Author Topic: Dec MDC Write-ups  (Read 29689 times)

FifthCityMuse

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #20 on: December 09, 2008, 05:40:31 PM »
I pretty much agree with Funny Games, although I only saw the original.

You can understand what someone is going for, but absolutely loathe the final outcome.  That's what happened here.  This arthouse answer to the "torture porn" genre doesn't really work on any level.

While beginning with a genuinely creepy and unpleasant vibe, the film proceeds at a glacially slow pace and a total lack of understanding about humanity.  You don't care what happens to the characters because no one is a developed character, who genuinely behaves like a human, they're simply props in a badly written moral dictation.

It's interesting to watch this and see the way he uses very blatant methods to break the fourth wall and implicate the audience and then see Mysterious Skin and see the way Araki uses far more subtle methods and manages to be a million times more affecting.

Funny Games felt to me a bit like a preacher standing at the pulpit, shouting down, giving the fire and brimstone speech. It's too didactic to be genuinely effective.

Clovis8

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #21 on: December 09, 2008, 09:04:45 PM »
Thank you. I hated funny games too. In fact I had a whole thread about how bad it was which was not too popular.

Junior

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #22 on: December 09, 2008, 09:08:19 PM »
The problem over there is the bit of vanperbole you employed when you said it was the "Worst Movie Ever" TM. Well, you didn't say TM, that's my thing. But you catch the drift.
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FifthCityMuse

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #23 on: December 09, 2008, 10:58:02 PM »
Oh, I've certainly seen worse. And I actually think it's probably a little better than THATguy. And I do think some of it is quite... interesting (?) to watch.

But overall, I think it's too didactic to be truly effective.

'Noke

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #24 on: December 10, 2008, 08:46:10 AM »
                                                 
                                                                   My Winnipeg

For the first ten minutes of this movie, I wasn't taken by it. Sure, the voiceover's great, the cinematography’s excellent, and it’s got a great dream-like quality to it, but it just didn't grab me. I didn't know if I could stand listening to Guy Maddin ramble on about forks and forks beneath forks for an hour. It was great filmmaking, it just wasn't gripping.
          But after that it changed. And fortunately for me and my dictator, for the better. Guy Maddin then starts to reveal more details about his town, going into specifics about the sleepwalkers, the back roads, the psychics and the brothels that are held in high esteem. I was just amazed at this little town.
   One of the main reasons was the cinematography. The collection of images that Guy Maddin throws at you are great on its own but Maddin seems to be doing is not giving you the full picture. He seems to show you shots of horse heads frozen in ponds but it feels like he has left something out of the frame. This makes it so that I was constantly watching every frame just to see if I could find something interesting hidden in the frames.
             And then there’s the great scene where the director is retelling his childhood story. And the scenes at the hockey rink. And the swimming pool (“why, why can’t we just swim?”) I can’t say enough about this movie. I love it.

4.5/5
I actually consider a lot of movies to be life-changing! I take them to my heart and they melt into my personality.

Clovis8

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #25 on: December 10, 2008, 11:25:07 AM »
                                               

For the first ten minutes of this movie, I wasn't taken by it. Sure, the voiceover's great, the cinematography’s excellent, and it’s got a great dream-like quality to it, but it just didn't grab me. I didn't know if I could stand listening to Guy Maddin ramble on about forks and forks beneath forks for an hour. It was great filmmaking, it just wasn't gripping.
          But after that it changed. And fortunately for me and my dictator, for the better. Guy Maddin then starts to reveal more details about his town, going into specifics about the sleepwalkers, the back roads, the psychics and the brothels that are held in high esteem. I was just amazed at this little town.
   One of the main reasons was the cinematography. The collection of images that Guy Maddin throws at you are great on its own but Maddin seems to be doing is not giving you the full picture. He seems to show you shots of horse heads frozen in ponds but it feels like he has left something out of the frame. This makes it so that I was constantly watching every frame just to see if I could find something interesting hidden in the frames.
             And then there’s the great scene where the director is retelling his childhood story. And the scenes at the hockey rink. And the swimming pool (“why, why can’t we just swim?”) I can’t say enough about this movie. I love it.

4.5/5



That was my reaction too. The first 10-15 min I was thinking, "Ok this is odd but he seems to be trying too hard". But then you can't help but be immersed in his world.

Clovis8

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #26 on: December 10, 2008, 11:29:59 AM »
The problem over there is the bit of vanperbole you employed when you said it was the "Worst Movie Ever" TM. Well, you didn't say TM, that's my thing. But you catch the drift.

Ya, my immediate reaction was a little hyperbolic, but I have watched it again since then and I still thinks its pretty terrible. One of the most heavy-handed ham-fisted attempts at getting a message across in recent cinema. It easily holds the record for the most pointless scenes in a movie. You could easily cut out about 20min of the film just by removing the many many many pointless exterior shots of the houses.
« Last Edit: December 10, 2008, 11:31:57 AM by Clovis8 »

Junior

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #27 on: December 10, 2008, 12:05:56 PM »
It is a pretty cool house, though.
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ses

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #28 on: December 13, 2008, 10:28:11 PM »

(Redbelt, David Mamet)

dictated by edgarchaput

*mild spoilers*

"Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and self-defense instructor, teaches his students the skills to persevere, both in unarmed combat and through difficulties in their lives. A series of circumstances brings Terry in contact with popular movie star, Chet Frank (Tim Allen), and a host of powerful people in the entertainment industry. Terry soon finds himself the victim of a con and, combined with a destitute financial situation, is pressed to enter the ring."

Redbelt features strong performances by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Emily Mortimer.  Ejiofor embodies integrity and poise, which is the heart of his character.  He really has impressed me in everything I have seen him in.  I think this film is pretty enjoyable, however, I thought the plot was somewhat convoluted and the ending was very abrupt.  I wish more would have been resolved, because I think the rest of the movie deserves a better ending.  I definitely think that Mamet has done better.  Ejiofor's performance is worth checking out though.  Thanks edgar!

2.75/5
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Kevin Shields

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #29 on: December 14, 2008, 07:19:30 PM »
Encounters at the End of the World by Werner Herzog-*****/*****

Thanks yoyosammy.

That was brilliant and very informative.  I loved Herzog's narration and how he dissed tree-huggers and those going for world records.  The underwater scenes were gorgeous.  I loved the operatic music that accompanied it.  It had a sense of humor, lots of great personalities.  I really wish I saw this on the big screen.  The dedication to Roger Ebert in the end was very powerful and hit such an emotional note. 
"I want to be bored"-Maggie Gyllenhaal

 

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