Films Recently Watched

watched Lincoln. It was an interesting one. Almost devoid of "Spielberg-isms", which is something of a triumph considering the director. Some scenes were really good. Tommy Lee Jones was great, and seeing him in bed with his black maid was surprisingly affecting (have no idea if it was true but it was cool). Day Lewis was ok. A little bit mannered as always, but he resisted the urge to have a "spittle flying out of his mouth" scene. He seemed to have the physicality and walk down pretty well (though of course I can only imagine what Lincoln walked like). At a few points I couldn't understand the dialogue. They did a pretty good job of differentiating the different congressmen. I would have liked even more scenes of realpolitik like the scenes where Lincoln schemes how to delay the arrival of the Southern delegation so that the vote in Congress can go forward. I do wonder how much of all this Florence Kearns Goodwin just made up out of thin air, though.

Overall was too pious as expected, but for one of those movies, it was one of the better ones. I'll say 7/10.

haven't watched Licoln yet, i plan to but i stand by my assertion that Tin TIn is his best movie in the last decade easily

Showgirls - 10/10

Just watched Zero Dark Thirty. I won't even attempt to defend it against people who ask "why even make it?" "who's the target audience?" or say things like "there's no way a film like this, no matter how much it tries to avoid sensationalism, can be seen as anything other than promoting 'the end justifies the means' and glorifying torture, America's disregard for human rights, and other nation's sovereignty' etc. It's true, it's a weird film to make and there's no getting around it.

There's no doubt that Bigelow is a damned talented filmmaker though. My attention didn't drift for a second, unlike with Django (or Lincoln, for that matter). Bigelow is a master of handheld camera usage (that subtle drift and jitter that gives it a documentary feel and glues you to the screen). She doesn't overdo it.

So, despite being "politically opposed" to what the film represents, I couldn't help but be impressed at the visual storytelling. 6.5/10, but if I had to evaluate only on the basis of "is it a well done movie", then the score would be higher. I really wish Bigelow would go back to making films like Point Break, so I don't have to think about her politics but can just enjoy the ride.

what about Strange Days bra, that film is an undeniable masterpiece of storytelling and filmmaking techniques. It is the least dated film i have ever seen in my life

  On 1/21/2013 at 7:09 PM, The Overlook said:

  On 1/21/2013 at 4:25 PM, keltoi said:

  On 1/21/2013 at 3:13 PM, Gocab said:

Haha, that kept bugging me throughout the film. It's piece of shit, but it's a fun piece of shit.

 

aye!

 

the block's silly design also annoyed me, rising up for miles around a small central square with overlooking galleries on every level. the square at the bottom would get the sun for 10 minutes of the day and noone would ever want to walk across it for fear of stuff/bodies being thrown on top of them.

Keltoi is now quite officially the most nitpicky picker of nits in all of WATMM Land. Wow...lol.

thanks! please remember me for the 2013 watmm awards...

anyway, i know you know that small things like that can add up to affect your enjoyment of a film. really though, comic book action films are not my bag so i was destined to be critical.

  On 1/22/2013 at 9:46 AM, lumpenprol said:

So, despite being "politically opposed" to what the film represents,

so what does the film represent exactly ?

That’s a good question, and I don’t have an easy answer. On the surface it seems as if it has no agenda; it positions itself as a dispassionate retelling of the manhunt and killing of Bin Laden. Then the question becomes, why even tell it? Wouldn’t a documentary just be easier and more honest? I guess that’s where my reservations lie, why not try to make it a documentary (sure, access would be hard, but could use the typical combo of talking heads with re-enactments).

The direction she chose instead, to focus on Maya, who becomes this unwavering, almost telepathic force of retribution, bugged me. She seems to personify the flaw that is the biggest flaw we Americans need to guard against – namely, always believing our gut impulses are right. I was bothered that I didn’t know if Maya was whole or partly fictional, if waterboarding and other torture did or did not help us locate Bin Laden, etc. It seems like a very well-made piece of propaganda…possibly (although not as much as say, Saving Private Ryan).

That’s what I mean about being “politically opposed”. I probably could have worded it better as it’s not a left or right thing. In fact when it comes down to it, I’m supportive of the decision they made to go after Bin Laden (wish they could have nabbed him alive but…). The whole situation was just so monstrous and incredibly thorny, that I don’t think any Hollywood-izing of it is appropriate. The direction Bigelow took was too keep most details cut and dried, but totally Hollywood-ize the character at the center of the story – make her a “tough chick” that is fighting the patriarchy because of her “hunch”, a vulnerable but tough-as-nails broad who fights for what’s right and triumphs in the end (but has a good cry to show she’s still human). But in reality, the situation was we were violating a sovereign nation under cover of darkness in a vigilante move to murder a guy without a trial, a guy who was linked to people we in fact trained to fight the Russians…talk about a clusterfuck. There can be no heroism or glory there. The reality was it was probably mostly analysts in a room who sifted through a bunch of data to find Bin Laden. But that doesn’t make good entertainment.

I guess that’s what I mean by politics. Making such a film is an inherently political act, because of the subject matter. And if I judge by effects, the only effect I can imagine the film having is giving people who like the idea of American revenge and “smoking ragheads” a big fat boner. Would have been better not to make it at all (and just make the documentary).

Django Unchained - 7ish - Not sure what to think of it. Quentin Tarantino wanking over a lot of old movies to a point it alienates the story more than a few times. The cast of Waltz is odd too, did Tarantino come up with a German character or did he just want to cast him again? I liked the Tarantino more that unfolded the story, there was not a single moment where I was caught in surprise here. If you can summarize a movie above two hours in one sentence you're getting dangerously close to Hollywood blockbuster shit terrain. Well at least it had its fun moments.

Lincoln - 7ish - Historically interesting and dialogue-heavy. Great acting although Tommy Lee Jones felt weird. Spielberg did great here, he does his typical lighting and that's very soothing to the eyes.

Question: A lot of the subject matter was very new to me (I had no idea the Democrats used to be the more conservative party for example), but I wonder do American schools teach this kind of thorough American history before European history and such..?

Holy Motors - 9 - Anyone can recommend me some 2012 movies that are this fascinating, fun to watch and leave that sweet lingering taste? Truly brilliant way of storytelling. Ironically shot digital, lol.

  On 1/22/2013 at 3:51 PM, vincentvc said:

Holy Motors - 9 - Anyone can recommend me some 2012 movies that are this fascinating, fun to watch and leave that sweet lingering taste? Truly brilliant way of storytelling. Ironically shot digital, lol.

seconded.

doesn't need to be 2012 though...

try this one:

beyond the black rainbow...

you're looking for artsy stuff right?

  On 1/22/2013 at 9:46 AM, lumpenprol said:

Just watched Zero Dark Thirty. I won't even attempt to defend it against people who ask "why even make it?" "who's the target audience?" or say things like "there's no way a film like this, no matter how much it tries to avoid sensationalism, can be seen as anything other than promoting 'the end justifies the means' and glorifying torture, America's disregard for human rights, and other nation's sovereignty' etc. It's true, it's a weird film to make and there's no getting around it.

 

There's no doubt that Bigelow is a damned talented filmmaker though. My attention didn't drift for a second, unlike with Django (or Lincoln, for that matter). Bigelow is a master of handheld camera usage (that subtle drift and jitter that gives it a documentary feel and glues you to the screen). She doesn't overdo it.

 

So, despite being "politically opposed" to what the film represents, I couldn't help but be impressed at the visual storytelling. 6.5/10, but if I had to evaluate only on the basis of "is it a well done movie", then the score would be higher. I really wish Bigelow would go back to making films like Point Break, so I don't have to think about her politics but can just enjoy the ride.

i don't know if i agree about it being well made. i agree completely about being "politically opposed" to it and just generally feeling a little gross about its existence, but i found it strangely lacking in tension. and some of the choices, like having a black cat run in front of a car containing a suicide bomber, were extremely cheesy and just bad.

heh, i didn't even notice the black cat. If we're going to call that out, might as well call out the bad cgi helicopters (at least that's how it looked on my low-quality dvd). I just like the way she edits and moves her camera. She's one of the few directors who can change location multiple times, but the unified technique makes it feel as if it's all part of the same narrative. Her camera also feels very naturalistic, so if she's aiming at the street in Karachi or something, it doesn't feel staged at all. I really dig that.

I really have a hard time appreciating her because I think, in a Benjaminian sense, she's semi-fascist and always has been. Maybe, to her defenders especially, it's bombastic to compare her to Leni Reifenstahl, but in a strictly theoretical sense, I think it bears fruit.

It's been too long since I saw The Hurt Locker to make a really meaningful statement about its details, but I distinctly recall being repulsed by the ending. In the final two minutes, she threw away what little credibility she'd cobbled together with a slow motion shot of Renner walking down a street in war-torn Iraq to a crescendo of wailing buttrock. I think she imagined herself a latter day John Ford fixing his camera on Wayne to conclude The Searchers. 0 out of 5 shits should have been given; alas, the Academy told her she was the best of the bunch in 2008.

Then she teamed up with her producers to go Lars Ulrich on all the torrenting masses. One of my friends was served up notice that he would need to give Voltage Pictures $1500 or be sued. He wisely ignored it.

  On 1/22/2013 at 10:59 AM, keltoi said:

thanks! please remember me for the 2013 watmm awards...

 

anyway, i know you know that small things like that can add up to affect your enjoyment of a film. really though, comic book action films are not my bag so i was destined to be critical.

There were a few things like that for me with Dredd, but I slipped into a nostalgic coma where I bounced between fond remembrance of my favorite childhood movies and staring deep into Olivia Thurlby's big brown eyes.

my feelings toward the hurt locker haven't really changed. the ending is ridiculous and the film is politically nebulous in the same way that zero dark thirty is. i'm not sure if that's because bigelow is just a shitty communicator or if she's being willfully obtuse. or maybe her politics are actually as right wing as i suspect they are. but the hurt locker, for what it is, is a decent action movie. point break is still her best film.

I think K-19: Widowmaker is her best film. Yeah, I think she's that awesome.

ouch. i didn't realize that was her.

Scrubs up well for a 61 year old. That's got to be worth something.

  On 1/22/2013 at 6:14 PM, zaphod said:

ouch. i didn't realize that was her.

The best part is that I'm not kidding. I think it's her best film, Ford's Russian accent and all.

  On 1/22/2013 at 6:15 PM, Blue Peter Cheat said:

Scrubs up well for a 61 year old. That's got to be worth something.

so true. she looks 45 tops.

Indie Game

Disappointed they concentrated so heavily on 2 xbox games I haven't played (Super Meat Boy and Fez). Did microsoft fund this documentary? maybe?

It was weird to see the narcissistic reading of reviews and 2 of the main guys were frustratingly annoying.

The braid guy seems like he wants to be writing novels perhaps than making games. I loved braid but not for the story aspect, which I hated, but for the gameplay and the puzzles. Seems he hates me for enjoying his game in the wrong way.

Despite this it did feel pretty motivational to get my ass in gear and do something with my life. but then i woke up and came on watmm

That doc was fucking amazing. I related so much to some of those guys, in particular the hyper esteem-sensitivity (bordering on narcissism).

The Braid guy just needs to read a manual on poststructuralism and he'll be fine. Agreed though, he was way too precious about the reception of his work. Otherwise, he made a lot of great fucking points.

The reason it was so heavily XBOX is because Microsoft supported the Arcade for indie developers far more than Sony ever will...I'm sure some other WATMMer is more familiar with that than me and will chime in.

I really liked Braid guy, he's just a sensitive sort is all. He comes across as pretentious in general but I think it's pretty clear he's just really passionate about his work.

Good film. Though I found Phil Fish to be an infuriating twat.

I did, too, but I also found him a bit endearing.

Honestly, Indie Game was a glimpse into the now extinct mode of art creation where an artist pours their entire fucking soul into something, whether it works or not.

Everything now is top down modeled. Throngs of underpaid and overworked artists are merely told what to create, based on research from focus groups and the conniving greed of capitalists. :(