Author Topic: Top 100 Club: JDC  (Read 25025 times)

Sandy

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Re: Top 100 Club: JDC
« Reply #130 on: February 16, 2021, 10:28:09 PM »
Rushmore



"A total immersion in life offers the best classroom for learning to love." - Leo Buscaglia

Is it a failed system that expels a student who is the most involved and engaged person on campus? There must be a way to assess someone who will go to great lengths to gain knowledge and experience about those things that are of interest (which is nearly everything in this case) and to make allowances for an inability to thrive in a staid classroom. Evaluation of educational benchmarks aside, there's something else happening that is highly valuable to the Rushmore campus. Max Fischer is a kid community organizer; heading up and facilitating all manner of groups and by doing so, he's enriching other students' experiences at the school. He's an asset. And well, he's also an ass. I get it. But man, he's hard to discount. Watching him gather up his little posse of downtrodden adults is a sight to see. They thrive under his creative pursuits and so do the students. Yeah, he's a little obsessive, but his heart is in the right place.

Sandy

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Re: Top 100 Club: JDC
« Reply #131 on: February 16, 2021, 10:29:27 PM »
I didn't want your comment to be left back on the other page.

Thanks, I don’t mind the discussion but maybe best to move it since it could branch out beyond the fine films in my list:).  Why Malik choose this story? I don’t know, maybe for all the opportunities to show fields, rivers and forests, but I wouldn’t deny his right to tell the story.  I do look at the film confined to the specific time and events that it is telling and not trying to about the larger inJustices that have occurred which would be a different film.. Nothing is perfect but hopefully he has brought justice to the story.

jdc

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Re: Top 100 Club: JDC
« Reply #132 on: February 17, 2021, 02:17:38 AM »

"A total immersion in life offers the best classroom for learning to love." - Leo Buscaglia

Is it a failed system that expels a student who is the most involved and engaged person on campus? There must be a way to assess someone who will go to great lengths to gain knowledge and experience about those things that are of interest (which is nearly everything in this case) and to make allowances for an inability to thrive in a staid classroom. Evaluation of educational benchmarks aside, there's something else happening that is highly valuable to the Rushmore campus. Max Fischer is a kid community organizer; heading up and facilitating all manner of groups and by doing so, he's enriching other students' experiences at the school. He's an asset. And well, he's also an ass. I get it. But man, he's hard to discount. Watching him gather up his little posse of downtrodden adults is a sight to see. They thrive under his creative pursuits and so do the students. Yeah, he's a little obsessive, but his heart is in the right place.

Plus finding the perfect spot to use music from The Who’s greatest song during the revenge scene

https://youtu.be/twIkfDx5yo8


Full version
https://youtu.be/RJv2-_--EY4
"Beer. Now there's a temporary solution."  Homer S.
“The direct use of physical force is so poor a solution to the problem of limited resources that it is commonly employed only by small children and great nations” - David Friedman

Eric/E.T.

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Re: Top 100 Club: JDC
« Reply #133 on: February 18, 2021, 09:37:59 PM »
The World of Kanako

This is an insane movie, often enough for the better. If one is sensitive about the portrayal of violence against women, though in this context it's to characterize one man as a true minion of evil, it could be a difficult sit. (Note: I am sensitive about it and a lot of other things, but not the portrayal in the context of art, unless the art is problematic. Thus, I did fine with Kanako.) The editing amplifies the intensity of this film about a step-father, Akikazo, tracking his missing step-daughter, Kanako, through a bizarre criminal underworld, at parts just flashing images at an breakneck pace. Flashback (ten years ago), flashback (more recent), present, party from a few years ago, present, party, present, flashback, flashback, present, party present party, like faster than you can read those words. You're following one psychopath searching for another, and what the step-father finds in Kanako's wake is a lot of dead bodies and damaged minds. It's got plenty of stylized violence as well as just violence violence. Sometimes you get a reprieve when you hear the pops and see the red killing graphics on the screen, but then cut forward to the fallout. It saves a little of what could have been very tedious violent content.

As to what it means, I think this can probably be utilized by people of various world views. At her core, Kanako is empty, manipulative, and pretty much evil. But her exterior, be it her physical appearance or the way she carries herself, is beautiful. She is massively seductive, but in a detached way. Classic case of desiring the same thing that will bring about your downfall. Her existence is based on drawing people in and capitalizing on their slavish loyalty to her. The analogies in our modern world come pretty easily. Facebook. Fast food. Fossil fuels. (And just to get JDC's goat) Capitalism. The flexibility of the metaphor doesn't detract from how well the idea is represented here, as Kanako is essentially pursued through time, and we get glimpses into everyone who was eaten up by her, and also from a force (the stepfather) that tried to control her and ended up driving himself mad. Even if the editing is sometimes a bit overkill on the maximalism, the pacing of the core story and the devices used to transport us from victim to stepfather to next victim, etc., work very well. You see the web that extends from Kanako to her stepfather, the toxicity that emanates from this core figure, and you can see anyone who gets caught there is probably screwed. Even if I don't use Facebook, I will still be stuck with the leaders voted on by a lot of people whose primary news source is Facebook. Caught in the web. (Not hating on Facebook users, I was one from its inception until recently. I just know it's not good for democracy, or really anything but the lesser concerns.) Ultimately, even if my eyes were a little bugged-out after watching this bananas picture, it was a solid sit.

I know basically everyone has been here way longer than me, so I wonder: Is JDC (stylized: jdc) the King of Cult on the boards? (Obviously not a bad thing, I'm just continuously processing everyone's taste here.)
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jdc

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Re: Top 100 Club: JDC
« Reply #134 on: February 19, 2021, 02:22:20 AM »
You are right, random slams on capitalism sometimes gets my goat when the alternative is not better.  But you know what really gets my goat?  When I read a review of one of my favourite films that I only wish I could have written... 

I was a bit worry that you would hate it or I would have to figure out how to explain why I enjoy it, as many of my films don’t fall into a category that would be considered enjoyable.

As far as my tastes, I am not sure a lot of them would be “cult” per say though I use to always try to seek out those type of movies when there use to be video stores... then you usually had to seek out a speciality video store to find obscure movies.  Those days are gone.  I think a lot of what ends up making my list are those type of films that leave me with some kind of emotional/physical reaction in the end, maybe like getting punched in the gut or emotional drained. Though, it could also be giddy, in the case of Moonrise Kingdom, but there are fewer of those.

Not to say I don’t enjoy a lot of normal films they just don’t always make me feel like I experienced something. 
"Beer. Now there's a temporary solution."  Homer S.
“The direct use of physical force is so poor a solution to the problem of limited resources that it is commonly employed only by small children and great nations” - David Friedman

jdc

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Re: Top 100 Club: JDC
« Reply #135 on: February 19, 2021, 07:00:05 PM »
Paths of the Soul

With as many films on jdc's list that feature grit and grime, and man's baser motivations, this film's serenity feels quite out of place (though it fits alongside Samsara). In what I'm sure you could sell some Westerners as a fitness craze, this megameter journey that involves essentially a burpee every few meters and spans months could in a different context be a vanity. But for this assortment of rural yak farmers and the like, it represents a real spiritual process. I see it is at least in part a documentary, which I think does a little more to justify its sparse, observational nature. Dialogue is sparse and efficient, establishing each person's reason for joining early on, and calmly responding to challenges along the way. After all the time in quiet monotony, the brief scenes in proper cities feel like a sensory assault.

It was only deep into the film that I had looked up the film, which on a quick glance at the cover I thought was from Zhang Yimou, and discovered it was from Zhang Yang and that he is the director of Shower, one of my discoveries of the 90s FE bracket. That film shows a transition where a big city feel starts to overwhelm this quieter, traditional setting. This film is in some ways the inverse, bringing quiet tradition into the city, Lhasa, near the ultimate destination, Mount Kailash. It does make me wonder where the line between true documentary and narrative is here. None of the incidents are unbelievable, and the group takes almost everything in preternatural calm. Yet there is a certain artistic timing in some events (though perhaps that could be more editing than scripting).

It's a film that doesn't necessarily lend itself to rating or comparison. It is more of an experience than a traditional film, and if you let yourself sink into it, it can be a pretty effective one.

This is a film that I had just put on a list for potential add one day but was waiting for another watch.  But then I was never able to find a way to watch it again until 1SO found a link.. As far as being a documentary or film, it is a bit of both. I mean, you do follow a group that take the 1200KM journey by throwing themselves to the ground ever few steps which I is all real.  but there is some scripted narrative in their and not everything that happens unfolds naturally, at least as I understand it.

I still have to go back to rewatch to see if I would truly add to my list but I did want to offer up something new from the last time I was up, glad you had an experience with it
"Beer. Now there's a temporary solution."  Homer S.
“The direct use of physical force is so poor a solution to the problem of limited resources that it is commonly employed only by small children and great nations” - David Friedman

Bondo

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Re: Top 100 Club: JDC
« Reply #136 on: February 19, 2021, 07:11:13 PM »
It was available at the library for me. So that was a nice surprise.

Bondo

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Re: Top 100 Club: JDC
« Reply #137 on: February 22, 2021, 09:33:23 AM »
Sleeping Dogs Lie

It occurred to me that in some respects this is Chasing Amy but upping the taboo to 11. There may be a brand of ethics where any lie, even of omission, even where the truth may do more harm, that would suggest that Amy (Melinda Page Hamilton) needs to fess up to her college-aged indiscretion, especially to a potential life partner, but I don't know that it is an interesting brand of ethics. It is a secret that does no good in being revealed, no direct harm if concealed, and further has no risk of otherwise being revealed such that it would cause an issue, what with dogs not being able to talk. So as far as I'm concerned the ethics push only in one direction and the conundrum feels artificial. It certainly isn't equivalent to Amy's mother's kind of silly secret. That said, like Chasing Amy, there is more interest in how a history weighs on the present, and usefully this issue is presented from the woman's perspective rather than stewing in the man's jealous rage.

That said, Chasing Amy ultimately feels like it handles things with more emotional depth and is just so much funnier. Goldthwait does tend to work less in the funny haha range and more in the weird/absurd realm represented by this whole situation, the mother's secret, the weird brother and his creepy friend, and even the cringe school workplace interactions between Amy and Ed. I was more inclined to notify HR than laugh. Looking at the other films of his I've seen, it just seems like Goldthwait works on a different frequency than me.

Sandy

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Re: Top 100 Club: JDC
« Reply #138 on: February 22, 2021, 01:10:33 PM »
Plus finding the perfect spot to use music from The Who’s greatest song during the revenge scene

Such a great sequence!

I have to admit, The Who is a bit of a blank for me. I'm familiar with some of their big hits like The Tommy album, "Baba O'riley," "I Can See For Miles" etc. But, I keep coming across songs I've never heard like "A Quick One" in Rushmore and "I'm One" and "Squeezebox" in Freaks and Geeks. I have some exploring to do with this Band.

jdc

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Re: Top 100 Club: JDC
« Reply #139 on: February 22, 2021, 04:47:37 PM »
Sleeping Dogs Lie

It occurred to me that in some respects this is Chasing Amy but upping the taboo to 11. There may be a brand of ethics where any lie, even of omission, even where the truth may do more harm, that would suggest that Amy (Melinda Page Hamilton) needs to fess up to her college-aged indiscretion, especially to a potential life partner, but I don't know that it is an interesting brand of ethics. It is a secret that does no good in being revealed, no direct harm if concealed, and further has no risk of otherwise being revealed such that it would cause an issue, what with dogs not being able to talk. So as far as I'm concerned the ethics push only in one direction and the conundrum feels artificial. It certainly isn't equivalent to Amy's mother's kind of silly secret. That said, like Chasing Amy, there is more interest in how a history weighs on the present, and usefully this issue is presented from the woman's perspective rather than stewing in the man's jealous rage.

That said, Chasing Amy ultimately feels like it handles things with more emotional depth and is just so much funnier. Goldthwait does tend to work less in the funny haha range and more in the weird/absurd realm represented by this whole situation, the mother's secret, the weird brother and his creepy friend, and even the cringe school workplace interactions between Amy and Ed. I was more inclined to notify HR than laugh. Looking at the other films of his I've seen, it just seems like Goldthwait works on a different frequency than me.

The humour is certainly in the uncomfortable range, similar to maybe laughing at something in Happiness.  It is funny but maybe it feels wrong to be laughing.  I don’t think she felt there was an ethical dilemma to have to reveal all her secrets but she felt in a safe space to share after the story she just heard.  It was a momentary lack of judgement and her immediate reaction once she realises that her BF is not going to consider what she just revealed anything similar to his secret seems completely real... she is fighting to wish she could take it back and likely has changed her life forever.  There is no need to have to reveal all your secrets.
"Beer. Now there's a temporary solution."  Homer S.
“The direct use of physical force is so poor a solution to the problem of limited resources that it is commonly employed only by small children and great nations” - David Friedman