Author Topic: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts  (Read 395909 times)

GothamCity151

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #640 on: July 03, 2010, 02:49:01 PM »
Dead Ringers vs. Chan Is Missing


Dead Ringers



I have only seen previously two Cronenberg films (A History Of Violence and Eastern Promises) so I am still not sure about what themes and such run throughout his films. Even with that lack of knowledge, I really enjoyed this film. One of my favorite actors, Jeremy Irons, is staggeringly brilliant in this film in his dual role as twins who share the love of a woman. He is able to play the characters so distinctly different that it is occasionally hard to grasp that it is the same actor doing both roles. It is amazing how Cronenberg is able to incorporate so many styles and genres into this film. It is a horror film, a psychological thriller, and a love story all wrapped up in one, and they work together seamlessly. I also love the cinematography by Peter Suschitzky and Carol Spier’s production design. I thoroughly had an interesting and great time with this film, and I think that after multiple viewings the film will still hold up as a truly great piece of work.



Chan Is Missing



This is a film that is very hit and miss. The beginning is very engrossing as these two cabbies are looking for the missing Chan, to which the cabbies are a lot of fun to watch. The actors are fun to watch, and I had no idea who any of them were. I am not sure if they even acted after or before this film. However, the cinema verite style that is employed is so distracting and becomes rather tedious as the film progresses forward and, sometimes, rather clumsy. The pacing of the film, I felt, was also rather clumsy. The film itself, story wise, is a very charming little film. I like the fact that it was not large budgeted. It makes the film much more realistic, and, frankly, it does not need a higher budget. I like the black and white and all natural light used, and I think this does paint and accurate portrayal of Chinatown in San Francisco. I just wish that the film added up to more of something.



Winner And Advancement To Next Round: Dead Ringers

Drought is over.

Bill Thompson

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #641 on: July 03, 2010, 02:59:45 PM »
Great verdict, GC, as the biggest fan of Cronenberg you will find on these boards, I obviously agree with your decision. :)

As for this,

I have only seen previously two Cronenberg films (A History Of Violence and Eastern Promises) so I am still not sure about what themes and such run throughout his films.

Violence and sexuality are his two biggest themes, but his focus changes as he does have two distinct periods in his career. There's basically pre-Crash Cronenberg ad post-Crash Cronenberg. Crash is teh perfect summation of the way Cronenberg wanted to explore the idea of humanity through our flesh, and after Crash he gets a tad more into the psychological aspect of humanity.

I wonder what you thought of, the moment near the end, I believe that is where it takes place, where Cronenberg goes a bit gory in Dead Ringers? I am always the guy defending the way Cronenberg uses gore, how he builds to it and makes it mean something, But, the gore in Dead Ringers was the one instance where I felt there was no need for it and it felt really out of place to me. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts?

GothamCity151

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #642 on: July 03, 2010, 03:07:46 PM »
Great verdict, GC, as the biggest fan of Cronenberg you will find on these boards, I obviously agree with your decision. :)

As for this,

I have only seen previously two Cronenberg films (A History Of Violence and Eastern Promises) so I am still not sure about what themes and such run throughout his films.

Violence and sexuality are his two biggest themes, but his focus changes as he does have two distinct periods in his career. There's basically pre-Crash Cronenberg ad post-Crash Cronenberg. Crash is teh perfect summation of the way Cronenberg wanted to explore the idea of humanity through our flesh, and after Crash he gets a tad more into the psychological aspect of humanity.

I wonder what you thought of, the moment near the end, I believe that is where it takes place, where Cronenberg goes a bit gory in Dead Ringers? I am always the guy defending the way Cronenberg uses gore, how he builds to it and makes it mean something, But, the gore in Dead Ringers was the one instance where I felt there was no need for it and it felt really out of place to me. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts?

I thought the gore was very effective. I mean I understand how some people could be turned off by it because it is a rather large jump to get to it, but I think it fits. To give another example, in There Will Be Blood, the violence at the end does not make a lot of sense to most people, but I find it works perfectly in the story. I may be one of the few who thinks it works in both cases, but I understand your distaste for it.

tinyholidays

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #643 on: July 03, 2010, 04:52:45 PM »
The Ties That Bind vs. Never Cry Wolf




1985. Directed by Su Friedrich.

A 55-minute documentary shot in black and white, The Ties That Bind feels a bit more like a student art film than something that would garner a theatrical release. Much of the photography is beautiful and performative. As Friedrich's mother tells her story of being a teenager in Germany during the rise of Hitler and the Second World War, we see shots of body parts interspersed with film of someone drawing in magazines, making a model house, and peeling vegetables.


The story is told through question and answer. We see the documentarian’s voice in scratched letters across the screen.


This element really slows the film down and makes it feel like a PBS children’s show. And the questions when done one word at a time started to piss me off. One sentence:  “Couldn’t your family help you out?” Well, that would’ve worked just fine as “Couldn’t your family help?” or “Couldn’t your family help you?” I mean, the film is only 55 minutes long; it doesn’t need to be drawn out like this. And at least one sentence has a possessive error.

In the end, the slow pace and the quietness and all the blank screentime make the story seem more rather uninteresting. The story itself doesn't help too much either.




I was a bit glad when The Ties That Bind didn't turn out so well, since it took some pressure off of Never Cry Wolf, a film apparently rather beloved by a few folks around these parts. Also, I saw on IMDb that Never Cry Wolf came out one day after I was born, which also inclines me to smile upon it. Also also, Never Cry Wolf has cute wolf cubs, so, it’s automatically at an advantage for that reason.

Charles Martin Smith plays Tyler, who is sent up to the Arctic by the government to figure out if wolves are killing all the caribou or something. It doesn't really seem to matter why he's there. But dude looks and sounds and has several of the same postures as David Cross in Arrested Development. It really felt as if Tobias Fünke were the main character of this film. And that was weird. So, I tried to ignore the narration and focus on the footage of beautiful Alaska’s snowy mountain peaks. Then, when the Inuits show up, the diary voice-over is so Dances with Wolves-y (or, rather, Dances with Wolves is so Never Cry Wolf-y) that I get super-distracted. Costner uses the same cadence, and the subject matter and one particular scene are strikingly similar. I want to rename this film Tobias Fünke Never Cries While Dancing with Wolves.

Some other notes: 
  • Brian Dennehy is pretty much fantastic. He’s such an Al Swearengen fill-up-the-whole-screen type of figure.
  • The film nicely drew me in to the adventure of the scenario. ...But I come from a family of suckers for wilderness adventure plots.
  • Three words: mouse eating montage. I wanted someone here to laugh at it with me.



Verdict:  Never Cry Wolf moves on. It probably won't go much further, but it certainly has merit. Alaska, puppies, buttcheeks. I can't believe my family never watched this when I was a kid. I mean, we had The Adventures of the Wilderness Family on tape.

mañana

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #644 on: July 03, 2010, 04:53:43 PM »
Too bad The Metal Years got knocked out. I'm not really a metal fan myself but I remember enjoying it a lot.
I like the first one more.
There's no deceit in the cauliflower.

smirnoff

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #645 on: July 03, 2010, 07:19:48 PM »
Verdict:  Never Cry Wolf moves on.

Hooray! Well I'm glad you didn't hate it or anything. It's funny though, I LOVE the narration... like, it's one of my favourite parts. Basically Charles Martin Smith is my hero in this movie, and I want to do what he did (including eating mice, and running around naked with caribou).  ;) Obviously, I'm beyond being able to look at this movie with any kind of objectivity, so you're criticisms are probably spot on. But yay anyways.

tinyholidays

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #646 on: July 03, 2010, 07:40:54 PM »
Verdict:  Never Cry Wolf moves on.

Hooray! Well I'm glad you didn't hate it or anything. It's funny though, I LOVE the narration... like, it's one of my favourite parts. Basically Charles Martin Smith is my hero in this movie, and I want to do what he did (including eating mice, and running around naked with caribou).  ;) Obviously, I'm beyond being able to look at this movie with any kind of objectivity, so you're criticisms are probably spot on. But yay anyways.

:)

No, I didn't hate it at all. And, actually, I wouldn't describe any of my notes as criticisms or even objective. Really, I was so distracted by how much he reminded me of Tobias that I really couldn't concentrate on anything else. It was, like Oh, that's pretty OMG Tobias once clutched his fists to his mouth just like that!! So... yeah. Yay!

jbissell

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #647 on: July 03, 2010, 08:21:08 PM »
Too bad The Metal Years got knocked out. I'm not really a metal fan myself but I remember enjoying it a lot.
I like the first one more.

As do I, and not just because I like the music more. Worm has a tough decision ahead of her between that and They Live.

Dave the Necrobumper

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #648 on: July 03, 2010, 09:28:34 PM »
They Live is so good, but I have not seen The Punk years. So I am going to have to barrack for They Live

mañana

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #649 on: July 04, 2010, 12:50:58 AM »
Too bad The Metal Years got knocked out. I'm not really a metal fan myself but I remember enjoying it a lot.
I like the first one more.
As do I, and not just because I like the music more. Worm has a tough decision ahead of her between that and They Live.
I trust worm will make the right decision (I haven't actually seen They Live).
There's no deceit in the cauliflower.