It's been too long since I've seen a jawdropping film

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I haven't been seeing many films (new releases or older stuff) lately, and I already have extremely narrow tastes, and what I have seen lately has predominantly been uninspiring. The last good film that I've seen is The Pianist, the last great film Legally Blonde (on the plane in Oct. '02). (Ok, maybe it's almost great, in which case it'd be Mulholland Dr/Memento.)

Nearly everything's been merely OK, but now I'm impatient for a total stunner of a film. My cinematic profile.

― Leee (Leee), Wednesday, 21 May 2003 06:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Hmm since you don't seem to mind multiple interwoven tragedies, non-linear storytelling and a bit of the old ultra-violence, you might want to see City of God.

(Did you hate Goodfellas? If so, ignore my suggestion.)

― Frühlingsmute (Wintermute), Wednesday, 21 May 2003 11:31 (twenty-two years ago)

The last film to really drop my jaw was Songs from the Second Floor. It was totally original cinematically, and also thought-provoking and heart-wrenching. Films that deal with real societal issues always affect me more than violent fantasies.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 21 May 2003 12:43 (twenty-two years ago)

The last time my jaw dropped was while watching Sunrise on DVD.

― amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 21 May 2003 12:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Now THAT is one amazing film. Need to get it on DVD myself.

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Wednesday, 21 May 2003 13:23 (twenty-two years ago)

I need that DVD bad myself.

― slutsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 21 May 2003 13:27 (twenty-two years ago)

me too!

― ryan (ryan), Wednesday, 21 May 2003 13:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I suspect it will be released to retail in 2004, since it's a beautiful DVD and I doubt they lavished this much attention on a freebie.

― amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 21 May 2003 14:00 (twenty-two years ago)

City of God was the last film I saw that really made my jaw drop. Though I should point out that I am hesitant to embrace films with an obvious Goodfellas influence. The naturalistic performances by many of the non-actors in the film gave it a lot of humanity, ultimately making it difficult to dismiss as just another Scorcese inspired ultra violent crime film.

― theodore fogelsanger, Wednesday, 21 May 2003 15:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Before that, Tabu on DVD. Making jaws drop seems to have been a specialty of Murnau's.

― amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 21 May 2003 15:36 (twenty-two years ago)

the matrix made my job drop with it's terribleness (during the rave scene).

the last new film i've seen that really made me think "holy shit, this is an amazing work of art that will reverberate for generations" was probably george washington. haven't seen city of god yet, though i want to.

― j fail (cenotaph), Wednesday, 21 May 2003 15:44 (twenty-two years ago)

I had this sort of "very nice work" reaction to George Washington, but it felt too labored to be a revelation. I liked All the Real Girls much better.

― amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 21 May 2003 15:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Speaking of Sunrise, did you know they are selling nude photos of George O'Brien on eBay?

― amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 21 May 2003 16:10 (twenty-two years ago)

City of God, Spirited Away

― Jan Geerinck (jahsonic), Wednesday, 21 May 2003 21:17 (twenty-two years ago)

I will jump on the CITY OF GOD bandwagon here too. 'Jawdropper' is a good description for that film.

― PVC (peeveecee), Wednesday, 21 May 2003 21:26 (twenty-two years ago)

City of God, Spirited Away, and Rabbit Proof Fence are all on my shortlist of flicks to see. (I have the Goodfellas DVD but still haven't gotten around to watching it.)

Is Sunrise = Murnau?

― Leee (Leee), Wednesday, 21 May 2003 22:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Have you checked out "Donnie Darko" yet? I have a feeling you might like that. Also check out a great wee sleeper called "May", released on Region 1 DVD on the 15th of July and utterly tremendous character driven horror flick. Have you seen "Bowling for Columbine" yet?

― Calz (Calz), Wednesday, 21 May 2003 22:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I've seen "Donnie Darko," and it was another one that was all right for me but no more than that.

― Leee (Leee), Thursday, 22 May 2003 04:40 (twenty-two years ago)

i have spirited away divx sitting on a cd somewhere, kazaa'd in a miyazaki frenzy. i guess maybe i should finally watch it...

― brian badword (badwords), Thursday, 22 May 2003 06:55 (twenty-two years ago)

spirited away indeed!

from the looks of things, i should check out city of god, i guess? but how long ago was the mafia schtick totally played out? it's ridiculous how pervasive it is these days. no shit, sherlock, right? i just mean... y'know.

anyway, a good flick is a good flick. i'll search this one out.

― brian badword (badwords), Thursday, 22 May 2003 19:11 (twenty-two years ago)

try morvern callar. really intense and absolutely gorgeous. for about an hour after seeing it, my friend and i wandered around in a daze sputtering things like, "that...it...i...whoa."

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 23 May 2003 20:54 (twenty-two years ago)

1. How does Spirited Away compare to Princess Mononoke, which I've seen and liked?

2. Another trend that I've noticed within my filmgoing self is that often I feel that a film, even if a like it, seems slow and overlong, and if I don't like it, exceptionally and agonizingly slow. Maybe I've just selected a bunch of slowly paced films because as far as a broader aesthetic movement, Monsoon Wedding deep-sixed that as a theory -- wonderful movie btw.

― Leee (Leee), Monday, 26 May 2003 00:49 (twenty-two years ago)

i loved Spirited Away but I thought Princess Mononoke was lame and boring.

Any movie that is more than 70 minutes feels long to me. If I am watching at home, I tend to watch it hour by hour.

― ryan (ryan), Monday, 26 May 2003 04:45 (twenty-two years ago)

agreed on the Princess Mononoke thing, it was boring, except for most of the visuals (god of the woods, pigs with "flying/crawling" skin, which were pretty amazing.

Jan

― Jan Geerinck (jahsonic), Monday, 26 May 2003 06:22 (twenty-two years ago)

We watched Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away over the weekend, and I can confim that there's no need for the first one if you have the second.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 26 May 2003 08:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Spirited Away doesn't focus on the bland male character with the Prince Valiant haircut and super powers the way Princess Mononoke does. That was PM's major flaw. PM is still a great film, mind you, and doesn't deserve any hate. (Well the dubbed English version does, a little.)

― Frühlingsmute (Wintermute), Monday, 26 May 2003 10:05 (twenty-two years ago)

"My Neighbor Totoro" is the best Miyazaki film -> the best animated film ever.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 26 May 2003 13:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Mononoke focuses too much on the action and the special effects during it's latter half; the plot gets kinda muddled. First half is nice.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 26 May 2003 14:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I also prefer Spirited Away because it has a dreamlike end to the plot, rather than the "Oh no! Quick! Here! No, over there! I think we've all learned something" of PM. And because it's funnier.

Though PM does have some great slapstick when the prince first discovers his power.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 26 May 2003 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Lagaan had my jaw dropped most of the time. I should add that it was my first Bollywood movie.

― Sommermute (Wintermute), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 22:37 (twenty-two years ago)

PM is a lot grander and a lot richer thematically, so there's a lot more tragedy in it (apart from the cop-out last 3 seconds or so). It's my favourite Miyazaki because I prefer magical realism to magic alone. It's my favourite animated movie, although note that this sort of comparison is blatantly unfair to Chuck Jones.

Far from Heaven was so close to being jawdropping; if only Haynes had loosened the reins a little more towards the end.

― b.R.A.d. (Brad), Wednesday, 28 May 2003 23:34 (twenty-two years ago)

just saw the new DVD of Throne of Blood, which was pretty jawdropping in its way. I am getting ready to watch a tape of Persona for the first time, so i will let you know if my jaw drops.

as far as jaw dropping in general goes, Robert Bresson usually does this to me, but it's about a day later that i finally realize that I have seen a great film.

― ryan (ryan), Thursday, 29 May 2003 03:24 (twenty-two years ago)

"My Neighbor Totoro" is the best Miyazaki film -> the best animated film ever.

I'm with you on that one.

― PVC (peeveecee), Saturday, 31 May 2003 17:44 (twenty-two years ago)

i would say that the end of ran is pretty damn jaw-dropping, others are all the real girls and city of god i think

― todd swiss (eliti), Saturday, 31 May 2003 19:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Ran = woah.

I just got Sunrise & Nosferatu, so watch this space etc.

― Leee (Leee), Saturday, 7 June 2003 17:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Sunrise was artistic but boring.

(newer) Secretary made my jaw drop.

― rebekah (rebekah), Monday, 9 June 2003 15:42 (twenty-two years ago)

battle royale, well jaw dropping - see here:
Battle Royale Review

Sequel looks good too.

― jim, Monday, 9 June 2003 16:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Go by Isao Yukisada was incredible. What I expected was a clumsily polished problem film about Korean immigrants - what I got was something like speeded-up Takeshi Kitano.

― Sommermute (Wintermute), Monday, 9 June 2003 18:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Roger Dodger is currently dropping my jaw at a rate of about once every ten lines of dialogue (and this film is practically nothing but). Campbell Scott is unFUCKINGbelievable. A total classic. It beats current Mamet by about FIVE MILLION quotable points. Brilliant.

― Millar (Millar), Monday, 9 June 2003 22:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh yes, I just watched Battle Royale this weekend. Life-changing.

― felicity (felicity), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 00:58 (twenty-two years ago)

The last movie that really threw me for a loop was 24 Hour Party People. I don't think I've been that engaged by a movie since High Fidelity. It's like chicken soup for the hipster soul.

Intellectually, the last mindfucking movie for me was probably 11/9/01, which is probably going to end up my movie of the year of 2003. The Inarritu piece was stunningly awesomely awesometastic, and I need to not write too much about it so that I can save some glow for the review :)

― James Cobo (James Cobo), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 18:31 (twenty-two years ago)

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