Author Topic: April 2011 MDC Fantastical Unreality: Write Ups  (Read 12161 times)

1SO

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Re: April 2011 MDC Fantastical Unreality: Write Ups
« Reply #20 on: April 19, 2011, 04:58:20 PM »
That earnestness you write about is exactly what tripped up Boorman with Zardoz, which was just as ambitious, silly, pretentious but didn't have a workable legend to anchor the story down. I love how much Boorman went all out with his approach.

Did you notice the similarities to Lord of the Rings, which is where this script actually came from?
What about those religious references to the "eye of the dragon"?

Glad you enjoyed it overall.

smirnoff

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Re: April 2011 MDC Fantastical Unreality: Write Ups
« Reply #21 on: April 19, 2011, 06:19:57 PM »
Did you notice the similarities to Lord of the Rings, which is where this script actually came from?
What about those religious references to the "eye of the dragon"?

I was going to get into that in my review but didn't really know what to say other than the similarities are many. I was thinking "oh, did Tolkien take a lot from the Arthurian legend?", but I guess it's the other way around (duh). Anyways, yes, very noticeable :)

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: April 2011 MDC Fantastical Unreality: Write Ups
« Reply #22 on: April 19, 2011, 09:51:36 PM »
Did you notice the similarities to Lord of the Rings, which is where this script actually came from?
Wait, what? I must see this film.

1SO

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Re: April 2011 MDC Fantastical Unreality: Write Ups
« Reply #23 on: April 19, 2011, 11:28:27 PM »
John Boorman had planned a film adaptation of the Merlin legend as early as 1969, but the studio he offered it to rejected his concept, offering him J. R. R. Tolkien 's The Lord of the Rings instead. When Boorman, having written a three-hour script with Rospo Pallenberg, submitted the film script to UA, they rejected it, deeming it too costly. Boorman was allowed to shop the script elsewhere, but no studio would commit to it. Returning to the original idea of the Merlin legend, Boorman was eventually able to secure deals that would help him do "Excalibur" instead. Much of the imagery and set designs seen in the film were originally created with "Lord Of The Rings" in mind.

There's a long article about it.

Sandy

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Re: April 2011 MDC Fantastical Unreality: Write Ups
« Reply #24 on: April 23, 2011, 12:50:05 PM »
Princess Mononoke




A more apt title would be Ashitaka the Liaison. And, it's a thankless job. All he wants is for everyone to get along. Is that too much to ask? The humans are acting beastly and the animal gods are acting all too human. To top it off, Ashitaka is having troubles of his own. His cursed arm keeps getting in the way of his negotiation skills and the girl he is falling for thinks she's a wolf.

Thanks Ideathy for a super dictation! I'm still visualizing the costumes and creatures.

All in all, this reminds me of the complexity of our journey and the people we come in contact with. Are we treading lightly and taking the time to comprehend others' perspectives?
« Last Edit: March 22, 2020, 03:54:52 PM by Sandy »

StudentOFilm

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Re: April 2011 MDC Fantastical Unreality: Write Ups
« Reply #25 on: April 23, 2011, 09:42:58 PM »
Wild Grass (2009, Alain Renais)



"No, that's impossible. Am I at peace? Not since I met you."

And to think their story began all because she couldn't find the right shoe size.

The most recent film from Alain Renais (Night and Fog, Hiroshima Mon Amour, Last Year in Marienbad) is quite gentle and relaxing, while still subversive enough that the more I think about it, the stranger the experience I had with it. It's something you can't really shrug off because of how surreal of an experience it is that it leaves you with such realistic feelings. Does that make sense? No? Well, this art-house film isn't the easiest to break down like I normally like to do for MDC dictations, but here is what I've got.

The film is based on the surrealist novel The Incident by Christian Gailly. It follows a woman whose purse is stolen and when the thief ditches the wallet in a parking lot, a man named Georges finds it and debates on how he wants to notify the owner of the wallet because he is smitten with her ID picture. That is only the first ten to twenty minutes so I'll stop there, but of course the characters soon find their destinies intertwined as they interact through letters, phone calls, and meetings and those usually start with some harmless stalking. The end result is something that is a typical narrative and (for lack of a better word, I mean it) artsy and creative. I didn't find the film as humorous as others might have. There were moments of irony, but I was more attracted to the romanticism and the uniquely unconventional courtship between these two characters.

The cinematography by Eric Gautier (A Christmas Tale, Into the Wild) is dazzling and clear and the music of Mark Snow (The X-Files) echoes the jazz of Lalo Schifrin. The best performance in the movie for me comes from Andre Dussollier. He is both exhaustingly tired and emotional. A brilliant piece of acting. Now, I now Renais was part of that New Wave side group with Agnes Varda, Louis Malle, and a bunch of other people that make stuff that is too smart for me, but I've determined a fun fact. If Mathieu Amalric is walking around and speaking French... it's probably going to be a good movie. Yes, I'm being tongue-in-cheek, but that is the kind of mood this film has put me in.

Wild Grass makes it clear that life is pretty accidental for those of us that don't think our "life-path" has been written. So what happens when we try to control it? The result can be tragic. The result can be funny. But most importantly of all, the result will be full of energy. Life is lively, pun intended.

Thanks for the dictation.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2011, 12:39:26 AM by StudentOFilm »
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Re: April 2011 MDC Fantastical Unreality: Write Ups
« Reply #26 on: April 23, 2011, 10:32:17 PM »
What a silly film. Glad you enjoyed it. Was anxious that you wouldn't, to be honest!

The film gets increasingly perplexing. Then, at the end, it pulls the rug from under you, points its finger at your face, and laughs at you for caring so much. Life is crazy! Life is random! Accept the mystery. :D

Oh, and the faux ending is one of my favorite scenes from last year.

Verite

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Re: April 2011 MDC Fantastical Unreality: Write Ups
« Reply #27 on: April 24, 2011, 12:04:45 AM »
If you're referring to the Left Bank people, did you mean to say Agnes Varda?
« Last Edit: April 24, 2011, 01:03:20 AM by Dielman Ver »
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StudentOFilm

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Re: April 2011 MDC Fantastical Unreality: Write Ups
« Reply #28 on: April 24, 2011, 12:39:02 AM »
Damnit, you're right. I'll go edit that.

I'll wait for someone to say I'm sexist.  ;D
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Verite

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Re: April 2011 MDC Fantastical Unreality: Write Ups
« Reply #29 on: April 24, 2011, 01:03:50 AM »
LOL
"When in doubt, seduce."
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