That movie was awesome in so many ways.Quote:
Originally Posted by MorpheusSandman
Sooo, just went to see Silver Linings Playbook. 10/10. Seriously, Jennifer Lawrence...she just makes every movie she's in. So great.
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That movie was awesome in so many ways.Quote:
Originally Posted by MorpheusSandman
Sooo, just went to see Silver Linings Playbook. 10/10. Seriously, Jennifer Lawrence...she just makes every movie she's in. So great.
It was that good then... I was thinking about checking it out, yet I've never been able to like Bradley Cooper. Such a mediocre actor. And De Niro has been going downhill since Taxi Driver. That's like 35 years of getting worse! Jennifer Lawrence was great in Winter's Bone. Haven't seen her in anything else.Quote:
Originally Posted by faithosaurus
I quite like Ryan Gosling of late. Drive was such a good film. Loved it's stark, minimalist nature. And it didn't hurt that the soundtrack was pretty epic, and the few moments of cathartic violence were so damn perfect. He played his role to perfection, with a subtlety so lacking in most films of late.
I saw Oslo, August 31st for the second time last night. I also saw it at TIFF last year. What a film. Anders Danielsen Lie's portrayal of a recovering drug addict is sublime. I'd rate his performance as best of 2011 alongside André Wilms in Kaurismaki's latest Le Havre. The film is loosely based upon Pierre Drieu La Rochelle's 1931 novel Le Feu Follet, which was made into a brilliant movie by Louis Malle many years ago (though much more along the lines of the novel). An incredible exploration into loss, shame, vulnerability and regret, alongside the dim light of hope. Anders finds himself in the midst of this vague existential crisis of wanting to live and to feel, but being unable to do so without the assistance of that which will slowly drive him to the grave. He is clean, yet in so being he remains numb. It's not so much about the struggle to remain clean, but the halfhearted existence of the afterwards and the question of "why bother living?" that arises when one is so hopelessly disconnected from all one thought meaningful. Danielsen Lie's performance is masterful in its complex version of simplicity. And Trier's film is much more sombre and subtle than his first feature Reprise, which was quite a film itself. I give this 9.5/10... Alongside Bela Tarr's latest (and apparently last) masterpiece The Turin Horse, this was the best film of 2011. Two just brilliant films.
I've started watching Lars von Trier's The Kingdom. First two eps. were awesome--very Twin Peaksian. I'm including this in the movie thread since Trier is mostly known as a film director and this "tv series" really isn't all that different from his other films, stylistically speaking.
I'd think TV series watched could fall under the movies thread anyway.Quote:
Originally Posted by MorpheusSandman
I've seen the first Kingdom DVD (episodes 1-4) and it's very enjoyable. I haven't seen part 2 (eps 5-8) yet. Be advised that while the cliffhanger ending of the first set will be resolved in the second (and the main story arc running through those episodes does end in ep 4), the second set cliffhanger never will be, as the intended conclusion to the series was never shot and several of the main cast have since died. I'd still like to watch the whole thing regardless, so if you do go on to the second part, be sure to post your opinion.
If you do watch the second set anyway, be sure to post how it is.
Amour 10/10. If I could vote for and Academy Award, I know which movie would get my vote, for Best Movie, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director. Yes, in my world, it is a sweep. Both the leads did such a delicate, superb job. This is a heart-wrenching movie, yet one filled up and brimming over with love.
Lola Montes (1955; Max Ophuls) - 9.5/10
I have a new candidate for the most beautiful film ever made. The cinematography and mise-en-scene in Lola Montes is so intoxicating I walked away from the film with a buzz. It's hard to imagine that this masterpiece was a flop on its release that was butchered by the studio and was only restored and rereleased within the past decade. For those familiar with Ophuls's cinema, Montes isn't really different in terms of themes (oppressed women in a patriarchal society) or style (complex, omnikinetic camera movements, dense mise-en-scene), but it was his last film and his only film in color. Ophuls reportedly didn't like either being forced into color or stereo sound, but he damn sure made amazing usage of both. About the only negative is Martine Carol's rather blank performance in the title role, which quickly becomes like a second fiddle to Ophuls' direction. It gives the film a kind of chilly distance, which probably explains why the film is mostly only admired by critics and other filmmakers. On the other hand, Carol's eschewing of emotional involvement makes Lola one of the most inscrutable of Max's heroines, giving the whole film a great sense of mystery. The star of the show remains the extraordinary visuals, however, and I can perfectly understand why Andrew Sarris staked his reputation on this film proclaiming it the best film ever made. I won't go that far, but it is utterly extraordinary from a directorial, cinematographic perspective.
I am going to watch it. I know the series ends without a conclusion, but Twin Peaks did too and it's still one of my favorite things ever.Quote:
Originally Posted by Calidore
I watched Winter’s Bone last night; it’s a great film. Jenifer Lawrence’s performance was brilliant throughout the movie. 8/10
The World (2004; Zhangke Jia) - 9/10
A wonderful "slice-of-life" film about a young couple working at an amusement park in Beijing whose theme is the great landmarks of the world. Superficially, not much happens in terms of plot or drama. Jia, like many Asian filmmakers, prefers distant observation to up-close dramatization, objective long-takes to dynamic editing. Most scenes are shot in single takes that can run well over 1 minute with the camera far enough back so that we not only observe the characters but their environment. This creates a sense of detachment, and it's the source of why many claim these types of films are boring. However, it also creates a rhythm that can be utterly hypnotic. The sense of time and space a viewer gets with this approach allows them to view the characters symbolically within the environment, and time enough to contemplate what's being shown. This has rarely been more important than in a film like this that juxtaposes the superficial, idealized wonderment of "the world" at the theme park, with the sociological destitution of China's suffering people around the edge of the frames. The ending is remarkable; Jonathan Rosenbaum told Ebert that he's seen the film 5 times and still doesn't get the ending. I like what Ebert said about it, that it's a film whose story is about a story that never has a chance to get started.
I reviewed this film a while back for Cinelogue: http://www.cinelogue.com/reviews/winter-s-bone2 I agree about Jennifer Lawrence, but there was still a certain something missing from that film that kept it from being a favorite of mine that year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Snowqueen
I’ve read your detailed review of Winter’s Bone and really liked it. I also love that scene, where Tearsdrop encounters the sheriff. Thanks for sharing.Quote:
Originally Posted by MorpheusSandman
The lucky one. 5/10
The Kingdom (1994-1997; Lars Von Trier) 9.0/10
This is such a tough one to rate... For its scanty 8 episodes The Kingdom is as brilliant as anything that's ever been on TV, a strange mix of ER, The X-Files, and Twin Peaks, but much like Twin Peaks, The Kingdom ends on a cliffhanger without a third and final season. There really are no words to express just how frustrating this is, because with a proper ending, this could've very well been Trier's masterpiece and one of the ten best TV dramas ever. As is, it's still utterly compelling and brilliant, but ultimately disappointing to an almost devastating degree. One can praise the series on every conceivable level, from the well-written, original characters to the bold choices made in the shooting and editing to the utter originality of many of its twists and turns, including a gigantic half-demon, half-human, ultimately benevolent baby that looks like a love-child of David Cronenberg and the baby from Lynch's Eraserhead. The image of that head being born is permanently seared into my memory. Oh, and did I mention the series is funny as hell? Damn, such a shame it couldn't be finished.
Morpheus, what do you think is the best TV drama? I've always considered Krzysztof Kielowski's Dekalog to be at another level from anything else made for that medium. Vladimir Bortko's adaptations of The Idiot and Master and Margarita for tv were fantastic as well.
If we count Dekalog, then I agree wholeheartedly. Kieslowski is one of my 10 favorite directors ever, and that's likely his masterpiece. I consider it a great film series as much as a great TV series. When I think of TV I tend to think of serial dramas more so than mini-series like Dekalog, though. As far as those goes, I'd probably have to go with Twin Peaks, followed by The Sopranos and The Wire. The Kingdom is right there, though it's another one I consider as cinematic as, err, televisiony. Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz deserves a mention, as well.
I suppose Dekalog could be compared to overly long films like Bela Tarr's Satantango and then would not really qualify for the TV series category. The same thing with Bortko's adaptations. Berlin Alexanderplaetz completely slipped my mind, another brilliant work. So, I suppose in eliminating all those. Twin Peaks would probably lead for me.
Really, the only thing that differentiates TV and film is the format, and both have a great deal of variation. Satantango is classified as a film, even though it's longer than many single seasons of a TV show. Dekalog can be considered TV, since it aired on TV, or film if taken as a collection of 10 short films with a related subject. I don't put too much stock in such classifications, but my general rule of thumb is that TV is episodic and serial, film is non-episodic, and mini-series (and works like Dekalog, Berlin Alexanderplatz, etc.) are hybrids.