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Author Topic: Corndog's Mind is Blowing Up!  (Read 14805 times)

Corndog

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Re: Corndog's Mind is Blowing Up!
« Reply #30 on: December 21, 2009, 08:20:33 AM »
I'd like to do a You Cry, You Lose marathon.

pixote

I would fail at that, but it is a really good idea
"Time is the speed at which the past decays."

ferris

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Re: Corndog's Mind is Blowing Up!
« Reply #31 on: December 21, 2009, 12:47:29 PM »
I'd like to do a You Cry, You Lose marathon.



I thought that was what this was
"And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs" - Exodus 8:2 KJV
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Steven O. Selsnik

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Re: Corndog's Mind is Blowing Up!
« Reply #32 on: December 21, 2009, 12:48:24 PM »
I'd like to do a You Cry, You Lose marathon.

pixote
first movie with a touching scene between a father and daughter and i would be out.

pixote

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Re: Corndog's Mind is Blowing Up!
« Reply #33 on: December 21, 2009, 12:50:03 PM »
I'd like to do a You Cry, You Lose marathon.
I thought that was what this was
Ha, nice.  Very, very nice.

pixote
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Corndog

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Re: Corndog's Mind is Blowing Up!
« Reply #34 on: December 22, 2009, 08:52:54 AM »
#7
Oldboy (2003)
Written by Jo-yun Hwang, Chun-hyeong Lim & Chan-wook Park; Directed by Chan-wook Park

Will Most Likely Contain Spoilers
I'd heard great things about this from fellow Filmspotters, so when it popped up on the marathon I was excited, though I managed to know nothing of the plot prior to seeing it. While it wasn't in the vein og mind-blowing necessarily, it was definitely not without its effects. A man, Dae-su Oh(Min-sik Choi), is imprisoned for 15 years. He becomes suspected for killing his wife, though he is innocent. But that is not why he has been imprisoned. And why was he let go after 15 years? These are the things that he sets out to find the answers to, with a little sense of vengeance to go with it too. Along the way he meets a girl, Mi-do, who helps him in his journey and with whom he falls in love.

I personally loved the story. As disturbing and strange as it became by the end, it was something to behold and actually beautifully deranged. In terms of how it kept up with the marathon, it did make you think and try and figure everything out. Why did/were these things happen, what are the motives of Evergreen a.k.a. Woo-jin Lee(Ji-tae Yu). But things were eventually explained, at least somewhat, and I my mind wasn't left hurting for that reason, but for the sick results.

The film was very well made I thought. The score was something that complimented the tone of the film well. The electronic parts were cool and slick, which matched up with the visual style of most of the film. And the more traditional parts matched up well with the understated moments in the film. The angles and shots Park capture are quite good and interesting. The style helps match the violent and fast paced film. Violence doesn't usually do it for me, but every once in a while, a violent film will come along that does. There is something about how Dae-su goes through town and finds his answers that is very fun to watch, as disturbing as it can be. I was behind him the whole way through. What did he do to deserve this? When we find out, it is quite the violent climax of the film. This man, Woo-jin, is an evil and misled man. He himself is seeking revenge on Dae-su for seeing him molest/"love" his own sister. Dae-su starts a rumor that she is pregnant. She kills herself, though Woo-jin is holding on to her at the dam, yet he listens to her when she asks that he let her go. This is a great shot, which mirrors the opening shot/dilemma of the film.

We then also learn that Woo-jin is a mastermind. He spent the 15 years Dae-su was locked up raising Dae-su's daughter and hypnotizing them both for events to unfold in a specific manner upon Dae-su's release. They do and we later find out that Mi-do is Dae-su's daughter. This is sick and disturbing, but within the story makes perfect sense. And the key to the film is that, even after the rumors were spread, Woo-jin and his sister still loved each other. And in the end so too did Mi-do, who never found out, and Dae-su.

The way the film was constructed, the way the film was made was great. The film was great. The acting, especially Min-sik Choi(Dae-su) and Ji-tae Yu(Woo-jin) was remarkable. I usually don't notice acting in foreign films because I am too busy keeping up with the story through the subtitles, but here it was dubbed. And this is one of the few dubbed films that hasn't bothered me because it was fueled by the energy of the film. It was obvious dubbing, but I was able to ignore that really and enjoy the film. Dae-su's voiceover parts were actually really good dubbed because of the tone of voice the actor was using. A great experience. Until last night I was still under the impression that Spielberg and Smith were still making a remake, but I learned that this is not true. I'll be one of the very few fans of this film who is counted among the disappointed. Would it have been a bloated Hollywood crap interpretation? Probably, but the story is so strong that I think I still would have enjoyed myself. But this was a powerful film that I will not soon forget.

Rating: ****

Mind Status: Surviving to live another day, but slightly disturbed by the world.
"Time is the speed at which the past decays."

St. Martin the Bald

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Re: Corndog's Mind is Blowing Up!
« Reply #35 on: December 22, 2009, 09:35:54 AM »
I have stevekimes, 'Noke and ferris to thank, as well as everybody else that contributed to the formulation of this list. It was specifically designed to make my head hurt as much as possible without it actually exploding (I hope since we're all friends here). But the point is, I volunteered for this and I got excited about it...because I'm a crazy person! Alright so here is the list of films again and I will try to keep up with the reviews to keep you informed of my progress and where my head is at.

Mulholland Dr. (2001)
Brazil (1985)
Barton Fink (1991)
Audition (2000)
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Old Boy (2003)
Eraserhead (1977)

If you have time for one more - David Croneberg's Crash is a very good addition to this group.

I am coming to the party late - just wanted to throw that out there.
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Corndog

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Re: Corndog's Mind is Blowing Up!
« Reply #36 on: December 22, 2009, 09:57:07 AM »

If you have time for one more - David Croneberg's Crash is a very good addition to this group.

I am coming to the party late - just wanted to throw that out there.

it's not Netflix instant, so i won't be able to include it since I am home for Christmas
"Time is the speed at which the past decays."

Corndog

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Re: Corndog's Mind is Blowing Up!
« Reply #37 on: December 22, 2009, 11:18:02 AM »
#8
Eraserhead (1977)
Written & Directed by David Lynch

Might Include Spoilers If There Is Anything To Spoil
Ever heard the expression, "I want to punch this movie in the face"? Well that is how I feel after seeing this. Just none of it made sense and I didn't care whether it did nor not. I gave it a fighting chance for about half of the film. It opens with some random images, that I'm not sure make sense even now, then it tracks the lead character, Henry, through an industrial district to his home. Then we find out that he has had a child (human? I don't know), with his girlfriend (this guy has a girlfriend? Well with who it is I guess it makes sense), Mary.

He has dinner with her family and it is the craziest most nonsensical scene I have seen in a while. There are so many random, unexplained things in this movie. Like the grandmother in the kitchen, why are the chickens so small (and why do they react that way when Henry cuts them?), why is this taking place in the future, what is that stuck around Henry's radiator? I don't know, Lynch just seemed to throw a bunch of weird stuff together with a paper thin plot and call it a movie. The film takes ten minutes to get to the dialogue, which, at first, I thought might end up being a plus to the film. But then there was not much dialogue the rest of the film either, which is fine if complimented with interesting images that tell the story. Interesting, yes, but the storytelling technique Lynch uses here did absolutely nothing for me.

I do have to give Lynch props for being so bold and gutsy to make this film. I mean it's his first feature film and this is what he delivers. He experiments in filmmaking and I admire that, but none of it worked for me unfortunately. In that respect, I compare it a lot to Darren Aronofsky's Pi. They are both in black and white, they both have a group of people that herald the film as great and I struggled to make it through watching both I hated them so much. To be honest, the only reason I finished watching this film was because it was a part of this marathon. I owed it to you guys to finish it and I owed it to myself to complete the marathon as it was set-up. Now the marathon is over. I really enjoyed it, but boy am I glad the Lynch films weren't flipped because I would have lost all faith if it started with this then Brazil.

Rating: *...I'd give it *1/2, but I don't know what that half-star would be for.

Mind Status: Not blown, not boggled, not bended, but I have tapped into the anger section of the brain.
"Time is the speed at which the past decays."

St. Martin the Bald

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Re: Corndog's Mind is Blowing Up!
« Reply #38 on: December 22, 2009, 11:21:27 AM »
heh - that was my first reaction to it when I saw it too. It was my very first Netflix movie.

I understand now that it has a lot to do with Lynch's feelings about fatherhood...
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roujin

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Re: Corndog's Mind is Blowing Up!
« Reply #39 on: December 22, 2009, 11:22:28 AM »
Eraserhead is as Lynch as Lynch gets. Along with INLAND EMPIRE.