The Watercooler: 7/7/08
Standing on the edge of a volcano at the end of the world
Another happy Monday to you, fellow Cin-ers. I don’t know about you, but I had another solid movie-going weekend. Let’s get right to it.
First up was Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. I’m not very good at writing documentary reviews, but I did my best below. I’m not sure what else I can say about it. If you already know a lot about the man and his writing, there probably isn’t anything new here for you, but it’s great to hear his words and see them put into context. The highest compliment I can probably pay the doc is that it inspired me to go back and re-read the work of the man in question. I’m starting off with Hell’s Angels and I’ll go from there. The interesting thing is how much of what Thompson was writing about could apply to our current times.
Next was Werner Herzog’s haunting documentary Encounters at the End of the World. It’s hard to say what Herzog finds more intriguing, the interesting creatures he encounters at the South Pole or the people who study them. I take that back, he’s definitely more interested in the people. From the very start, Herzog insists that he has no interest in returning with another story about “fluffy penguins” and he delivers on his promise. He’s looking for signs of the end of the world, in more than one sense, and he won’t be satisfied until he finds them. Antarctica does not disappoint. This is not some tree hugging global warming documentary however. Herzog makes that clear as he moves from one curious story to another. I haven’t settled on exactly what Herzog was getting at and I’m not sure he knows himself, however one of the refreshing things about it is his willingness to simply look and listen and ask question rather than clinging to a pre-established agenda.
Finally, after a half-day spent glued to the men’s Wimbledon final, I made it back out of the house to catch the French thriller Tell No One. Based on the novel by Harlan Coben, it’s another tale of a man wrongly accused of murdering his wife, but it’s presented in a way only Europeans seem to be able. The key is that director Guillaume Canet never lets the plot get in the way of character and emotions. It’s a good thing too because the resolution to the mystery is ultimately not as satisfying as the mystery itself. François Cluzet is terrific as the doctor who loses his wife under mysterious circumstances only to find she may have returned from the dead.
Filed under: Watercooler
Tags: Encounters at the End of the World, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Tell No One
I’ve heard many good things about Tell No One. Any idea what the French title is? If it’s ever brought out here, it’ll probably be under the original title.
My weekend? Work on Saturday, and Sunday was… bad movie marathon day! I’m writing a post later, but here’s the line-up: Santa Claus conquers the Martians, Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, The adventures of Buckaroo Banzai across the 8th dimension, Plan 9 From Outer Space, and, wrapping it up with a good film that ties in with that last one, Ed Wood.
Where does one begin?
Firstly, I watched all seven parts of the HBO miniseries John Adams beginning Friday and concluding Sunday. I quite enjoyed the entire enterprise, and found it, particularly for a miniseries, quite the staggering accomplishment. Richly authentic, possessing many of the Founders’ most brilliant statements (all dramatically rendered through conversations with one another, or in the case of a few, with heads of foreign governments and others) and quite well-acted from top to bottom, it was a revelatory experience.
Besides that, I watched the 2005 drama Separate Lies (double dose of Tom Wilkinson between it and John Adams, in which he played Ben Franklin, rather well) and thought it was fairly pedestrian until the concluding portion, which was unique but the whole film felt undeniably lightweight to me.
Next up, the well-regarded Libeled Lady starring William Powell, Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy. Great to see Powell do his thing with Loy outside of The Thin Man series, and I got a real kick out of seeing Tracy play a fairly unscrupulous character as a change of pace. Could have been better, but on the whole it’s pretty breezy. The sequences involving Powell trying to make out that he’s an expert fisherman are genuinely hilarious.
Today, I saw Wall-E. I think I’m where Craig and some others are. I liked it, but I didn’t think it was a masterpiece. I kind of hate to say it, especially since I’ll doubtless disappoint Sam and some others who feel differently, but Wall-E was, while several notches above Pixar’s worst, it wasn’t really close to being upper echelon Pixar, either. I admired parts of it (well, mainly the first “act,” as it were, almost all of which was a beautiful piece of wordless, sublime poetry) but ultimately it left me with a slight but unmistakable feeling of disappointment, perhaps derived from excessive hype (though I don’t think so, since I managed to set all of that aside when viewing it). So, compared to the ‘06 and ‘07 offerings from Pixar, it’s much better than the uninteresting, overlong Cars but markedly inferior to Ratatouille (sorry!).
Then checked out Herzog’s latest, Encounters at the End of the World, which I positively adored. Like you, Craig, Herzog’s “message,” if it can be called as such, is (in my view, pleasantly) mercurial, and based wholly in the images of the Antarctic. Truly breathtaking.
Then I saw Westward the Women with Robert Taylor, directed by William A. Wellman. I enjoyed this Western from 1951 quite a bit. Wellman was able to blend his more definitively “feminine” movie touch that he had as evidenced by so many of his “womens pictures” with his more action-driven “manly” touch, again evidenced by many of his macho adventures of derring-do. Never saw this before, and I can now see why many people go back to it these days.
Then Shanghai Express, by Josef von Sternberg, starring a sensational Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook and Anna May Wong. Sumptuous, delightfully rendered (with gorgeous chiaroscuro cinematography by Lee Garmes and James Wong Howe). The only flaw is Brook, who seems positively lifeless in his role. Nevertheless, it’s a great film, a true masterpiece and my favorite collaboration between Dietrich and von Sternberg.
Well, Alexander, I admit I am disappointed with your reaction to WALL-E, but your honesty and eloquence are admirable. Perhaps down the road you may think a bit differently, but you should definitely call it as you see it. The Herzog, ENCOUNTERS, I am totally with you, (and Craig) and while the later segments were not as great as the pre-Declaration ones, I can’t dispute your overall assessment of JOHN ADAMS. Some critics took issue with Giamatti’s performance, but I didn’t see a problem there, as Giamatti possesses the right kind of intensity for this role. That splendid capsule on SHANGHAI EXPRESS is right on the money, methinks.
I am mildly disappointed myself with GONZO: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF HUNTER S. THOMPSON, which I saw yesterday afternoon. While anything about Thompson has a built-in fascination, this intermittantly captivating film had it’s share of issues. The George McGovern 1972 presidential run was too comprehensive (at the expense of a more thorough examination of his motivations and writings) and while it was interesting to hear from McGovern himself as well as Carter and others, there seemed to be a dearth of information from his upbringing, and some hints as to what made this iconic writer the irreverent character he was. I attended the film with an old-time and long-time friend, whose entire life has been an intense admiration of Thompson (and rather sadly, some of his habits as well) and while he admitted that ANY film about Thompson that will eventually lead him to reading his work is worthwhile, he felt (like me) that this very well crafted documentary didn’t have enough depth. But I see Craig reviewed it, so I will read his essay and respond on that thread later.
I took the kids on Saturday to see KIT KITTREDGE: AN AMERICAN GIRL in the local Edgewater multiplex, and while this was mildly engaging for its tastefulness, it was still sacharine and manipulative, and it suffered from a pedestrian premise that was rather cloying. Not surprisingly my seven-year old daugher loved it more than the other kids, the boys were mildly diverted, and the oldest girl and my wife said it was “ok.” The period detail–the cars–the clothes–the home, set in the Depression-era was first-rate though.
A cinema verite video, made a few years ago, premiered in Manhattan last week, and for what it was, it was well-made. The co-directors happened to appear at an evening show on Thursday and explained the advent and decision that brought TAKE OUT to fruition. A young Chinese delivery man is forced by loan sharkers to earn money quick. After borrowing from friends, he frantically delivers for a number of hours, and the entire dog-eat-dog process is played out in the local restaurant dive, with a hysterical female manager, insulting customers in Chinese, without them actually deciphering what is being said. It is a “small” film, and it doesn’t aspire to much, but it shows that something worthwhile can be made from nothing (which in this case was an initial outlay of $5,000.)
The best film I saw theatrically since last week’s Watercooler, was a Thursday afternoon showing of the Czechoslovakian BEAUTY IN TROUBLE, which was a trenchant sociological examination in contemporary and capitalist Czechoslovakia, and a run around central character who makes some very surprising decisions. The performances and the screenplay are pretty much top-notch, and although the visual presentation is rather “dreary” I think this is exactly the intended feel. Definitely a contender for a year-end ten best list.
Hedwig, that title (TELL NO ONE) is the one being used for the French film—of course there’s a French translaion of it, but they decided to go with the English translation as the actual title. The film did receive generally impressive reviews, and I am planning to see it this week myself.
Alexander, I never saw that Wellman film with Robert Taylor……….interesting!
Had a nice, quiet holiday weekend and used as much of my time as I could to see some movies. Revisited The Killing, Cool Hand Luke, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. All great in their own ways, all fun to watch. Still waiting for the respective studios to get off their asses and deliver decent transfers of Paths of Glory and The Killing though. Like Craig, I also spent a large portion of Sunday morning sucked into the Wimbledon’s Men’s Finals. Wow, could they have played tennis any longer?
In theaters, I saw Mongol, which sort of bored me. The performances were good and the movie sure looked pretty, but the storytelling just wasn’t coming together for me. I didn’t think it was going to be hard to make someone so interesting into a compelling biopic, but apparently I was wrong.
Also saw Bigger Stronger Faster which was very interesting. I liked it quite a bit.
Finally, I saw Gonzo, which was pretty great. I don’t know enough about Hunter S Thompson to really comment on the authenticity of it all, but Gibney creates an interesting portrait of a compelling figure. I thought the constant soundtrack got a little tired, but otherwise this was a pretty great documentary.
It’s going to be quite a year for documentaries. We’ve already got Young@Heart, Gonzo, Bigger Stronger Faster, and Standard Operating Procedure out and the highly anticipated Encounters at the End of the World and Man on Wire coming soon, and that’s not counting a handful of smaller docs I’ve already missed.
Joel, I’m sorry you didn’t care for MONGOL; I thought Bodrov did quite a bit here with the material, and made an epic film that American and British directors have longed to for years.
Herzog’s ENCOUNTERS is the year’s best doc so far in my opinion, with THE UNFORESEEN close behind. I liked YOUNG AT HEART, but it was too disjointed to work as well as it should have.
I’m not a big tennis fan, though. LOL!!!
One doc that Screengrab pointed out early on and that sounds very interesting to me is Full Battle Rattle, a doc about the US military war-game style preparations for handling civilians in Iraq. It’s getting some great reviews.
Needless to say, I am looking forward for Craig’s review of the Herzog (if he chooses to do it) as this is probably the best documentary of the year so far, and one that Craig apparently reveres, based on his eloquent commentary.
Wow, it seems like all of you are getting tired of the summer blockbusters and doing your best to stay away from them. At least that’s how it looks this week.
I finally saw my first Kurosawa movie in it’s entirety. I had attempted to watch Dreams one time at about 3 in the morning and that didn’t pan out too well. But the other night I saw Rashomon and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve been told he was sort of the originator of that multiple point of view story line style. Anyone know if that has any truth to it?
I also saw Wanted during the week. And damn was that movie a ton of fun. I’m a big fan of over the top movies like that. My favorite being Shoot ‘Em Up (easily in my top 5 movies of last year) which I happened to watch last night. God, I never get tired of that movie.
And then I watched Parents, an old horror/satire with Randy Quaid, Mary Beth Hurt, and Sandy Dennis. I expected it to be some hilarious trash (picked it up for a dollar at the thrift store) but it turned out to be halfway decent. It was, however, extremely weird. Don’t really know how else to describe it in such short terms. Just….weird.
I’m always surprised at how many movies I’ve watched whenever I come to the Watercooler. I always say to myself, “Oh, what are you going to talk about? You haven’t watched anything.” But then it all comes back to me.
I’m jealous that you’re all getting to see Herzog’s new film. I really would like to see him do an Antarctica movie that isn’t supposed to be an alien movie (not that Wild Blue Yonder was bad, just different). I probably won’t get to see it in theaters, though, so I’ll have to wait until it comes out on video.
joel, like you, I didn’t’ know much {if anything really} about Hunter before seeing Gonzo, so I saw it as a pleasing journey of discovery. Anyway, I have since purchased some of his written work, and cannot wait to divulge into them as soon as I get a free moment.
Hedwig, if you haven’t found it yourself by now, the French title of Tell No One is Ne Le Dis a Personne
I think Alexander had the most comprehensive and impressive weekend, but your selection sounds like a helluva lot of fun. I look forward to reading your thoughts. Electric Boogaloo! ahahhahahahahah.
Alexander Libeled Lady I’ve never seen but it sounds terrific. I loves me some Powell and Loy. Tracy and Harlow are gravy.
How would you say encounters stacks up with Herzog’s other movies, particularly his docs? Both in terms of how you liked it and how you think it fits in with his canon. I’m having a hard time summing it up. It seemed ill-focused, but not in a bad way. Just kind of random.
Sam, I’ll respond to your Gonzo thoughts on the Gonzo thread. Suffice it to say for now that I felt the lack of emphasis on his early years was a refreshing change. I’ll leave it at that and explain more later. In the mean time, your own impressions aside, did you think Kit was good for kids? The trailer looked personally unbearable to me, but if I had spawn, particularly of the girl kind, it seemed like it would be good. Positive message and all that.
I’m intrigued by Beauty in Trouble, though I don’t think it has made its way to LA.
Joel, how did Butch and Sundance hold up? I revisited it 10 or 15 years ago and remember being a teeny bit disappointed. My tastes have changed though so maybe I’d re-warm up to it this time around.
Sounds like you and I had the same response to Mongol. Were we just expecting the wrong thing? I still plan to see the inevitable sequel. I liked what the director was doing, but similar to the first part of Lord of the Rings, he only had part of a story to work with.
Justin, Kurosawa is one of my favorites and I admit Dreams is a tough one to swallow. Several of the segments are haunting and briliant and all that, but the thing doesn’t hold together that strongly. However, if you can appreciate Rashomon, I think you’re in for a treat with some of his more action oriented stuff. I’d recommend you run right out and watch Seven Samurai but it’s so long you might find it a little daunting….I did the first time anyway. More approachable are Yojimbo and Throne of Blood. You can’t go wrong with any of the three. If you want drama, Ikiru is one of the best movies. Ever.
Nick, the doc made me want to re-read Thompson too. It’s good stuff. (also, congrats on getting the attention of Mr. Jeff Wells!)
I’m back in the Twin Cities after a whirlwind trip out West and two weddings on consecutive weekends. I’ve only seen WALL*E and Hancock in the last 10 days, and now I’m looking at a full lineup of not-yet-seens: Mongol, When…Father?, Gonzo, The Singing Revolution, Wanted, War, Inc., and My Winnipeg. There’s no way I’ll get to all of them, but at the present time Gonzo and Revolution are at the top of my list.
I also was entranced by the the tennis yesterday. Not often that you see two premier players in a battle like that. I was really floored by the whole thing. Neither would give an inch after so many hours! It’s what separates the pros from the weekend warriors. Insane mental toughness.
I’m glad you liked Encounters, Craig, Sam, and Alexander. I did as well and am glad I don’t have to worry about catching it when it opens this week. I can’t say it’s top doc of the year thus far, Sam, but it will sit comfortably in the top 5 with Young@Heart, Surfwise, American Teen and Up the Yangtze. SOP is an honorable mention and I have yet to see Gonzo or Man on Wire. What a year.
I think I was as confused as Craig about Herzog’s motive here, but it seemed more about the journey than the destination in a way. He doesn’t really tie anything together – but he doesn’t need to, either.
One of the things that I’m realizing now that it’s been a few months is that I unfortunately can’t remember a lot of the really cool scientific information that was presented. Mostly I just have the visuals and music in my head. Oh well, worth another viewing I guess.
I’ve added Tell No One to my list when it arrives in a couple of weeks. Just me or are the French having a year to remember?
One last development that I’m not sure how to process. It appears that the local Minneapolis movie critic has given me an inroads to attend press screenings. Tomorrow is Hellboy, Wednesday is Mamma Mia and Thursday is Meet Dave. Tragically (…) I can’t go on Thursday, but I guess I’ll find out if this is legit tomorrow night. I’ll believe it when I’m not kicked out on arrival.
Indeed, Daniel, the French are really on a roll this year! Nice roundup here.
Craig: KIT did have a positive message and it did engage my girls especially. I would surely recommend it, even if from an adult’s point of view it was rather disposable. Am I making any sense here? LOL.
Has anyone seen the French THE LAST MISTRESS yet? I can’t remember anyone making mention of it. I am pondering a screening of it today, either at an upcoming matinee or late tonite.
Daniel, congrats on breaking in to the “legitimate” world. Very cool that a critic would take an interest in what you’re doing and open up a few opportunities for you. Make the most of them!
Sam, I was potentially going to see Last Mistress last night right after Tell No One, but decided to come hone and write instead. Thanks to a little prodding from Evan, I decided I need to be reviewing more of the movies I see. Nevertheless, I haven’t read anything about it yet until I do see it.
Well I agree with Evan!!!!
and congrats to you indeed Daniel!!!!
Important Response to Alexander:
I somehow missed your July 4th submission on another thread where you posted your review of Godard’s CONTEMPT after yet another superbly engaging discourse on SANSHO and Japanese cinema. I didn’t mean to imply that Kurosawa was inferior to Ozu or Mizoguchi, only that their largely exclusive humanism was more to my taste. But your post was endlessly fascinating.
Your review on CONTEMPT is as great as any professional critic’s!!!!
When you say “It feels like a film that belongs at the tail end of Godard’s more love-obsessed period, as the young insurrectionist filmaker becomes older, embittered and in Godard’s case, more insular and insurrectionist” you really nail it. This is simply a brilliant piece of writing–you forgot nothing, including the stellar contributions of both George Delerue and Raoul Coutard, not to mention that great turn from Lang himself as the ODYSSEY director. Another reason why I really appreciated this review is that I actually re-watched CONTEMPT 10 days ago, in preparation for all-time greatest French Film polling I am conducting as proctor of my e mail network, where I “dump” my film reviews. LOL. Your timing here was terrific.
I think CONTEMPT is his greatest film, though BREATHLESS and WEEKEND push very close. I am less enamored of MASCULINE…………..FEMININ, but I need to give that a re-view. I watched LA CHINOISE again earlier this week, and it is still a very dated film (in the bad sense) but still engaging, and with a formidable performance by Leaud.
Ha, well thanks, guys, but in the interest of full disclosure I should say that he didn’t really “find” me at all. I interviewed him for my Coen Bros. piece for MovieZeal and he said he would invite me to some previews, then he lost my email address and only recently found it. It was surprise me if he’s even visited my blog, or if he knows how little business I have writing legitimate reviews.
Regardless, like you say, I’ll try to make the most of it. I probably wouldn’t have seen any of those three movies, but I’m curious about the experience nonetheless, especially since so many of you are veterans of it.
Congrats Danny!
I really want to see Mamma Mia! I like the cast, really do, look forward to your thoughts on it :)
Justin, actually I’m really excited about Hellboy 2 this weekend and Dark Knight the following weekend but yes, I will admit that otherwise the value of summer movies is (a little) lost on me. Like the good ones, can do without most of it.
As for Parents, that remains one of my favorite cult films of the 80’s. It’s incredibly weird and nasty but it captures the dark undertones of surburbia that is the flip side of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet while also satirizing some of the 50’s nostalgia that gripped America during the Reagan years. Randy Quaid is great in that film.
Craig, I agree that Butch and Sundance has not aged well for me. As much as I love the chemistry between the two leads and their wacky misadventures and as much as I like how the movie itself comments on the death of the Western genre in that time period and the death of the West historically, the storytelling is sloppy and the montage sequences are annoying. But a movie like BCatSK has so many classic scenes and lines of dialogue that’s hard not to get swept up in it.
Plus, Strother Martin may be better in BCatSK than he is in Cool Hand Luke, which is pretty impressive.
Cool Hand Luke on the other hand is aging quite well for me. Still stands as my favorite Newman performance.
Congrats Daniel!
A quick reference to Hedwig up at the top: Buckaroo Banzai a bad movie? No way! It’s kind of a mess, but it’s an adorable, intentional homage-y mess that’s also one of my favorites from growing up.
Last Wednesday (don’t remember if I mentioned it) I saw Ugetsu and Sansho the Bailiff for the first time each here in Los Angeles at the New Beverly, both were great but I found that Sansho was more emotionally affecting to me (I definitely need to see both again soon).
Thursday was a Get Smart matinee (pretty cruddy but I like the actors so they mitigated the dullness), Saturday was The Pajama Game and a terrible ’90s sci-fi movie called Murdercycle (the title is better than the movie) and yesterday was The Naked Jungle and a second trip to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I’m still painfully behind on new releases this year.
Jeff, we finally agree. LOL!!!!!!
Sansho is Mizoguchi’s masterpiece in my view, edging out UGETSU, and it’s for the emotional level, which is utterly wrenching.
I meant to comment on Justin’s take on Parents, but I forgot and now Joel has said about everything I need to say.
Daniel, whatever the circumstances and whether or not you think you’re really ‘deserving’, just make the most of it. It’s a great opportunity to get a leg up on the millions of other movie bloggers.
Jeff, Buckaroo suffers somewhat from trying too hard to be a cult movie, but I originally saw it before I really knew what a cult movie was and goddamnit it worked.
The thing for me about Japanese movies, and it applies double to non-Kurosawa Japanese movies, is I almost always have to see them more than once to really grasp their genius. Maybe I’m just slow, but it’s too much of a cultural gear shift for me, unless I’m in the recent habit of watching a bunch together. Anyway, the point is I greatly admired Sansho and Ugetsu, but after one viewing I don’t think I fully appreciated them.
Glad to hear you’re consistently supporting both the New Beverly and the American Cinematheque.
Craig, I agree, and that’s why I need to see both films again. I think it took me the entire runtime of Ugetsu, basically, to shift into that mindset so a certain degree of it was lost on me but then I was firmly prepared by the time Sansho the Bailiff was up, so I appreciated it more.
Oh, I also just saw Parents for the first time myself recently. It’s interesting, not totally successful, and it wants to be an amalgam of Eating Raoul and Blue Velvet without really satisfying either movie’s goals, but it’s certainly worth checking out.
Congrats on your film critic connection, Daniel, and congrats to Nick for the Wells shout-out (I’ve never been able to post at H-E, even if I wanted to, which is rare, so I’ll just say congrats here).
Sam, Daniel and Craig, as I said above I agree with the love for Encounters at the Edge of the World. I have to admit, I was so caught up in the wondrous imagery, and I probably need to see it again before going into the more scientific areas of Herzog’s film. Still kind of reeling from it.
Never seen Buckaroo Banzai, but have planned to for quite a while. I also need to see Parents.
Ugetsu and Sansho the Bailiff are both masterpieces, and it’s incredibly hard for me to come down on the question of which is superior, except I do think Sansho is, as others have noted, the more emotionally gripping film by a decent margin. I do think that Mizoguchi is beautifully latitudinarian, and his films are of a very unique mold, while also fitting comfortably into the humanism of Japanese cinema’s masters.
Thank you very much for the graciously kind words, Sam, regarding my review of Contempt. Glad it fit for you as you had just seen it recently. Again, thanks very much.
Murdercycle is a truly awful movie. Jeff, I’m glad you saw The Naked Jungle right before seeing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull again, as I enjoyed viewing it hours after seeing Crystal Skull the first time.
Wow, somebody else who’s seen Murdercycle? So I’m not the only one who wasted my time?
The Naked Jungle was fun, although the first 2/3 of it that are melodrama before the ants show up are a bit trying.
Yeah, Murdercycle’s definitely a big waste of time.
I agree about the tediously slow melodrama pre-ants in The Naked Jungle certainly tests the patience, even if it’s a little pleasing to see Charlton Heston play such a largely unsympathetic character.
I did enjoy a couple of fleeting bad-movie moments in it, like the one and only time in the movie somebody refers to it as “the murdercycle” apropos of nothing, and the goofy zooms to the psychic girl when she has a psychic moment.
Naked Jungle is also a good display of Heston’s starpower, he’s totally watchable even as he’s unlikable and chewing scenery.
Yes, the goofy zooms were a treat, I must confess. I actually snicker reflecting on those.
I was thinking the same thing while watching The Naked Jungle now, after seeing it so many times as a kid–it’s a real testament to Heston’s starpower and magnetic onscreen allure.
Wow, amittedly I haven’t seen it since I was a kid, but I don’t even remember the pre-ant sequences of Naked Jungle.
Suddenly I’m reminded of the bad 1977 TV movie Panic at Lake Wood Manor with Suzanne Somers…killer ants on the loose. One of Myrna Loy’s last movies.
We’re not talking Killdozer territory here, but that movie freaked my 8 year old shit.
I saw WALL-E, Wanted, and Scarface (Howard Hawks version). I liked them all, to varying degrees. WALL-E was probably my favorite, and I’d probably give it an A-, probably 4 stars out of 5. Wanted was alternately silly, irritating, fun, ridiculous, cool, wobbly, and outsize. It’s ultimately both forgivable and forgettable, but fun enough for anyone into that sort of thing and with disbelief securely checked at the door. I sometimes am, and I sure do like my James McAvoy, so that was enough. Mostly. The original Scarface was fun, too. Interesting seeing gangster cliches used before they were such. Paul Muni was awfully good. I’d been meaning to watch this one ever since I read about its influence on The Departed, both in the symbolic X’s employed and in the way Scorsese shot it. I could definitely see it. Pretty neat.
I’m a big Antarctica buff, so I’m psyched for the Herzog doc, especially since it seems to be about the personalities and stories involved, rather than the penguins and walruses and such. I wonder if Herzog’s read A Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier–it’s a great end-of-the-world novel with at its center an isolated and driven scientist in Antarctica as the last surviving human. Really a terrific book, if any of you are interested.
I like Kurosawa a lot, but I watched Kagemusha a while back, and was bored stiff. I think a lot of the Japanese humor got lost in translation, and it was over 3 hours and just tiring. Rashomon and some of the others, though, are great.
Kagemusha is a slog even for this Kurosawa fan, so I sympathize.
Just wanted to congratulate my two beloved boys, who most assuredly are moving up in the cinematic world…
Nicky, to get a shout out from Mr. Jeff Wells (considering the scope of his readership and who LIKELY reads him, if you get what I mean) is worth its weight in gold. That’s quite the major deal, my sweet baboo.
Danny, you DON’T need to worry about being deserving regarding entry to press screenings. I’ve told you for a VERY LONG time now that you’re a wonderful writer and I’m sure that there are many that would agree emphatically. It’s a big step and you have no idea where it may lead.
*sigh*
I’m ever so proud of my big brave boys. So very talented and it honestly couldn’t happen to two nicer gentlemen. This is such wonderful news and it makes me tremendously happy.
As RICHARD DREYFUSS said at the end of LET IT RIDE, I’m having a very, VERY good day….
Don’t feel bad Jennybee, I find Kagemusha to be a bit of a disappointing dry run for the superior Ran. It owns a lot of other films of its type, but it doesn’t quite stack up to my other Kurosawa favs.
I liked how you mixed it up this weekend with the old and the new and with G rated and R rated movies.
Muni is indeed amazing.
I’ll add my voice to the praise for Wall-E, which I saw on Saturday. A hit-you-over-the-head with its message story? Absolutely. But I thought it was a beautiful movie. Besides, subtle hasn’t exactly been getting through to people. The short before the movie was very cute, too.
I revisited Robert Downey, Jr. in Chaplin on DVD Friday night. The movie isn’t great, but he’s amazing.
Other than that it was a slow movie weekend for me. I also am looking forward to seeing Mamma Mia. I’m not an Abba fan at all, but it’s Meryl Streep. I’m there.
And this week I’ll be catching Gonzo at the Angelika as soon as I get back to the city. :-)
So glad you enjoyed “WALL-E” Alison, and the short was adorable.
I have a feeling you’ll like Gonzo, Alison. Just a hunch.
I’m not surprised you liked WALL-E, I’m more surprised that I didn’t like it more. Expectations may have gotten the better of me and I might like it more the next time I see it.
Saw Jellyfish. There’s a bruise on my head from having the sea symbolism beaten into it, but it’s a very good film.
Is there a long, involved conversation about Wall-E going on? Great. I’m leaving. See y’all.
So between three of us (I think) who have seen Jellyfish (KB, glimmer, and me), we’ve been able to say about two sentences on it. Seems we agree it’s good, but I don’t really know if I could say why. I gave up on a review. I’ll look for yours if it happens.
Hahhah KB. The FELLAT-E-O has been pretty modest around these parts.
You guys are making me more and more curious about Jellyfish. I was this close to seeing it (holding fingers a centemeter apart) in theaters, but passed.
Haha, and I appropriately have little to say about your decision!
I was either crazy tired or Jellyfish was the most befuddling movie that I’ve seen this year. I’d say it was a 60/40 split, respectively. A.O. Scott loved it, but even his review didn’t open much up for me. It comes down to the fact that I really just didn’t try to unpack it (there’s A LOT in there), and I didn’t hear anything else about it to make me think it was more than just “good”.
Jellyfish has a lot of little weird things about it. It’s at least crossed my mind, for instance, that the suicidal woman IS the future version of the young bride, because it seems like the little girl is the waitress’ memory of herself. But I’m far from ready to say that for certain.
True, Craig, this is one of the few sites where the Wall-E reaction here has been relatively subdued. But Sam Juliano loves it. And I respect that, even if I don’t fully agree. But I’m at the Juno point with this one, where I’ve discussed it enough, I have my opinion, the Wall-E guys have theirs, they’re both legitimate, and I just want to move along.
K. Bowen: That was a very nice compliment, singling me out for my love of WALL-E. Very much appreciated.
Juno is a pretty excellent analogy KB. I actually went through a phase where I felt bad I didn’t like the movie, but then I just got tired of people arguing about it. I even started to hate the haters.
I like where your head’s at KB re: Jellyfish. There was definitely some major hinting (and the symbolism you talked about earlier) at the second part of your assumption, but I didn’t consider the first part about the young bride.
Does it make a movie better or worse if you don’t fully understand aspects of it? Sometimes I don’t know…
I really need to see Jellyfish.
I’d also like to take a brief moment to defend Kagemusha for a moment. I’ve always been terribly captivated by it. I used to prefer Ran to it, but these days for some reason I’m actually drawn more to Kagemusha. I think the imagery of Kagemusha is absolutely marvelous. That single shot of the sun in the background with a long line of warriors marching across the vista is, alone, breathtaking. I also prefer the performances in Kagemusha to the ones in Ran these days. (And for some reason these days there are stretches of Ran that make me glance at the time counter on the DVD player.)
Ran has a cleaner, sharper narrative, and Kagemusha admittedly may drag in some places, but (and I love them both) I find Kagemusha more rewarding these days. Ran probably “works” more in Kurosawa’s storytelling canon, and it’s more personally rendered than Kagemusha, but I treasure Kagemusha as well.
Regarding Wall-E, I find myself in K. Bowen’s shoes. I really don’t have much to say about it–it was entertaining, but I thought flawed, and I was left at least partly disappointed, but I’m sure those who love it do so sincerely and I respect them, so that’s that.
Alexander, the conventional critical position on KAGEMUSHA was initially that of relative indifference within the scope of Kurosawa’s canon. It has changed drastically in recent years, and you will find that you are not the only one with this favorable re-assessment. In fact most film scholars and Kurosawa experts like Donald Richie, Audie Bock and Philip Lopate have revised opinions that support almost exactly what you are now proposing.
My own opinion is close to yours, although I admit I don’t look at the clock counter when watching RAN, (LOL!!) which is a bonafide Kurosawa masterpiece and one of the greatest of all filmic adaptations of Shakespeare. It would be interesting to make a list of the greatest film adaptations of the Bard. I would place Olivier’s RICHARD III at the top, followed by Welles’ CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT, both the Olivier and the Branagh HENRY V and the Kurosawa. The Welles’ MACBETH, maligned by some would make my top ten, as would the Polanski Macbeth and the Kotsisev Russian HAMLET, as well as the Olivier version. And I do like Zefirelli’s ROMEO AND JULIET, despite the obvious in-your-face flaws. It is redeemed by other components. But I understand exactly where you are coming from in making this wise and relative argument.
It does seem now that time has altered the original perceptions of KUROSAWA, and the film is now looked on as a supreme masterwork, and I dare says in large measure for the reasons you so eloquently posed.
Now if only they would reassess DERSU UZALA! LOL!
Alexander, I am sure you may very well know this, but perhaps the most definitive treatment of KAGEMUSHA is Donald Richie’s “The Films of Akira Kurosawa” (third edition–pgs. 204-213) where the esteemed film scholar eloquently concludes:
“KAGESMUSHA emerges as an unsparingly bleak statement, a profoundly pessimistic view so powerfully imagined that for a time (until comforting illusion, once we are out of the theatre, is sought) it is believed. Kurosawa’s “humanism” has grown to include the true human condition.”
I was wondering when someone was going to make a whole-hearted defense of Kagemusha. Glad to see someone stepped up to the plate, but I definitely prefer Ran to Kagemusha. Kagemusha fails to work for me as a whole even though there are parts I liked.
I love Donald Richie’s book, “The Films of Akira Kurosawa,” Sam. Excellent book–it’s a very sharp, passionate analysis that is richly nuanced and fairly reverent without being slavish.
I do think my opinion of Ran, which is still very high, took a bit of a beating from my aforementioned film professor who attacked it and made me concede at least a few of his (mostly more more minor) points. (That said, he detests The Seven Samurai, which he thinks is a crashing bore, and my opinion of that will never even begin to alter in the least.)
I respect your appreciation of Kagemusha Alexander and I don’t deny there are great things in it. Just not a personal favorite, but then as I’ve said before, all of Kurosawa’s films have needed time to grow on me. Kagemusha may one day live up to its reputation for me.
Also, a film professor telling his students that Seven Samurai is a crashing bore? He’s not alone in that opinion, but he’s a professor of film for chrissakes. You don’t go filling students heads with crap like that. Over dinner and cheap boxed wine with your hag of a wife, fine, but let your students discover that stuff for themselves, asshole.
“THE SEVEN SAMURAI, which he thinks is a crashing bore”
LOL!!!!! Well Alexander, he’d be hard pressed to find another film buff or critic to support him on that, but hey, that’s part of what makes film courses like that so much fun.
The Kurosawa films that have the most critical support across-the-board I think would be: THE SEVEN SAMURAI, IKIRU, RASHOMON and RAN. I also love HIGH AND LOW and THRONE OF BLOOD, the former of which is coming in that brand new transfer from Criterion.
Yep Craig, what next, WILD STRAWBERRIES a dreadful film, LA DOLCE VITA reprehensible trash, LA GRANDE ILLUSION, maudlin…………..I think Alexander can teach him, instead of the other way around as his (Alexander’s) taste and knowledge are irreproachable.
Alexander is a guy who knows a thing or two, that’s for sure.
And just to be clear, I’m not being a Samurai Nazi. People don’t have to like that movie to be good people in my book, but a film professor should be exposing his students to the widest possible number of films, including all the established classics whether he likes them or not. Play devil’s advocate, fine, but let the students find their own way. Jerk.
I can’t believe someone actually made a citation out of a book with page numbers and everything.
Next, I really want to see a movie with the title “Samurai Nazi”.
I had a professor in college who took it upon himself to deconstruct Schindler’s List, which he actively disliked. I think it was a useful exercise in challenging his students’ passive groupthink…and it just reinforced my view that it’s a great film.
Yeah, let’s just say taking his courses has been an often trying experience.
Thanks for the compliment, Sam. Without boasting any I can say that a number of students have in the past been pleased when I confronted him or at least tried to keep him somewhat honest.
Craig, I love the image of “a Samurai Nazi.” Aha… Yes, professors should at least allow students to make up their own minds. Most of these students are young, and overall their exposure to classic cinema is minimal at best, so trashing one of the most revered films of all time (I can still remember him saying, “It’s nearly three hours and it just goes on and on and on…” to which I wish I had rebutted, “In its restored version, it’s 207 minutes, almost three and a half hours, and it’s wonderful.”). Oh well, he just doesn’t care for Kurosawa much at all. He actually told me personally during a break in class that Kurosawa’s position in the annals of cinema today in America is almost wholly due to Spielberg, Lucas and Coppola all singing his praises in the ’70s and ’80s. I’m still not sure how such hyperbole can be backed up. I like professors who challenge Holy Grails, actually, but some intellectual firepower should be accompanied with it. In the case of The Seven Samurai, my professor’s points all made me think it was a great film all the more.
There’s not much point in trashing a movie that the vast bulk of your students haven’t even seen, let alone made into a sacred cow. That’s just standard-issue academic arrogance.
I agree with Jeff’s comments, and I think that “Samurai Nazi” title has some intriguing possibilities!………..
And Jeff, be rest assured I had to pull my Richie volume off the shelf to get those page numbers……..I’m not THAT good! LOL!!
I’m all for challenging students to think for themselves but “Academic arrogance” is indeed the right term here.
Call it Samurai Nazi Strippers and it could be a Troma film.
That is indeed right up Troma’s alley!!! LOL!!!
Alexander, I’m trying to mentally justify this professor’s take on Kurosawa and I’m having some difficulty, so can you please name a couple movies or directors he thinks are great?
Hard to parse Seven Samurai being a “crashing bore.” I’ll grant you it’s long and that the action itself is sporadic, but “crashing” or “bore?”
The professor is a big fan of Hitchcock and Leone. Mostly very favorable towards Kubrick as well. He knew Coppola personally, and likes just about all of his films (though he dislikes the Redux version of Apocalypse Now). He’s also quite respectful towards the French New Wave, even if I never sense genuine outpouring enthusiasm for its figures, save for Godard’s golden era.
I almost put this in my last post, but then deleted it because I didn’t want to bash him too much, but regarding Kurosawa, I’ve always thought the professor’s problems partly stem from ignorance of his subject matter. I had to encourage him to see Drunken Angel, Ikiru and Red Beard as a mini-course so that he would see the error of his ways in claiming Kurosawa’s films were uniformly samurai-obsessed.
This reminds me of that hilarious bit in The Simpsons.
I believe Homer says: “No, not a Japanese movie!”
Marge: “But you said you enjoyed Rashomon.”
Homer: “That’s not how I remember it.”
Claiming Kurosawa as ’samurai-obsessed’ sounds more than a little ignorant. That’s also leaving off titles like Stray Dog, High and Low, The Bad Sleep Well, and a bunch more that I’m not familiar with.
That’s one of my favorite Simpsons references too.
No Alexander, I think the Simpson’s quote is about Seven Samurai.
Huh, or he could have watched High and Low, Derusu Uzara, Dreams, Stray Dog, The Bad Sleep Well, The Lower Depths, I Live in Fear, etc to prove Kurosawa is not “samurai-obsessed.” Even if he were, what the hell does that mean? Odd comment to make when your teacher is a Leone fan, a director who could easily be dismissed as being “cowby-obsessed.”
Silly.
I think it’s good to have professors that sometimes contradict popular assumptions about what is good and bad, but they have to offer a valid reasoning if they’re going to swim that far upstream.
I see Jeff and I were thinking the same thing.
I wonder what this professor thinks of Ozu, Mizoguchi and Naruse?
Yeah, I didn’t want to overburden the professor with so many non-samurai Kurosawa titles, but good lists of back-up, Jeff and Joel.
Joel, I made the point to him once that Leone remade Kurosawa’s Yojimbo and made it into a Western.
Sam, as I think I’ve said here once or twice, my survey course of Japanese cinema with this professor was pretty awful, as his general knowledge of such was weak. After seeing Tokyo Story in-class (which I had seen twice before), I found myself defending both it and Citizen Kane (don’t ask) in the face of both he and other students. Oh well! Didn’t mean to make this Watercooler about Alexander’s film professor… Aha…
Earlier today I was given the very cool opportunity to see The Unknown Woman by Giuseppe Tornatore at a special screening like Up the Yangtze in the spring. On the whole, it’s a pretty unfortunate film; I found myself agreeing with critics who called it an unsteady mixture of melodrama, love story and noir. I actually preferred Malena, Tornatore’s last, as it felt more complete and featured superior structure. The issues in The Unknown Woman are important, a bit like last year’s Eastern Promises (with a vaguely similar narrative launching point, except the story is really about the Eastern European woman in another country and is different in tone and story), actually, but I think it could have used a leaner sense of focus.
That’s what the Watercooler is for, Alexander, at least as far as I understand it. Maybe your prof should get in here and defend himself…
Another interesting take on The Unknown Woman, which appears to be bad against all odds. I was sad I missed it at MSPIFF, but now both you and Matthew have returned unimpressed.
To completely change the subject, I saw Hellboy II last night and Mamma Mia! tonight. Fans of both should love both, and I say without having seen the first Hellboy or the Broadway musical. In other words, they’re both exactly what you’d expect and I don’t expect either to gain a lot of new fans.
For reasons I haven’t yet understood, the effects in Hellboy might be the most impressive I’ve seen this year, excluding Speed Racer (just because it’s a different style of effects). Del Toro undeniably delivers in that respect.
I didn’t realize how “girly” of a production Mamma Mia! is. That’s not bad in and of itself, but I was caught by surprise as one of the only men in the audience. I didn’t see Sex and the City but I expect it’s a similar experience. In terms of the movie – well ABBA’s deep tracks are perhaps an acquired taste (that I’ve never fully acquired), but there’s little negative to say about the actual film itself, at least in relation to other musical adaptations.
The Watercooler is for all movie-related subjects Alexander.
That’s bad news about the Tornatore film. I don’t think I’ve heard anything good about it yet.
On the other hand, that’s good news about Hellboy. I liked the first one. Stay tuned for the weekend forecast in 3.5 hours…or go to bed and catch it in the morning.
Daniel, I have a feeling Mama Mia is going to be huge. Hence it’s in my fantasy moguls lineup.
I can’t wait to see Mamma Mia, even though I am not – repeat not – an Abba fan.
Meryl Streep all the way, baby.
Dave Poland didn’t like it, so it’s probably good.
I’m not sure what to make of it. I know I’m not the target audience.
I don’t hate ABBA any more than any other annoyingly hummable pop group. In fact, Fernando is stuck in my head right now. Can you hear the drums, Fernando…?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ohr4P8E_io
The truth is out there, and I’m not talking about the X-Files. I’m talking about the fact that my toe was involuntarily tapping during half of the songs. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by Streep, Alison.
This is not any kind of spoiler, but does anybody know how old the character of Donna is supposed to be? I’m thinking if she had her daughter when she was really young, she shouldn’t be much older than 40. But Streep (and I admire that she’s aging gracefully) cannot pass for 40. I hate to say it, but she looks a little old for the part. But I’m saying that completely ignorant of the original production.
Regarding Poland (and I should really sit on all my thoughts on until next week) and Wells and anybody else – if this were an original story I would be right there to rag on it too. But shouldn’t the vast majority of the criticism of the “plot” be directed at the musical and not the film, assuming it’s a faithful adaptation? In this case I almost feel like you can only criticize the more technical aspects of the movie – sound, acting (even casting), production design, costumes, etc.
I’ve never understood how musical movies can be considered really great (I’m talking Best Picture great) or really terrible, but then again I enjoyed half of the recent ones like Rent and Dreamgirls.
Any thoughts?
You’re both right, Daniel and Craig–just tried to halfway apologize to anyone who was getting tired of hearing about my prof., heh.
“David Poland didn’t like it, so it’s probably good.” Haha. What’s so bizarre is seeing him take down a musical like that. I thought he was the one known safe haven for that genre online.
Looking forward to the Weekend Forecast, Craig. I’m glad to see The Edge of Heaven is making its way to the Rafael arthouse on Friday.
Daniel, I think the one aspect with which I can understand Poland’s apparent point–that the director of Mamma Mia! knows the plot of the production quite well but has no idea what he’s doing in adapting it into a movie, and is incompetent in making the film–is probably the basic on which these types of films ought to be typically scrutinized.
It’s one of the reasons why I wish original musicals would start popping up again, like the extinct dinosaurs they are, because with those the very idea was for the plot/musical sequences to be unfurled in the medium of cinema.
Cabaret. Great movie.
I wholeheartedly agree with your second point, and regarding the first about Poland, well I didn’t even read his criticism in the first place, so that’s my fault. Maybe he doesn’t care to say anything negative about the plot, but I do, and I feel stuck, haha!
Curious about other thoughts on The Edge of Heaven. Both Matthew and I gave it above average but not quite excellent votes. Didn’t Sam or somebody else also see it? The right person (not me) could make the right case that it’s a real gem. We’ll see what you think. Either way, nothing can take away from the fact that Fatah Akin is one of the best emerging filmmakers and his movies are incredibly relevant. I’ve only otherwise seen his Im Juli, and I loved it. Oh, and Turkish actress Nurgul Yesilcay is an absolute force to be reckoned with on the screen.
It will be interesting to see what Tom O’Neil has to say about Mamma Mia!. He’s one of the other musical mavens on the Internet.
As for “great musicals”, for the most part the ones that are truly great in my opinion are those that were conceived originally as film musicals, such as Singing in the Rain, Easter Parade, Bandwagon, etc. There are movies being made as “original film musicals” these days but I shudder to think of them. One word: Disney.
All I can say is…
“There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Fernando
They were shining there for you and me
For liberty, Fernando
Though I never thought that we could lose
There’s no regret
If I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando”
I’ll do you one better, Craig honey. Can I say I loathe Abba with the passion of a thousand white hot suns?
THIS is the only Abba song I can stand.
HIT IT…
My my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender
Oh yeah, and I have met my destiny
In quite a similar way
The history book on the shelf
Is always repeating itself
Waterloo – I was defeated, you won the war
Waterloo – Promise to love you forever more
Waterloo – Couldn’t escape if I wanted to
Waterloo – Knowing my fate is to be with you
Waterloo – Finally facing my waterloo
My my, I tried to hold you back
But you were stronger
Oh yeah, and now it seems my only chance
Is giving up the fight
But how could I ever refuse
I feel like I win when I lose
Waterloo – I was defeated, you won the war
Waterloo – Promise to love you forever more
Waterloo – Couldn’t escape if I wanted to
Waterloo – Knowing my fate is to be with you
Waterloo – Finally facing my waterloo
God…
That was hard work…
Daniel, I did have THE EDGE OF HEAVEN on my top five of the year list back on the “Six To Go” thread.
I dare say I consider it the best film of 2008 so far, with THE DUTCHESS, WALL-E and ALEXANDRE pushing close. Thanks for mentioning me.
Alexander, imagine having to defend a film like Ozu’s TOKYO STORY, one of the supreme masterpieces of world cinema and one of the most emotionally devastating artistic statements in any medium, with a film professor and other students? I don’t envy you. LOL!!!
Next up, there will be a serious discussion about the pretentions inherent in Michaelangelo’s THE LAST SUPPER, Van Gogh’s STARRY NIGHT, Shakespeare’s HAMLET, Dostoyevsky’s THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV, Kern’s SHOWBOAT, Keats’ “Endymion,” Poe’s “Annabel Lee” and Eisenstein’s “Potemkin.”
Finally the professor will embark on an impassioned argument that Joyce’s ULYSSES is a work of such pedestrian simplicity, that it is as disposable as a superhero comic book.
For those with all-Region DVD players, THE EDGE OF HEAVEN is presently available on Region 2 (amazon.uk) for about $22 or so on the excellent Artificial Eye label.
I’m all for shaking students out of their obligatory classics (there are a few I dislike) worshipping stupor-but some of Alexander’s professor’s words are idiotic and the wrong way to go about dethroning a classic. And a person who’s bored with SEVEN SAMURAI might want to rethink their profession. Ditto TOKYO STORY.
Miranda, on “Hit it” I was imagining a sparkly wide-legged jumpsuit, platform shoes, feathered hair and a spinning disco ball. It was pretty awesome.
You could have been the costume designer for Mamma Mia!, Craig. And it’s not just the women who are dressed as you describe. Let’s just say Pierce Brosnan looked better as Bond…
Hah hah.
Well, Craig, I can belt them out with the best of them. But I’ve NEVER dressed like THAT.
Though we have very different body types (mine’s similar to MARILYN MONROE’S) a lot of my wardrobe looks like the goddess Audrey’s in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S.
Every time I see a gorgeous black slip dress I buy it. So the house is full of them.
Simple and elegant. That’s what I like.
I’m not big on overkill.
Well certainly I wouldn’t imagine you walking the streets of your fair city in sparkles and platform shoes singing ABBA, but perhaps in a Halloween costume situation.
ABBA is great. Sorry.
Daniel, just to let you know, the Jellyfish review is up.
Thanks, KB, just saw that in my reader and will head over shortly.
I feel like Sam the Eagle: “What a bunch of weirdoes”.
I was expecting something more Statler and Waldorf from you, Jeff.
My split personality’s too sleepy today.
Let’s push this bitch over 100.
Who’s seeing Batman next Friday?
I will be there with the entire family right after summer school to attend maybe the 2:00 P.M. show. I am sure many LIC regulars will be in the dark as well that day.
Me, me, me! 1:30 PM.
Taking the ferry across the Bay, then the Muni–like No Country for Old Men back on November 9–to a great big IMAX theatre.
Alexander, do you live near sartre?
Great news for documentary lovers on LIC, especially ones who missed this in the theatre and can’t envision a Top Ten year end list without this one in the mix…………..on e bay they are selling DVDs of UP THE YANGTZE………..however, I do believe you probably need an all-Region player, but maybe not. I must check the listing again………….
I am going see it sometime that weekend, not sure if I will make it opening day or not. I might, since a single seat is way easier to grab in that kind of craziness. Girlfriend wants to see this one too, but she won’t want to deal with opening day.
I live in the North Bay, just on the edge of some majestically beautiful redwoods, Sam. Sartre lives in the East Bay. I’ll be taking the Larkspur Ferry from Larkspur in Marin County to the Ferry Building in San Francisco.
100!
I’ll be unemployed next week, so I’ll probably try and see it at the least crowded afternoon show I can find.
I missed your enthusiasm of Up the Yangtze somewhere along the way here, Sam. Glad of it and thanks for the heads up. It will also be on PBS in October.
There’s a Batman movie coming out?
I’m in at midnight. Wasn’t my original plan but a friend bought 10 tickets so I have to go. I’m a little worried that Heath Ledger sightings will cause a riot in the electrically charged theater and completely ruin my experience.
If I wasn’t going to be gone Sun-Wed, I would have been here for a 9:00 AM screening on Tuesday, guest of a local critic. Dangs.
Actually the critics might be unable to control themselves at that screening, too, so…
Daniel, you didn’t miss my enthusiasm of UP THE YANGTZE, as I haven’t seen it yet, (LOL!!!) and have been stymied the past three weeks, as it has left the New York area. Hence this DVD is a godsend, as I have high hopes for it. I was thinking of you especially when I spoke of documentary lovers on LIC, as I know that is your specialty. I have missed YANGTZE and the Erol Morris, so I need to see both soon.
Aexander, you live in God’s country, plain and simple!
Ahhhh…Up the Yangtze, one of the many reviews I should’ve written. I don’t think I have my notes anymore. Maybe I’ll wait for the sequel Up the Wazoo.
I regret now not getting IMAX tickets for Dark Knight. After Shine a Light, I’m sold on the technology. Alas, my first choice for opening night is Arclight because of the reserved seating situation…but I think The Bridge where they have Imax is reserved as well. I didn’t even think of it until after I already had the ticket.
Something tells me I’ve already told this story. Forgive me. I’m a little out of it today. I’ve been off caffiene since Monday.
“Up the Wazoo”
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hear you MUST see “Journey to the Center of the Earth” in 3D to really get anything out of it. Will make that effort tomorrow or Saturday.
Craig, what would be your star rating for UP THE YANGTZE, if I may ask?
4 stars, methinks. Though I’m learning that my documentary sensibility skews from the average documentary viewer. Perhaps because I don’t watch enough of them.
You’d never be able to tell with the two superlative pieces you wrote on both BIGGER STRONGER, FASTER and GONZO.
Four stars from you is a must-see. I will obtain this DVD this week.
Up the Yangtze is a film I’ll proudly vouch for as well, Sam. Great cinematic experience this year.
Alexander, you just closed the deal!!!!!
Excellent. ;)
Did you say that in the voice of Mr. Burns?
BREAKING DVD NEWS!!!
I’m sure a number of people here will be interested or excited to know that Terrence Malick’s THE NEW WORLD—the 171 minute director’s cut—will FINALLY be released on DVD by New Line on October 14th.
I gave this film a mixed review on the edited version in the theatres, but I am told that this far longer (and originally intended) cut has the potential to seriously alter one’s opinion. I never got around to seeing this 171 minute version in the theatre when it was subsequently released.
Sorry to change the subject.
That’s nifty, and this is a longer version than was ever released theatrically.
Good point Jeff, I never realized that this is even longer than that version. Did you like this film yourself? I’m curious?
From what I understand, this third cut is brand new. They announced this cut shortly after the movie was released, but it hasn’t materialized until now.
The original theatrical cut that Malick quickly reedited when the movie went wide was much shorter than this one.
Joel, this is rather fantastic news then!
Jeff, you’re quicker than I.
Sam, it was my favorite film of 2005.
Joel, I’m kind of waiting out the clock with nothing to do right now at work.
I’m waiting out the clock trying not to do the work I have.
Wow Jeff I am floored! But not surprised as this film was embraced by and large by the best critics………..as I say I am very eager to see this new version…..there were elements I did like in the edited version, but it didn’t feel whole. It was somehow truncated. Yet there were beautiful things there.
“Did you say that in the voice of Mr. Burns?” Oh, yes.
Great news about The New World. It was my #3 for ‘05. It will be truly excellent and doubtless revelatory to see this longer cut, for which Malick was almost surely originally aiming.
Indeed, Alexander! Is Craig a fan of this film?
Since we were talking about Greed and other long versions before, somewhere out there is the original 6-hour version of The Thin Red Line that the studio forced Malick to chop down, that would be a treat. I’m sure the DVD people could market it “Expanded Rumination Edition!!!”
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How true!
I did love THE THIN RED LINE, and had in in my top five of that year.
Again, The Thin Red Line was my #1 of 1998.
Days of Heaven, however has to take a backseat to my #1 of 1978, Romero’s Dawn of the Dead.
Joel gave me the heads up about the New World DVD but I was in mid-LAFF and never had a chance to post anything on it. Which is pretty lame really.
The version I saw was the one that played in LA and NY before it disappeared for a while then returned re-edited. I don’t remember the differences between the two.
I saw it the night after Christmas and it completely knocked me out. A runaway favorite of 2005. I haven’t had an experience in a movie theater quite like it before and it literally changed how I think about movies when I watch them.
K Bowen had some interesting thoughts about Malick that he posted in unfinished form on his blog.
http://antidisartsandent.blogspot.com/2008/07/new-world.html
Jeff, I get the snaeky suspicion that you like Malick. LOL!!! Well, I am surely with you there.
I remain a huge fan of the 1968 NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, but I also like DAWN! I can’t put it that high, but I respect the choice.
I know some would put ANIMAL HOUSE or THE DEER HUNTER, but I would myself annoint Fassbinder’s THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN.
Wow, Craig, wow!
Congrats to K. Bowen! Fabulous piece and great comments as well. I do look forward to giving this film another shot.
My own #1 film of 2005 was an American film, but not the Malick. It was none other than BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN.