Old movies you've only seen recently...
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The Long Goodbye - this movie (and California Split) have convinced me to seek out more Elliot Gould movies. This was dope. Not a foot wrong. Robert Altman's muttery-overlapping style seems to have emerged almost fully developed. Weirdly, John Williams scored this... loads of versions of the theme, done by a bunch of different bands and instrumentations. I just want every movie to be this good. 70s LA burnouts etc. It must've been a big influence on Inherent Vice and Big Lebowski.
klezmer electro-thug beats said:
The Long Goodbye - this movie (and California Split) have convinced me to seek out more Elliot Gould movies. This was dope. Not a foot wrong. Robert Altman's muttery-overlapping style seems to have emerged almost fully developed. Weirdly, John Williams scored this... loads of versions of the theme, done by a bunch of different bands and instrumentations. I just want every movie to be this good. 70s LA burnouts etc. It must've been a big influence on Inherent Vice and Big Lebowski.
This is a great movie for sure, and I also saw a big influence on Inherent Vice when that came out (but I get where you're coming from with Lebowski too). Top shelf, this one.
ketan said:
This is a great movie for sure, and I also saw a big influence on Inherent Vice when that came out (but I get where you're coming from with Lebowski too). Top shelf, this one.
Remember where the goons are turning Marlowe's place over and he's got a bowling pin on his bookshelf, next to a golden bowling shoe they pick up and ask "what the hell's this" and he makes a joke response? Aside from the bowling link it's clearly the inspiration for the Lebowski scene where the goons pick up the Dude's bowling ball and ask about it and he goes "obviously, you're not a golfer". Also just the general theme of a guy showing up to film-noir detective scenes and not being a detective and just making jokes instead. And accosting the inept guy supposed to be tailing him... there's loads of links. Fun to see where those scenes might've originated.
I'd never watching anything by Renoir before last night! Saw Rules of the Game and loved it. Brimming with various energies. Felt like la Chesnaye's obsession with elaborate musical instruments would be strut-approved. Will have to re-watch it sometime given how much is going on in that film.
I'll obviously watch La Grande Illusion next, but Renoir's filmography is too long... what else do people like?
I'll obviously watch La Grande Illusion next, but Renoir's filmography is too long... what else do people like?
I've only seen Grande Illusion and Bete Humaine, but Bete Humaine would be a good followup after that. I'm not sure it counts as a recommendation though as I haven't seen any of his others, including Rules of the Game.
I just watched a 1967 Japanese "pinku" film on mubi, a sort of erotic thriller exploitation called "Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands". Was extremely "tame" for an exploitica film - the nudity seemed to be the excuse to make a gangster/assassin film. But it had some really cool formal experimentation done on what must've been an absolute shoestring, though it didn't often look it, and it got interestingly hallucinatory.
It was shot on those freaky barrel distortion old school wide angle lenses where the far left and right edges of the image compress, so when the camera pans, walls stretch and compress. That was cool as hell and I wish people would deliberately use old lenses for that more. It's a great effect.
It was shot on those freaky barrel distortion old school wide angle lenses where the far left and right edges of the image compress, so when the camera pans, walls stretch and compress. That was cool as hell and I wish people would deliberately use old lenses for that more. It's a great effect.
ketan said:
I'll obviously watch La Grande Illusion next, but Renoir's filmography is too long... what else do people like?
I saw "The River" not too long ago. I liked the scenery and early use of Technicolor, the first of it's kind to be shot in India. It occasionally uses documentary-like presentation, aimed at Westerners of the era not familiar with the country and its culture. The plot involves young women vying for the affection of a man, played by a non-actor who was, in reality, a wounded war veteran like in the film (similar to Harold Russell in "The Best Years Of Our Lives"). "Grand Illusion" is more profound, in my opinion, with themes involving duty, class divide and mutual respect. Both are well worth the time watching.
I just watched the Pusher trilogy, which was good and fun crime stuff. It feels a little disconnected from Winding Refn's later stuff, but that's not such a bad thing. Some plots lend themselves to meditation but this was very straight-ahead crime and he didn't fuck around directing it as such. Mads Mikkelsen is great in the first two, obviously. Actually the cast is good all around.
Also watched a good number of Christian Petzold movies:
The State I Am In - Good as hell. Some of the teenage dialogue was clunky but it was right up my alley - a teenage daughter of two militants in hiding comes of age and starts to act as an independent person, which is fucking up their whole program obviously.
Jerichow - didn't really dig it, an adaptation of The Postman Always Rings Twice
Yella - did dig it, an adaptation of Carnival of Souls
Barbara - The best movie of his, of those I've seen. East German doctor decides to cross to the West.
Phoenix - Post WWII human wreckage. Also very good.
He definitely has a mood he operates best in - tense thrillers where not all is known/real - and I like that kind of film, but they don't all fire on all cylinders with me. There's more themes to trace through his stuff, like a focus on jobs and work that is unusual in film, but I prefer to stay pretty surface level with them for some reason.
Also watched a good number of Christian Petzold movies:
The State I Am In - Good as hell. Some of the teenage dialogue was clunky but it was right up my alley - a teenage daughter of two militants in hiding comes of age and starts to act as an independent person, which is fucking up their whole program obviously.
Jerichow - didn't really dig it, an adaptation of The Postman Always Rings Twice
Yella - did dig it, an adaptation of Carnival of Souls
Barbara - The best movie of his, of those I've seen. East German doctor decides to cross to the West.
Phoenix - Post WWII human wreckage. Also very good.
He definitely has a mood he operates best in - tense thrillers where not all is known/real - and I like that kind of film, but they don't all fire on all cylinders with me. There's more themes to trace through his stuff, like a focus on jobs and work that is unusual in film, but I prefer to stay pretty surface level with them for some reason.
I like Petzold. Have only seen Phoenix (incredible) and Transit, but have been wanting to check his others for sure.
Finally saw Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre and it is so so good. It's in the same stratosphere as The Wicker Man in terms of horror. Adds something different to the dracula canon too (I'm thinking mainly of the OG and Shadow of the Vampire). Popul Vuh do the music and it's got it's highlights. But Herzog has so many tasty details in this one and the acting is
Finally saw Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre and it is so so good. It's in the same stratosphere as The Wicker Man in terms of horror. Adds something different to the dracula canon too (I'm thinking mainly of the OG and Shadow of the Vampire). Popul Vuh do the music and it's got it's highlights. But Herzog has so many tasty details in this one and the acting is
Have you seen the original 1922 Nosferatu? It's one of the few movies that old I think stand up to a modern viewer without extensive like, film nerd training. I watched a load of silent movies when I was studying but Nosferatu, Menilmontant and like the obvious ones like Metropolis, Passion of Joan of Arc etc. are much more watchable than most of what was made then, if you make sure you are in a "patient" mood, chemically or just mentally.
klezmer electro-thug beats said:
Have you seen the original 1922 Nosferatu? It's one of the few movies that old I think stand up to a modern viewer without extensive like, film nerd training. I watched a load of silent movies when I was studying but Nosferatu, Menilmontant and like the obvious ones like Metropolis, Passion of Joan of Arc etc. are much more watchable than most of what was made then, if you make sure you are in a "patient" mood, chemically or just mentally.
Yeah, that's the OG to me.I haven't seen Menilmontant - thanks! But yeah, I like silent movies. I'm someone who actually enjoys Guy Maddin movies. That sounds like a backhanded compliment... but I love his films. Even the talkies. He actually did a silent ballet Dracula flick bitd.
Here are the last 25 movies I have seen in the past few months which I haven't before:
The Horsemen (John Frankenheimer, 71)
Hard Boiled (John Woo, 92)
Walking the Edge (Norbert Meisel, 83)
Following (Christopher Nolan, 98)
The Silence (Ingmar Bergman, 63)
The Ipcress File (Sidney J. Furie, 65)
Funeral in Berlin (Guy Hamilton, 66)
The Last Metro (Francois Truffaut, 80)
The Entity (Sidney J. Furie, 81)
Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, 66)
Come and See (Elem Klimov, 87)
Bitter Rice (Giuseppe De Santis, 50)
I Knew Her Well (Antonio Pietrangeli, 65)
Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, 79)
Bunny Lake Is Missing (Otto Preminger, 65)
The Woman in the Window (Fritz Lang, 44)
Ministry of Fear (Fritz Lang, 44)
Our Man in Havana (Carol Reed, 59)
Across the Bridge (Ken Annakin, 59)
Murder by Contract (Irving Lerner, 58)
Murmur of the Heart (Louis Malle, 71)
Elevator to the Gallows (Louis Malle, 61)
Escape from Alcatraz (Don Siegel, 79)
Something Wild (Jack Garfein, 61)
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (Mikio Naruse, 60)
The Horsemen (John Frankenheimer, 71)
Hard Boiled (John Woo, 92)
Walking the Edge (Norbert Meisel, 83)
Following (Christopher Nolan, 98)
The Silence (Ingmar Bergman, 63)
The Ipcress File (Sidney J. Furie, 65)
Funeral in Berlin (Guy Hamilton, 66)
The Last Metro (Francois Truffaut, 80)
The Entity (Sidney J. Furie, 81)
Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, 66)
Come and See (Elem Klimov, 87)
Bitter Rice (Giuseppe De Santis, 50)
I Knew Her Well (Antonio Pietrangeli, 65)
Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, 79)
Bunny Lake Is Missing (Otto Preminger, 65)
The Woman in the Window (Fritz Lang, 44)
Ministry of Fear (Fritz Lang, 44)
Our Man in Havana (Carol Reed, 59)
Across the Bridge (Ken Annakin, 59)
Murder by Contract (Irving Lerner, 58)
Murmur of the Heart (Louis Malle, 71)
Elevator to the Gallows (Louis Malle, 61)
Escape from Alcatraz (Don Siegel, 79)
Something Wild (Jack Garfein, 61)
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (Mikio Naruse, 60)
jealous of the number of movies you watch.
how was 'our man in havana'?
related: just watched tinker tailor soldier spy for the first time the other day and was underwhelmed. it was kind of obvious (sort of) who the mole was going to be, so the reveal wasn't that surprising... and i'm generally here for the big twist. also had hard time relating to the old posh british dude problems. (no diss.)
how was 'our man in havana'?
related: just watched tinker tailor soldier spy for the first time the other day and was underwhelmed. it was kind of obvious (sort of) who the mole was going to be, so the reveal wasn't that surprising... and i'm generally here for the big twist. also had hard time relating to the old posh british dude problems. (no diss.)
I try to get in one per day. I'm one of those dinosaurs who doesn't subscribe to cable/streaming and opts for the cheaper Netflix DVD-by-mail option where all the old movies are. "Our Man In Havana": I saw it when I was going through a Graham Greene kick. Honestly, it didn't make an impact on me as much as two of his adaptations above ("Ministry Of Fear" and "Across The Bridge"), let alone classics like "This Gun For Hire" or "Third Man". I suppose I set my expectations too high considering the names involved and the historical significance (set in Cuba right before Castro set up shop). Also, in general, I'm not a big fan of comedy-hybrid films, similarly how I feel about purposely campy horror movies. It's good film with the usual well-plotted storytelling Greene is known for. It's just doesn't have the serious noir tone I anticipated, since, unlike the others, I didn't read the book beforehand.
Halloween is here. I listened to the audiobook version of "Men, Women, and Chainsaws" which was genius, except for the Freud bits. Not everybody dreams of getting ass-raped by their dad. That guy had serious issues.
But it did motivate me to watch Last House On The Left, which left me seriously confused. It has a rep for being brutal with all the rape or whatever, so I don't know if I watched an edited version or what (rented and streamed it on amazon prime) but the movie I saw was more like a satire comedy than a horror film.
There is this whole subplot where small town mayberry cops are in their own standalone comedy, trying to ride the roof of a truck full of chickens, getting hassled by hippies, and the young cop was the Cobra Kai sensei guy!!
The main bad guy Krug (note the similarity to Freddy Krueger's last name) also did the soundtrack to the movie (and claims partial credit for writing 'All Shook Up') and at one point he is just sing-song narrating the events of the film while the baddies drive down the road with women in the trunk! This is all meant to be hilarious. The parents are party planning and making cakes while bad stuff happens in the woods... this is comedic contrasting.
At the end of the movie the dad starts booby trapping the house, just like wes craven had nancy do at the end of nightmare on elm street.
The whole time i was watching i thought "they can't be serious". and even where the bad guys park, the house is on the right, not the left like the title says, haha.
SO yeah, i think it was supposed to be satire, although a satire of what i'm not exactly sure. there was hardly any gore at all. at one point a stomach is cut open (although the cutting was never shown) and they gather round and pull out a large intestine.... and scene. they don't do antying with it, they're just like 'hey look at that' and then the whole thing is forgotten.
There is a dad joke in the beginning that made me laugh:
Estelle Collingwood: Mari tells me you're from Manhattan. What does your father do?Phyllis Stone: Oh, my parents are in the iron and steal business.Estelle Collingwood: Iron and steel both together? How unusual.Phyllis Stone: Well, my mother irons and my father steals.
Good times.
But it did motivate me to watch Last House On The Left, which left me seriously confused. It has a rep for being brutal with all the rape or whatever, so I don't know if I watched an edited version or what (rented and streamed it on amazon prime) but the movie I saw was more like a satire comedy than a horror film.
There is this whole subplot where small town mayberry cops are in their own standalone comedy, trying to ride the roof of a truck full of chickens, getting hassled by hippies, and the young cop was the Cobra Kai sensei guy!!
The main bad guy Krug (note the similarity to Freddy Krueger's last name) also did the soundtrack to the movie (and claims partial credit for writing 'All Shook Up') and at one point he is just sing-song narrating the events of the film while the baddies drive down the road with women in the trunk! This is all meant to be hilarious. The parents are party planning and making cakes while bad stuff happens in the woods... this is comedic contrasting.
At the end of the movie the dad starts booby trapping the house, just like wes craven had nancy do at the end of nightmare on elm street.
The whole time i was watching i thought "they can't be serious". and even where the bad guys park, the house is on the right, not the left like the title says, haha.
SO yeah, i think it was supposed to be satire, although a satire of what i'm not exactly sure. there was hardly any gore at all. at one point a stomach is cut open (although the cutting was never shown) and they gather round and pull out a large intestine.... and scene. they don't do antying with it, they're just like 'hey look at that' and then the whole thing is forgotten.
There is a dad joke in the beginning that made me laugh:
Estelle Collingwood: Mari tells me you're from Manhattan. What does your father do?Phyllis Stone: Oh, my parents are in the iron and steal business.Estelle Collingwood: Iron and steel both together? How unusual.Phyllis Stone: Well, my mother irons and my father steals.
Good times.
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