Film round-up
Aug. 3rd, 2012 11:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
felicitykingSince I've passed 100 films, I've gotten extremely lazy about posting reviews. I've also gotten more obsessive about marathoning (though I'm a lame marathoner. When I "marathon," it's at most 2 films per day, or a certain number of films per week. I have yet to do an all-day 7 movie marathon like some people are capable of.) But I still want to post opinion bits, so very belatedly...
Huckabees to TGE are films my friend owns that I'm watching while I housesit. (I have 3 more of her films to go, and that's on top of the hulu films I've been squeezing in.) None of the films on this list are rewatches.
Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal) (1958)
If I hadn't seen The Virgin Spring first, I might have been in awe of this but I wasn't. I mean, I loved it, but it's so close in style to TVS that I had harder time appreciating it. It's an medieval allegory about life and death. What I found most surprising was how lighthhearted some bits are, but I think that is being true to life. Even though death is always round the corner--whether it be because of a plague, accident, or murder--people aren't going to be somber all the time. Oh, and I think LOST stole from the this film (specificallly the beach chess scene).
La Haine (1995)
I WASN'T GOING TO WATCH THIS! I read the description for it and thought it sounded both cheesy and depressing. But I always, or nearly always, check imdb to see what reviews are to determine if something should be watched. I'm glad I did, because this film is amazing! We like to think of France--and filmic France particularly Paris--as being an enchanted, not touched by tragedy place, but this film reveals otherwise. It's gritty and the last 10 minutes will have nailbiting and anxious. A bit of trivia for you: the guy who directed Amelie directed this. Everything about this film is perfect and just flawlessly syncs. I can't rec it enough. WHY ARE YOU STILL READING THIS? GO RENT THE MOVIE!
Another Life (2001)
Passable. A true life Edwardian story about an unhappily married woman who has an affair with a much younger man. It ends in murder (I can spoil that because the film begins with the murder and flashes back). It was nice seeing how British society changed from Edwardian times to World War 1 to the Flapper 20s, but other than that, it didn't do much for me.
Throne of Blood (1957)
A Japanese retelling of Macbeth set in feudal samarai society. The atmosphere and cultural translation felt just right. Not much else to add. (If you follow me on tumblr, you also know I was impressed by one particular death scene.)
I ♥ Huckabees (2004)
As a former social activist (I believe in the causes still but I'm no longer out on the streets), I was quite amused and impressed by accurate this film got the archetypes right. I also like how it snuck in a thoughtful discussion about existentialism. My one problem with this film is that it is racist, which is unacceptable. (It uses the "magical negro" stereotype. For those of you unfamiliar with this: the Magical Negro is the person of colour, be it man or woman, who spurs the white person(s) to their greater destiny, enlightenment, understanding of one's self. The Magical Negro is never fleshed out but it just there as a plot point to make white person(s) feel better about themselves.)
Once (2006)
I've wanted to see this for years and finally got around to it. I enjoyed it. Well, I should say I enjoyed everything but the film obviously patting itself on the back. What do I mean? The writer ALWAYS makes a point of having the suppporting characters tell the main character (particularly Guy) how fucking awesome his music is. Oh, the routine might vary but it's basically the same. One moment even made me roll my eyes (music producer complains to girlfriend he's soundchecking "oddballs" but then the "oddballs start to sing AND HEAVEN OPENS UP AND THE MUSIC PRODUCER JOINS IN THE JAM and thinks band is best thing ever. Firstly, musicians ARE oddballs, so I sincerely don't believe music producer, who probably has seen everybody in his studio, would even notice this middle class bunch. Secondly, a group that came together only in a day aren't going to be so fucking awesome that the music producer is falling all over them.) I HATE when films try to dictate to me how to think. I also hate it when the fanboying is so blantantly obvious. It makes me barf. This is an indie film so it should KNOW better. However, the romance had chemistry and the songs were nice (not "omg you are the best thing ever" that the we-are-in-love-with-ourselves storytellers wanted me to think but they are soulful and worth listening to).
Amadeus (1984)
There seems to be a theme emerging this year. I keep watching films about music and musicians, be they real or fictional. This made a nice counterpart to Immortal Beloved. This film is nearly 3 hours long but it's not boring. I was glued to the screen the entire time. It's about a (scheming bitchy nothing-is-ever-my-fault) mediocre composer who falls in company with (airheaded dandy genius) Mozart. Jealousy ensues. I liked this film. I would even go so far to say it deserved its 8 Academy Awards (need to watch more films from 1984 to see it is the best though)
The Great Escape (1963)
Based on a true story about a German war camp made specifically to hold a large number of soldiers who tried to escape and con their way out of other camps. It's fascinating! Again it's 3 hours long but worth every minute. Steve McQueen has a minor role. Nowadays we only seem to focus on the concentration camp aspect or field battle of WW2, so it was refreshing to see a prison drama like this. It also nicely compliments A Man Escaped.
Down by Law (1986)
I WASN'T GOING TO WATCH THIS FILM EITHER! I'm so glad I did because it truly is magical. It's set in New Orleans and it's about 3 criminals who escape (yes, it's another theme this year....) from prison. The story is simple, almost like a folktale. What really gets me is how hypnotic it was. If it had been shot in colour, it wouldn't have that spell-like feeling, but shot in greyscale, the cinematography just shines and becomes otherworldly. An incentive for you to watch it: if you are a Hiddles fan, his next film is being shot by the director of this. Since you are still reading this, instead of watching La Haine, you can add this to your film list too. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? GO NETFLIX IT!
Le plaisir
A French film that would have benefited had it had been shot in colour. It was good, but not about much. Basically a triptype of stories about love, pleasure, and just living. It's a lazy day viewing film. But nothing of substance.
Huckabees to TGE are films my friend owns that I'm watching while I housesit. (I have 3 more of her films to go, and that's on top of the hulu films I've been squeezing in.) None of the films on this list are rewatches.
Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal) (1958)
If I hadn't seen The Virgin Spring first, I might have been in awe of this but I wasn't. I mean, I loved it, but it's so close in style to TVS that I had harder time appreciating it. It's an medieval allegory about life and death. What I found most surprising was how lighthhearted some bits are, but I think that is being true to life. Even though death is always round the corner--whether it be because of a plague, accident, or murder--people aren't going to be somber all the time. Oh, and I think LOST stole from the this film (specificallly the beach chess scene).
La Haine (1995)
I WASN'T GOING TO WATCH THIS! I read the description for it and thought it sounded both cheesy and depressing. But I always, or nearly always, check imdb to see what reviews are to determine if something should be watched. I'm glad I did, because this film is amazing! We like to think of France--and filmic France particularly Paris--as being an enchanted, not touched by tragedy place, but this film reveals otherwise. It's gritty and the last 10 minutes will have nailbiting and anxious. A bit of trivia for you: the guy who directed Amelie directed this. Everything about this film is perfect and just flawlessly syncs. I can't rec it enough. WHY ARE YOU STILL READING THIS? GO RENT THE MOVIE!
Another Life (2001)
Passable. A true life Edwardian story about an unhappily married woman who has an affair with a much younger man. It ends in murder (I can spoil that because the film begins with the murder and flashes back). It was nice seeing how British society changed from Edwardian times to World War 1 to the Flapper 20s, but other than that, it didn't do much for me.
Throne of Blood (1957)
A Japanese retelling of Macbeth set in feudal samarai society. The atmosphere and cultural translation felt just right. Not much else to add. (If you follow me on tumblr, you also know I was impressed by one particular death scene.)
I ♥ Huckabees (2004)
As a former social activist (I believe in the causes still but I'm no longer out on the streets), I was quite amused and impressed by accurate this film got the archetypes right. I also like how it snuck in a thoughtful discussion about existentialism. My one problem with this film is that it is racist, which is unacceptable. (It uses the "magical negro" stereotype. For those of you unfamiliar with this: the Magical Negro is the person of colour, be it man or woman, who spurs the white person(s) to their greater destiny, enlightenment, understanding of one's self. The Magical Negro is never fleshed out but it just there as a plot point to make white person(s) feel better about themselves.)
Once (2006)
I've wanted to see this for years and finally got around to it. I enjoyed it. Well, I should say I enjoyed everything but the film obviously patting itself on the back. What do I mean? The writer ALWAYS makes a point of having the suppporting characters tell the main character (particularly Guy) how fucking awesome his music is. Oh, the routine might vary but it's basically the same. One moment even made me roll my eyes (music producer complains to girlfriend he's soundchecking "oddballs" but then the "oddballs start to sing AND HEAVEN OPENS UP AND THE MUSIC PRODUCER JOINS IN THE JAM and thinks band is best thing ever. Firstly, musicians ARE oddballs, so I sincerely don't believe music producer, who probably has seen everybody in his studio, would even notice this middle class bunch. Secondly, a group that came together only in a day aren't going to be so fucking awesome that the music producer is falling all over them.) I HATE when films try to dictate to me how to think. I also hate it when the fanboying is so blantantly obvious. It makes me barf. This is an indie film so it should KNOW better. However, the romance had chemistry and the songs were nice (not "omg you are the best thing ever" that the we-are-in-love-with-ourselves storytellers wanted me to think but they are soulful and worth listening to).
Amadeus (1984)
There seems to be a theme emerging this year. I keep watching films about music and musicians, be they real or fictional. This made a nice counterpart to Immortal Beloved. This film is nearly 3 hours long but it's not boring. I was glued to the screen the entire time. It's about a (scheming bitchy nothing-is-ever-my-fault) mediocre composer who falls in company with (airheaded dandy genius) Mozart. Jealousy ensues. I liked this film. I would even go so far to say it deserved its 8 Academy Awards (need to watch more films from 1984 to see it is the best though)
The Great Escape (1963)
Based on a true story about a German war camp made specifically to hold a large number of soldiers who tried to escape and con their way out of other camps. It's fascinating! Again it's 3 hours long but worth every minute. Steve McQueen has a minor role. Nowadays we only seem to focus on the concentration camp aspect or field battle of WW2, so it was refreshing to see a prison drama like this. It also nicely compliments A Man Escaped.
Down by Law (1986)
I WASN'T GOING TO WATCH THIS FILM EITHER! I'm so glad I did because it truly is magical. It's set in New Orleans and it's about 3 criminals who escape (yes, it's another theme this year....) from prison. The story is simple, almost like a folktale. What really gets me is how hypnotic it was. If it had been shot in colour, it wouldn't have that spell-like feeling, but shot in greyscale, the cinematography just shines and becomes otherworldly. An incentive for you to watch it: if you are a Hiddles fan, his next film is being shot by the director of this. Since you are still reading this, instead of watching La Haine, you can add this to your film list too. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? GO NETFLIX IT!
Le plaisir
A French film that would have benefited had it had been shot in colour. It was good, but not about much. Basically a triptype of stories about love, pleasure, and just living. It's a lazy day viewing film. But nothing of substance.
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Date: 2012-08-04 05:36 pm (UTC)(And then when you've been doing it long enough, you'll look back at your past self and be like "how quaint I was thinking I needed to be on tumblr all day." You'll also think "damn I once thought I only had 2-4 hours a week for a film when I have at least 12-24 hours." (I've never counted the exact time. Even with real life stuff factored in, all the free time has to over 6 hours. It has to be, if I can manage 5 movies a week plus marathoning TV or miniseries episodes online.)