Last Movie You Watched

Started by Drasko, April 06, 2007, 07:51:03 AM

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Maciek

Quote from: SonicMan on April 12, 2007, 04:52:37 PM
Hannah & Her Sisters

Love that one too.

My wife actually thinks Woody Allen is handsome, very sexy, and generally "her type", BTW. That gets me a bit depressed (I assume I'm "her type" too)... ;)

Drasko

Quote from: Bunny on April 12, 2007, 02:01:17 PM
Is that still around?  I can remember seeing that when it first came out.  Impressive the first time, but less so on second viewing.  The symbolism, the metaphor of the family for the German nation, etc. all grew a bit heavy especially with the emphasis on the sexual perversions of certain family members.  Visually striking, but in the end not as satisfying when the shock of the images wore off.

I'm rather huge fan of Visconti's late visual style (staging of the shots, wide angles with slow panning, impeccable art direction) so I'm willing to overlook some evidently unconvincing moments in the plot and Berger's bit onesided portrayal of family heir (he'll give a staggering performance few years later in Ludwig - integral 4+ hours version is recently released on DVD with Engish subtitles for the first time afaik). Symbolism is perhaps heavy and obvious but not overdone in my opinion. As for shock factor, I'm afraid I've become immune long time ago.


Don Giovanni

'Andrei Rublev' by Andrei Tarkovsky


Rather like Goethe said "Architecture is frozen music," this film, in all in stunning beauty, is like moving poetry. Almost every frame is wonderful and it being black-and-white only adds to its mysterious seductiveness.

Has anyone seen Andrei Rublev? What do you think of the rest of Tarkovsky's work?

Maciek

I'm one of those strange people who do not generally love Tarkovsky. I do make one exception though - I think The Sacrifice is one of the greatest cinema masterpieces ever. Two films that I like but with reservations are Mirror and Stalker. Rublov just never did it for me, Solaris I find a frightful bore, and there's absolutely nothing special about My Name is Ivan / Ivan's Childhood. I don't think I've ever seen Nostalghia...

Don Giovanni

Fair enough. Rublev is frightfully slow most of the time. It would have bored me but I just decided to enjoy it for its imagery and stopped wanting to be thrilled.

Maciek

But among my "cinemaphile" friends every single one tells me Rublov is a masterpiece! Oh, well, another one unrecognized (by me)... ::)

Don Giovanni

You're obvioulsy well versed in foreign cinema. May I ask, which other directors do you like? Do you have a favourite film making nation?

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Maciek

Quote from: Don Giovanni on April 13, 2007, 12:17:57 PM
You're obviously well versed in foreign cinema. May I ask, which other directors do you like? Do you have a favourite film making nation?

I'm from Europe, so "foreign" is less foreign for me ;) And actually, when I was at University, for 2 years I listened to almost no classical music at all. Instead, I watched 1-3 films a day (seriously! :o) - I twice bought a year-pass to a Warsaw cinema specializing in the history of cinematography. It was great fun but afterwards the prices changed and I had to give up. ;D

Anyway, if I had to make a list of favorites, it would have to be very long ;). So I'll just give you the top name for now. My favorite film director (by far!) is Ingmar Bergman. But stay away from his earliest movies - he made a few really corny comedies and melodramas at the beginning. Unbearable to watch! And as far as comedies are concerned, his later ones aren't much better either, IMO. ;D

I've forgotten a lot of the stuff I've seen at the "Iluzjon" (that was the name of the cinema) but I'm still pretty well versed in Polish cinema (I think), so if you ever need any recommendations in that department, shoot away! :)

Cheers,
Maciek

Don Giovanni

By 'foreign cinema' I meant anything not in English. Thinking about it, that's a rather self-centred view for English speakers to take. I should have said 'world cinema'.

Bergman! Along with Fellini, he is my favourite director. During Persona I had my most important cinematic experience. I would say that it is one of the ten greatest films of all time. I like the way it makes use of Brecht's Verfremdungseffekt to show the viewer that film is, after all, artificial. The second half of the film (the part following Elisabet's stepping on the glass) is one of the most wildly ambiguous parts in cinema, for me.

Needless to say, films like 'The Seventh Seal' and 'Wild Strawberries' are great but I don't think they can compare to 'Persona'

Drasko

Quote from: Don Giovanni on April 13, 2007, 01:10:11 PM


Bergman! Along with Fellini, he is my favourite director. During Persona I had my most important cinematic experience. I would say that it is one of the ten greatest films of all time. I like the way it makes use of Brecht's Verfremdungseffekt to show the viewer that film is, after all, artificial. The second half of the film (the part following Elisabet's stepping on the glass) is one of the most wildly ambiguous parts in cinema, for me.

Needless to say, films like 'The Seventh Seal' and 'Wild Strawberries' are great but I don't think they can compare to 'Persona'

That is pretty impressive taste for a 15 year old  8)

Don Giovanni

Well, I got bored with reproduced Hollywood films that have no substance and rely on plots that have been used many times before.

People think that Bergman can be pretentious at times (which I do agree with) but his films interest me. Sometimes I want to watch a film as art, not just as entertainment. Don't get me wrong, I don't spend all my time watching highly philosophical, black-and-white Swedish films: I too enjoy some light entertainment.


Maciek

Quote from: Don Giovanni on April 14, 2007, 04:13:26 AM
Well, I got bored with reproduced Hollywood films that have no substance and rely on plots that have been used many times before.

The plots aren't really the point in Hollywood films. Actually, I don't think they would even work if the plots were too original. ;D

Quote
People think that Bergman can be pretentious at times

NEVER!!!

(Well, except for the few early films I mentioned. And those lousy comedies - why did he ever make them?)

Don Giovanni

Well I think that some of his really philosophical films (Persona) are quite pretentious. Not that that's a bad thing! We need a bit of pretentiousness every so often.  :)

George

In about 7 minutes on TCM:


The BIG Sleep


I've never seen it, actually.  :)

Bogey

Quote from: George on April 14, 2007, 11:54:53 AM
In about 7 minutes on TCM:


The BIG Sleep


I've never seen it, actually.  :)

Great movie!
There will never be another era like the Golden Age of Hollywood.  We didn't know how to blow up buildings then so we had no choice but to tell great stories with great characters.-Ben Mankiewicz


Bogey

Quote from: George on April 14, 2007, 11:58:10 AM
I knew you'd approve!  ;D

That first scene with Bogey with Charles Waldron (Gen. Sternwood) may just be his finest scene ever in my books.  Man does he nail it!
There will never be another era like the Golden Age of Hollywood.  We didn't know how to blow up buildings then so we had no choice but to tell great stories with great characters.-Ben Mankiewicz

Solitary Wanderer

Watched this last night:



It was very good but not great despite it various awards. It was predictable and a downer although it had its touching moments and moment of redemption at the end.
'I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.' ~ Emily Bronte