rms
Active Member
I got thing and Halloween over it, you got the rest of his trilogy and escape from ny in your 5?
The Official Movie Thread
- Thread starter Manic Ferocity
- Start date
TechnicalBarbarity
Poser Disposer
no country for old wainds
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the thing, dark star, cigarette burns, they live, assault on precinct 13, not sure exactly what order but the thing is first. i actually probably like big trouble more than halloween tbh, i admire halloween a lot but it's one of those movies that's been absorbed so thoroughly into horror movie consciousness that it struggles to feel fresh for me. i also like prince of darkness quite a lot, that might be 6th.
Vegard Pompey
ALLY TO GOOD, NIGHTMARE TO YOU
I've mentioned this before but if you find Nolan thematically interesting I can't recommend the TV series Person of Interest enough (created by Jonathan Nolan). It starts out as something of a lighthearted superhero/crime procedural hybrid that becomes increasingly weighty as it goes on, eventually covering some of the same themes as the Batman trilogy did. Without giving too much away, the later seasons more or less revolve around ideological conflicts between factions who picked different endings of Deus Ex. It's a hard thing to get people to watch because of the procedural trappings, the 20-episode seasons and because you have to endure a long, gradual increase in quality before it REALLY gets good (although I like it pretty much off the bat). So worth it though. I rewatched parts of it with a friend recently and it truly reaffirmed my love for the series.
rms
Active Member
Still haven't watched dark Star and can't remember a damn thing about precinct 13, gotta rewatch that one. Prince of darkness is cool and into the mouth, but they live..Don't think that one would ever sneak up for me
CiG
Harbinger of Metal
Prince of Darkness is okay, some of the cheesier elements take away from the film's potential though imo.
Einherjar86
Active Member
Interesting, thanks for posting this. Peter Watts raves about this show. I never gave it a chance, primarily because of the issues you mention (i.e. procedural drama, long seasons, etc... kinda didn't want to get stuck with another Lost). But based on what you say about the later seasons, I may have to give it a try.
Oblivious Maximus
I am the worm
Angel Guts: Red Flash (Takashi Ishii, 1994) - Or if you prefer, "Red Lightning". The most elusive of this infamous Japanese series based on the manga written and illustrated by Ishii. There was a clear attempt to capture the vibe of the American erotic thrillers that were hot at the time this was made. Some reviews have made a De Palma comparison which is quite apt actually, given its noirish mystery and intense psychosexuality (it wouldn't be an Ishii film without a the main character, Nami of course, the name of all the female protagonists in both the Angel Guts comics and films, suffering some sort of psychological trauma) but the nasty stabbings in the film are right out of Basic Instinct (1992). Sure, the ending makes fuck all sense especially as it totally contradicts everything that happened in the resolution minutes before which, speaking of Basic Instinct, had this been an American film you know said resolution would have sent the hypersensitive snowflake types into a offense induced seizure (most Ishii films would), but nevertheless it makes for some unsettling questions regarding Nami to ponder after its over.
Almost Human (Umberto Lenzi, 1974) - The pinnacle of Eurocrime cinema with the nihilism the genre is known for jacked up the 11. Cops are casually wasted in the street, people are strung up from chandeliers, kids are killed and the cop/criminal dichotomy of the finale would even make Friedkin go "Holy shit!". Amidst all the nastiness, the kidnapping story at the center of the film is incredibly tight and nerve wracking thanks to the performance of a lifetime from the brilliant Tomas Milian who's psychotic character is possibly only rivaled by his own Mason-esque Chaco in Lucio Fulci's Four of the Apocalypse (1975). Essential stuff.
Unrelated NSFW clip from Juraj Herz's holocaust based film The Night Overtakes Me (1986):
It would appear that Spielberg has some 'splaining to do.
Almost Human (Umberto Lenzi, 1974) - The pinnacle of Eurocrime cinema with the nihilism the genre is known for jacked up the 11. Cops are casually wasted in the street, people are strung up from chandeliers, kids are killed and the cop/criminal dichotomy of the finale would even make Friedkin go "Holy shit!". Amidst all the nastiness, the kidnapping story at the center of the film is incredibly tight and nerve wracking thanks to the performance of a lifetime from the brilliant Tomas Milian who's psychotic character is possibly only rivaled by his own Mason-esque Chaco in Lucio Fulci's Four of the Apocalypse (1975). Essential stuff.
Unrelated NSFW clip from Juraj Herz's holocaust based film The Night Overtakes Me (1986):
It would appear that Spielberg has some 'splaining to do.
no country for old wainds
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so yeah, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA is not on the level of MARGARET, it's more YOU CAN COUNT ON ME standard which is still nice. lonergan isn't exactly the most cinematic of filmmakers (and it can feel kinda strained when he tries to refute this with weird edits and whatnot) but he's one of america's finest active dramatists IMO, i love how he refuses easy catharsis and builds feeling through all the little details. he makes something fairly distinctive out of extremely well-worn territory, and metaphors that would seem clumsy (i.e. all the boat-related shit) have a simple power to them here. definitely a *minor* work by his standards (so of course it became his most acclaimed), but i wouldn't be surprised if it turns out to have been the best of the oscar nominees.
HACKSAW RIDGE, meanwhile.... yeesh. it's more PASSION OF THE CHRIST than APOCALYPTO, let's go with that. i'd say it's more crazy on an ideological level than on a cinematic level unfortunately, it can get kinda safe and treacly at times especially toward the beginning, feels like it has awards in mind to me. the actual battle sequences are fucking great though, a level of surreal hellish mayhem rarely seen in a modern blockbuster, super immersive stuff. i like how personal this is, but it's basically the jesus complex of a self-loathing hardcore catholic laid bare; if you can stomach (or even relate to) that then go for it.
HACKSAW RIDGE, meanwhile.... yeesh. it's more PASSION OF THE CHRIST than APOCALYPTO, let's go with that. i'd say it's more crazy on an ideological level than on a cinematic level unfortunately, it can get kinda safe and treacly at times especially toward the beginning, feels like it has awards in mind to me. the actual battle sequences are fucking great though, a level of surreal hellish mayhem rarely seen in a modern blockbuster, super immersive stuff. i like how personal this is, but it's basically the jesus complex of a self-loathing hardcore catholic laid bare; if you can stomach (or even relate to) that then go for it.
Einherjar86
Active Member
That's my major problem with Gibson, to be honest. He really only has two modes: warrior-savior, and sins-come-back-to-haunt-me avenger. Obviously these can still make for great films (e.g. Mad Max, Braveheart, etc.), but it gets kind of old.
CiG
Harbinger of Metal
How does Apocalypto fit into either of those "modes" as you put it? What about that stupid What Women Want film? Gallipoli? The Year of Living Dangerously? The River?
rms
Active Member
the overt christian overtones in the first half of Hacksaw made it unbearable. had to turn it off
Einherjar86
Active Member
I thought of both Apocalypto and What Women Want before I made the post--decided not to mention them at all, because when you look at his total filmography it's blatantly obvious that the two modes I mentioned are dominant.
Mad Max(es)
Lethal Weapon(s)
Hamlet (revenge tragedy)
Braveheart
Ransom
Payback
Passion
Paparazzi
Edge of Darkness
Get the Gringo
Blood Father
Hacksaw
I'm probably missing some.
He has films that don't fall into the modes I mentioned, but it's clearly something he's drawn to.
CiG
Harbinger of Metal
Pathetic. How can one be so cynical? Atheism run amok. Art of the future is doomed.
Being drawn to is different to being restricted to, which feeds into your implication. Modes imply a limitation.
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no country for old wainds
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i mean, the overt christian overtones stay throughout, but the second half is more old testament fire and brimstone hell on earth type shit, which is still totally nutty but a whole lot cooler.
CiG
Harbinger of Metal
If every film was overly Christian I could understand the inability to sit through the films. But Mel's stuff is a drop in a bucket of secularist/atheist/anti-western religion films, so suck it up.
rms
Active Member
CiG
Harbinger of Metal
rms
Active Member
So I threw on Margaret last night...
and pretty different than Manchester by the Sea. That tagline was pretty off even though they sounded similar.
Not too sure how I feel about it, but I do have an irrational dislike of Anna Paquin, she is the female Jesse Eisenberg to me. Interesting enough, I found the dialogue overwhelmingly emotional and female driven...no country?
And the best part is that @Einherjar86 is showcased by 'ol Matthew Broderick in the King Lear scene..cracked me up
and pretty different than Manchester by the Sea. That tagline was pretty off even though they sounded similar.
Not too sure how I feel about it, but I do have an irrational dislike of Anna Paquin, she is the female Jesse Eisenberg to me. Interesting enough, I found the dialogue overwhelmingly emotional and female driven...no country?
And the best part is that @Einherjar86 is showcased by 'ol Matthew Broderick in the King Lear scene..cracked me up
no country for old wainds
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- Nov 23, 2002
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