As writer, director, both, or what?
Don't get me started on Cronenberg... my favourite director of all time. I could go on for hours. His last two, Eastern Promises and A History of Violence are a marked change from his previous works. They're much more of a realist style but still retain that unpredictable anthing-could-happen rebelliousness of his older works, where it didn't really matter if the plot made sense. He would just take these crazy ideas and run with them until you were completely disoriented and disturbed, yet saying something profound about society in the process.
The Fly is a perfect example of this. Total B grade premise and yet who would have thought a man slowly degenerating into a fly would be deeply moving? Videodrome and Naked Lunch are also essential. The Brood is a really unnerving and underrated horror flick.
And yeah I agree that Dead Ringers is overall his most effective movie. And Jeremy Irons is outstanding.
Last weekend I watched a couple films. I saw The Return (the one directed by Andrei Zvyagintsev). I thought it was brilliant. Apparently this was the director's debut film; could've fooled me. And the kid actors in this film gave such an awesome performance. I highly recommend this one. I also watched Caché. I feel ambivalent about this one. I can't decide whether or not it's penetrating social criticism or pretentious leftarded pseudo-intellectualism masquerading as a (boring, plodding) thriller.
Also, Michael Haneke, the guy who directed the latter film also directed The Piano Teacher, another film I'm not sure how to feel about. If anything watch The Piano Teacher to see Isabelle Huppert brilliantly play the part of one the most fucked up characters in the history of cinema.
X-Men Origins kicks ass.
I've always hated these superhero movies, with the X-Men trilogy being the only real exception.
Last weekend I watched a couple films. I saw The Return (the one directed by Andrei Zvyagintsev). I thought it was brilliant. Apparently this was the director's debut film; could've fooled me. And the kid actors in this film gave such an awesome performance. I highly recommend this one. I also watched Caché. I feel ambivalent about this one. I can't decide whether or not it's penetrating social criticism or pretentious leftarded pseudo-intellectualism masquerading as a (boring, plodding) thriller.
I went and bought A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, Fargo and American History X today.
Again, I'm stunned The Dark Knight made so many supposed critics' top-ten lists, let alone get near the top of them. Was it such a bad year?
Again, I'm stunned The Dark Knight made so many supposed critics' top-ten lists, let alone get near the top of them. Was it such a bad year?
Oh god, that's probably the worst superhero movies, next to spiderman
yay, yay, yay and yuck