I watched this movie the other day and quite liked it. The style of the movie is nothing too out of the ordinary reminiscent of Vanilla Sky in parts.
I thought that it was done well though and it restored my faith in Hollywood of the 2000’s which has been rather blockbuster and fantasy orientated, which is fine but I think cinema is overdosing on this lately.
However, this film is a simple story and all about the importance of instances of memories in our lives and relationships. It portrays the sense that once you take away all the compounded effects of familiarity, habit and desensitisation and look at each and every memory on its own merit life takes on a patchwork of impressionist masterpieces and apparently we are all better off for it.
It had a homely feel, was well acted and though playing on simple emotions was done well.
No seriously I recommend a viewing, that's if you haven't seen it already. It’s not the usual fair and I knew little about it before having watched it maybe that helped. This ‘hype until it busts’ is ultimately a hollow proposition as people are always expecting much more than delivered (see Kill Bill nonsense).
Romano, here’s another one for you, you arty puff, I watched Pasolini’s ‘Salo’ the other week too one you should definitely get on DVD I must have seen it a dozen times to try and get to the core of the statement, all I’ve managed to see so far is the gratuitous sex and sadism but I’m sure there’s something deeper to it all so I’ll persevere for the greater good.
Yar what do you guys take me for? Some kinda sadist weirdo or something (No Matsui, you don’t have answer)? Sobz recommended me that gritty disturbing movie and now you’re recommending me friggin’ sodomizing $hit. Isn’t this that movie about boys and their captors? This friend of mine watched if sometime ago and was hailing. Personally, I’d be disturbed and abhored.
Well there is the whole anti-fascist statement wrapped up in there somewhere. It's all about the corruption of power and oh yes shafting. But nonetheless it's at an extreme of cinema and should be given a watch by any self-respecting arty movie puff like yourself.
Suppose you could give it a miss, but how about Zhang Yimou 's The Road home I watched that with salo as a double bill, I love mixing Chinese and Italian like mitay and pikay chawal innit.
Never heard of the other movie. Will check it out. I’m watching Seven Samurais tonight. Had to check out ohter movies by Akira Kurosawa after watching is Dersu Uzala. Have you seen it?
BTW, I’m not an artsy puff bay. I’m just bored of Hollywood crap.
No haven't seen that one, my favorite kurosawa has to be Rashomon at the moment. I went through a whole chunk of japanese cinema a few years ago so is mostly all on VHS. Reluctant to build back up with DVD's, something wrong with me I have to buy films I like. But recommend some more.
Lately been into chinese cinema, I think the need for sweeping vistas and deep cinematography has something to do with age, my mum likes them too.
The Road Home is a great one (bitter sweet, fantasticaly sad in parts and as always strong female leads) and again Zhang Yimou's To Live is an epic saga and everything I love about Chinese cinema culture, politics, effortless acting and fantastic cinematography all rolled into one.
Have not watched much of Chinese cinema except for Kung Fu/Martial Arts movies. There is a new one opening in theatres soon, Hero. Looks pretty good epic. If you like exotic cultures/adventure sort of feel then watch Hamaliya. It's a great movie. Almost all the actors in it are real people. It's a French movie made on a small Tibetian village. The cast is basically those actual villagers. I was impressed by the lead character and wondered throughout the movie how could he pull off such a realism in acting and it wasn't until I checked out the DVD making of Hamaliya featurette that I found out that it was an actual villager.
Nice one, tell you what I'm off shopping tommorow for a tava for the misses I might pop into a filam shop too. So give me your top 5 recommendations with a short description if possible like you've done with himaliya sp?
The reason for the chinese cinema at the moment is the refreshing strong female leads and the never lost art of a good simple story. A strong female lead in a hollywood movie means Geena Davis in a Long kiss good night, where i think she tells the bad guys to suck her dick.
Incidentally Zhang Yimou has also used so called 'non-actors' in his movies (Not one less-got it but haven't seen it yet), the world needs more of these to make better films.
Dersu Uzala- I assume it's the name of a character in the film? (Kurosawa)
Himaliya-culture/adventure (Nepalese?)
Ashes of time -Chinese action/character based?
4.
5.
Actually, just read some people's reviews on Ashes of Time. The movie is good but apparently the DVD release quality is pretty bad. Watch on your own risk.
Amores perros. You've to watch this movie. It's Mexican/Spanish. Plot outline reads: "A horrific car accident connects three stories, each involving characters dealing with loss, regret, and life's harsh realities, all in the name of love."
Indochine - You probably have already watched it but if not then you must. It's sorta an epic as well.
Great got my 4 I'll go with that, seen indochine yes an epic.
I tend not to order online I like to take things home in my hand, my equivalent to the misses' shoe shopping fetish so will see which of the 5 I can find.
Don't get me wrong though I still enjoy hollywood too on occasion but it tends to be the older stuff I've seen again and again I just got the French connection both parts the other day which I'm saving for an afternoon off and some other gritty movies to remind me of my need for such stuff in my youth like dog day afternoon and serpico.
Yeah I read a review about the Quiet American it's pretty new isn't it, it was while I was out in the desert I meant to get hold of it. Didn't it have brendan fraser in it though.....?
Yeh, that's with Brenda Fraser and Michael Caine. I wrote something about that movie here at GS a while back. Michael shines in the movie. It's drama + guys' sorta romance movie.
I don't like online ordering either but unfortunately there isn't much collection at local video stores. Online store offer huge DVD collections, specially when it comes foreign flicks so that's sorta trade-off between the two.
"But seriously, very few movies leave a taste of them for days to come. The movie kinda forks off in a different direction little after half way through but it was very charming. Michael Caine should have won an Oscar for this.
I've always been very fascinated by exotic romanticism unfolded by the story as the characters experience life in the remote lands. There is a certain ambient mist of detached romanticism to the whole experience talking as back as 40's and 50's. You can even see the glimpse of this romanticism in the lives of living characters like Hemmingway and Fitzgerald living in France, and Spain, or Orwellian adventures in Burma. But the time and place, and the story itself don't do much if the character is not there.
In this case the character is a very serene, charming, and compassionate person. A narrator who can feel as much as he can think. An uncorrupted soul but an immoral human on times. Complacent in love, savvy in life. His serenity has no limits and his love fails him the morality. His serenity struggles to retain him integrity but his compassion renders him morality. That's just about perfect."
Apparently you'd used abusive language or something last time (you probably said it was a fking good movie :D) this was posted so I'll keep it here as a keepsake for after i watch it.
Oh acha. Read back that thread. Don't even remember. :D
But this reminded me of that novel, Sun Also Rises by hemmingway. I think when I saw this movie I had read that book recently at that time so there was a certain mindset, which was incidently relevent as a matter of fact.
There are couple of beautiful scenes in this movie that I really liked. I won't give away too much at this point but may be after you've seen the movie. But this whole thing about these mid-aged self-exiled men with quiet souls really fascinate me. I remember throughout reading the book there were very subtle romantic undertones in Jack's sadness and serenity. Very self-content but yet participative in life. Good taste in wine and a keen eye for the art of bull fighting. It was marvelous. Michael Caine's character has a similiar grace to it. Decency and manners, selfishness but not without compassion. It's just very good.
i might see this movie - i heard Jim is not up to his pedictable in-your-face antics in this movie - i liked him in Bruce Almighty the best because that movie wasn't too over the top.
I really liked the movie. In 'the Majestic' and Truman show, Jim carrey showed what is he capable of when it comes to seriuos movies and in this movie he certainly was unbelievably brilliant. The idea was unique and weird but it is so skillfully and emotionally done that i couldnt stop myself from liking it. Kate Winslet was not bad either.
A definite DVD collection for me when it comes out.
