The GMD Movie Club Thread
- Thread starter no country for old wainds
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rms
Active Member
Started Uzumaki...very much feels like a manga which I learned is exactly what it is 
well see how the second half finishes
well see how the second half finishes
CiG
Aaaaaaaah!
Vegard Pompey
ALLY TO GOOD, NIGHTMARE TO YOU
Same, finished my last exam yesterday so I should be able to knock one or two of these out over the weekend.
rms
Active Member
not great finish...all love for Krow but I don't think this fits with the theme either. Some fun kind of body horror ala The Grudge...but not for me, overall. 1.5/5Started Uzumaki...very much feels like a manga which I learned is exactly what it is
- Nov 23, 2002
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Vegard Pompey
ALLY TO GOOD, NIGHTMARE TO YOU
I can't remember ever hearing the phrase "simon-pure" before, and today I've heard it twice; once in "F for Fake" and once in a youtube playthrough of the new Saints Row game. Fucking Baader-Meinhof phenomenon!
Anyway, I thought the movie was kind of unbearable, but I'll let it sit with me a while and see if I think better of it. Detailed thoughts later.
Anyway, I thought the movie was kind of unbearable, but I'll let it sit with me a while and see if I think better of it. Detailed thoughts later.
Bloopy
Active Member
I'd never heard that phrase either. Ironically it reminded me you lot are watching Henry Fool because there's a character named Simon in that.
CiG
Aaaaaaaah!
Henry Fool; in an alternate reality Kevin Smith goes on to make weird autistic shit like this after Clerks.
Interesting how it hits on some proto-MAGA stuff. The candidate Kevin Corrigan's character is canvassing for sounds an awful lot like Trump. Also interesting how Internet censorship is a theme here considering it's a film from 1997.
It took me an embarrasing amount of time to recognise that Simon (James Urbaniak) is the same actor who played Rolf in The Office lmfao. Polar opposites!
At times it felt like Henry represented Simon's repressed consciousness or his spirit (masculinity?) in some sense. Henry seems to exist outside of the shared reality of the rest of the cast. He's openly artistic while Simon is secretly artistic. He's openly vulgar and confident while Simon just awkwardly stares at women. He's openly violent while Simon is nonconfrontational. Henry (arguably; she's doped up on pills) rapes Simon's mother while Simon clearly has an unhealthy relationship with her (see; Oedipus complex).
I'm not sure if all of that is just me though, because clearly this entire film is pretty unorthodox in its style. I read that Faust and Mephistopheles were some inspiration for the characters but I didn't know that until after watching it.
This is the kind of film I'm looking forward to revisiting say a year from now to see what I can glean from it. I'm honestly pretty keen to see what others say about it, because it's a weird one for sure. Also surprisingly laugh-out-loud funny for a black dramedy.
Vegard Pompey
ALLY TO GOOD, NIGHTMARE TO YOU
I also watched Henry Fool. I would post my incomplete thoughts but certain work needs to be experienced all at once in order for one to appreciate the full force of its character.
Krow
Garbage Connoisseur
So I watched these shits. Scaling everything up +2 points so it doesnt feel so dismal. Shit commentary if any.
Uzumaki
5/5. Truly higher art than some may be able to comprehend
Drive My Car
3/5 Best thing about this film is the original title is almost identical to the americanized title if you read it like youre retarded. Who the evershittingfuck decided to submit a three hour movie. I probably made dinner, shit, fucked my wife and/or jacked off while this was playing and cant remember why I even bothered. I was gonna post a gif but when I googled Drive My Car sex gif all I got was porn. better than this anyway.
F For Fake
4/5 This was alright. Probably never watch it or think about it again but at least you didnt bore my eyepussies to death.
Henry Fool
3.75/5 not quite as ass rammingly long as drive my car off a fuckin bridge so i gotta rate it higher but still couldnt hold my attention. Kinda painful but at least used spit instead of no lube at all.
This experience was 9.5/10 as bad as I thought it was going to be. fuck you all.
Uzumaki
5/5. Truly higher art than some may be able to comprehend
Drive My Car
3/5 Best thing about this film is the original title is almost identical to the americanized title if you read it like youre retarded. Who the evershittingfuck decided to submit a three hour movie. I probably made dinner, shit, fucked my wife and/or jacked off while this was playing and cant remember why I even bothered. I was gonna post a gif but when I googled Drive My Car sex gif all I got was porn. better than this anyway.
F For Fake
4/5 This was alright. Probably never watch it or think about it again but at least you didnt bore my eyepussies to death.
Henry Fool
3.75/5 not quite as ass rammingly long as drive my car off a fuckin bridge so i gotta rate it higher but still couldnt hold my attention. Kinda painful but at least used spit instead of no lube at all.
This experience was 9.5/10 as bad as I thought it was going to be. fuck you all.
challenge_everything
Active Member
Drive My Car
This was a truly difficult one for me to assess as I was captivated and infuriated in equal proportions.
I loved the pacing of it, it felt unhurried without dragging, and necessary given the subject matter and the complexities of the characters (and in particular the peripheral characters who were perhaps even more interesting than the primary duo). A few of rehearsal scenes were a bit excessive but that's a minor quibble. To bring in the credits after that extended 'intro' was ballsy and inspired.
I have to give plenty of credit to Hamaguchi because the direction was virtually faultless, and most of my difficulties lie with the source material. Chekhov is insufferable and Murakami not much better.
I struggled to buy into the plot device of Oto reciting her stories during sex, but the scene where Takatsuki reveals the continuation of her unfinished story was enthralling. Takatsuki was the most interesting character of all and it was a shame when he disappeared from the movie.
I also struggled with the relationship between Yusuke and his driver. I get the surrogate father/daughter dynamic but the grim stoicism of the latter was hard to relate to. The notion that the two of them somehow heal each other's wounds was difficult to accept given that their relationship consisted basically of one of them sharing an intimate detail about their life, then the other responding by talking about themselves instead of actually engaging with the other.
The ending lacked a punch too.
Great pick for the theme though. I'm giving this a 3.5/5
This was a truly difficult one for me to assess as I was captivated and infuriated in equal proportions.
I loved the pacing of it, it felt unhurried without dragging, and necessary given the subject matter and the complexities of the characters (and in particular the peripheral characters who were perhaps even more interesting than the primary duo). A few of rehearsal scenes were a bit excessive but that's a minor quibble. To bring in the credits after that extended 'intro' was ballsy and inspired.
I have to give plenty of credit to Hamaguchi because the direction was virtually faultless, and most of my difficulties lie with the source material. Chekhov is insufferable and Murakami not much better.
I struggled to buy into the plot device of Oto reciting her stories during sex, but the scene where Takatsuki reveals the continuation of her unfinished story was enthralling. Takatsuki was the most interesting character of all and it was a shame when he disappeared from the movie.
I also struggled with the relationship between Yusuke and his driver. I get the surrogate father/daughter dynamic but the grim stoicism of the latter was hard to relate to. The notion that the two of them somehow heal each other's wounds was difficult to accept given that their relationship consisted basically of one of them sharing an intimate detail about their life, then the other responding by talking about themselves instead of actually engaging with the other.
The ending lacked a punch too.
It was always obvious that eventually Yusuke would step in to play Vanya but the performance didn't leave much of an impact.
Great pick for the theme though. I'm giving this a 3.5/5
challenge_everything
Active Member
F for Fake
Basically Orson Welles doing cinematic free jazz. Honestly some of the editing and structure here is complete dogshit, but I love it anyway. Maybe it's because I'm a Welles fanboy, but the insight into his personality is worth the price of admission alone. I could listen to him in raconteur mode all day.
Welles could hardly have found a better test case to explore the question of what good art is (originality vs technical quality vs reputation) than the impish art forger Elmyr de Hory. Sure the theme might be flogged to death somewhat but it still keeps me thinking after the credits roll.
The film flounders most notably when it deals with the Howard Hughes story; it's told in such choppy fashion that it seems to fail Welles' own analogy of the artist as magician/conman (ie it's so convoluted that you can hardly distinguish the set-up and the denouement).
Welles redeems himself during the final 30 minutes with the Picasso saga, precisely because it's told in a more linear fashion. And Welles is having such fun with it, I can't help but share his enthusiasm.
Citizen Kane was a work of utter originality when it came out and this continues the trajectory. It's so meta and self-deprecating, it feels 20 years ahead of its time.
4.5/5
Basically Orson Welles doing cinematic free jazz. Honestly some of the editing and structure here is complete dogshit, but I love it anyway. Maybe it's because I'm a Welles fanboy, but the insight into his personality is worth the price of admission alone. I could listen to him in raconteur mode all day.
Welles could hardly have found a better test case to explore the question of what good art is (originality vs technical quality vs reputation) than the impish art forger Elmyr de Hory. Sure the theme might be flogged to death somewhat but it still keeps me thinking after the credits roll.
The film flounders most notably when it deals with the Howard Hughes story; it's told in such choppy fashion that it seems to fail Welles' own analogy of the artist as magician/conman (ie it's so convoluted that you can hardly distinguish the set-up and the denouement).
Welles redeems himself during the final 30 minutes with the Picasso saga, precisely because it's told in a more linear fashion. And Welles is having such fun with it, I can't help but share his enthusiasm.
Citizen Kane was a work of utter originality when it came out and this continues the trajectory. It's so meta and self-deprecating, it feels 20 years ahead of its time.
4.5/5
CiG
Aaaaaaaah!
What better month to finally watch Uzumaki than Shlocktober???
This movie has brain damage! Big points for beautifully recreating some of the better visuals from the manga. Although there wasn't enough screen time given to the snail people for my satisfaction.
Ironically though, setting aside all of the Junji Ito visuals, the weirdest element of the film is the utterly bipolar tone. It ping-pongs around from somber to zany to ominous with all the subtlety of a battering ram. It's really only something I've seen the Japanese pull off. The acting is so stilted and shit-tier that after awhile it feels like you've been teleported into some surrealistic dimension, like the one the town this all takes place in seems to inhabit. Pure late night vibes.
As to whether it's thematic? Well there is Kirie's father who makes pots, and makes a spiral-patterned pot for Shuichi's father, who himself is making a video scrapbook of anything featuring a spiral, and considers the spiral to be the highest form of art. For me it all ties in with the theme enough.
Good shit, will definitely buy and watch again.
This movie has brain damage! Big points for beautifully recreating some of the better visuals from the manga. Although there wasn't enough screen time given to the snail people for my satisfaction.
As to whether it's thematic? Well there is Kirie's father who makes pots, and makes a spiral-patterned pot for Shuichi's father, who himself is making a video scrapbook of anything featuring a spiral, and considers the spiral to be the highest form of art. For me it all ties in with the theme enough.
Good shit, will definitely buy and watch again.
Last edited:
Einherjar86
Active Member
This took me longer to get to than I wanted, semester has been a fucking nightmare. Too much going on, posting this quickly at the office.
F For Fake: 5/5
I'm biased but I love this movie, I think it's hysterical. So narratively attentive in ways that recall literary masterpieces yet also deeply suspicious of the very concept of high art.
And yet the film works to undermine the idea that artistic creativity is compatible with originality or sincerity--at its core, art mobilizes deception and persuasion where audiences perceive something purely original. This doesn't diminish art, for Welles, but simply reveals the misconceptions that characterize popular views of what art is.
The film is also timely as there was a debate raging among academics in the late '60s/early '70s about authenticity in art. For a textual complement to this film, I'd recommend Hugh Kenner's book The Counterfeiters: An Historical Comedy, which came out about five years before the film.
Uzumaki: 3/5
Expected more from this ultimately, enjoyed the beginning more than the ending--although it's possibly a situation of following the logic of a weird narrative that has nowhere to go but into unhuman places. Looked up the ending of the manga, sounds like it had more conceptual finality that may have been hard to put to film.
Cool things happening with pattern obsessions--artistic on one hand, but paranoiac on the other. In a cynical sense, art is effectively the mobilization of patterns/codes to attract an audience's attention. Some biologists have suggested that our propensity for patterns began as an evolutionary adaptation. Early humans noticed the tall grass waving; some say "it's nothing," others intuit danger. Maybe it's the wind, but when it happens to be a predator those who said "it's nothing" get eaten. Those who run away survive and continue to look for signs/patterns indicating danger. Eventually that attraction to patterns metastasizes into aesthetics, and we have art. Not sure whether the spiral is humanity's undoing or an expression of its evolution into something else (or both, or neither).
Next two didn't do much for me and found it hard to stay engaged, sorry for brief comments. Don't have anything to say really about the role of art in either one.
Drive My Car: 3/5
This was fine but I find it more difficult to feel interested in realist drama these days. Well-made, well-acted, meh, lol.
Henry Fool: 2/5
Never been very enamored by this tenor of bleak indie comedy. When it comes to absurdity and randomness as markers of narrative decohesion, I prefer the Coen bros. Can't tell if the film's perspective on literary craft is meant to be self-deprecating or is heralding some kind of lowbrow inspiration or spontaneity. Maybe there's a critique of artistic inspiration, or at least of the cultural sensibility that valorizes poverty/hardship as a source of artistic inspiration.
F For Fake: 5/5
I'm biased but I love this movie, I think it's hysterical. So narratively attentive in ways that recall literary masterpieces yet also deeply suspicious of the very concept of high art.
And yet the film works to undermine the idea that artistic creativity is compatible with originality or sincerity--at its core, art mobilizes deception and persuasion where audiences perceive something purely original. This doesn't diminish art, for Welles, but simply reveals the misconceptions that characterize popular views of what art is.
The film is also timely as there was a debate raging among academics in the late '60s/early '70s about authenticity in art. For a textual complement to this film, I'd recommend Hugh Kenner's book The Counterfeiters: An Historical Comedy, which came out about five years before the film.
Uzumaki: 3/5
Expected more from this ultimately, enjoyed the beginning more than the ending--although it's possibly a situation of following the logic of a weird narrative that has nowhere to go but into unhuman places. Looked up the ending of the manga, sounds like it had more conceptual finality that may have been hard to put to film.
Cool things happening with pattern obsessions--artistic on one hand, but paranoiac on the other. In a cynical sense, art is effectively the mobilization of patterns/codes to attract an audience's attention. Some biologists have suggested that our propensity for patterns began as an evolutionary adaptation. Early humans noticed the tall grass waving; some say "it's nothing," others intuit danger. Maybe it's the wind, but when it happens to be a predator those who said "it's nothing" get eaten. Those who run away survive and continue to look for signs/patterns indicating danger. Eventually that attraction to patterns metastasizes into aesthetics, and we have art. Not sure whether the spiral is humanity's undoing or an expression of its evolution into something else (or both, or neither).
Next two didn't do much for me and found it hard to stay engaged, sorry for brief comments. Don't have anything to say really about the role of art in either one.
Drive My Car: 3/5
This was fine but I find it more difficult to feel interested in realist drama these days. Well-made, well-acted, meh, lol.
Henry Fool: 2/5
Never been very enamored by this tenor of bleak indie comedy. When it comes to absurdity and randomness as markers of narrative decohesion, I prefer the Coen bros. Can't tell if the film's perspective on literary craft is meant to be self-deprecating or is heralding some kind of lowbrow inspiration or spontaneity. Maybe there's a critique of artistic inspiration, or at least of the cultural sensibility that valorizes poverty/hardship as a source of artistic inspiration.
CiG
Aaaaaaaah!
F for Fake was... interesting I suppose.
The clusterfuck editing might've been my favourite thing about it, along with the jazz soundtrack. However I'd be faking it if I said I liked it or gave much of a shit about what was going on. Watching Orca Welles puff a cigar as he talks about art forgery and the broader implications of fakery felt more pretentious than anything else. Maybe I'm just eternally an outcrowd dumbfuck.
The clusterfuck editing might've been my favourite thing about it, along with the jazz soundtrack. However I'd be faking it if I said I liked it or gave much of a shit about what was going on. Watching Orca Welles puff a cigar as he talks about art forgery and the broader implications of fakery felt more pretentious than anything else. Maybe I'm just eternally an outcrowd dumbfuck.
challenge_everything
Active Member
CiG
Aaaaaaaah!
challenge_everything
Active Member
Henry Fool
This was quite likeable, though way longer than it needed to be. Has a bit of a 'scatological Mike Leigh' vibe about it and is pretty funny in parts (the vomit scene is great) as well as having genuine heart too. I understand why we never hear any of Simon's poem since it takes a kind of magic realist approach to things, but Henry as the Tyler Durden-esque muse/provocateur felt lacking - I never found his dialogue particularly interesting or profound. I also didn't think Parker Posey was particularly good in this, while Kevin Corrigan's character just seems pointless. I wasn't a fan of the epilogue either.
Probably a 3 or 3.5 for me, slightly behind Drive My Car.
This was quite likeable, though way longer than it needed to be. Has a bit of a 'scatological Mike Leigh' vibe about it and is pretty funny in parts (the vomit scene is great) as well as having genuine heart too. I understand why we never hear any of Simon's poem since it takes a kind of magic realist approach to things, but Henry as the Tyler Durden-esque muse/provocateur felt lacking - I never found his dialogue particularly interesting or profound. I also didn't think Parker Posey was particularly good in this, while Kevin Corrigan's character just seems pointless. I wasn't a fan of the epilogue either.
Probably a 3 or 3.5 for me, slightly behind Drive My Car.
CiG
Aaaaaaaah!
1. Henry Fool
2. Drive My Car
3. Uzumaki
4. F for Fake
Let's get this one moving again.
2. Drive My Car
3. Uzumaki
4. F for Fake
Let's get this one moving again.
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