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Author Topic: (July/) August Movie Dictator Club Commentaries  (Read 43181 times)

smirnoff

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(July/) August Movie Dictator Club Commentaries
« on: July 30, 2008, 11:35:48 PM »
I guess I'll be the first to post a review. Minor spoilers ahead



Vertigo is one of those times where a film's reputation assures you that you'll see it eventually. That being the case I've never bothered with so much as a glance at imdb's summary. I merely knew it was Hitchcock and that I would watch it.

At first I thought I was just watching a straightforward mystery, and an hour or so in I was on the brink of getting anxious for something major to happen. Well it happens alright, like a gut shot. Looking back, I know I felt the tension building but somehow it still snuck up on me and left me feeling shaken, dazed. To a degree I was feeling what I imagined Stewart's character was feeling. At that major turning point things really got interesting for me, beginning with the dream sequence that left me quite on edge! Stewart's performance here was remarkable and probably my favourite aspect of the movie; he's at once kindly and unhinged, transitioning seemlessly from the former to the latter. At the end I felt the weight of the enitre story, and the tadgedy. It was impressive.

I'm not one to pick up on technical details without being told what I'm looking for. I'm sure there's plenty to be said about it, but I'm not the one to say it I'm afraid. All that stuff is playing to the subconcious, the effects of which are incalculable. The music is worth noting. It was like another, not so subtle character. A perfect fit.

What more can I say. I had doubts about enjoying this movie, as I do all movies so old. This movie is special though.

Thanks to FrozenHamster for this great selection.

JokerXgg

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(July/) August Movie Dictator Club Commentaries
« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2008, 09:06:25 AM »
Paprika (2007)



This is the soundtrack music cover but doesn't look awesome??

This is the summary for the movie in case no one has an idea what it is about

"In this cautionary anime tale, reality and the dream world are on a collision course after a DC-Mini -- an experimental device that can record dreams -- is stolen from a psychiatric research facility. When the thief begins intertwining the patients' nightmares with the staff's dreams, it's clear that the DC-Mini has fallen into dangerous hands. Can Dr. Atsuko Chiba and her alter ego, a sprightly avatar named Paprika, stop the madness?"

No Spoilers up ahead

But you hate anime.

The Mist - 6/10
I don't hate anime, but i strongly dislike most of it. This movie was animated and to be honest, my opinion beforehand was that it was going to be a drag and boring. A lot of people in the "Rate the last movie you watched thread" were very annoyed that I gave Paprika a 8/10 when I happen to dislike stuff like this. The movie had a solid (but weird/interesting plot). The visuals were so entertaining that I couldn't stop from wondering what was going on. This movie seems to touch on every aspect: emotion, story line, development of characters. This movie was not boring, other than extremely fun. Plus, the song during the parade is just so hooking that it makes you want to carry it around anywhere you are and listen to it.

All in all, this was a great movie I enjoyed...and yeah I guess this is the exception to anime.
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JokerXgg

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Re: (July/) August Movie Dictator Club Commentaries
« Reply #2 on: July 31, 2008, 12:25:13 PM »
My post was moved thanks the the magic of saltine :)
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duder

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Re: (July/) August Movie Dictator Club Commentaries
« Reply #3 on: July 31, 2008, 06:10:49 PM »
I'm dictating Steve Buscemi's Animal Factory for duder because it is overlooked and I've never seen it mentioned on the boards. I was so excited to find something that duder had never seen!



*mild spoilers, I guess*

Hmm, this was alright. Seemed like pretty standard fare as far as prison movies go, with the gangs and the drug running and the sodomy and the corrupt guards and the snitches and the shivs and the solitary and the riots and the lockdowns and Danny Trejo. Even the portrayal of the penitentiary system as one where rehabilitation is impossible (an animal factory, if you will) feels pretty tired. On the plus side, you don't usually see relationships between convicts as the one Copen/Decker have here, even if I didn't think it was as fleshed out as it could have been. And Mickey Rourke in drag? Too much fun. And Antony from Antony and the Johnsons! But yeah, mostly just ok. Unless StarCarly can convince me otherwise...
...

chesterfilms

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Re: (July/) August Movie Dictator Club Commentaries
« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2008, 08:07:10 PM »


POLICE BEAT ****/*****

thank you rene a. moncivais for not only assigning a film to me that i had not seen  ;), but also introducing me to such a wonderful film. i wasn't a huge fan of this directors other film (zoo), but this one had me from the get go. it's really my kind of movie. what i thought would be a police drama turned out to be a beautiful and meditative personal story.

i loved how the various scenarios, which were taken from actual seattle police reports. at first i thought they were the beginnings of the plot then i realized they were just glimpses into the life of this police officer. now that it's over they feel like very important plot points. we are in this officers mind the whole story, and just seeing glimpses of what he deals with on a daily basis works much better than if each different story were told in full.

Z (pape sidy niang) was amazing. not knowing any of the cast was really great. check this one out guys, and thank you thank you thank you rene a. moncivais!
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bloop

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Re: (July/) August Movie Dictator Club Commentaries
« Reply #5 on: July 31, 2008, 10:27:52 PM »
"American Movie"

Nice film, after I figured out the reason the people looked a little chubby was my TV's aspect was set to widescreen when the film isn't.  I liked that it was making fun, but not to the extent that its subjects are dehumanized - I think the filmmaker had a genuine affection for them.

My favorite part would have to be Mike's drug story.  I can't do it justice here.

I almost want to watch "Coven".  Almost.  I know where the "menancing" lead-in to Massacre Theater comes from now!

8/10

FLYmeatwad

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Re: (July/) August Movie Dictator Club Commentaries
« Reply #6 on: August 01, 2008, 03:09:59 PM »



I went into this film knowing absolutely nothing. I hadn't read a plot synopsis, I'd never seen a Bette Davis film before, I've yet to read the play or its prequel, and I certainly was unprepared for what I was in for. I believe gateway called the film a classic, one passed up in recent years, or something along those lines. I find myself hard pressed to disagree. As I stepped back to the early 1900's South, the world seemed to jump off of the screen. The initial carriage ride through town with Alexandra and Addie framed a beautiful, if not generic, Southern town that dripped with personality thanks to a beautiful score, brilliant set and costumes, and the short introductory "hellos" from the townsfolk. However, the whimsical opening ride is short lived and the film quickly enters much darker territory. I'm going to refrain from spoiling anything in the forthcoming paragraphs, but when discussing performances, and some of the minor flaws I took with the work, mild ones are likely to occur.

I'm going to start off with the Hubbard family, particularly the roles of the three siblings. As Regina, Bette Davis brought a devious personality to the character that, in a bit of a deranged way, was a treat to view. When the character was put under pressure, Davis portrayed the panic perfectly, when she needed to be manipulative she had no problem shifting gears, and there was one scene towards the end between her and Charles Dingle that brought a chill to my spine. Speaking of Dingle, he brought a lot to the Ben character that seemed like it could have gone flat in the hands of another actor. He was portrayed, as far as I could tell, as Regina's equal and he played the part flawlessly. The jovial mannerisms he brought to Ben, even in times of distress, were very impressive. The weak link, if he could even be called that because the performance, like nearly everyone in the film, was very good, happened to be Carl Reid as Oscar. Early on he had a few scenes where he seemed to capture the rage and frustration the character was feeling, but towards the end it seemed to wear thin and didn't completely work for me, especially in the company of  other performances that I was blown away by.

The direction was phenomenal as well, and Wyler seemed to have every shot precisely thought out as well as flawlessly executed. There was one shot about halfway through the film that, while aided by the performances and the script, really captured the tension in the air perfectly. I should also state that early on in the film, when Alexandra is leaving for Baltimore, there is one scene that, aside from being hysterical, is very touching and one of the most well shot and fun scene I've watched in older cinema.

I want to come back to performances really fast again before wrapping up this reflection and giving a final verdict. Be warned THERE ARE MILD SPOILERS AHEAD! Alexandra, a large focus of the film and, from what I could tell, the 'heroic' character if there was one (aside from Horace of course) didn't really work for me. The performance given by Wright wasn't bad, and the pay off at the end because of how the role was written was great, but her transformation from 'good little girl' to an independent woman just didn't work for me. I realize why the change happened so suddenly, and in the seeds of resentment are highlighted throughout the film, but the character seemed a bit flat to me. I personally think I was just annoyed by how the character was written early on, or something similar, but it just didn't feel right. Plus it didn't help that she was constantly around Duryea as Leo who had a compelling character despite a hit and miss performance, and Carlson who worked with a very well defined character paired with an incredible performance.

Now for the 'nitpicky' stuff. There's really only one thing I want to touch on here, and that's the film's ending. One major spoiler probably lies ahead. The last scene between Regina and Alexandra was nearly flawless. I think that it was the highlight of Wright's performance and it really helped the film end on an ambiguous note, not really taking a side or, at the very least, allowing for multiple interpretations depending on the viewer even if a specific message was intended. The film should have ended about two and a half minutes earlier. Yes it's minor, and the final shot was still enjoyable and certainly didn't break the tone or the power of the film, but there was one line delivered by Wright to Davis that was, aside from being the last spoken line of dialogue in the film (I think) that absolutely hit home. The delivery was perfect, and the unflinching, stone cold look on Davis's face was perfect. It was a great point to fade to black at, but we she Davis break a bit as she climbs the stairs and the audience, at least as how I saw it, is for the first time in the film, belittled. We are given exactly what happens, and the future seems to be set, we don't have anything to wonder about, where Alexandra goes, or how Regina feels, or even if she realizes the severity of the situation. But I can hardly fault a film as brilliant as this for two little minutes. It's a personal choice that I think would have worked better.

Gateway, thanks for the pick, it was an incredible ride.

****.57/*****

Wilson

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Re: (July/) August Movie Dictator Club Commentaries
« Reply #7 on: August 01, 2008, 06:55:07 PM »


Generic greeting filmspotters!

First things first, David Jansen (Elmo Oxygen) is Jackie Earle Haley's long lost twin.  There can be no denying it.

Now onto more serious matters, the mouse's hearty recommendation film had me excited to see it because he's got pretty good taste and it's safe to say he didn't disappoint.  I'd love to go on and on about what was so good about this film, but well I have no idea.  It was a fabulously surreal, it's really fun at times, there's a biting commentary behind it (obvious swipe at scientology long before it was cool to do so) and I really liked the editing.

I wasn't too keen on the neat wrapping up in the 3rd segment but, as the movie tells me at the start, that's my fault.

Recommended viewing.  A solid 8/10 at least, could/will improve on further viewings.

Basil

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Re: (July/) August Movie Dictator Club Commentaries
« Reply #8 on: August 01, 2008, 07:18:59 PM »
I am so happy to hear this, Wilson. For me, the film definitely did improve on further viewings. Smell sign!
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Re: (July/) August Movie Dictator Club Commentaries
« Reply #9 on: August 03, 2008, 07:33:05 PM »


Woman in the Dunes works so well on so many levels. It is a meditation on the nature of marriage and an individual's relationship to the community. It examines the existential struggle of living in a prison of your own creation (ala No Exit), and it has some pretty hot sex scenes in it.

The story is simple enough that it might have been an Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode, but there is so much more than mere plot. The cinematography is truly amazing, and the power of the visual textures keep the ol' eyes locked to the film at all times. Really fine stuff.

10/10
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