What is the last movie you saw? and rate it.

[LadyDedlock]

I watched Seven Psychopaths a couple of days ago and I thought it was really good. I got a few good laughs and replayed a few scenes to watch them over again and laugh. I recommend it if you're looking for a movie that'll cheer you up but doesn't annoy you by being too shallow or crass. 9/10

[Pompey Bum]

I have been trying to see if it makes sense that Karin and Minus had sex given the way she looked at the end of the scene where she brought Minus head toward her. At the moment I don't think it matters one way or the other. Perhaps my idea that she was rejecting sex in different ways is not what Bergman intended.

It's difficult to say. I don't think Bergman commented much about this movie, except to distance himself from it a bit, later on after he'd rejected religion. But I want to take slight exception (though only slight) to what you say about an artist's intent. Certainly there is an overly broad way to interpret a work. ("For you Through A Glass Darkly is about isolation from God and each other, but for me it's about how a pretty girl is like a melody!"); but there is also an overly narrow approach.

I vaguely remember J.R.R. Tolkien complaining, in one preface or another, about all the people who wanted him to admit that the One Ring was really the hydrogen bomb. No, no, he told them, that was not his intent, although some may find an applicability. That seems to me to be an excellent and valid distinction in the appreciation of art (which you, as a Berkelean, must see as subjective in any case). In that case, it matters less whether the screenwriter, or director, or actress understood every nuance of the film in the same way that you or I do (or that you or I understand them in exactly the same way, for that matter). That doesn't mean, of course, that Through a Glass Darkly is about bunnies and flowers. It is not. But it does mean that maybe Karin seduced Minus or maybe she rebuffed him--whatever Bergman thought.

EDIT: Sorry to step on your post about Seven Psychopaths, Lady D!

[YesNo]

It's difficult to say. I don't think Bergman commented much about this movie, except to distance himself from it a bit, later on after he'd rejected religion. But I want to take slight exception (though only slight) to what you say about an artist's intent. Certainly there is an overly broad way to interpret a work. ("For you Through A Glass Darkly is about isolation from God and each other, but for me it's about how a pretty girl is like a melody!"); but there is also an overly narrow approach.

I vaguely remember J.R.R. Tolkien complaining, in one preface or another, about all the people who wanted him to admit that the One Ring was really the hydrogen bomb. No, no, he told them, that was not his intent, although some may find an applicability. That seems to me to be an excellent and valid distinction in the appreciation of art (which you, as a Berkelean, must see as subjective in any case). In that case, it matters less whether the screenwriter, or director, or actress understood every nuance of the film in the same way that you or I do (or that you or I understand them in exactly the same way, for that matter). That doesn't mean, of course, that Through a Glass Darkly is about bunnies and flowers. It is not. But it does mean that maybe Karin seduced Minus or maybe she rebuffed him--whatever Bergman thought.

I view the movie as a cult classic that keeps coming up so I feel I have to have an opinion about it to stop my mind from wondering if I am missing something or not.

Given my pigheaded in/ability to appreciate art I have to take pains not to dismiss something too quickly especially if it is in black and white with a seemingly cryptic message I am sure not to get. For example, if I had to watch something for pure enjoyment from the middle of the 20th century, I admit that I'd rather watch Roger and Hammerstein's "Carousel" than anything with the name Bergman associated with it. So, I have to be careful.

"Through a Glass Darkly" does has some interest for me. As you know, I like monistic idealism and kundalini, tantric spiritual practices. For me, sex is not taboo. The universe is good. That seemed to be part of David's message at the end of the movie so I grudgingly have to admit liking the movie. Schizophrenia assumes that an authority knows the difference between a delusion and reality. The movie left enough doubt about whether that door opened because the "spider" opened it or the helicopter shook it open. Another plus for the movie.

I try not to take anything from the mid-20th century for granted. That leaves me still wondering if I'm glad I saw the movie or not. I'll have to watch the other two films from the trilogy to see.

----------------------------

I remember enjoying "Seven Psychopaths", LadyDedlock. My score would be high as well.

Last night we saw "American Sniper". That was a movie about Chris Kyle and I thought it was well done. I wasn't in the mood to watch a war movie, and I almost fell asleep with all the violence, but this one surprised me in a way I was not expecting. The sniper had an unusual characteristic. Not only was he good at killing people, but he was gentle. He selflessly served those around him so much so that he became a legend. That seems a contradiction in terms, a gentle sniper, but it is what makes the movie exceptional for me and offers a sort of moral that might be worth more thought. Anyway, my score for that movie is 8/10.

[Clopin]

The Hour of the Wolf - Ingmar Bergman

So this was uh... huh...

Indeterminate/10

But I did enjoy it quite a bit.

[LadyDedlock]

EDIT: Sorry to step on your post about Seven Psychopaths, Lady D!

Don't worry about it, it's nice to see people continue a conversation. I would have felt awkward if it had stopped because of my post.

YesNo, I watched American Sniper too and I thought it was also pretty well done. I haven't seen any other Clint Eastwood film except for Gran Turino, which I also liked. I'd give American Sniper an 8/10 too.

[kev67]

I saw Ex Machina on Sunday. It was pretty good. It reminded me most of a film called Android from 1982, in which Klaus Kinski played a mad scientist on a space station, working away at perfecting his fembots. It is odd that the mad scientist is now a Mark Zuckerberg type IT billionaire, although I suspect the corporation that the protagonists work for, own, or were created by was based on Google rather than Facebook. I thought the actress who played the sexy fembot was great. The actor who played the computer scientist employee was not nerdy enough imo. I could believe him as a software engineer, but since he was tall and had even features, the only reason I could think for him not having a girlfriend would be if he suffered from social anxiety or was a bit on the aspergers/austistic spectrum. He did not seem that bad. Being invited to spend a week with the boss of your megacorporation, who is also a genius, would be worrying enough, but they way this one behaved would be enough put Bill Gates or Richard Branson ill at ease. The employee seemed to deal with him reasonably well considering.

[Clopin]

The Magic Flute - Ingmar Bergman

I expected this to be a movie based on the opera, or featuring the opera in some way (as Hour of the Wolf does) instead of a genuine opera film. The sets and costumes were beautiful and I enjoyed some of the score but opera isn't really my thing. I did add thirty or so filmed operas to my movie list so maybe I can change my own mind eventually.

Indeterminate/10

Shame - Ingmar Bergman

I forget who I'm quoting with "it's difficult to make an anti war movie because the action speaks for itself"; but there's no action here and it's quite effectively anti war. In fact I'm not sure I've ever seen a war movie where the (relatively) likeable protagonist turns into a sort of fiend without any real necessity driving his actions.

9/10

[YesNo]

We finished all six seasons of Breaking Bad. Walter's character resolved most of what needed to be resolved calmly without desperation.

Although I found this often painful to watch, thinking back on it, the series was an amazing achievement. Score: 10/10

[Clopin]

But you only gave season four a 5/10! I agree though, four was the worst season. I enjoyed the show a lot, especially seasons one and two but I took issue with the hardline anti drug stance and Walter becoming necessarily evil to fill his role. I agreed with Gail when he said "there's crime, and then there's crime, I'm supplying a good product to people who are making the decision to use it"; not verbatim but I think that was the gist.

[YesNo]

Yeah, I think I was being too hard on it before. The episode about the fly that Walter was determined to kill was the worst for me. I suppose it was describing how much of a perfectionist he was, but it now stands out as too weird.

I agree with you about the anti-drug theme. One could say this whole thing could have been avoided if meth was able to be sold legally and manufactured correctly like cigarettes. The consumer would be better protected. I think that point was made throughout the series even though Hank's perspective dominated for the purposes of the storyline. Based on body count, Walter removed more of the "bad guys" than Hank did.

Another theme was health insurance. Both Skylar and Marie refused to allow their husbands to use the health insurance they had which they felt was inferior, but had no real basis in knowing the treatment would have been worse except for the price. If it weren't for Skylar making a fuss about Walter getting the "best" treatment, none of this would have started.

Walter did become "evil", but most the of main characters became evil in their own way. Fear, greed, selfishness and insensitivity--I'm probably just scratching the surface--could be seen as explanations for their bad behavior. Some of the characters knew they were "bad", such as Walter and Jesse. Others, such as Skylar, Hank and Marie, never really understood that. They could always point to a bad guy who was worse than they were.

[Clopin]

The fly was written the way it was because of extreme budget restrictions, most people dislike that episode.

I really didn't like how Walter and Jesse's relationship was written, I kept expecting them to become friends or comrades and Jesse just ended up annoying me.

EDIT: Oh yeah and regarding the characters becoming evil, I think it was the writers trying to show how morals become corrupted until good people justify doing bad things, so naturally manufacturing and selling meth opens the door to murdering children a year or so later right? Not in my view.

[YesNo]

My daughters said the same thing about the fly episode. However, why should budget restrictions affect the quality of the writing?

Walter and Jesse were friends. They had each others' backs most of the time. Most people probably don't act like Jesse. They would have forgotten about the children who were killed after a while.

I think Skylar's personality was worse than Walter's. She was insensitive, self-righteous and manipulative. All the while she maintained a cover of innocence. Being one of the more beautiful of the females in the series helped make that innocence point. I see her as narcissistic.

Manufacturing and selling meth was just a way to put these characters into a situation that got out of hand. All of the narrow escapes, victories followed almost immediately by defeats, were ways to keep the plot moving. They were exaggerations of reality.

[Clopin]

Maboroshi no Hikari - Hirokazu Koreeda

Filmed exclusively using natural light, and featuring beautiful settings, interior spaces and outfits (if you like textiles/fashion), it's a very visually attractive movie; the scenes in the small town, alongside the ocean are especially pleasing. At nearly two hours the movie is also very slow, pehaps too slow at times, or entirely too slow for some viewers. The story poses questions, about characters, about life and doesn't bother even attempting to answer them.

The movie also reminded me of how much I like Japan and the Japanese language which I really think is the most beautiful language on Earth, both written and spoken.

8.5/10

[Calidore]

The movie also reminded me of how much I like Japan and the Japanese language which I really think is the most beautiful language on Earth, both written and spoken.

My father commented once, after watching the Lone Wolf and Cub films, that Japanese is an even better language than German for yelling at people.

[Clopin]

Tokyo Story - Yasujiro Ozu

Loved it, I was nearly in tears by the end and I don't cry easy. Loved Noriko.

10/10