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Author Topic: Top 100 Club: 1SO  (Read 51306 times)

colonel_mexico

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Re: Top 100 Club: 1SO
« Reply #260 on: March 30, 2020, 01:11:44 PM »
ONIBABA (1964) - At first I was not sure if this was horror film, or rather a period drama of medieval Japan and its constant warring nature.  The genre concern aside, this felt more to me a story of humanity pushed to the brink and the destruction of ourselves as fear for survival take over and haunt whatever decency we have left inside.  There are long stretches of the grass rustling which coupled with the haunting score make this a thriller/horror and if the grass could talk the stories it could share!  I found the Old Hag/protagonist/Kishi's mother to actually be likeable and sympathetic, even if she was misguided.  The women characters are strong, and while there is perhaps an unnecessary amount of nudity (I don't necessarily think so because it seemed like it was very hot and it serves as a way to show that they were being stripped of their humanity), it never seemed to be from the male gaze perspective. The Old Hag is trying to survive and hold onto the little in life she has left, the life may be depraved and it may be evil on several levels, but is it any more evil or violent than what the country and elites have done to her?  It is a wonderful piece of film making and I know I still don't quite understand much of what I've seen, but it was a wonderful ride, if a bit frightening. 
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1SO

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Re: Top 100 Club: 1SO
« Reply #261 on: March 30, 2020, 03:27:56 PM »
Like Audition, for a long time I didn't believe it deserved to be called a horror film. There are spooky elements and even by the end it's not as much of a horror film as the genre label would lead you to think. The way that atmosphere is used, I could see it being like an old gothic mansion, just here it's the tall grass and the underlit homes. You're right about the nudity, though I never put the male gaze question to it myself. These are just people at the end of their humanity and like Larry Clark's Bully, they just don't care to consider it.

Have you seen Woman in the Dunes? Films like these are so rare you don't want to pit one against the other so much as celebrate them both, but I think they go well together though you will have a clear preference depending on the kind of cinema you like.

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Re: Top 100 Club: 1SO
« Reply #262 on: March 30, 2020, 03:32:19 PM »
I sense my month coming to an end - though for many of us outside circumstances have made it feel like the longest month of our lives - and I wanted to thank everyone for sampling my recommendations.


Sandy

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Re: Top 100 Club: 1SO
« Reply #263 on: March 31, 2020, 09:14:14 PM »
1SO, I'm still watching Little Big Man, so will have another post soon. Thanks for the Westerns!

Funny, when I think about the film I think about the thick brown mud that gets into all dwellings and onto the clothes and that thick snow at the end that makes the screen hard to see. I have a pet peeve at how effects-y the snow looks. I have to push past it because what's happening is so marvelous.

Oh yes, so much mud.

Altman called that snow, "million dollar" snow, so took advantage of the free stuff. Never let a good effects-y snowfall go to waste. :)

Quote
Altman creates the most textural western I can name, and it isn't the usual sand and sun. The film is dark and cold, and his usual overlapping conversations seem at home here, accenting the desolation. Even the intrusive folk song contributes, building the enigma of this "Joseph looking for a manger."

My long review

This review is from before I got to the forum. No wonder I don't remember it. :) I agree with you about your assessment of Beatty. In what film(s) do you think his "aloof, detached performance" works well?

I've only seen 2 other Altman films so far; Short Cuts and Prairie Home Companion. There are a lot more discoveries ahead of me.
« Last Edit: March 31, 2020, 09:51:39 PM by Sandy »

Sandy

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Re: Top 100 Club: 1SO
« Reply #264 on: April 03, 2020, 03:42:18 PM »
Little Big Man



A white feather wafts down and lands on the worn shoe of a man sitting on a park bench. He bends to pick it up, puts down his box of chocolates, and then places the feather inside his copy of Curious George. Wait. Wrong film. This film is about another wafting feather, who shares the story of his unlikely placement in key historical events and his interactions with key, historical people. Part participant, part observer, Jack Crabb chooses, or is chosen to wear many hats, but none of them quite fit and he is left time and time again unable to live in, or straddle the two worlds. I'm not sure how reliable his narration is, but he does hit upon some big truths about the nature of men and human beings, which should be the same people, but sadly are not. One nature, the worst kind of nature, is to intentionally misunderstand and divide, creating hierarchy and expendability. Pure folly, or as Forrest's mama would say, "Stupid is as stupid does."


« Last Edit: April 03, 2020, 03:59:30 PM by Sandy »

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Re: Top 100 Club: 1SO
« Reply #265 on: April 03, 2020, 04:13:29 PM »
Soldier: Surprise? They know we're here.
Custer: But they don't know that I intend to attack them without mercy.
Soldier: That's no surprise.
Custer: Of course it is. Nothing is more surprising than the attack without mercy.


I can't find the quote, but about a month ago etdoesgood said something about most Westerns being basically the same. Between this and McCabe & Mrs. Miller, I think you can see why you have to add "most." The last time I built my Essentials, I was worried this wouldn't hold up, because it was made during that time when Hollywood directors were at peak pretentiousness, and if your film isn't still regarded as a classic it's probably because it's horribly dated. This is certainly a product of that time, but most of the story still punches the gut.


I was really looking forward to Corndog getting to this one in his Westerns Marathon, and he's only 120 films away.

Sandy

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Re: Top 100 Club: 1SO
« Reply #266 on: April 03, 2020, 04:17:29 PM »
I was riveted the whole way through and I can't say that about "most" Westerns. After seeing a good many traditional Westerns, this one felt pretty cutting edge, even if it's 50 years old!

I too now look forward to what Corndog will have to say about this one.

BlueVoid

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Re: Top 100 Club: 1SO
« Reply #267 on: May 21, 2020, 03:06:33 PM »
One, Two, Three At first I thought this was going to be the first Wilder movie not to work for me. Cagney was loud and the comedy didn't seem to fit him. As the movie takes its turn into the meat of the plot, things start to click. This is a rapid fire joke and quick-witted movie reminiscent of screwball comedies. I probably missed as many jokes and gags as I got. I love the skewering of both capitalism and socialism and really hammers home that we are in a perpetual cycle of the same politics. The energy is extremely high and just seems to keep ascending. This was a lot of fun, and while it may not be top-tier Wilder, its pretty great.

8/10

Thanks for the rec on this. I had never even heard of this one before. Really enjoyed it!
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Re: Top 100 Club: 1SO
« Reply #268 on: May 21, 2020, 03:20:33 PM »
Glad this worked for you. I've watched every feature and most short films that Cagney has appeared in, so it'd be easy to see why this could work for me more than some. For me, Cagney can do no wrong except occasionally go too big when he feels the script failing him. His musical background keeps his energy up and keeps him light on his feet in all his films. I see it even in the early gangster pictures. And he can spit out dialogue faster than Cary Grant. That aspect gets an exhausting challenge here, and it's a film I've come to love more over time. I always was in awe of that last half, but now I love the whole package, even some of the corny punchlines.

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Re: Top 100 Club: 1SO
« Reply #269 on: March 31, 2021, 08:08:19 AM »
Good Morning Club Hoppers!

I will be your Host for April. Here is my list specially selected for you. Most titles are from my favorites of the 2010s, to make them easier to find. I removed the most popular choices or titles I didn't want to discuss, finishing the list with other recent gems, some Horror Discoveries, and of course, Streets of Fire.

 

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