817 replies to this topic

[Magnus Malcolm]

Now here's an..interesting film (for which the idea of discussing I completely stole from Pavement Ist Rad). I love portions of it, and could easily do without others. Some sequences just feel unnecessary.

Thoughts on the film?

[brainstorm]

Now here's an..interesting film (for which the idea of discussing I completely stole from Pavement Ist Rad). I love portions of it, and could easily do without others. Some sequences just feel unnecessary.

Thoughts on the film?

Loved it. Rarely have I laughed so hard, only to catch myself and say, "Dude, that wasn't funny!"

best dialogue:

"Would you do... that to me, Dad?"

"Of course not! ...I'd probably just jerk you off."

or words to that effect

[Magnus Malcolm]

Now here's an..interesting film (for which the idea of discussing I completely stole from Pavement Ist Rad). I love portions of it, and could easily do without others. Some sequences just feel unnecessary.

Thoughts on the film?

Loved it. Rarely have I laughed so hard, only to catch myself and say, "Dude, that wasn't funny!"

best dialogue:

"Would you do... that to me, Dad?"

"Of course not! ...I'd probably just jerk you off."

or words to that effect

I think I need to find a better sense of humor, because that part hit me hard, I didn't find it funny in the least. That said, I had the same reaction to other parts that I found funny.

I think I actually like the opening best, with all the depressing dialogue, followed by the immediate cut the to the title card "Happiness."

Great performances all around, that's for sure.

[QWERTY Hate Machine]

Great topic. I'm currently undertaking one of those absurdly geeky projects where I "try to watch every movie ever made! Chronologically!". Right now I'm somewhere between 1909 and 1913. Glad to be done with most of those tiny Edison films, would've liked to see more Melies and Alice Guy but they aren't very readily available. Anyway, I'm currently on a DVD set of D.W. Griffith shorts, and will soon be moving onto Judith of Bethulia, Cabiria and hopefully in about two weeks, Birth of a Nation.

So with all the film geeks on this board, any of you got opinions/recommendations from this oldest of movie eras?

If you haven't seen a good collection of the Lumiere Brothers films from the late 1890's/early 1900's, those are some of my favorites from the era. I think they had a gentle humanity intrinsic to their observational style, and some very elegant compositions. Some of it can be very dry, but it's captivating to see small moments when the subjects lose their affectation, or something unplanned happens. I can't remember the title, but I remember one film featured a tracking shot with a bunch of children chasing the cameraman, as if he were even operating a handheld. One of my favorites, and very unusual for the time, even for the Lumieres.

Melies is exciting for the sheer imagination at work, and the obvious fun he is having experimenting with the form and the new tools. But it's always been a little too crudely realized to get me really giddy. And I'm TRYING to grant some lenience because of the period-- I just can't let it go.

As you get past the 1910's and into the '20's, that's where silent cinema really starts to reach a state of the art, in my opinion. Some real visionaries were at work there. . .

I think Eisenstein had some of the most beautiful images (in that you can take a still frame from almost any point of the film, and it will make a nice photograph), and obviously a lot has been said about his editing techniques. Potemkin is a true masterpiece, and Strike and October are nothing to scoff at. I can mostly take or leave Griffith, although I respect what he did for the medium. But I love Eisenstein.

Fritz Lang was fantastic, and not just starting with the obvious Metropolis and then M; check out the Mabuse films and particularly both parts of Die Nibelungen: Siegfried and Kriemhild's Revenge. Totally different films, but they're both fantastic. And I've never heard anything to corroborate this, but I swear to God-- Kriemhild HAS to be the main inspiration for Death in Bergman's The Seventh Seal many years later.

But my personal favorite of the era, and for my money possibly one of the Top 5 film directors of all time (certainly Top 10)-- F.W. Murnau is just incredible. I'm kind of embarrassed that I've only seen four of his films (Nosferatu, The Last Laugh, Sunrise, and Tabu), but the first three AT LEAST are all masterpieces, to my mind. Sunrise is a Top 10 film of all time, for me.

And don't miss Abel Gance's La Roue. I enjoyed it probably more than the much-more-widely-praised Napoleon.

[caley]

I read somewhere that the new Malick flick has to do with the tree of life, stars Brad Pitt, and might feature aliens. Needles to say, I'm stoked. I'd rate them 1. Thin Red Line, 2. The New World, 3. Days of Heaven, 4. Badlands (The gap between 2 and 3 is pretty small, the gap between 3 and 4 is pretty wide).

[theremin]

zero effect is fucking great. rewatched that this year.

[Pavement Ist Rad]

Re: Happiness

Happiness is hard to really pin down. It's in the "drama" section, but is it a "drama"? Serious themes, of course, but something about the film makes it feel more like some sort of weird parallel universe post-modern/post-everything blacker than black comedy. Yet at the same time, portions of the film like the "I'd jerk off" scene and the "YOU WERE FUCKING RAPED!!!!!" bit are done sincerely, not in some post-ironic shock manner. Maybe it's the color scheme or the music score or the final scene with the little kid finally "shooting his goal," but I can't help but consider Happiness to be less than a very strange comedy of sorts. There's a comedic layer over much of the film, albeit a very dry and deadpan one. Characters like those played by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jon Lovitz are pathetic to an unsettlingly funny degree. Lovitz's scene in the restaurant doesn't drain every good feeling out of my body. It's funny! Not saying that people breaking down and failing at life are always funny, but the desperation in Lovitz's character is so overblown that it works on that level. You mentioned the title card's juxtaposition with the Lovitz scene, and I'd say that's a pretty big theme in the film, and affects how the viewer sees both the "dark" world in the film and the "light" one. The pedophile's wife is a good example. Her overblown sunniness informs how we see her husband's compulsions, and the inverse of that. Eh, it's hard to explain. I guess the film doesn't pretend that a story about perverts and serial rapists can't be devoid of humour, which I would assume might happen with a more conventional "drama" concerning such topics. But that's Todd Solondz for you. Dude's a weirdo.

[QWERTY Hate Machine]

Satire. And black-as-hell comedy. But yeah, that general tone just sets you up for the genuine horror of the father-son "I'd just jerk off instead" moment, which is one of the "best" in the movie. Dylan Baker was genius in that movie. I have to rewatch it at some point-- haven't seen it since that first time in the theater, when it came out, but it's seared in my mind. I think it's ripe for revisiting.

[Magnus Malcolm]

I read somewhere that the new Malick flick has to do with the tree of life, stars Brad Pitt, and might feature aliens.

Needles to say, I'm stoked.

I'd heard this too. I wish Malick didn't take so long between films, but I suppose that's just his method. Let's just hope he doesn't hit another gap like in between Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line...

[Agrimorfee]

Have you seen 8MM? It was panned, and I can see why, but I feel that there's some genius in it.

And that genius's name is Peter Stormare.

And to be sure, Stormare was awesome in 8MM. I think there's something worthwhile in the film though, I actually think I'll post a big statement on its behalf once I getting around to writing one worth reading.

The genius was the first 15 minutes.

[Magnus Malcolm]

Have you seen 8MM? It was panned, and I can see why, but I feel that there's some genius in it.

And that genius's name is Peter Stormare.

And to be sure, Stormare was awesome in 8MM. I think there's something worthwhile in the film though, I actually think I'll post a big statement on its behalf once I getting around to writing one worth reading.

The genius was the first 15 minutes.

It's probably just one of those movies that isn't very good that I like a lot anyway, everyone seems to have them. Yet, I for whatever reason believe there's more to it. I wish I'd seen it recently (I should just pick it up) as it's been 2 years or so, but I feel that the movie is pretty interesting. First off, the lackluster last quarter or so, I decided, most likely wrongly, that this was intentional. In many films it's some ridiculously exciting conspiracy, but in the end of 8MM, it was pretty much all the obvious players, which struck a cord with me as more reality than the exciting conclusion contained in many films. I felt the same about

Spoiler

Phoenix's pretty sudden death

. Then Cage's ridiculous moment where he

Spoiler

called the girl's mother for "permission" to kill the guy

. I felt that this represented something about the human mind, that people seeking vengeance/about to commit a evil deed, want approval/justification from another, and that it made it that easy for him when she said kill him interested me. Then the ending, where's he's back home, sure, he looks at his wife, but he's still outside, there's no way he's going back to normalcy. The whole film seems to take place in this harsh world where the main character can get away/succeed at anything, I don't know I just really dug it. An example of this, is when he finds the diary or whatever it was in the toilet. The police had already searched the house, would they really not have checked there?

[tager]

Now here's an..interesting film (for which the idea of discussing I completely stole from Pavement Ist Rad). I love portions of it, and could easily do without others. Some sequences just feel unnecessary.

Thoughts on the film?

Loved it. Rarely have I laughed so hard, only to catch myself and say, "Dude, that wasn't funny!"

best dialogue:

"Would you do... that to me, Dad?"

"Of course not! ...I'd probably just jerk you off."

or words to that effect

I think I need to find a better sense of humor, because that part hit me hard, I didn't find it funny in the least. That said, I had the same reaction to other parts that I found funny.

I think I actually like the opening best, with all the depressing dialogue, followed by the immediate cut the to the title card "Happiness."

Great performances all around, that's for sure.

My favorite scene was the Polish guy singing "You Light Up My Life". Fantastic.

[Asher Ford]

Great topic. I'm currently undertaking one of those absurdly geeky projects where I "try to watch every movie ever made! Chronologically!". Right now I'm somewhere between 1909 and 1913. Glad to be done with most of those tiny Edison films, would've liked to see more Melies and Alice Guy but they aren't very readily available. Anyway, I'm currently on a DVD set of D.W. Griffith shorts, and will soon be moving onto Judith of Bethulia, Cabiria and hopefully in about two weeks, Birth of a Nation.

So with all the film geeks on this board, any of you got opinions/recommendations from this oldest of movie eras?

If you haven't seen a good collection of the Lumiere Brothers films from the late 1890's/early 1900's, those are some of my favorites from the era. I think they had a gentle humanity and intrinsic to their observational style, and some very elegant compositions. Some of it can be very dry, but it's captivating to see small moments when the subjects lose their affectation, or something unplanned happens. I can't remember the title, but I remember one film featured a tracking shot with a bunch of children chasing the cameraman, as if he were even operating a handheld. One of my favorites, and very unusual for the time, even for the Lumieres.

Melies is exciting for the sheer imagination at work, and the obvious fun he is having experimenting with the form and the new tools. But it's always been a little too crudely realized to get me really giddy. And I'm TRYING to grant some lenience because of the period-- I just can't let it go.

Thanks for the extensive reply. I have seen quite a few Lumiere films from the library, and I too enjoyed them immensely. Because of the simplicity, the tiniest creative thoughts come across as incredibly charming. I particularly love the one where they play parts of the film backwards while destructing a wall, so it rebuilds itself on film.

Also in total agreement on Melies. His fantastical ideas are a joy to watch, but the lack of strong narrative (especially in A Trip to the Moon) is offputting. I much preferred his less narrative more trick-oriented films. This is one of my favorites:





As far as the later silents, I'm definitely looking forward to them, but my project is progressing very slowly. My goal is to be through 1919 by the end of July lol.

[Slrpy Nozzell]

Zero Effect- Haven't seen it.

bump it to the top of your list--odd slice o' genius

Have you seen 8MM? It was panned, and I can see why, but I feel that there's some genius in it.

And that genius's name is Peter Stormare.

That guy lived in my building when he was on Prison Break. Really creepy guy to ride alone in an elevator with.

[held]

But my personal favorite of the era, and for my money possibly one of the Top 5 film directors of all time (certainly Top 10)-- F.W. Murnau is just incredible. I'm kind of embarrassed that I've only seen four of his films (Nosferatu, The Last Laugh, Sunrise, and Tabu), but the first three AT LEAST are all masterpieces, to my mind. Sunrise is a Top 10 film of all time, for me.

I'm not sure how widely available any of Murnnau's other films are and a vast number of the silent era pics are just gone because of the nitrate prints that just disintigrated over time.

I agree with Qwerty. The first three are must see's

Here's a chronological listing and I've highlighted the ones I'd recommend (or at least can say I've seen)

Pre-1920
Le Voyage Dans La Lune (A Trip to the Moon) (1902, Fr.)
The Great Train Robbery (1903)
David Copperfield (1913, England)
A Traffic in Souls (1913)
Cabiria (1914, Italy)
Gertie, The Trained Dinosaur (1914)
The Perils of Pauline (1914)
The Squaw Man (1914)
The Birth of a Nation (1915)
The Cheat (1915)
Les Vampires (1915-16, France)
Regeneration (1915)
Intolerance (1916)
The Immigrant (1917)
Joan the Woman (1917)
The Outlaw and His Wife (1917, Sweden)
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1917)
The Sinking of the Lusitania (1918)
Stella Maris (1918)
Blind Husbands (1919)
Broken Blossoms (1919)
Male and Female (1919)
True Heart Susie (1919)

1920
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920, Germany)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)
The Golem (1920, Germany)
The Last of the Mohicans (1920)
The Mark of Zorro (1920)
The Penalty (1920)
Way Down East (1920)

1921
Destiny (1921, Germany)
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921)
The Kid (1921)
Orphans of the Storm (1921)
The Sheik (1921)
The Three Musketeers (1921)
Tol'able David (1921)

1922
Blood and Sand (1922)
Cops (1922)
Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler (1922, Germany)
Foolish Wives (1922)
Nanook of the North (1922)
Nosferatu, the Vampire (1922, Germany)
Robin Hood (1922)
Tess of the Storm Country (1922)
Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922, Sweden)

1923
Anna Christie (1923)
The Covered Wagon (1923)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)
Our Hospitality (1923)
Safety Last (1923)
Scaramouche (1923)
The Ten Commandments (1923)
A Woman of Paris (1923)

1924
Aelita (1924)
America (1924)
Girl Shy (1924)
Greed (1924)
He Who Gets Slapped (1924)
The Iron Horse (1924)
Isn't Life Wonderful? (1924)
Kriemhild's Revenge (1924, Germany)
The Last Laugh (1924, Germany)
The Marriage Circle (1924)
The Navigator (1924)
Peter Pan (1924)
Sherlock, Jr. (1924)
Strike (1924, USSR)
The Thief of Bagdad (1924)

1925
The Big Parade (1925)
The Battleship Potemkin (1925, USSR)
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
Body and Soul (1925)

The Freshman (1925)
The Gold Rush (1925)
Go West (1925)
The Joyless Street (1925, Germany)
The Lost World (1925)
The Merry Widow (1925)
The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Seven Chances (1925)
Tumbleweeds (1925)
The Unholy Three (1925)

1926
Battling Butler (1926)
Beau Geste (1926)
The Black Pirate (1926)
Don Juan (1926)
Faust (1926, Germany)
Flesh and the Devil (1926)
Hands Up! (1926)
The Lodger (1926, England)
The Scarlet Letter (1926)
The Son of the Sheik (1926)
Sparrows (1926)
The Strong Man (1926)
The Student of Prague (1926, Germany)
What Price Glory? (1926)

1927
The Cat and the Canary (1927)
College (1927)
Flesh and the Devil (1927)
The General (1927)
It (1927)
The Jazz Singer (1927) (mostly silent)
The Kid Brother (1927)
The King of Kings (1927)
Man, Woman and Sin (1927)
Metropolis (1927, Germany)
My Best Girl (1927)
Napoleon (1927, France)
Seventh Heaven (1927)
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927)
Sunrise (1927)
Underworld (1927)
The Unknown (1927)
The Way of All Flesh (1927)
Wings (1927)

1928
Beggars of Life (1928)
The Cameraman (1928)
Un Chien Andalou (1928, France)
The Circus (1928)
The Crowd (1928)
The Docks of New York (1928)
A Girl in Every Port (1928)
The Last Command (1928)
The Man Who Laughs (1928)
October (1928, USSR)
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928, France)
Queen Kelly (1928)
Sadie Thompson (1928)
Show People (1928)
Speedy (1928)
Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)
The Wedding March (1928)
West of Zanzibar (1928)
The Wind (1928)

1929
Big Business (1929)
The Circus (1929)
The Diary of a Lost Girl (1929, Germany)
The Iron Mask (1929)
Liberty (1929)
Man with a Movie Camera (1929, USSR)
Pandora's Box (1929, Germany)
Seven Footprints to Satan (1929)
A Woman of Affairs (1929)

1930
Earth (1930, USSR)

1931
City Lights (1931)
Tabu (1931)

[Finn McCool]

In the mid-80s, River's Edge was pretty freakin' controversial. It made teenagers look amoral (the horror... the horror...)

Positvely one of the greatest American movies ever made. Totally of it's time but totally timeless. Crispin Glover, Dennis Hopper, Ione Skye (she's the cheese & I'm the macaroni), Keanu Reeves - all of them in their best performances in this movie. Oh, the dialogue alone is enough but everything about this movie is incredible. The awkward scene with a confused cop asking why they call the killer "John" and it's because his last name rhymes with 'toilet'? What!? Oh! Oh! And that Reeves' creepy ass little brother!? Shoots fish in the barrel with his creepy ass little friend?! I thought that was Tony's (from here - you know, the dude who likes death so much) avatar...turns out it was Billy Joel.

Best insult ever: "FOOD EATER!"

[Asher Ford]

Here's a chronological listing and I've highlighted the ones I'd recommend (or at least can say I've seen)


David Copperfield (1913, England)
A Traffic in Souls (1913)
Cabiria (1914, Italy)
Gertie, The Trained Dinosaur (1914)
The Perils of Pauline (1914)
The Squaw Man (1914)
The Birth of a Nation (1915)
The Cheat (1915)
Les Vampires (1915-16, France)
Regeneration (1915)

How did you see Les Vampires? I've had trouble finding it and Perils on Netflix. Thanks for the list though, I'll add several of these to my to-look-for list.

[theremin]

That guy lived in my building when he was on Prison Break. Really creepy guy to ride alone in an elevator with.

I was an extra on prison break. Stormare splashed me with water. That was cool.

[Agrimorfee]

The Ten Commandments (1923)

If you can't find it, this is bundled in the 50th Anniversary 1956 remake DVD set.