Films Recently Watched

  On 1/22/2013 at 7:02 PM, The Overlook said:

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.

but wasn't the point of the film that this type of 2 man game making team is on the rise not the decline?

  On 1/22/2013 at 6:54 PM, The Overlook said:

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

bordering...?

  On 1/22/2013 at 3:57 PM, THIS IS MICHAEL JACKSON said:

you're looking for artsy stuff right?

please don't

i'm not looking for artsy movies (whatever it means), looking for interesting flicks that came out and had something (somewhat) new to tell

what are you saying Overlook? there's still a lot of indie developing out there.. (also a lot of artforms that could be compared) the thing is you won't get rich out of it, the biggest amount of consumers only take that what is advertised/marketed to shit or is easy to digest.

I know a guy who's really into the indie game developing and all, and he supposedly cried because he could relate really well to what the guys were going through (that or he's just a lil bitch).

  On 1/22/2013 at 10:46 PM, vincentvc said:

  On 1/22/2013 at 3:57 PM, THIS IS MICHAEL JACKSON said:

you're looking for artsy stuff right?

 

please don't

i'm not looking for artsy movies (whatever it means), looking for interesting flicks that came out and had something (somewhat) new to tell

well, maybe i don't know what the word artsy really means...

  On 1/22/2013 at 7:02 PM, The Overlook said:

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

Same here. What a desperate soul.

  On 1/22/2013 at 7:02 PM, The Overlook said:

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. :(

Why is it extinct? If anything, it has only gotten easier to get funding and distribution with stuff like kickstarter and greenlight.

On a related note. I saw Minecraft: The Mojang Story which I can't recommend. The story is obviously heartwarming. A good hearted guy becoming successful keeping his modesty and not succumbing to become a corporate machine. The documentary isn't made well. Shows nothing new, repeats itself over and over again and uses too much footage for the sake of using the footage.

  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.

I can't say Himizu is really any of those things. It is quite sad and powerful though, and I recommend it to everyone.

I found Holy Motors became less fascinating the longer it went on as each scene became less interesting than the last. Certainly my mouth was wide open in awe for much of the first half because I had no idea what it was about, either before I intended to watch it and during, and it was all so well shot.

Don't know if you've seen Dogtooth, but that's similarly what am I witnessing as Holy Motors.

  On 1/22/2013 at 11:02 PM, THIS IS MICHAEL JACKSON said:

  On 1/22/2013 at 10:46 PM, vincentvc said:

  On 1/22/2013 at 3:57 PM, THIS IS MICHAEL JACKSON said:

you're looking for artsy stuff right?

 

please don't

i'm not looking for artsy movies (whatever it means), looking for interesting flicks that came out and had something (somewhat) new to tell

 

well, maybe i don't know what the word artsy really means...

  On 1/22/2013 at 11:22 PM, Suffocate Peon said:

Don't know if you've seen Dogtooth, but that's similarly what am I witnessing as Holy Motors.

well, maybe i do know after all...

My writing above was sloppy. What I meant to communicate is that until things like Kickstarter, Indie Go Go, etc. and the advent of the XBOX Arcade, independent media making - perhaps most acutely within the gaming industry - was fucking dead as dogshit.

There was a solid decade where independently developed games, with the exception of random backwaters of the internets, did not have a platform for distribution.

I remember a great interview with Chris Connolly of all people where he labeled the 2000-2010 decade as The Empire Strikes Back, because almost everything from Hollywood or the music industry was created by producers and focus groups.

i don't really agree with the music aspect of that. and then it seems like hollywood is just going even more in that direction.

Keep in mind he was referring exclusively to the things we hear or see in the mainstream, and yes, Hollywood is more intensely this way then even 10 years ago. It's just pointless anymore.

The Impossible - hey, not bad! It's like young Spielberg circa Empire of the Sun, as well crafted but also as emotionally manipulative. But well-acted by almost everyone involved, and very nicely directed. Not much to it, but good for what it was. Good wholesome family entertainment. 7.5 or 8 out of 10.

The Artist - There's a good reason why this was so widely available for free on popular streaming services. Because it fucking sucked. What a boring sack of shit.

I've no idea why that was so beloved. Without the gimmick, which was interesting for precisely 30 seconds, this was cliche to the point I thought maybe it was a big in-joke.

  On 1/22/2013 at 9:48 AM, Awepittance said:

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 Have you ever jacked in? Have you ever wiretripped?

fixed

  On 1/23/2013 at 8:04 PM, baph said:

  On 1/22/2013 at 9:48 AM, Awepittance said:

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 Have you ever jacked in? Have you ever wiretripped?

 

fixed

Yeah, that trailer is now the most lolorific thing in the universe.

  On 1/23/2013 at 7:48 PM, The Overlook said:

The Artist - There's a good reason why this was so widely available for free on popular streaming services. Because it fucking sucked. What a boring sack of shit.

 

I've no idea why that was so beloved. Without the gimmick, which was interesting for precisely 30 seconds, this was cliche to the point I thought maybe it was a big in-joke.

this makes me clench my fist when i see it in stores. most punchable dvd ever.

too much playback

Is strange days really that bad? I remember thinking it was pretty great back in '95.

it makes Lawnmower man look like a masterpiece in comparison

Strange Days - 9/10 Quite enjoyable with an interesting concept and emotional core. Also great sequences/visuals.

heh. I remember really wanting to like Strange Days when it came out, but being disappointed. I had a big art-house boner for Ralph Feinnes after Schindler's List, but he was a bit disappointing. And at the time I found the rape sequence really disturbing (I wonder if I'd find it that way now, probably not). One funny thing I seem to recall about the film is it being blatantly white guilt (like Django) where all the black people are saints who get unjustly brutalized and the white guys are the devils. I also remember loving Angela Bassett in it. And I remember Juliette Lewis' horrible singing (Hole? I shudder...) and flashbacks with her on rollerskates on venice beach, lol. Juliette Lewis' entire career is a mystery to me. She always seems like a nutty bipolar skank but for some reason there was a long stretch of time where she was cast as the love interest in a bunch of popular "edgy" films. It's sort of like casting Shelly Duvall in something, I just don't understand it. She seems like a nice enough person, but why would anyone want to watch that...

I think she actuallly did the songs herself, if I'm not mistaken she was in a band at the time. I'm pretty sure I know a guy that bought her music and thought it was the best thing ever.

Another anecdote: when I first saw what's eating gilbert grape I found it disturbing that johnny depp was dating the tarded girl, and that she seemed pretty normal for a mentally handicapped actress.

ivan's childhood - 6/10

they live - 9/10

c'mon, give us more than just the base score. Curious to hear what you thought of both films.

Just saw Killing Them Softly, it was a bit heavy handed at times (ok more than a bit), but it cast some of the same hypnotic spell for me that Assassination of Jesse James did. Not sure who the cinematographer is on Dominik's films, but they are really lovely to look at. Brad Pitt did quite well too. James Gandolfini just acted like Tony Soprano again. What is up with Ray Liotta, something about that guy just gives off the vibe that he has bodies in his basement. Dialogue was mostly sharp. I know I have a fondness for slow films so others might not like it. Didn't really have any surprises, it's more of a mood piece. 7.5 or 8 out of 10.

Flesh + Blood - 10/10

Hollow Man - 7.7/10

I would rate Strange Days as a 7.8/10 because the concept wasn't bad and it was generally better than most things. Worth watching after you've sucked the whole genre dry to the point of desperation, but not until then.

  On 1/24/2013 at 7:01 PM, lumpenprol said:

c'mon, give us more than just the base score. Curious to hear what you thought of both films.

 

Just saw Killing Them Softly, it was a bit heavy handed at times (ok more than a bit), but it cast some of the same hypnotic spell for me that Assassination of Jesse James did. Not sure who the cinematographer is on Dominik's films, but they are really lovely to look at. Brad Pitt did quite well too. James Gandolfini just acted like Tony Soprano again. What is up with Ray Liotta, something about that guy just gives off the vibe that he has bodies in his basement. Dialogue was mostly sharp. I know I have a fondness for slow films so others might not like it. Didn't really have any surprises, it's more of a mood piece. 7.5 or 8 out of 10.

tarkovsky is hit or miss for me. ivan's childhood was boring and lacked the emotional substance of his better films. felt a lot longer than 90 minutes. they live is a classic, my second favorite john carpenter behind the thing. just a rewatch because i picked it up on blu ray.

that's a very forgiving score for killing them softly. i thought they laid the political commentary on so thick that the movie collapsed. because, you know, they play cspan and msnbc at bars that mob guys frequent in working class neighborhoods. and then the base story is so generic and dull that the allegorical aspects of the film seem that much more shoehorned in. but yes, i guess it looked nice. i'd give it a 4/10. huge disappointment.

  On 1/24/2013 at 7:01 PM, lumpenprol said:

What is up with Ray Liotta, something about that guy just gives off the vibe that he has bodies in his basement.

Liotta is a weirdo. He made a couple (horrible) films at my company and spent hours every morning lying on a couch getting free therapy from our motion graphics designer.

By the way, Dominik has used a different DP on all his films. Deakins on Assassination, Greig Fraser on Killing Them.