Is this a good year for movies?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I just don't know.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 10 October 2003 03:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Neither do I. But it could turn out to be. This one is the best I saw thus far:

http://images.art.com/images/products/regular/10093000/10093107.jpg

― Gear! (Gear!), Friday, 10 October 2003 03:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Seriously??

I don't know how to answer that, S1utsky. My immediate reaction would be a huge "no", but apparently I Love Film. It's been an okay year for franchise movies that proved to be more entertaining than maybe they had a right to be. But where's the new blood? The breakout talent? The controversy (Though I wait for Vincent Gallo's "Brown Bunny" with not a little trepidation)? Even the old masters putting the smack down and showing how it's done? I feel woefully out of sync with the rest of the moviegoing public recently. Lost In Translation, Swimming Pool, etc. have really done nothing for me.

Maybe I'm jaded.

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 03:52 (twenty-one years ago)

You know what's so stupid? I haven't even SEEN the last two movies you mentioned, and they're probably the ones that appeal most to me this year! What the fuck is wrong with me?

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 10 October 2003 03:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Well...maybe you would like them. I'm not saying you wouldn't, and a lot of people did.

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I still really, really liked Charlie's Angels:Full Throttle. It feels sinful to even say that, for some reason.

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Film rockism, maybe?

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I liked the first one better (now THAT's film rockism)

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Is 25th Hour counting as 2002 or 2003, since it didn't open nationally until early January?

What I remember seeing and enjoying this year:

Once Upon A Time In Mexico
25th Hour
Identity
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
the School of Rock
Cabin Fever
Dirty Pretty Things
Raising Victor Vargas
The Good Thief
A Decade Under the Influence
The Shape of Things

Mystic River, the Station Agent and Elephant all look good, too.

Looks like a pretty good year

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:07 (twenty-one years ago)

God damn it, what movies have I liked this year? As I posted on another thread, The Italian Job, Pirates of the Caribbean, SWAT and Freaky Friday I seemed to enjoy than any other other movies this summer, which I never would have ever EVER predicted.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:09 (twenty-one years ago)

PS 25th Hour doesn't count (sadly)

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:09 (twenty-one years ago)

25th hour was pretty good, but very flawed. (x-post)
Pirates of the Carribean was also enjoyable.

I mostly hated Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.

I want to see SWAT and Mystic River.

And yes, I'm curious about Elephant, but I don't think I will like it.

To my shame, I haven't seen Morvern Callar yet. I'm dying to see that, but that's as close as I am to *excited* about anything, and that film's over a year old.

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I almost went to see Party Monster last week. I'm sure that's terrible.

As for trailers I have seen...Singing Detective, Veronica Guerin, and Intolerable Cruelty ALL look bad. I think SD might even join the turkey pantheon alongside Munchausen and Ishtar.

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:15 (twenty-one years ago)

"Seriously, Dude Where's My Car?" might be something to see, though.

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I loved Spellbound.

― Annouschka Magnatech (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, I got all excited about that being from this year, but I guess it's not. Right?

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:15 (twenty-one years ago)

(that was about MOrvern Callar)

I want Singing Detective to be good becaue I like Mel in a bald wig.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:15 (twenty-one years ago)

man, that sounds like I'm the filthiest weirdest pervert ever

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Capturing the Friedmans was good too.

― Annouschka Magnatech (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I just mean I like his PRESENCE ONSCREEN when he is BALD (last capitalization added for no reason)

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, Spellbound was good. And Capturing The Friedmans. And American Splendor. but none of them blew me away. I'm messed up!

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Why did I not see Spellbound and Friedmans? Man.

American Splendor was OK.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:17 (twenty-one years ago)

We all have our little peccadilloes, s1utsky.

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:18 (twenty-one years ago)

(this was in reference to Mel, btw)

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:18 (twenty-one years ago)

There is some interesting stuff on at the London Film Festival that will be coming out soon (my mom sent me the brochure): Dogville, It's About Love, Girl With The Pearl Earring, and 21 Grams (New film from Amores Perros guy, with Sean Penn, at least I THINK that's what it is called).

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm really looking forward to seeing Power Trip.

― Annouschka Magnatech (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:21 (twenty-one years ago)

That looks fascinating.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:23 (twenty-one years ago)

That looks good, Jody.

Anyone for Grand Theft Parsons?

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:24 (twenty-one years ago)

It got a decent review here.

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Only if they make a video game version.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:28 (twenty-one years ago)

*cries*

I miss video games.

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Pac-Man would make a great movie. or Frogger.

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:29 (twenty-one years ago)

They already did, it's called [uh, funny joke goes here]

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:31 (twenty-one years ago)

I want to see Pieces of April, it looks (to my shame) right up my alley.

The Jessica Alba as hip-hop dancer flick is essential, though I might wait for DVD to make it a Save the Last Dance double-bill.

Radio and Veronica Guerin look like they'll be the worst movies of the fall.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm seeing that Pieces of APril movie in a week-and-a-half. Maybe it'll be good. The title sure stinks though. Unfortunately I'm supposed to go see fucking RADIO on Saturday night.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:40 (twenty-one years ago)

What's Radio?

I keep getting Pieces of April confused with Thirteen.

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Still, at least Steven Soderbergh appears to be taking a break.

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Anyone have any thoughts on Winged Migration?

― Annouschka Magnatech (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Ed Harris is a high school football coach, Cuba Gooding, Jr. is a mentally-handicapped dude. Much heart-warming ensues.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Winged Migration-No, I wanted to see it, but didn't. It actually sounds pretty good, though. Did you see it?

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:44 (twenty-one years ago)

milo, that sounds awful.

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Did you see it?

No... a friend swore it changed his life, but I watched the trailer and it seems a little precious and new-agey. Could just be a bad trailer.

― Annouschka Magnatech (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Thirteen was OK. Actually somewhat sub-OK.

Winged Migration came out here a year ago so it doesn't count for me.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:46 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/radio/

I love the end where Ed Harris says "Truth is we're not the ones been teaching Radio, Radio been the one teaching us."

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm seeing Power Trip tomorrow. I'll let you know how it is.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Friday, 10 October 2003 05:25 (twenty-one years ago)

This is either one of the worst years for film in recent memory, or my personal interest in film is just waning. My favorites this year: All the Real Girls, Spellbound, and Lilya 4-Ever. I also liked Capturing the Friedmans, American Splendor, and Lost in Translation, but wasn't totally blown away by them. What else have I seen? Not much, I'm afraid. Is it just me, or does it seem like A Mighty Wind came out like three years ago? Is anybody going to remember it by the end of the year?

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I didn't see Winged Migration, but I have good word from my usually trustworthy gorlfriend that it's very good. It's full of a lot of shots so close to flying birds that you can see thier wings hit the camera lens, and you wonder, "How the fuck did they do that?" And there are penguins. You can't front on penguins.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:23 (twenty-one years ago)

The trailer for Radio made me want to cash in my chips and ship off to an alien planet. I don't care which one.

Kenan is a wise man. There will be no fucking with penguins in my house. Not now, not ever.

― rob geary (rgeary), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:34 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, penguins are pretty great.

― Annouschka Magnatech (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I mean, Sweet Baby ODB, what happened to Cuba? He once had some modicum of actual, not-phony talent. Now he's rolling around with Alaskan huskies and mugging like crazy as an...um...handicapped person. The most insulting part is now and forever he is referred to in trailers as ACADEMY AWARD WINNER CUBA GOODING JR.

― rob geary (rgeary), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:37 (twenty-one years ago)

(caps denote voice-of-God trailer guy above)

― rob geary (rgeary), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Pirates of the Caribbean would have been the best movie of the year if they'd cut about 20 minutes and actually bothered to make the female lead's jokes funny. Hooray for Depp becoming a summer superstar as a swish-tastic pirate, though!

― rob geary (rgeary), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:40 (twenty-one years ago)

The most insulting part is now and forever he is referred to in trailers as ACADEMY AWARD WINNER CUBA GOODING JR.

One of my favorite examples sorta-like-this was right after Marcia Gay Harden won the Oscar for Pollock, and ABC showed Flubber for its Disney Sunday night movie -- so in the commercials, they just had to tout "Oscar winners Robin Williams and Marcia Gay Harden," which yes, is true, but it's fucking Flubber!

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Cuba Gooding Jr, winner of the 2002 Boondocks award for "Most Embarrasing Black Person of the Year."

Lest we forget.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:43 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.boondocks.net/cgi-bin/bbandit.cgi?halfhuey&gif

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Well... you get the idea anyway.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Ha ha Kenan, you got McGrudered.

― rob geary (rgeary), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:49 (twenty-one years ago)

That's a damn funny award though. Boondocks is the isht.

― rob geary (rgeary), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd also like to note that Ben Affleck is also a beneficiary of the ACADEMY AWARD WINNER tag. For having co-written Good Will Hunting, of course! Obviously they don't mention what the award was for when promoting him as an 'actor.'

― rob geary (rgeary), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Ishtar?

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:51 (twenty-one years ago)

(x-post)

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:51 (twenty-one years ago)

"My Love is the Ishtar"

― rob geary (rgeary), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Weird now to think how contagious Affleck and Damon's excitement was when they won that Oscar. It obscured the fact that they by no means deserved that Oscar.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I saw it again and couldn't stand it. The only color in the whole film is brown. Brown brown brown.

― rob geary (rgeary), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Not that that has anything to do with the script, as I realized I just implied that. Though Affleck scrawling "SHOOT THIS IN BROWN-O-VISION" in crayon at the top of every page of the script somehow seems correct to me.

― rob geary (rgeary), Friday, 10 October 2003 06:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I just saw Cuba opposite Beyonce in 'The Fighting Temptations', a kind of gospel musical. He's a bit dud really: after all the comedy stuff you can't believe this guy as a playa, which is more or less what he's supposed to be.

― Enrique (Enrique), Friday, 10 October 2003 07:22 (twenty-one years ago)

The penguins were the only good part in Winged Migration! (for a second, I was like 'hey, this is suposed to be about birds! not penguins!')

― oops (Oops), Friday, 10 October 2003 08:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Is there a serious challenger for Cuba Gooding's title of "Greatest Embarrasment to the Academy"? Maybe if Michael Caine had run his career in reverse...

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 10 October 2003 09:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Good films I've seen this year:

American Splendor
La Chambre des officiers (Officer's Ward)
Bodysong
Drive
Mekhong Full Moon Party
Rok dábla (Year of the Devil)
Salmer fra kjøkkenet (Kitchen Stories)
Tan de repente (Suddenly)
Uzak (Distant)
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (Spirited Away)
The Trials of Henry Kissinger

Not a definite five-star masterpiece there, but I've been short of money this year, so I haven't seen all the films I wanted to. I'm going to see Winged Migration soon, however.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Friday, 10 October 2003 09:58 (twenty-one years ago)

manoel de oliveira's un film parle opens next week, yay!

i never know which are good years for movies because half the movies i see are old, and i miss a lot of the "can't miss" new ones. the whole idea of summing up "the year in movies" always rubbed me the wrong way.

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 10 October 2003 12:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Is there a serious challenger for Cuba Gooding's title of "Greatest Embarrasment to the Academy"?

At one time, you might've been able to suggest Marisa Tomei, after that fluke win for My Cousin Vinny. (There's a whole urban legend about how Jack Palance mistakenly read the wrong name when presenting the Supporting Actress award, and the Academy had to give it to her anyway to save face.) But after In the Bedroom, she's now "two-time Oscar nominee Marisa Tomei."

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 10 October 2003 12:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I mean, you're not going to know how truly good or bad this year was for movies for at least...five or ten years? There is always interesting stuff going down where no one is looking, or someone working small now who is going to be really big and important down the road. Name me your idea of the worst year for movies ever (up to five or ten years ago), and I can cough up plenty of interesting work going on at the time.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Friday, 10 October 2003 13:02 (twenty-one years ago)

(up to five or ten years ago)

Just to avoid misunderstandings - no more recent than five or ten years ago.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Friday, 10 October 2003 13:03 (twenty-one years ago)

The only film that's given me nightmares since my number of years on this planet has reached double-digits...not mentioned on this thread:
http://www.eofftv.com/images/quad_posters/28_days_later1.jpg

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 10 October 2003 13:04 (twenty-one years ago)

(that wasn't really initially released in '02 was it? bugger)

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 10 October 2003 13:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Name me your idea of the worst year for movies ever (up to five or ten years ago), and I can cough up plenty of interesting work going on at the time.

This is true - but it isn't just about the quality of individual films. In fact, no-one, not even the festival crawlers, see literally everything produced, it simply isn't possible, or indeed wise.

So the 'quality' of film culture involves all sorts of factors, and in that respect these are end days, however many good films there are, because those other factors include such things as criticism, size of audience, accessibility of films, stuff like that. I say end days, but I suppose the rot set in about 20 years ago, give or take.

― Enrique (Enrique), Friday, 10 October 2003 13:59 (twenty-one years ago)

i mean who in america or england would have known of the riches of the japanese cinema in any given year from the 20s through the end of the 40s? or likewise who (outside of taiwan) would have named taiwan as one of the world's centers for great cinema in, say, 1984? or iran in 1989?

despite globalization meaning greater access to stuff from all over, all the time, i'm confident there are local cinemas somewhere currently making films that will blow our minds in a few years.

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 10 October 2003 17:52 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah yeah sure, but come on guys, play nice. I don't want to wait five years to start talking about shit that came out this summer.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 10 October 2003 23:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I mean of course the year is a totally arbitrary unit for talking about this shit (well, not TOTALLY arbitrary, movies are still released according to what season they're in etc etc) but so what?

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 10 October 2003 23:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Amateurist play nice? Perish the thought. ;)

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Saturday, 11 October 2003 01:39 (twenty-one years ago)

By the by, my best of 2002 list was roughly two-thirds NON-2002 films. That's the way I usually play nice.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Saturday, 11 October 2003 01:40 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

I am trying to do an end of year top 10, and I am totally stumped. At the moment, American Splendor is in there, and I was pretty disappointed by it. Have I just not seen enough movies? Tuomas has some good suggestions upthread, but I missed Year Of The Devil and Suddenly. I also put The Man Without A Past on my list, as it actually came out in the UK in early January. What else is there?

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Friday, 5 December 2003 05:48 (twenty-one years ago)

I dunno. There are years when I feel compelled to do top 10s and years when I'm not. This is one of the years when I'm not.

I'm also annoyed that the DVD of Stevie that I just rented started skipping halfway through and is now useless.

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 5 December 2003 06:02 (twenty-one years ago)

The second half is incredibly unsatisying, anyway. Don't worry, I'm sure your DVD merchants will switch it for you.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Friday, 5 December 2003 06:05 (twenty-one years ago)

things I liked this year: lost in translation, kill bill, spellbound, in the cut, the school of rock. I saw way fewer films this year than usual because they all seemed expensive and not much worth it. There were a lot of things I wanted to see but didn't get around to it and they stopped playing. What is The Man Without a Past? The japanese film from 1978 that's listed in the IMDB?

Identity was the most preposterous and stupid thing I've seen in years. It was admirable in a way I suppose.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Friday, 5 December 2003 06:49 (twenty-one years ago)

"Man Without a Past" = Finnish, yes?

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 5 December 2003 06:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Additions/subtractions to my earlier list:

Master & Commander and Kill Bill were much much better than I expected. Mystic River had some great acting, but was underhwhelming overall.

I liked Identity, Cabin Fever, The School of Rock and Once Upon A Time In Mexico, but none made much of an impression on me, as I can barely remember them.

The Good Thief was seriously underrated, I wish I owned it.

The only movies I saw in the theater and actively disliked were Anything Else (except for the scenes with Woody Allen) and Lost In Translation (I refuse to believe that I saw the same film as all the critics).

I think I'm going to cave next week and go to Dallas to see 21 Grams.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Friday, 5 December 2003 07:03 (twenty-one years ago)

As someone said, there just weren't many films to get excited about this year.

What are some reliable movie magazines? All the indie-film/small-film ones I see at Barnes and Noble hype the same 'big' indie releases at the same time, and give them glowing coverage solely by virtue of being indie.

I've started reading American Cinematographer every once in a while, and IFC Rant has a few good pieces every couple of months for $1.95ish.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Friday, 5 December 2003 07:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Film Comment and Sight and Sound occassionally offer some good props to otherwise unheard of films. Otherwise, I just try to find out what's regularly playing at the smaller, indier theaters and check out what's the deal with those I haven't heard of. I have enough backlog of old films, so if I miss something in the theater I figure I'll end up seeing it on video if it's that important/good. But that's me. My experience tells me, though, that if you keep hunting, you'll find the mags you're looking for. Don't forget that there's plenty of great online sites that do similar stuff or have otherwise inaccessible/hard-to-find print versions.

Also finding out what's winning awards at film fests can be a good way to see what things are coming down the road.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Friday, 5 December 2003 08:15 (twenty-one years ago)

But seriously, people need to stop being so concerned with what's going on in the here-and-now of an artform that is still extremely young and relatively small in number of works produced per year. Catch up on all the great directors that you've always been wanting to find out more about. (On the other hand, I tend to think this about virtually every artform, but so it goes. I guess I just really don't give a shit about looking all hip for being into the latest flavor of the month.)

― Girolamo Savonarola, Friday, 5 December 2003 08:19 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, that's why we like talking about new movies and filmmakers Girolamo! and no other reason!

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 5 December 2003 16:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Most of my faves were really 02, but that's UK distribution: 'Le Fils'; 'Punch-Drunk Love'; 'Adaptation'.

― Enrique (Enrique), Friday, 5 December 2003 16:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't remember when Adaptation came out here! was it this year or last?

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 5 December 2003 16:31 (twenty-one years ago)

i don't think girolamo was trying to be snarky. i know for me, much much more so than with music, when i 'look back' at a year and movies i tend to not neccessarily focus on what actually came out that year as much what i got to see in a theater or track down on video, which half the time (or in case of in a theater, as much as possible, which is sadly not nearly half the time) going to mean stuff that wasn't released anytime remotely near this year.

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 5 December 2003 16:38 (twenty-one years ago)

do you think movies are different from music in this way?

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 5 December 2003 16:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I mean how would people react if G posted essentially the same thing on a "pazz & jop" thread?

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 5 December 2003 16:42 (twenty-one years ago)

(and would that reaction be justified?)

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 5 December 2003 16:42 (twenty-one years ago)

somewhat, for me at least - i think becuz movies require somewhat more active participation than music, and also arent quite as likely to be experienced as often. i don't know, for me 'going to a movie' = 'an event' whereas listening to recorded music (which is overwhelmingly how i'm gonna hear music) is fairly routine cuz it's so passive, or allows for such passiveness at least. it's probably different for others here for whom music is much more important, but, while i'm hardly the cineaste that amateurist or girolamo are (not since high school at least when i was writing oh-so-serious papers on 'the advent of sound and the death of cinema' and the like), movies probably do matter as much to me as music, or at least as much as is possible in this very musicentric town.

x-post

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 5 December 2003 16:52 (twenty-one years ago)

movies are such a more laborious undertaking than music also that the revolutions aren't as frequent perhaps (and so perhaps critics don't have quite as much responsibility to stay au courant?) but they mean more. perhaps.

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 5 December 2003 16:54 (twenty-one years ago)

i should throw about a dozen more 'perhaps's in there cuz i'm not really sure what i think and i'm pretty sure my thoughts aren't worth a damn.

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 5 December 2003 16:55 (twenty-one years ago)

the revolutions aren't as frequent, as you say, that's true--but as someone who sees a shitload of new movies there is an inherent interest to me in discussing what's changing, what's new, what's being imitated etc etc. obviously the "year" as temporal unit for discussing movies is as arbitrary as anything else--well, maybe a little less arbitrary as movies are released in cycles, with different types of films being released according to the time of year, and "oscar season" and all that.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 5 December 2003 16:59 (twenty-one years ago)

four months pass...

To return to the conversation - I'd say that with cineastes, it's not very crucial that you be staying much on top of anything currently out if you choose not to, because generally value is placed more on progenitors, craftsmanship, and entire careers; there tends to be a fairly skeptical initial view on first timers no matter how good their first effort is.

For music, this is different; there is the expectation that you have some groundings in the history and influences, but the output and interests are so diverse that it's really extremely hard to be completely grounded to a single genre's history, much less the whole of something like recorded music. Plus, a band that puts out one great album tends to be hailed as a great band fairly quickly (usually). The premium interest tends to be where music is going and what is emergent at the time b/c artists can theoretically turn out product much quicker than the average film, and in more or less any quantity of discrete works, whereas a four hour film still has to function as a whole.

I think I had more to say, but I can't remember. In any case, take it from there?

― Girolamo Savonarola, Wednesday, 7 April 2004 02:59 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, i understand that there perhaps is a different way of looking at directors' careers among cineastes, but why does this have to be so? is this the most useful way to look at movies? is looking at movies strictly as the development and influence(s) of one director or another the only way to do it?

trends can exist in screenwriting, art direction etc etc, all these things not neccessarily under the director's control.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 03:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I guess the thing is that as much as it may appear otherwise, things really haven't changed that much in filmmaking to a certain extent. In music, this tends not to be the case, maybe b/c music generally has the barest of needs to conform to any possible conceit of reality. So therefore the storytelling in film can only be radicalized so much, say, and the technical differences between 1930 and 2004 in a certain way are mostly negated b/c the purpose behind both are essentially the same.

This obviously doesn't apply so well to avant-garde filmmaking, but...fuck it, I keep on losing my train of thought...

― Girolamo Savonarola, Wednesday, 7 April 2004 03:23 (twenty-one years ago)

me too! i'm kind of having a nic fit here. i guess my point,if i have one, is that there are a lot of different ways we can be looking at this point in time in film, and the historical/"auteurist" approach can get really boring! why NOT look at movies in the short term?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 03:25 (twenty-one years ago)

While I agree that auteurism isn't necessary the way to evaluate movies anymore than new wave is the way to make them, I still think that obsession with new releases (the Blockbuster video syndrome, I call it) is barely acceptable, though understandable in music. In movies, I really don't see how you'd come out with any passable signal:noise ratio.

What's the rush afterall, goddamnit? Believe me, the good films aren't gonna go stale anytime soon.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Wednesday, 7 April 2004 03:32 (twenty-one years ago)

*bump*

― Girolamo Savonarola, Wednesday, 7 April 2004 16:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, I'm terrible at looking at things in these terms.

I sometimes think that the reason that I feel like I haven't seen a great movie for a while is a problem with me, not with "current" cinema.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 16:27 (twenty-one years ago)

four months pass...

NO, this is not a good year for movies. Worst of my 26 years.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:24 (twenty years ago)

it's been a not-bad year. the middlebrow "indie" stuff, while not great, is better than it usually is.

best film of 2004 so far: los angeles plays itself.

― Elle a chaud au cul (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:49 (twenty years ago)

Oh don't say that! It played 10 minutes from here and I'm still devastated that I missed it! Is it to Los Angeles what Patrick Keiller's work is to London? Please say yes and make my year.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:51 (twenty years ago)

I can't remember more than three movies I saw this year, and those were just the latest three (napoleon dynamite, harold and kumar, and farenheith 9/11). I must have seen something else. Things look like they'll be good, but these days if I don't go see something immediately, I never get around to it (it doesn't help taht there seem to be so many movies coming out these days that nothing except for shrek sticks in the theaters past two weeks).

― kyle (akmonday), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:54 (twenty years ago)

Last night I saw trailers for movies about football teams, firemen, and wacky family christmases.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:55 (twenty years ago)

oh oh oh and post-modern animated fish.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:56 (twenty years ago)

for me this has been a shit year for movies

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:19 (twenty years ago)

Wow, you really don't sound like yourself. I was expecting you to come in and lift things with your boundless enthusiasm!

I am going to see Zatoichi tonight=there is still hope.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:20 (twenty years ago)

plus Hero and 2046 to come.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:20 (twenty years ago)

seriously, the only movie i remember really liking this year was the almodovar one! for some reason i never go to see movies i actually want to see anymore though

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:21 (twenty years ago)

is thr anywhere on the wuhwuhwuh where you can see a list of movies released this year? does imdb do that?

― cºzen (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:24 (twenty years ago)

Worst ever year of my life for summer blockbuster/event movies. Absolutely nothing I've been excited to see (although I wasn't really greatly disapppointed by anything either).

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:24 (twenty years ago)

Natalie Portman will win an Oscar for Garden State.

― ModJSaidItFirst, Monday, 9 August 2004 19:27 (twenty years ago)

Apropos of nothing, mind...

― ModJSaidItFirst, Monday, 9 August 2004 19:28 (twenty years ago)

I do not want to see Garden State, even though I have a soft spot for You Can Count On Me/In The Bedroom-type Sundance movies.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:28 (twenty years ago)

who has seen the cooler?

― cºzen (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:28 (twenty years ago)

I would like another Diner/Big Chill/Beautiful Girls-type movie. They make me feel warm and fuzzy.

xpost-I HAVE. And s1ocki has too, I think.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:29 (twenty years ago)

I liked it okay.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:29 (twenty years ago)

me (sucked) (xp)

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:29 (twenty years ago)

I liked what sterling ws saying abt macy being born fr the role, seamless etc. who rates him?

― cºzen (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:30 (twenty years ago)

meh. kinda.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:30 (twenty years ago)

I like his "thing" best in Fargo.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:31 (twenty years ago)

I like films with snow in them.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:31 (twenty years ago)

maybe he was born for the role, cuz it's pretty much your composite william h macy loveable loser role

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:32 (twenty years ago)

Yes, search by year, and country of origin (xpost), and goddamn, can anybody not american get me a D1\/X of the Almodovar?

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:33 (twenty years ago)

Try torrents?

I'd like to see it too!

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:33 (twenty years ago)

Also-for the zillionth time, what happened to It's About Love?

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:34 (twenty years ago)

never came out in the US?

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:34 (twenty years ago)

guys guys wait for it in the theatres, it is so awesome-looking that you will be doing yourself a real disservice watching it on your computer or tv (xp)

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:34 (twenty years ago)

I know this.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:35 (twenty years ago)

also: starsky & hutch ws this year?

― cºzen (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:36 (twenty years ago)

oh i liked anchorman too

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:36 (twenty years ago)

even though I have a soft spot for You Can Count On Me/In The Bedroom-type Sundance movies.

If you're like me, the next movie you're looking forward to, then, is We Don't Live Here Anymore. I'm a total sucker for movies about families in crisis.

Anyway, this year has been much better for me than 2003 was. But I was totally out of it in 2003: I only saw 31 movies total that year, including old stuff on DVD! I think I've already seen that many this year. Still: there's more this summer that I've wanted to see in at least several years.

― jaymc, Monday, 9 August 2004 19:38 (twenty years ago)

There are quite a few good blockbusters, but the independent offerings have been tepid at best, and the distribution of non-american films seems to be suffering quite a bit due (I think) to political factors. The Miramax, Fox Searchlight, and Paramount's small distribution house all seem to have some decent fall releases stacked up... even some pretty good ones.

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:39 (twenty years ago)

yeah, what have been good independent films? the station agent (didn't see it)? le temps du loup? god I've seen so many films this year I can remember none of them.

― cºzen (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:40 (twenty years ago)

le temps du loup is still awesome, btw.

― cºzen (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:41 (twenty years ago)

Control Room was okay.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:42 (twenty years ago)

need to see Anchorman.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:42 (twenty years ago)

Goodbye Dragon Inn, anyone?

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:43 (twenty years ago)

none of us are answering the question. or, we all are, bit by little bit.

― cºzen (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:43 (twenty years ago)

russian ark, dogville, the 5 temptations of lars von trier (??).

― cºzen (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:44 (twenty years ago)

Oh yes...I missed the 5 temptations. Curse Mrs Nordic and her terrible attention span!

I didn't say that!

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:45 (twenty years ago)

ummmmm...nobody liked The Dreamers, then?

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:45 (twenty years ago)

Not terribly. It was pretty, but it didn't really get me the way Bertolucci has in some other flicks. It felt very, very, new-wavey to me, but in a kind of antiquated way.

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:51 (twenty years ago)

i'm mostly looking forward to playtime in 70mm in a few weeks!!

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:52 (twenty years ago)

Ebert's 4-star movies of 2004 thus far:

Baadasssss!
Kill Bill Vol. Two
Spartan
Spider-Man 2
The Dreamers
The Passion of the Christ
Touching the Void

― jaymc, Monday, 9 August 2004 19:54 (twenty years ago)

I liked The Dreamers! Not as much as ENRQ, though.

― jaymc, Monday, 9 August 2004 19:55 (twenty years ago)

I believe I missed the opportunity to see that print in SF.

xpost-that was playtime I was referring to.

ENRQ LOVED The dreamers!

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:55 (twenty years ago)

boys got some splainin' to do.

― cºzen (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:01 (twenty years ago)

a list:

http://www.the-movie-times.com/thrsdir/moviesofyear.mv?moviesof2004+ByDate

I've only seen nine. I could have SWORN I'd seen more than that.

― Harold Media (kenan), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:03 (twenty years ago)

My god that site is impossible to read.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:04 (twenty years ago)

or maybe I need to change my lenses.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:04 (twenty years ago)

Ooh, thanks for the link, Harold. I've seen 14.

― jaymc, Monday, 9 August 2004 20:09 (twenty years ago)

i've seen 14, too.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:12 (twenty years ago)

I have seen 17.

there is actually a lot there I need to see, specifically The Saddest Music...

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:12 (twenty years ago)

Did anyone see I'm Not Scared?

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:12 (twenty years ago)

My current top 10 (haha, of 14!) is probably something like this:

1. Eternal Sunshine
2. Collateral
3. Before Sunset
4. Kill Bill 2
5. Manchurian Candidate
6. The Dreamers
7. Anchorman
8. Saved!
9. Fahrenheit 9/11
10. Mean Girls

(I'm just waiting for those last couple to get bumped off.)

― jaymc, Monday, 9 August 2004 20:14 (twenty years ago)

(Insert usual disclaimers about not being very confident in that list, it will change tomorrow, etc.)

― jaymc, Monday, 9 August 2004 20:16 (twenty years ago)

That list could actually be much worse. I haven't seen some of those, but the ones I have seen were disappointing.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:18 (twenty years ago)

It has been a terrible year for movies. Most of the best I've seen (City of God, Fog of War, Twilight Samurai) are older releases that took their sweet time getting here. I'm going to try to get to Maria Full of Grace and Zatoichi this week, I expect them to be good.

I've seen 21 -
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Baadasssss!
Before Sunset
Coffee and Cigarettes
Control Room
Dawn of the Dead
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Fahrenheit 9/11
Godzilla (reissue)
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
Intermission
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Mean Girls
Saved!
The Bourne Supremacy
The Dreamers
The Girl Next Door
Troy
Twilight Samurai
Van Helsing

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:37 (twenty years ago)

terrible year for movies

i did like collateral, the corporation, control room, born into this, and my architect... which technically came out last year, but first came to chicago this year.

― todd swiss (eliti), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:38 (twenty years ago)

I've only seen 21 (and maybe another 25 on DVD), and there are some I only vaguely recall (Dawn of the Dead, Intermission) - how does Ebert watch 400 a year and remember anything? Or someone who sees 20 in a week at Cannes?

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:39 (twenty years ago)

I was hoping for more from Born Into This.

I am actually kind of tired of documentaries.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:40 (twenty years ago)

FYI: the 4 movies that didn't make my top 10 were Broken Lizard: Club Dread, The Saddest Music in the World, Coffee and Cigarettes, and Spider-Man 2.

― jaymc, Monday, 9 August 2004 20:40 (twenty years ago)

You didn't like The Saddest Music In The World?

Coffee and Cigarettes was dreadful.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:41 (twenty years ago)

I liked cooler even tho yeah, whm was just playin' whm -- so what I love good character actors working almost absentmindedly in parts essentially written for them, probably one of my fav. things in movies actually. So I totally appreciated the upped absurdity-factor around him, like it was just a lark on his sad mopey face. The whole fairy-tale/fable aspect, etc. not to mention the chemistry in the lovey-dovey scenes. I mean, if yr. just looking on a pure acting scale Cooler and Bubba Ho-Tep really sweep for the year.

Also seen this year: You Got Served (meh), Eurotrip (fantastic... for what it was), Broken Lizard's Club Dread (not as good as their first flik), Good Bye Lenin (fantastique!), The Ladykillers (cohens coasting on characters), Barbershop 2, KBv2, Harry Potter, Anchorman, Harold & Kumar.

That list reminded me about how I wanted to see Badaaaaass! and Soul Plane and The Girl Next Door and Dodgeball and S&H and Dogville and New York Minute.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:46 (twenty years ago)

i wanna see baadaaaasss really badly! (and eurotrip was great, yeah)

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:06 (twenty years ago)

there was a tentacled lovecraft god in helboy. and there was a tentacled crimson hammerhaed shark in immortel ad vitam. for me as an admirer of all thnigs tentacled this was a good year.

― :|, Monday, 9 August 2004 21:07 (twenty years ago)

I missed Hellboy and Spider-Man 2 on my list

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:09 (twenty years ago)

i so wish hellboy was better, it broke my heart

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:09 (twenty years ago)

We still have AnacondaS

Hellboy was a MAJOR disappointment...unless you were Leee.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:10 (twenty years ago)

i wanna see baadaaaasss really badly!

Baadaaassss is my favorite movie of the year by far.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:11 (twenty years ago)

as for the cooler, i don't have a problem with macy-as-macy, i just don't think it was particularly standout for him. also i really really really don't like maria bello. also it reminded me of every anonymous '90s post-tarantino flick

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:12 (twenty years ago)

Hellboy was my favorite blockbuster-type thus far. It was kind of dull when I saw it on DVD again, though.

Also forgot Harry Potter.

Baadaaasssss was good, but in a normal year it wouldn't break my top-10.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:23 (twenty years ago)

What is this Stander? It does not look good.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:24 (twenty years ago)

thomas jane as apartheid-era bank robber/MP

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:28 (twenty years ago)

I've seen 26 of what's on that list, though several of them are re-releases of older movies. On the whole I thought that this year has been pretty good. My unordered top 10 would go something like this:

Touching the Void
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Dogville
Mayor of the Sunset Strip
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Main Hoon Na
Saddest Music in the World
The Fog Of War
Baadasssss!
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:30 (twenty years ago)

That's a decent list.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:32 (twenty years ago)

we cant make a comment on the year just yet.. ALIEN V. PREDATOR isnt out yet.. plus the studios seem to release not but shit until oscar season.

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:34 (twenty years ago)

i have really liked:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Spring Summer Fall Winter and Spring (this is prob my fav this year so far)
Anchorman
Before Sunset

based on those i would say it has been a pretty damn good year for movies, plus there is still a lot i want to see, and the fall season is coming up.

― ryan (ryan), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:38 (twenty years ago)

god touching the void ws worse than winged migration (ws THAT 2003?)

― cºzen (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:56 (twenty years ago)

Ohgod, I've only seen 8 on the list. Curse my poverty. But really, I only go see the movies that I really really am drawn to (or someone else pays for), and I haven't been drawn to much this year. Therefore: not a good year. But still, I'm going to frequent the dollar cinema in the suburbs to raise my score.
(Happiest with: Kill Bill 2, The Bourne Supremacy)

― rrrobyn (rrrobyn), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:58 (twenty years ago)

I am really surprised at how many people like Kill Bill Vol 2! That movie was really torture for me.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:59 (twenty years ago)

I will definitely go back to both movies though.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:59 (twenty years ago)

I am glad it's not just me that thinks it's been a rotten year. 'Touching The Void' was 2003, wasn't it?

― Alba (Alba), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:01 (twenty years ago)

It came out in the US in 2004.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:02 (twenty years ago)

god I've seen 20 of tht list.

― cºzen (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:02 (twenty years ago)

Great:
Before Sunset
Twilight Samurai

Good:
Control Room
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Baadasssss!

Sometimes good, sometimes not so much:
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Mean Girls
Saved!
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Dawn of the Dead
Fahrenheit 9/11
The Bourne Supremacy

These were generally awful:
Coffee and Cigarettes
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
Intermission
The Dreamers
The Girl Next Door
Troy
Van Helsing

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:07 (twenty years ago)

Dodgeballohno

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:08 (twenty years ago)

I liked the trailer for Dodgeball. Is it rub then?

― Alba (Alba), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:09 (twenty years ago)

I suspect that Kill Bill 2 will diminish in my mind as the year goes on (as it already has to some extent).

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:10 (twenty years ago)

roger ebert is a boring idiot.

― cºzen (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:10 (twenty years ago)

it's coming out on DVD tomorrow. i'll still waiting for a complete version before making my mind up

― ryan (ryan), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:10 (twenty years ago)

I can't respect Ebert after he gave The Dreamers four-stars. I know he loves the barely-legal boobage, but four stars?!

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:11 (twenty years ago)

I liked The Dreamers more than most of ILX did...except ENRQ!

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:12 (twenty years ago)

Did anyone here even see what's now the 8th-highest grossing film of all time: The Passion of the Christ??

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:15 (twenty years ago)

yeah, jesus invented the table innit.

― cºzen (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:16 (twenty years ago)

I wrote some stuff about The Dreamers after I saw it, but I did so ON NOTEBOOK PAPER; maybe I should put it on my blog?

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:16 (twenty years ago)

ebert is a loon, but i can't stay mad at him very long.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:21 (twenty years ago)

i saw the passion. i didnt think it was terrible tho, i even defended it somewhat on i love film.

― ryan (ryan), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:21 (twenty years ago)

Eva Green was born in 1980, so I think the boobage was well legal. Or was there additional boobage. I haven't actually seen it.

― Alba (Alba), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:24 (twenty years ago)

no i believe she had a monopoly on the boobage. the penisage was split between pitt and garrell though.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:26 (twenty years ago)

best word I've heard today.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:27 (twenty years ago)

pitt's penisage in that move really sticks in my mind, the scene with the photo especially.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:27 (twenty years ago)

Don't know if that's a good thing or not.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:35 (twenty years ago)

Definitely not.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 9 August 2004 22:38 (twenty years ago)

I was going to post the Richard Avedon photo of Pitt, but I don't think it's online anymore.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 10 August 2004 00:43 (twenty years ago)

i'm going to see 2046 in a few weeks at the edinburgh festival. i haven't seen a movie since 21 grammes about 4 months ago nor have i wanted to. i didn't even want to see that particularly (it was a date). it was pretty good though i suppose.

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 01:06 (twenty years ago)

garden state might be the worst movie i've ever seen

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 01:26 (twenty years ago)

What about it? It looked shit, but I couldn't put my finger on why from the promo kit.

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 01:28 (twenty years ago)

it's what happens when indie boys decide they want to make the next rushmore/donnie darko. i almost walked out of the press screening. my girl and i were both disgusted by how contrived and "quirky" the motherfucker was but most of the critics there were CRYING. it's really annoyed me how good the press for it has been.

(also, and this really has nothing to do with my dislike for the film, the skeleton plot for this is very, very, very similar to the first screenplay a friend and i wrote in 97 or 98. ours was awful. it is better than this garden state's.)

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 01:32 (twenty years ago)

um, that basically confirms what I'd suspected.

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 01:37 (twenty years ago)

It was good -- perhaps a little precious.

― ModJ, Critic, Tuesday, 10 August 2004 01:38 (twenty years ago)

how contrived and "quirky" the motherfucker was
That confirms my suspicions, too. The one shot (that I've whined about before) from the trailer - the guy from Scrubs in a paisley shirt that blends into the wallpaper while that weird song plays - gives me the fear.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:05 (twenty years ago)

that's the "wes anderson" shot.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:11 (twenty years ago)

My skpeticism has a lot to do with Natalie Portman's involvement. I question her judgement these days.

― herbert hebert (herbert hebert), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:20 (twenty years ago)

that's the "wes anderson" shot.

The fact that such a thing exists after only three movies oughtta prove some sort of point, but I'm not sure exactly what it would be.

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:22 (twenty years ago)

that he has a very distinctive style the influence of which can be detected in the work of young filmmakers?

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:33 (twenty years ago)

Err, I think that if his stylistic influence is reducible (and recognizable) in a single shot, perhaps he should try a little harder.

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:38 (twenty years ago)

i don't think that's true; one can observe the influence of say, john ford, or antonioni, or murnau, or whomever, in a single shot. it just struck me as a very wes anderson type of thing: using color design to hammer home a sense of a character's anxiety. other directors do that of course, but wes anderson seems the most proximate precedent.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:41 (twenty years ago)

although, actually, yes, you have something of a point there: this shot is noticeable as the "wes anderson" shot in part because anderson's films do have a kind of bag of tricks quality, stylistically. but i don't think that's so bad.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:43 (twenty years ago)

sorry that was a bit muddled. tell me if it wasn't clear and i'll try again.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:46 (twenty years ago)

I agree partly ... in ford, antonioni, murnau (why stop there, even), carne, hawkes, huston, leone, almodovar you can recognize certain styles, graphic elements, whatever, that'll peg themselves to their director. BUT: individual setups aren't nearly as recognizable, aren't usually contrived for the purpose of marking the film as the work of one creator and the promotion of an auteurist. I'm not insulting wes anderson - bottle rocket was good and rushmore was great - but his middle-american ugly-anachronism schtick needs some reevaluation, and a reason for inclusion other than an ironic-trucker-hat gee-whizness, IMHO.

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:50 (twenty years ago)

okay, I think we're on the same page. Sorry for the xposting.

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:51 (twenty years ago)

i guess one reason it's not, say, the "douglas sirk" shot (aside from "douglas sirk = who? to most people") is that the use of the color design is pretty strident, and that kind of stridency is characteristic of anderson. also: the rectilinear quality of the shot. that too has an anderson-esque quality.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:55 (twenty years ago)

rectilinear and: arranged perpedicular to the camera. again, lots of people use such setups (esp. many 70s/80s art films), but anderson uses it in a special way.... there's like a mug-shot quality of embarrassed exposure.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:57 (twenty years ago)

or character revelation, i mean.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:58 (twenty years ago)

It's funny, you actually just articulated (the rectilinear quality of the shot) something that's always bothered me about WA films that I've never been able to put my finger on. The sort of 90-degree staging, the one-plane-at-a-time movement, it is all so ... rectilinear. Cheers!

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:59 (twenty years ago)

i don't really anticipate this movie being any good, but mostly because the director/writer/star seems to have been under the mistaken impression that natalie portman can act. she is gorgeous, seems like a class act all around...but she cannot act. on the available evidence.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 04:02 (twenty years ago)

how bad does that mike nichols film with portman and jude law--closer-- look? the audience booed after the trailer for that one.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 04:03 (twenty years ago)

I get, natch, the motive behind it. It's just that the deliberate antiquing can grate a little, and it seems to lack a little discipline in its application. Also ... JW's chubby gay friend was dancing on a table and fell on Portman at a party once.

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 04:04 (twenty years ago)

lots of my friends had portman encounters when i (and she) was living in boston. none of them were unflattering to her.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 04:05 (twenty years ago)

|a|m|t|r|s|t| = natalie portman?

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 04:07 (twenty years ago)

i fancy me

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 04:12 (twenty years ago)

ok wait now my head is exploding hold on

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 04:12 (twenty years ago)

Garden State set off all my B.S. meters too because the damn thing is being hawked everywhere here in LA, on IFC, etc. etc.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 04:16 (twenty years ago)

I can't think of any Portman movies I've liked recently, except for the glorified LIfetime movie with her and Ashley Judd.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 04:17 (twenty years ago)

The backlash begins before we've even seen the movie. At least the ILX haters waited to hate Lost in Translation until it was out.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 04:18 (twenty years ago)

(i liked LIT, more or less)

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 04:20 (twenty years ago)

Okay I am kind of rowing back on Teh Dreamerz. But it has been a good year:

demonlover (2002 -- what the shit)
eternal sunshine
before sunset
last life in the universe
the dreamers
[2046 i hope]
red lights -- really good french thriller
it all about love dogg

and some others i have now forgotten. anchorman looks good, the documentaries have been interesting (including this 'hamberg cell' in the UK about the 9/11 guys), and there's still another 4.5 months.

― ENRQ (Enrique), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 11:28 (twenty years ago)

the shot with the matching shirt/wallpaper seems more like the "parapluies de cherbourg" shot to me (or the almodovar shot!--bad education has a couple of those)

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 13:48 (twenty years ago)

"parapluies de cherbourg" sort of has a blocked-off primary colors thing happening, though (god, what a beautiful movie). the almodovar--maybe. i'll have to see the film. i guess the whole "americana" angle led me to think of anderson.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 14:41 (twenty years ago)

i'm thinking specifically of the scenes where catherine deneuve's blouse exactly matches (in pattern and colour) the wallpaper behind her

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 14:42 (twenty years ago)

oh yeah! it's been a while since i've seen it (and i even own it duh).

so anyway have you seen the trailer for this pierce brosnan/woody harrelson jewel thief movie? i think brett ratner is the worst name-above-the-title director working today, and this preview doesn't exactly give me cause to revise that opinion.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 14:49 (twenty years ago)

the phrase "catherine deneuve's blouse" is strangely arousing. well, not so strangely.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 14:50 (twenty years ago)

Yes, that's a pretty memorable one. But that film exists entirely under the auspices of contrivance, traditionalism, whatever - and Almodovar's films are so utterly lyrical and self-contained that the kind of playfulness GS seems to be demonstrating looks quite lame and 'here's what I learned in film school' without having any of the cinematographic restraint and overall control of the others. Also, FWIW, the opening credits of parapluies de cherbourg are among the coolest I've ever seen.

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 14:51 (twenty years ago)

that should be an indie band/song (xp)

yeah uh brett rattner the thing about that guy is that i uh well it's kinda hard to say this but ok I ALWAYS KINDA LIKE HIS MOVIES DESPITE MYSELF ESPECIALLY FAMILY MAN AND I AM ASHAMED OF MYSELF

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 14:51 (twenty years ago)

jeremy i'm not sure what you're saying (possibly because i haven't seen this movie yet)

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 15:07 (twenty years ago)

Almodovar is horseshit

― ModJ, Critic, Tuesday, 10 August 2004 15:09 (twenty years ago)

that's a powerful argument.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 15:10 (twenty years ago)

and a dead-wrong one.

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 19:13 (twenty years ago)

What is this mysterious Almodovar movie that keeps being referenced? I wasn't aware he had a new one.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 19:18 (twenty years ago)

"bad education," it's awesome!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 19:53 (twenty years ago)

amodovar sucks - his old films are ridiculous and boring the more recent ones are dull and boring.

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 19:57 (twenty years ago)

told!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 20:01 (twenty years ago)

Dull and boring how? Not to start a holy war (and I'm one of his greatest crusaders, so my opinion's extremely biased), but how do you call Carne Tremula or Hable con Ella boring? They're chock-a-block with insanity, prettiness, and a rather muted (though not insignificant) physical violence, no?

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 02:03 (twenty years ago)

the whole horseshit thing

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 02:42 (twenty years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.