that, many people believe the length ruined it, no, it actually made it more epic, note how in the first scene of the movie most all of Leone’s trademarks as a director are present, in only 8 minutes. If you ask me to pick only one film as Leone’s masterpiece, for the reasons I’ve mentioned and many more that I can’t mention because otherwise I’ll end up writing a book, Once Upon a Time in The west is answer I’ll give you.

 

May 9, 2016

Film This Week:
Once Upon a Time in the West (Leone, 1968)

Epic story of a mysterious stranger with a harmonica who joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064116/

@Twan @Woody @Vahn @Rowjay Stan @Old_Parr @Charlie @captain awesome @Howie @Dew @Kon @King V @Devil White @Radeem

 

May 7, 2016

I've never seen Blade Runner, 2001: A Space Odyssey, North By Northwest, Vertigo, Casablanca, Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, Gone with the Wind, Seven Samurai, 12 Angry Men, Godfather: Part II, Persona, Wild Strawberries, The Sound of Music, any major Tarkovsky, any Lynch outside of Eraserhead, any Kazan, any Ford, any Capra, any Tarr, any Rohmer, any Godard, any Truffaut etc. etc. etc.

I did, however, rewatch Spy Kids 3D last week.

 

May 4, 2016

On The Waterfront

On The Waterfront is a strong character film, with much film-historical relevance and classicism, which explains its current reputation and social reverence. In an almost reverse nature, I was noting not references in the film, but original scenes of which I have seen future pop-culture references, such as the line "I coulda been a contender," as well as the final montage walking scene which has undoubtedly drawn aesthetic similarities in countless films after it.

Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint give career best performances, and their chemistry is palpable in each and every scene. Brando presents his charismatic self with great subtlety, from the slight accent he uses, delivery of speech, brief bowing of the head, uncertain sighs. A troubled history which is not displayed yet looms in his background becomes undeniable in Brando's performance, which brings forth all the complex psychological traits Terry Malloy, an orphaned 'bum' who's advantage has been taken since as far as he can remember. This makes clear his supposed loyalty to Johnny and his brother Charlie, in spite of the negative impact these two figures have made and continue to make on his life. It also makes clear how the impact of a good woman and a good priest can turn his life around, primarily because their influence allows him to feel secure and confident: in short, proud. The love of a kind woman helps strip the fear and self-deprecation he has become used to, and the influence of the priest plays an edifying role in reinstating the moral compass Terry presumably once carried before Johnny stripped away his innocence.

Kazan directs the film amicably, but in no way should On The Waterfront be celebrated for particularly masterful direction or cinematography. It fits within classic Hollywood, and Kazan performs his role as studio director exactly right, which is to say that the film could perhaps be seen as an archetype of the techniques and formulas of classic Hollywood--and could even be studied in this right--but that the film has little of an authorial sensibility, and does not much feel like the creative consequence of a personal viewpoint. For this reason, there are some generic qualities to the film, which are seen in its editing, story arcs, and mise-en-scene. Shot in high contrast black-and-white, On The Waterfront follows relatively formulaic shooting patterns: establishing shot, shot-reverse-shot dialogue, close up on emotional moment. Besides the final montage, there is little cinematographic spontaneity or uniqueness. It's a film style we've seen a 100 times before; the difference here is that On The Waterfront serves as prototypical rather than stereotypical.

88/100 - Excellent. (4.5)

 

Apr 30, 2016

Magnolia is Amazing, probably in my Top 25 favorite films. The script is amazing, one of my favorites also and they way the camera moves in some scenes really gets you in. A must see

25th hour is great aswell, that Norton Monologue is something to be remembered, one of Lee's best with Inside Man. I havent seen Do The Right Thing

 

Apr 30, 2016

Watched it last night but didn't get a chance to come in and post until now.

Overall an excellent film with stylistic tendencies and visual appeal. Spike Lee's direction is fluid and committed, giving the viewer a strong sense of his aims and themes. In spite of this, the film suffers from some notable pacing issues, both from scenes which feel superfluous (empty dialogue) and others which feel incomplete (sudden shifts). An example of the former would be when Montgomery (Norton) and Naturel (Dawson) are chatting in bed during a flashback, while an example of the latter includes when the Ukrainian is found guilty of ratting.

Some of the pacing issue has to do with the film's visually dynamic nature, shifting in rhythm and editing between parts of the film. Lee is oft credited for his overt stylizing, which includes features such as overlapping editing (car trunk seen closed twice or Monty and Naturel embracing three times for example) wherein the same action is seen multiple times due to intentionally discontinuous editing points. This stylizing lends the film much of its raw energy. The high iso grain throughout the film sets an immersive tone; stark blue or stark red lighting in the club show obvious symbolism while painting the background with a vivid--almost violent--palette. His films are powerful because he threatens the viewer, puts them a little outside their comfort zone, and sets them up to experience a sort of moral or social revolution. As a result, parts of the film, especially during the first half while he's still setting up the dominos to knock down, feel a bit forced and thereby unnaturally paced simply because the conviction and passion that makes a Spike Lee film great isn't quite up to speed yet.

There are great performances all around, though I am not particularly a fan of Rosario Dawson. Norton is great here, with some impressive monologues that rival his best from other classics such as American History X and Rounders. His racist rant in the mirror become voice-over is the highlight of the film, and helps create a powerful climax as he looks out the passenger window to see his various antagonists looking at him, turning his own judgemental eyes back on him. The relationship between Francis (Pepper) and Jacob (Hoffman) is delightful. Total opposites, the amount of love and friendship they share is tantamount to their unspoken resentment, making their interactions all the more fascinating. The ending, with its dual-scenario 25th hour, is especially powerful given the amount of intimate character study we've been given. Like the voice-over montage from Monty, his father's commentary yields much social and moral insight, even it is, like before, coming from a particular and thus biased viewpoint. It allows the viewer to consider Monty's situation carefully, knowing full well both the following: 1. Monty is a criminal caught for crimes he did in fact commit, 2. Monty is not a "bad" guy. So what happens to a guy like Monty, and does justice ever really exist?

85/100 - Excellent.

 

Apr 25, 2016

I watched the film last night with my gf. Coming out the gate, I knew it was going to be a dark art. I personally think the film is lucid and artistic, but also gets a little clumsy in between, with the narratives.
The Cast was superb though. I felt though the film had ran it's course by the 2nd hour..but I also understood why it went for so long. I kind of compare this to Ex-Machina, in a deus way for the plot development.
It's Definitely a dark portrait of loss, and confusion; I may have to re-watch this alone to really get into it fully.. 7/10

 

Apr 22, 2016

Going to watch the film today; I'm off thank god

 

Apr 21, 2016

Just finished Magnolia. Holy s---.

It's a h--- of a slow-burning drama. Long as h--- but every second had my attention, it was very engaging. The characters & their story arcs were hella interesting, the actors killed their roles. h--- of a lot of heaviness throughout, especially when certain story arcs reach their boiling point, emotionally. Ending was weird as h--- but somehow managed to perfectly tie everything in/conclude everything so i thought that was dope as well.

I guess my gripe is the cinematography & music. I agree with what Twan said in that both were excessive. I definitely noticed this. Sooooo much music throughout, too much really, & then that weird corny scene where they're all singing to the song, eugghh i hated it. Camerawork was also a lil too cheesy for me at times, especially with the whole "zooming into the subject during a dramatic moment" that was done so...blatantly (SO many occassions of this, with 0 subtlety).

Besides those few gripes, i loved the movie, f---in h--- of a drama. d--- well executed when it comes to writing & story arcs.

Great, 8/10

 

Apr 17, 2016

I've seen it multiple times and while I can admit it's flawed, it never fails to resonate for me. Like Hard Eight and Boogie Nights before it, it wears its influences on its sleeve (Altman by the way of Scorsese) and every choice from the camerawork to the music is excessive. With that said, there's still a strong emotional core, bolstered by an impressive ensemble cast (PTA, one of the greats at eliciting the best from his actors), and a moving story of fragile people in moments of personal crisis. And though his ostentatious style here can be grating to some, I always find it to be exhilarating.