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Author Topic: 1SO vs. All the Directors  (Read 85465 times)

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: 1SO vs. All the Directors
« Reply #450 on: August 05, 2018, 03:13:04 PM »
I support 1SO's desire to watch more bad horror films.

1SO

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Re: 1SO vs. All the Directors - Éric Rohmer
« Reply #451 on: November 18, 2018, 08:46:09 PM »
#159 Éric Rohmer Ranked List

Quote
I saw a Rohmer film once. It was kind of like watching paint dry.
- Harry Moseby in Night Moves (1975)

I don't feel the same way, but my experiences with Rohmer do seem to be more dependent on my attitude in the moment than most directors. I can pick up a genre film like a Jersey Mikes sandwich, but I have to WANT to see a Rohmer. Problem is, I'm rarely in that mood.

With that in mind, I need to be extremely selective about what I watch here. ICM has 18 films that appear on a list. Chloe in the Afternoon (1972) is on 4 Official Lists, so that seems a wise choice. The thread has a lot of recommendations, and I want to have something else on standby in case I want to watch more. Top picks based on my familiarity with the titles would be...
Pauline at the Beach (1983)
A Tale of Winter (1992)
Autumn Tale (1998)

This has been holding me up. I want more of an education on Rohmer, but I really need a strong push to watch these films. (A Filmspotting Marathon would really help.) I made a new Watchlist not looking at the post and also came up with 4 titles. (Only Autumn Tale was different, replaced by The Aviator's Wife.) Still, I was stalling. Chloe in the Afternoon was Okay, but hardly the spark to ignite further exploration of Rohmer.

I'm moving onto [checks list] Roberto Rossellini.

goodguy

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Re: 1SO vs. All the Directors - Éric Rohmer
« Reply #452 on: November 18, 2018, 10:17:40 PM »
This has been holding me up. I want more of an education on Rohmer, but I really need a strong push to watch these films.
...
Chloe in the Afternoon was Okay, but hardly the spark to ignite further exploration of Rohmer.

I don't want to stop you from moving on, but maybe trying some of Rohmer's less typical films could keep you interested: Perceval (1978) is essentially a medieval musical shot entirely on stage, with a stunningly abstract visual style that takes his cues from illuminated manuscripts of the period (not unlike Secret of Kells, there is even a brief animated sequence). The Lady and the Duke (2001), set during the French Revolution, has Rohmer go digital with bluescreen and digital backdrops inspired by panoramic paintings.


1SO

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Re: 1SO vs. All the Directors
« Reply #453 on: November 19, 2018, 03:11:16 PM »
You just cleared something up for me. I've been seeing double, combining Perceval with Bresson's unorthodox Lancelot du Lac. (I bet the two look nothing alike.)

I'm not done with Rohmer, I just don't think a forced Marathon - short or long - is the way to go. I'd like to learn about his Six Moral Tales and how they thematically connect, along with his Four Seasons. I would even say he's a good director, though I'm sure it reads like he's not to my tastes. I'm trying to figure out why I run hot and cold with Rohmer's typical talky sex/relationship films but when Richard Linklater works in the same style I'm immediately drawn in, even if I'm not initially interested in the film itself.

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1SO vs. All the Directors - Roberto Rossellini
« Reply #454 on: November 19, 2018, 03:48:46 PM »
#160 Roberto Rossellini Ranked List

I generally don't appreciate Italian neorealism, but I very much appreciate Ingrid Bergman, who worked with Rossellini many times. Pairing Bergman with George Sanders for Journey to Italy was a major disappointment, but I'm getting far enough away to where I'm almost ready to give it another chance. Scorsese talks a lot about Rossellini in his documentary My Voyage to Italy (Essential), giving me reason not to give up looking for a gem.

Fear (1954) is a Bergman film I've never seen.

Beyond that I'm sticking close to ICM, with 3 titles that appear on at least 5 Official Lists:
General della Rovere (1959)
India: Matri Bhumi (1959)
The Rise of Louis XIV (1966)

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1SO vs. All the Directors - Andrei Tarkovsky
« Reply #455 on: November 22, 2018, 01:02:54 AM »
#161 Andrei Tarkovsky Ranked List

While he's not a director I enjoy, I don't dispute his reputation as a Grand Master. I at least admire his technique and appreciate him more with each passing year. This is why I've seen his seven main features, including 3 or 4 visits to Solaris. He's still a slog for the guy who likes it hard and fast, but there's a level of awe few filmmakers ever achieve.

Debating if I should move on, I've been wanting to watch Stalker again. (Original Review) I think I'm going to do that.

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1SO vs. All the Directors - Jacques Tati
« Reply #456 on: November 26, 2018, 09:26:07 AM »
#162 Jacques Tati Ranked List

I appreciate Jacques Tati, but I have a problem with the sameness to his style, with polite misunderstandings a common source of humor in all his work. I often tire of this single strain of humor before just one of his films is complete. His onscreen character of Mr. Hulot is a delightful comedic extension of Chaplin's tramp.

With such a small filmography, it's a choice between Trafic and Parade. I doubt I'll attempt both.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: 1SO vs. All the Directors
« Reply #457 on: November 26, 2018, 10:05:09 AM »
Trafic is more in style with the films you've seen with more Mr. Hulot. Parade is basically a vaudeville performance captured on film.

Knocked Out Loaded

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Re: 1SO vs. All the Directors
« Reply #458 on: November 26, 2018, 04:46:23 PM »
Trafic is more in style with the films you've seen with more Mr. Hulot. Parade is basically a vaudeville performance captured on film.
That rings true. Forza Bastia is a charming soccer documentary, but I guess you need to be immersed in the heritage of the sport to fully appreciate it.
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1SO vs. All the Directors - Wim Wenders
« Reply #459 on: November 28, 2018, 12:58:37 AM »
#163 Wim Wenders Ranked List

Wenders was peaking right as I was getting into cinema. My first of his films was The American Friend, which was unlike anything that was forming my developing tastes at the time. Those tastes were blown apart with my 2nd film, Wings of Desire. I went back to discover Paris, Texas while Wenders went on to stumble through the rest of his career.

At one time I was going to do a chronological Wenders Marathon. This was quickly derailed by Alice in the Cities, after which I had to watch something that wasn't a Wenders film. That was over 5 years ago, and I've still never seen Kings of the Road, which is also on 7 ICM Lists.

 

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