Oil Can Boyd Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Don't know why it took me so long to see this. I really liked it.The opening scene was shot right outside my office and the bank they robbed is my bank! Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 I am not particularly into skating at all, but this was a great documentary. Great soundtrack. Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 I am not particularly into skating at all, but this was a great documentary. Great soundtrack. Totally agree. This documentary is a better historical documentary than 95% of those that cover "real" history. The producers did their research and pieced together the cause and effect of the rise of skatboarding. Link to post Share on other sites
El Picador Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I liked that one, too, but not quite as much as Ceylan's earlier Distant. Have you seen that? If not, let me rave: Out of obligation, a professional photographer invites his unrefined country cousin to stay with him in Istanbul, and we watch, slowly and silently, as these two spinning wheels fail to connect--to each other, to others, to anything beyond their apartment walls. You've seen Climates, so you are already primed for Distant's unrelenting mood of melancholy and loneliness. Frankly, the tone is borderline inhospitable, but I was still engrossed by the way Ceylan contrasts the grungy, everyday details with beautiful visual symmetries, especially when photographing Istanbul's cool exterior. (Like How I Ended This Summer, a major part of its appeal is simply the breathtaking imagery.) The expansive vistas accentuate the pettiness of these men, who permit life's tiny dramas--a lost tool, an invasive mouse, a sloppy guest--to enlarge the distance between them. I saw Distant at a film festival and was so impressed that ever since I've been following Ceylan's career with great interest. No, I haven't. This was my first Celyan film but certainly not the last. In fact I stumbled upon this one accidentally and loved it. I am curious to watch Three Monkeys now that I have had my introduction to his works. I will definitely look into Distant, as well, as it looks to have much of the same tone that was so appealing to me in Climates. One more thing about Climates...The closing segment was one of my favorites in recent memory. I had to rewind and watch a few times it was so perfect. Link to post Share on other sites
Moss Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Totally agree. This documentary is a better historical documentary than 95% of those that cover "real" history. The producers did their research and pieced together the cause and effect of the rise of skatboarding. That was a good movie, really brought back the 70's for me. Link to post Share on other sites
El Picador Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Семнадцать мгновений весны (17 Moments of Spring) - 1973 - USSR Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Семнадцать мгновений весны (17 Moments of Spring) - 1973 - USSRNever heard of that before, but just looked it up. Sounds incredible. Thanks for the tip! Link to post Share on other sites
ponch1028 Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Just finished watching. Amazing. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Just saw this in the theater and I really, really enjoyed it. A good story, well-acted, and effective 3-D.7/10 I've never seen the original, but now I really want to. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Salt of the Earth / dir. Herbert J. Biberman / USA / 1954 Biberman was one of the Hollywood Ten jailed for contempt of Congress and then blacklisted. Made outside of the Hollywood system, Salt of the Earth features real workers and their families in a fictionalized recreation of an actual miners' strike in New Mexico. (The backstory of its production and distribution would make for a terrific film, too.) Link to post Share on other sites
El Picador Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Never heard of that before, but just looked it up. Sounds incredible. Thanks for the tip! You're welcome. Just be forewarned, it's very long and slow paced. We're about half way through right now and one of either my wife or I gets really sleepy every time we put it on late at night. But there are qualities that keep me coming back for more. Link to post Share on other sites
El Picador Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Szindbad - 1971 - Hungary This Hungarian masterpiece byZoltán Huszárik tells the story of an aging man reflecting on his life of romance and sensualism. The film follows a strange pace, almost like a collage of chapters mixed with brief flashes of still images and close-ups of various objects to aid in story telling. The dialogue is poetic but the camera work tells a story of its own. Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted September 1, 2011 Author Share Posted September 1, 2011 The Whites (BBC 2010) It's a bit weird to see Alan Davies playing a different character other than Jonathan Creek. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Szindbad - 1971 - HungaryI tried to locate this last month after reading a write-up in London's Sight & Sound, but it's not yet available in the U.S. and my region-free player hasn't been unpacked since we moved. I'm eager, but I can wait. Last night I watched the first half of Monte Hellman's Road to Nowhere. Fascinating so far. Link to post Share on other sites
Oil Can Boyd Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted September 10, 2011 Author Share Posted September 10, 2011 Nowhere Man (TV Series, 1995-1996) Link to post Share on other sites
Oil Can Boyd Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Just saw this. It's a weird movie. It's got some great footage of the 1970's emerging punk scene in New York: Ramones, Television, Talking Heads, Heartbreakers, Patti Smith, etc. But the audio isn't synched to the footage, which is weird to watch for an hour. There are no interviews and only a handful of short random scenes of the musicians outside of the clubs. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Mumbai Diaries is the old college try: It's an "indie" alternative to the usual Bollywood films that dominate the world's most prolific film industry, tries to offer a candid look at Mumbai city life, and builds up some goodwill, but it doesn't quite come off. The script is too often creaky, the acting too often amateurish. Link to post Share on other sites
howdjadoo Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Link to post Share on other sites
u2roolz Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Minor Spoilers: (where is the damn spoiler button?)One of my best friends who works at a local movie theater got me into a special advanced screening put on by LiveStrong. I highly recommend the film without giving too much away. Great performances all around. The tone of the film was done very well. There were lines that had huge laughs from the crowd while some people sighed or didn't say anything. It kind of depends on how you relate to cancer and whether you can laugh at it/with it to cope or feel sad emotions. The interactions between characters once the news hit was very believable and I kept doing an inventory check on each character's reaction(s) and coping mechanism(s). Anna Kendrick once again finds herself in a predicament where her youthfulness is brought into question per occupation, but she is a beacon of soothing relief for the main character. My only complaint would be Seth Rogen's performance. He seems to bring his over-the-top side kick buddy here and it fits and it doesn't fit. The script tries its best to explain his emotions and it made me believe him, but watching him in the present seems like an almost separate film. Bryce Dallas Howard seems to be on a mission to destroy any nice girl labels after this and the recent The Help. It's a toss up as to which character is more heartless. Although, I did sympathize with her distance and trying to deal with it all in the early scenes. Matt Frewer & Philip Baker Hall play 2 cancer patients who help Levitt's character during his chemo treatment. Every scene the 3 of them share is quite poignant and truthful. Joseph Gordon Levitt gives a terrific performance as a young man who may not be around much longer and there's nothing that he can do about it. He does that quiet guilt and anger perfectly here. I even questioned his poor treatment of several characters in the film, but still found myself pulling for him. Overall, this is a fine film that tackles issues that most films geared to this specific audience won't. Edit: I didn't even mention Anjelica Huston's great performance as an overbearing mother. Also, the film was directed by Jonathan Levine who last did 2008's The Wackness which I enjoyed, but I don't remember what it was about really. LOL. Link to post Share on other sites
u2roolz Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 (meant to post this Sat night)-I really haven't seen a film in awhile that I knew would hold a special place in my memories (and heart) for being amazing. It holds you in its grip with its perfect direction, terrific sound design, top notch performances and shocks and twists. Certain scenes,shots and sounds (most notably the amazing soundtrack which evokes the 80s New Wave) are forever etched in my memory. It should be kind of noted that this isn't like a certain franchise with Vin Diesel. This film mixes together American & European cinematic sensibilities. Hell, even the font on the poster is awesome. As a reference point, I liken this film's ambience and similar storyline to that of the recent Anton Corbijn classic The American. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 the recent Anton Corbijn classic The American.Glad to see you liked The American as much as I did. I didn't want it to end. Link to post Share on other sites
u2roolz Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Glad to see you liked The American as much as I did. I didn't want it to end. Yep. I think we discussed it around this same time last year in the previous Now Watching thread. Then you brought up Valhalla Rising after I talked about seeing Bronson. Still haven't sat down to watch that. I'm curious how I will react to it after seeing Drive first. You should definitely go see Drive. Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 Refn is definitely a talent to watch. Drive is on my priority list, but I probably won't have a chance to see it anytime soon. Tomorrow night the Milwaukee Film Festival opens, so I'll be consumed by that for 11 days, and then recuperating for some time after (and trying to find time to crank out my write-up). Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Glad to see you liked The American as much as I did. I didn't want it to end. Just finished watching it - it's a good one. Thanks for the suggestion (and U2, too) Link to post Share on other sites
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