Film Snobs III: The Snobs Strike Back ... but no Ewoks

Saw Almodovar's "Talk to Her". Pretty amazing. Funny, tragic, moving, erotic. Damn near Shakespearean in its 2 intertwining storylines and the ups and downs of the characters. Plus Paz Vega in a silent movie parody.

Actually stopped watching Cold Mountain after about 15 minutes. Pretentious, glacially paced muddle. It started with a hyperrealistic battle scene that devolved into self-parody and then Jude Law and Nicole Kidman talked endlessly about beverages. WTF? People got Oscars for this self-important trash? Please! My girlfriend shouted "Uncle!" and then I turned it off.

Watched "Dante 01" again last night, Ian. Just in case I missed something the first time around.

BUT THE ENDING STILL MAKES NO FREAKIN' SENSE WHATSOEVER!!!!!!!!!!!

Ernst Lubitsch, classy and subversive:

http://hilobrow.com/2011/01/28/ernst-lubitsch/

Boris Karloff in "Mondo Balordo". Read on:

http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/boris_karloff_presents_mondo_balordo/

(From Gord, the tireless troller of the weird, the sublime)

...and something from THE NEW YORK TIMES on the best films you will never see:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/movies/awardsseason/30scott.html?pagewanted=al...

On the off chance some of you haven't already seen this:

Open Culture - great website - now has 15 free Hitchcock films in one place. Look in the sidebar for, among their other offerings, the Tarkovsky and John Wayne collections.

Just bought "Year of the Jellyfish" on DVD. Valerie Kaprisky, St. Tropez. Yeah, you do the math.

http://mvdb2b.com/s/TheYearOfTheJellyfishLanneeDesMeduses/TELE14521

It may be trash, but it is well-done trash.

Watched Whatever Goes, another Lovefilm choice by the missus.

AT first I thought someone had made a bet with Woody Allen that he couldn't make a film like the ones he made in the 70s and so he had but it turns out the original version of this script was written in 1977. I'm guessing he suddenly realised it was time for his annual film and he'd spent the winter playing jazz, so he rummaged through the drawers and found this, dusted it off, thereby proving whatever goes...

Larry David plays Larry David (from Curb Your Enthusiasm) playing Woody Allen (from the 1970s) and that's the first problem - David can't act and can't deliver Allen's lines like Allen or a decent actor (the original star was going to be Zero Mostel). The second problem is that Allen didn't bother to read his script so we have very tired monologues to camera - i.e., America hates the Jews, you don't need to get a licence to become a parent, etc - and a banal plot that could have been more radical in the 70s - i.e., devout Christians discover they like sex and/or are gay.

And yet, it's not all bad - there are some funny lines and it's all over in under 90 minutes. That in itself is a relief - why is it that we live in an era when we are told that our attention spans are shot to pieces only for highly successful movies like Avatar have a running time of 4 days and so many novels now coming with a warning about how to lift heavy objects.

Picked up a swack of Von Stroheim and Von Sternberg movies, flicks by Henri-Georges Clouzot and Jean Pierre Melville. Most of the films in the package are from 1920's and 30's. Only one film of recent vintage, Anton Corbijn's "The American".

Nothing with CGI, no video game directors. Fuck, I hate contemporary movies.

This year's Oscar nominees:

* “Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
* “The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
* “Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
* “The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
* “The King's Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
* “127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
* “The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
* “Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer
* “True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
* “Winter's Bone" Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

"The Fighter" and "Winter's Bone" are the only two that even vaguely interest me.

>10 CliffBurns: - I've heard some disappointing things about The Fighter - some of the critics suggested rewatching the early Rocky films instead!

Hope Toy Story 3 wins, Toy Story 2 was robbed. I know it won't - Academy voters aren't intelligent enough to see how smart an animated film can be.

My wife and I were just talking last night about the problem of modern movies and video games. We decided the new ethic in Hollywood is that if you can't make a video game look exactly like a movie, then why not make the movies look exactly like video games. And Hollywood wonders why she and I don't pop $50 a week to see a movie and eat some popcorn. I know, we're old enough not to be fooled again, so they don't prey target us.

In terms of animated features, I'm cheering for Sylvain Chomet's "The Illusionist". Based on an unproduced screenplay by the great Jacques Tati. Don't miss this one, cinema fans:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPdLrxxo4mg&feature=fvw

I watched Exit Through the Gift Shop the other night and laughed myself sick after it ended. "the joke's on....I don't know who the joke's on." HIlarious!

>13 CliffBurns: - I've seen it. I also met him when he was making it (friend of a friend kind of thing). It's also based in Edinburgh and the city looks great but it was a little disappointing - it was an animated Tati film. Beautiful, lovely are words you could use to describe it; on the other hand, you could also say it lacked much of a plot, any real substance. Toy Story 3 just stomps all over this film in terms of script, intelligence and emotional involvement.

Although 3D doesn't set my heart racing, I'm looking forward to Herzog's latest.

Trailer

Re: Herzog's film on cave paintings (3D or otherwise): me too.

>1 kswolff:

'Hated the book; 'hated the movie.

I've always said, if you get the urge, re-read The Odyssey, or at least Huckleberry Finn, instead.

I'm with you, Dawg. And to think COLD MOUNTAIN beat out DeLillo's UNDERWORLD for the National Book Award. Woof!

"Toy Story 3" was wonderful, I do hope it does well. Apart from that, I've only seen "Inception" (big fun action, but not dumb) and "The King's Speech" (which I enjoyed, but don't think was as brilliant as the critics are saying^).

I'd like to see "True Grit" and "Black Swan", they're both showing at the moment.

And I also want to see "Tamara Drewe", it's got the wonderful Tamsin Greig in it (she was Fran in BBC's "Black Books" if anyone saw that). So far though, it hasn't screened at a time that suits my time-poor life.

Which king made the speech? Are we talking about that old Nazi Edward VIII or his brother George VI? You know, if you're going to be king by birth then, by george, their should be no way out other than death. Coward.

King George VI. Gene, did you know that PG Wodehouse made some speeches in support of the Nazis?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/wodehouse-secretly-in-pay-of-the-...

Funny putting the guy behind Bertie and Wooster in the same company as Pound and Celine Then again, TS Eliot, aesthetic godfather of modern conservatism, was a toxic anti-Semite.

That's why he moved to the US after the war, and why they only gave him an award just before he died. No-one seriously thinks he supported the Nazis but he was a buffoon and allowed himself to be manipulated by them.

On a related note, Auden and Isherwood were despised for years in the UK for getting on the boat to the US at the first sign of war.

Watched W.C. Fields in "You Can't Cheat An Honest Man". Love Fields...but was trying to recall the last recent Hollywood flick that made me laugh as hard. Absolutely nothing came to mind. Contemporary cinema is responsible for very little good drama and even fewer funny or well-conceived comedies.

Last night, W.C. Fields and Mae West in "My Little Chickadee"--what a hoot.

Watched Catfish which created some ripples on release as people debated whether or not it was a real documentary. To me it looked fake and that impacted on my enjoyment of the film - it felt artificial in a way the best films, fictional or non-fictional, don't.

I'm halfway through the BBC adaptation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Bloody rip-off. He gets murdered halfway through...

That reminds me of the best line in "Shakespeare in Love". Shakespeare is working away on Romeo and Juliet when the greatest actor of his day (played by Ben Affleck) comes breezing in, all confident and secure, telling Will he heard he was working on a new play, and asking if there is a role for him. Shakespeare fixes him up with the role of Mercutio and the guy is happy. A little while later the great actor comes back all irritated and upset. He gets in Will's face, obviously unhappy with the part. Will asks him what's the matter with it and the guy reads from the stage directions, "And then he dies!" As if he is too important a personage for dying. The scene was just too delicious.

BTW, this is one of my favorite movies. Of course Gwyneth Paltrow's bubbies could perk up any movie.

#27 - You caught me half-way through a swig from my cup of tea. Had to wipe the screen.

Watched George Clooney in "The American".

Beautifully shot, amazing Italian locales. The plot a bit slow-moving and predictable, though I think the film improved on some aspects of the book (A VERY PRIVATE GENTLEMAN).

Give it 7.8 out of 10 (B+).

Jim Jarmusch's indie classic "Down by Law". My wife fell asleep about halfway through but I stuck it out. Not the fastest moving film, long shots, not much incident. Terrific acting, though, and b/w photography by Robbie Muller.

7 out of 10

Gord found this piece on Jean Pierre Jeunet's "Mic Macs".

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/136546-micmacs/

On my list.

100 all-time best Brit films:

http://www.timeout.com/london/bestbritishfilms/

(Cheers, Gord)

Seance on a Wet Afternoon didn't even make the list. It's way better than most of the stuff on the list. IMDB gives it 8.1 stars, so somebody recognizes it as an excellent movie. I would have had it in the twenties, at least. I am gratified to see The Third Man rated so highly.

"Seance" is a fascinating movie, Gene, so good on you for going to bat for it. A psychological/kidnap/caper flick, well-acted, under-stated and thoroughly creepy.

Saw "O Lucky Man" directed by Lindsay Anderson and starring and written by Malcolm Macdowell. It also featured a young Helen Mirren and songs by Alan Price. A thoroughly strange film, a 3-hour musical that's a political allegory about capitalism.

Off to see "The General", the Buster Keaton classic, in Saskatoon today. On the big screen, with members of the city's symphony orchestra playing the original score. Taking our son, Sam, along: he's becoming a huge film buff and this experience should blow his mind.

P.S. I'm sick as a dog with an upper respiratory thingee too. Fun, fun, fun...

If Atlas Shrugged the book made you cringe, scream, pull your hair out, then good news...wait until April rolls around.

Trailer

ETA - Am I the only one who thinks the "corrupt" politician might have been cast to look and sound like that evil, gay Massachusetts communist, Barney Franks?

37:

Didn't you and your wife visit a Buster Keaton festival - or something like it - last year? I think I recall your mentioning visiting Saskatoon for silent film in the past. Is this an annual event?

Have Fun!

Last year was the first time the event was staged and, yeah, we went in to see "Metropolis".

A fantastic experience.

But the timing of this flu is __________________ (fill in with a string of multi-syllabic expletives).

39: Rand was a known vocal homophobe. Still, look on the bright side, remember when Battlefield Earth was turned into a movie? Unless the screenwriter did some alchemy, I imagine the movie will end up the same way. And if the movie is better than the book (not completely impossible), the movie will still suck.

42:

I suspect the movie will amazingly do well. Shortly after, liberal blogs and media will explain this as the ignorant reaction of those who see the movie as a repudiation of Obama's weird Nazi-Communist tendencies and the bailouts. Then a FoxNews story may appear about the inability of the liberal elites to accept any criticism of wasteful and intrusive government. There may even be mention of one side pulling out the "race card". Good Times.

I'm almost looking forward to it - the debate, not the movie.

I suspect the film will have to be so heavily adapted -- John Galt's Speech is 3 hrs long! -- that it will be totally unrecognizable from the original. It will be like Avatar, but with more trains. I'll be waiting on the sidelines for a Red Letter Media "Plinkett Review."

I'm not too worried about this Atlas Shrugged movie. I mean, come on, where are all the Hollywood A-Listers? The only thing I can say is "Made for TV movie" aesthetics.

http://coffeeforclosers.wordpress.com/2011/02/13/atlas-shrugged-the-trailer-or-a...

Just got back from seeing "The General" on the big screen.

Stunning.

The orchestra was wonderful and they brought this little old man up from Los Angeles who specializes in silent movie piano accompaniment. WOW.

My fifteen year old son said merely: "Brilliant".

A special night at the movies.

Klaus Kinski...as Jesus Christ. You just KNEW this one wasn't going to go down well:

http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/jesus_christ_savior_klaus_kinskis_1971_pu...

(From that master archaeologist of strangeness and weird lore, Gord)

Short, sweet film: "Marcel the Shell":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF9-sEbqDvU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

...and how about "Oedipus", performed by vegetables:

http://www.openculture.com/2011/02/oedipus_starring_vegetables.html

Saw "Sweet Movie" by Dusan Makavejev. Erotic, confrontational, and anarchic. A harrowing experience.

My take on seeing Keaton's "The General" on the big screen:

http://cinemaarete.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/buster-keatons-the-general

Sick as a dog today, so took the afternoon off and watched "District 9".

Better than average SF but, as previously mentioned, that ain't saying a whole lot these days. Still, some interesting aspects and I like the development/transformation of the main character, from this management dweeb into a survivor and warrior.

But I thought the film-makers constantly cheated with point of view; first it starts off a documentary, then it switches into fiction mode, then back to documentary. I found this fluttering p.o.v. annoying. I also wondered at the decision to use "Nigerians" as the heavies, instead of native South Africans--was this a concession to political correctness? Wouldn't there have been a lot more meaning and power to the oppression of the "prawns" if their oppressors and exploiters were black South Africans (who, of course, were dehumanized, hunted and murdered, locked into ghettos under Apartheid)?

Open ending, room left for a sequel, also bugged me.

Give it 3.5 out of 5.

That shifting framing device annoyed me more than it annoyed you. And the use of Nigerians was actually pandering to racial stereotypes rather than so-called PC.

53: So it's not too different than Avatar Quelle surprise!

Watched the old 1965 disaster flick, "A Crack in the World".

Godawful. Ecccchhh!

Saw Kickass last night. Visually splendid, narratively conventional. But I did enjoy the exploits of Hit Girl. But my heart is still with Scott Pilgrim -- Edgar Wright having a lot to do with it. Dude knows his way around a camera and he can pay homage/parody genres like no other working today.

Got All's Well that End's Well via Netflix. Another Shakespeare comedy I know nothing about. Again, this is one of those 1980s BBC adaptations. Alas, no Helen Mirren in her youthful loveliness. My my my how she's changed. I first saw her in Prime Suspect, steely, charismatic, and tortured. A major change from her flirty sensuality in "O Lucky Man."

Not seen that one yet. I have "Love's Labours Lost" at the moment.

Isn't that the name of your dating service, Sales?

No, that's The Comedy of Errors.

Well done!

Watched two old Buster Keaton flicks, "Our Hospitality" and "Sherlock Jr." Still getting over the flu and laughter, as they say, is the best medicine.

A superior film noir last night, Robert Wise's "Odds Against Tomorrow" (1959). Scripted by a blacklisted Abraham Polonsky. Robert Ryan and Ed Begley are great (as usual) and Harry Belafonte doesn't embarrass himself.

#56> We also caught "Kick-Ass" recently. I only half-watched, being a violence wuss, but I think I could have actually coped watching it completely (but only realised that at the end). My favourite bit was Big Daddy, with Nicholas Cage channelling Bruce Wayne.

Then we saw a bit of "Ghost Rider" on TV during the week. Sometimes Cage has it, sometimes he doesn't. Also caught a bit of "Twilight", just in time to see a sparkly vampire. (Is it bad movie month here in Australia??) And then managed to see Robert Pattinson as Cedric get killed by Voldemort.

And I got the last half hour of "Raging Bull" last night (starting with Jake's nightclub). Couldn't tear myself away. I'd previously seen it on the big screen during a reissue maybe 10 years ago or so. I remember it being powerful, but I'd forgotten why.

I seem to be dipping into a lot of movies, but never quite watching a whole one. (Must wrestle the remote away from my husband more often, he's such a channel surfer. Drives me nuts.)

Billie Whitelaw, Samuel Beckett's favorite actress, performing "Not I":

http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/billie_whitelaw_samuel_beckett_not_i/

(Cheers, Gord)

Have "Bad Education" by Almodovar via Netflix. Can't wait. I loved "Talk to Her", so this should be a treat.

"Not I" is a powerful and underrated Beckett play. Desolate and bare; language and situation under a microscope.

***

"Bad Education" was pretty awesome. A deliciously sensual narrative labyrinth, one story folding into another. Transvestites, priests, and junkies ... oh my!

Of the stuff I've seen, I'd put him in the Cinema Gradmaster pantheon along with David Lynch, David Cronenberg, and Jean-Luc Godard.

Cracked nails it again:

http://www.cracked.com/article_19012_5-hollywood-secrets-that-explain-why-so-man...

I haven't read the article (work blocking it) but I expect it involves a bunch of monkeys tied to typewriters in a bid to recreate the works of Shakespeare and their cast-offs being used as scripts. Which, to be honest, is completely unfair - I believe any self-respecting monkey could write a better script than most Hollywood hacks.
I can't prove this but I suspect if you could place a bunch of James Camerons in a room with computers and access to the internet they'd struggle to reproduce anything as good (sic) as the works of John Grisham. Although they probably could manage a few James Patterson books.

Amen!

A new, highly subjective documentary on William S. Burroughs:

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/137415-independent-lens-william-s.-burroughs...

69: Doesn't Burroughs prove that objectivity is at most an illusion or a form of collective insanity? The success of Michael Bay movies probably is evidence of this. Subjective is one thing, so long as it isn't blatant hagiography.

Thanks cliff for the list in #33 Best British films...
I was surprised how many I had never heard of and equally surprised how many I own.

Yer welcome, lad.

Watched Samuel Fuller's "House of Bamboo" last night and Paul Newman in the great western "Hombre" the night before. Love those vintage flicks...

From Gord--the best DVD's of 2010:

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/135163-the-10-best-dvds-of-2010/

74: Some depraved genius should show a double bill of Dusan Makaveyev's "Sweet Movie" and "Human Centipede." Kick it all off with hipsters reading passages from Peter Sotos

Not a dry eye in the house.

A cult classic, shown in its entirety. Ladies and gentlemen, the legendary, the incendiary, the bizarre and never duplicated "Chafed Elbows":

http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/from_the_man_who_brought_you_putney_swope...

From Robert Downey, Sr.

(Thanks, Gord...er, I think)

>74 CliffBurns: - I can only assume they were joking, or drunk, when they put Straight to Hell as the best dvd of 2010. There is not going to be a reappraisal of this film because one simple fact - it's lousy. Cox has made some decent stuff, and is incredibly insightful about other films and film-makers, but nothing is going to make this film better.

Watched Buster Keaton's "The Cameraman" last night--very, very funny. And, again, the man's sheer athleticism and physical grace is stunning.

>78 CliffBurns: - that's why Jackie Chan keeps mentioning him as an inspiration/hero.

Ah, Jackie... (smiling)

My kids loved that guy when they were growing up. Good, clean fun. And, yep, athleticism galore.

My kids also loved him - heck, I did too.

My fiancee and I watched a couple Marx Bros films via Netflix. Great comic anarchy and bad puns.

There's a bathing scene in "The Cameraman" where Keaton disrobes and the first thing that becomes apparent is the guy is RIPPED. Six-pack abs and thighs like you wouldn't believe. He was short but, Jeezus, the dude was build like a brick shithouse.

Early next week, Sherron and I are going in to the Big City for the day and plan on seeing Mike Leigh's new film "Another Year" at the Roxy Theater.

An intelligent, thoughtfully presented movie for and about real people. Ain't that a pleasant change?

Watched "Year of the Jellyfish" written and directed by Christopher Frank, starring the luminous Valerie Kaprisky and Catherine Cellier. Beyond the near-constant toplessness and nudity -- it takes place on the French Riviera, le sigh -- there's a wonderfully trashy plot. Seduction, rivalry, betrayal, murder. In summary: good acting and no tan lines.

"Another Year" was utterly magnificent. Saw it on the big screen--God bless Saskatoon's Roxy Theater--and was entranced. Superb performances, script, cinematography, you name it.

Such a pleasure to see a smart, knowing film about ordinary people. The loneliness that afflicts us, the despair that creates.

Do...not...miss...this...film.

It wipes its ass with "The King's Speech", etc.

My review of the aforementioned "Another Year":

http://cinemaarete.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/the-best-movie-of-the-year

Saw the movie "Cop Out" starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan. It was directed, but not written, by Kevin Smith ... and it showed. It pretty much sucked.

My latest three reviews are up at Videovista:

Ajami - excellent Israeli thriller
Choose - rubbish low-budget thriller
The Racket - heavy-handed 1950s noir

Kevin Smith has sucked for a loooong time. His sun has done set, old son. He may fool the comic book/airhead crowd, but when was the last time he delivered a decent flick? I especially resent his hastily churned out "books", MY BORING ASS LIFE etc. Apparently he's losing weight--I only wish someone would liposuction the fatty portions of his fucking BRAIN.

I'll say straight out that I enjoy Smith's gifts for writing dialogue, but his directorial skills are, shall we say, lacking. By lacking, I mean, no damn talent whatsoever. I have friends who adore him, while I'll only attest to somewhat liking him. (Again, the aesthetic tastes of myself and my fiancee differ.)

I do enjoy his "Live with Kevin Smith", since he can spin a good yarn. I'd rather listen to him speak than watch one of his films, which never rise above the pedestrian.

Wasn't familiar with "The Racket", Ian, and I've watched A LOT of noir films in the past five years. Doesn't sound like I've missed much. Smart reviews, lad, well done.

>86 CliffBurns: - but if you haven't seen The King's Speech how do you how Another Year is a better film? That implies serious prejudice.

>91 kswolff: - I enjoyed the first few Smith films when his schtick was fresh but since then I haven't seen any evidence of talent in either writing or directing.

Dear God, does one have to see every phony bio pic in order to render a view on them? I made the mistake of watching "The Queen" a few years back--it was appalling and, natch, similarly centered around the royal family. The same kind of half-baked history and bullshit hagiography.

Did I have to see "Beowulf", "Forrest Gump" and "300" to know they were shit? The smell alone was sufficient for me. When I saw the latter two films YEARS after the fact, I found my initial views were KIND, if anything. And the stink of "King's Speech" is such that I'd only approach that one with full hazardous material gear.

I heard about a Hitchens article crucifying "The King's Speech" because it left out his (the King's) pro-fascist leanings. Myself, I am uninterested in royalty and don't go to see such movies, but I do understand it was well-made, well-acted and touching. It can have an oscar if they want it to, hopefully everyone who goes to see it knows it's a HOLLYWOOD MOVIE and therefore not History.

"Touching", Anna, as in contrived, dishonest, sentimental, sappy, suck-ass, ersatz, gutless.

"On Golden Pond" with crowns.

The 40th anniversary of Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange", celebrated in a documentary:

http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/still_ticking_stanley_kubricks_ban_clockw...

(From Gord)

>95 anna_in_pdx: - Typical Hitchens nonsense about Winston Churchill being as much of a war criminal as Hitler and such like. Everybody in the UK knows Edward VIII and Mrs Simpson were pro-fascist: George VI (who it is about) was not pro-fascist. (It is not a Hollywood film).

Cliff, I'm in no real hurry to see TKS but I'm guessing it is a well-made film: good acting, decent direction and script. If this was a film about a man with a stammer who was worried about making a speech at his daughter's wedding would that be more acceptable? Would that make it more real? Would it be 'touching' in a good sense then?

98, sorry, I guess hollywood is the wrong word to use, all I meant was that its primary purpose is to entertain and it was not billed as a documentary or even a docu-drama.

Yes, Hitchens' schtick is to be more outraged than thou. I didn't read this article myself.

I think the word we're looking for is middlebrow

"The King's Speech" might be tolerable drama (if that's your forte) but BEST PICTURE? I'm sure its primary purpose, as Anna states, was to entertain but an entertaining film does not equal great film-making, deserving of awards and plaudits. Hollywood loves a guy with a handicap, a film with a feel good ending that leaves the punters with a warm glow (after first stripping them of 10 bucks).

I think you make a good point--no, a film about an ordinary guy getting help for his stutter for a special speech doesn't sound very interesting at all, certainly nothing to hang a two-hour film on.

By making the stutterer a KING, however, gives it cred with the dumb Yank Academy voters--have to say, many Yanks seem to be more pro-royalist than most Canucks I know. Weird, that...

Come now, Cliff, surely you jest. In all fairness, if Firth got his little gold statue for his acting, why not one to Michael Palin for K-k-k-k-ken in A Fish Called Wanda? The film earned an Oscar for Best Screenplay.

Best Picture, for the most part, means: inoffensive, overserious middlebrow twaddle. See also Cold Mountain, Shakespeare in Love, Gone with the Wind, etc.

I'm sorry if this treads on anyone's toes, but there seems to be an unstated assumption here that Oscars reflect quality. Does anyone really believe that?

Nah! But the film also won Golden Globes and BAFTA's and...

But I bet there was some hefty lobbying in all cases. I don't take much of an interest in the latest films, but I couldn't help hearing about 'The King's Speech' - the last month or two I couldn't turn on radio, TV or computer without getting assailed with it. I'm pretty sure there are some very good, recent films out there that I've never heard of.

I was just glad that Inside Job won best documentary. I guess I've never expected that much out of the Oscars. I agree with 105 that there is a lot of lobbying involved.

Mark Kermode (on the BBC) likened Oscar lobbying to a military campaign in terms of organisation, making sure that you hit all the right targets. (In the same programme he blasted the Golden Globes more than the Oscars - they really can be bought!)

The Oscar for Best Picture, like most popular prizes, is caught between commerce and art so what usually wins is a commercial film that has a little art about it. For Best Actor/Actress/Director the award is usually a 50/50 (at best) split between a specific performance and rewarding a career, hence so many people win it for a lesser work after they should have won it.

However sometimes they still get it right - in 1939 they could have chosen any number of films (it was arguably the greatest year ever) but not giving it to Gone with the Wind would have been perverse. It is also worth noting that this middlebrow entertainment resulted in the first black person to get an award - the great Hattie McDaniel; and that Clark Gable lost to (superior) Robert Donat.

ps...on the BBC preview of the Oscars the panel agreed on the best film of the year - Toy Story 3.

Looks like I'm finally going to get to see Sylvain Chomet's "The Illusionist" later this week. I've mentioned it before but this is the animated feature I've been dying to see (more than "Toy Story 3", I'm afraid), as it's by the director of "Triplets of Belleville" and the screenplay of "The Illusionist" was originally written by Jacques Tati.

This one could challenge "Another Year" as my best of 2010.

Last night we watched an under-rated western from the mid-50's, "Yellow Sky". Starring Gregory Peck and Richard Widmark. Terrific flick, marred by a silly denouement.

Just added 4 reviews to my film blog, including critiques of "Seance on a Wet Afternoon" and Peckinpah's so-so "The Killer Elite". Check 'em out here:

http://cinemaarete.wordpress.com

"The President's Speech":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnxNnJYziMY

Hhahahahahhaahahahaaa!

...and this one:

http://www.vimeo.com/20472927

(God bless Gord...)

Once again, Hollywood recycles old product:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blade-runner-reboot-works-20110302-172715-959.html

God, I hate contemporary movie makers.

Watched "Les Enfants Terrible", a Jean Pierre Melville film, based on the book by Jean Cocteau. Very bizarre. Reminded me of a much later book, Ian McEwan's THE CEMENT GARDEN. How the hell am I gonna review this one for my film blog?

Good article on the next Samuel Fuller film I'll likely watch, "The Naked Kiss":

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/137365-the-naked-kiss/http://www.popmatters....

Saw Whip It last night. Directed by Drew Barrymore, it was a female-empowerment roller derby movie. A great mix of lowbrow comedy, social satire, and kickin' roller derby scenes. Plus the roller girls had a great Suicide Girls aesthetic -- unconventional, brash, and tattooed. It starred Ellen Page (Juno) and Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development) as the main characters -- two teens trying desperately to escape "an armpit of a town" (Bodeen, Texas) for the glorious hipster-haven of Austin.

Barrymore can star in all the Charlie's Angels sequels and craptacular rom-coms if it means making more movies like this.

The same goes for fellow Charlie's Angels star Crispin Glover, since the money he got from the movie helped him bankroll What Is It? -- his uber-depraved, uber-sensational trilogy of films he screens in fine cities nationwide.

I found a $5 "Lone Wolf and Cub" DVD (#4) a few days ago.
I vaguely remember seeing one (in B/W?) many years ago.
This one in colour seemed almost lyrical, well I liked the photography.

Your thoughts?

It was shot in 1972.

Never heard of it...sounds like the title of a particularly weird porn movie favored by hirsute men.

Last night I watched "The Atomic Submarine" and had a ball.

#117> Occasionally we stumble upon "Baby Cart Bandit", which is a hash of two Japanese movies based on the wonderful Lone Wolf and Cub manga series. The bizarre editing job of mixing the two movies together seems to be something that someone thought would make it more palatable for the English-speaking market.

But I must admit, mess that it is, it did create my love of samurai/ninja movies. (I'm not a splatter person, but the way they spray arterial blood in these movies is something that has to be seen to be believed.)

The movie is definitely colour; the book series is B&W. And I think you can get the movies in their proper non-cobbled-together fashion nowadays.

Michael bay admits "Transformers 2" was crap:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/transformers-2-director-says-film-crap-20110306-180651-...

...and yet it grossed over $800 million, which just proves movie-goers are as dumb as pelicans (sorry, pelican-lovers).

The 15 greatest conspiracy movies of all time (courtesy, Gord):

http://www.avclub.com/articles/a-wellorchestrated-cabal-could-easily-manage-all-...

Am I paranoid? I've seen, I believe, 12 of them. If you haven't already watched "The Parallax View", grab it. It's a beauty.

121: I'm sure They put you up to that. All part of the elites to institute the New World Order ... message paid for by Glenn Beck and David Icke

After DVDs, there's Blu Ray...and then?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/movies/homevideo/06dvds.html?src=dayp&page...

(From Gord)

Major movie studios have marketing departments run by 8 year olds:

http://blog.movies.yahoo.com/blog/850-your-eight-year-old-did-the-new-x-men-post...

Herzog's "Rogue Film School":

http://www.roguefilmschool.com/default.asp

Watched Wong Kar-Wai's "Chungking Express" (1994) last night. Exciting, fun film to watch, extremely well edited. I'll be seeking out more films by the director, he knows how to handle a camera.

"Night of the Creeps" earlier this evening. Incredibly goofy but featuring the wonderful Tom Atkins and a bunch of brain-eating parasites. So what's not to like?

Terry Gilliam, on "Paths of Glory":

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/mar/13/film-that-changed-my-life-terry-gilli...

Caught the Korean horror movie "The Host" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468492/) on TV last night. I'd previously seen bits, but sat down and watched the whole thing through this time. It's really very very good, more a story of a family than a slasher/monster flick. And the monster is quite unlike any other monster I've seen before. (And being Korean, it doesn't necessarily follow the genre conventions of a Hollywood movie, which is a great plus.)

Today I went and saw an Australian movie called "Wasted on the Young". People were waving around guns at one stage, so I failed to watch chunks of it (guns scare me), and it all got a bit histrionic at times and sank towards revenge fantasy at a couple of points, but it was refreshing seeing technology integrated into a movie without a graphic designer being involved (just a text based Unix-ish interface) and being such an important part of the movie without coming across as insufferably hip. The young cast acquitted themselves well. Unfortunately, it's not getting great reviews, so another Australian movie will probably fade from sight without making a splash. (Even if they do get good reviews, they don't last long. *sigh*)

I hear there's a really vital cinema coming out of Korea--definitely something to keep an eye on.

Another good interview with Werner Herzog:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/mar/05/werner-herzog-cave-of-forgotten-dream...

BFI Film Classics book series:

http://us.macmillan.com/series/BFIFilmClassics

Catnip for the cineaste.

Tasty...

If you've got a few dollars to spare to support the next generation of film-makers, check out the fund-raising efforts of this project:

http://www.indiegogo.com/The-Fears-Project

Every little bit helps...

Dear Cliff,

Just sent $50 (Aussie dollars which I believe are almost parity with the US$, not sure about the Canadian Dollar?)

Well, in return, I would just like you to critique my WEB SITE of a "cartoonist"
I have spent quite some time on. It's on my Profile.

To see ALL the adventures, if you are interested, I will send you
a Logon Id/password. And there are some more features...

Guido.

Guido, old chum, those young film-makers will be grateful to you, mon. Have no idea why they got in touch with me, I don't do the Facebook or MyPlace thing. It could be because I gave money to a guy doing a documentary on William Burroughs a few years back...but that's maybe a long shot. Don't know any of them but I like the concept and hope they can carry it off.

As for the cartoons, I must gotta say I know nothing about Colonel Pewter and his world but the examples that you linked to are very funny in a gentle, under-stated way. As another citation noted:

"Much of the fun of Colonel Pewter stems from anachronisms, mostly pre-world war I, and many of the allusions are becoming obscure. In addition, there are numerous sly visual and verbal references to figures that were contemporary when the adventures were written, but are now becoming unrecognisable to younger readers."

Dunno why, but the one that REALLY tickled my funny bone is the scorched manservant opining: "Tea will be a little late, sir, the kitchen chimney's been struck by lightning and the range is on fire." Cracked me up.

I note that you get credit for some help your gave to one of the Pewter sites--I commend you for keeping the work of Arthur Horner out there, not letting it fade away into obscurity.

Kudos!

Dear Cliff,

The Author of that Annotation is a "Professor Emeritus of Medicine - immulology".

Damb it. My exact age!

He is VERY Clever! And as your said "not in your face!" He really is a nice "bloke"

Of course everyone LOVES Glub. I suspect Arthur Horner used him as the "everyman". He was very well read.

Damb it Mr. Wolf #sorry lost your thread!

I didn't know that T.S. Elliote was an anti-semite! I DID and DO still love his POEMS! Although that did put a "new" perspective on his works.

Why do I have to be reminded that some "Geniuses" are also "SHITS"

NOW if anyone says ANYTHING about MY beloved "ALBERT",

A Contract will be ready!

Guido.

And you know where I live.

And you know where I live

Obviously not next to the Spellcheck Factory.

Hi kswolff,

And Thanks.

I usually used "wordweb" quite a good right click thesaurus, but it recently seems to have been broken :-)

http://wordweb.info/free/

I'll re-install it and see what happens.

Guido.

139: Sorry, couldn't resist.

Schickel on Scorsese:

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/138570-conversations-with-scorsese/

The reviewer has a higher opinion of Schickel than I do. I think film reviewers should have a mean streak and when a movie comes along that deserves savaging, they must bare their teeth and have at it...

More on Werner Herzog's "Cave of Forgotten Dreams".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/17/werner-herzog-cave-of-forgotten-drea...

Gotta see this film...

Some enlightening film criticism:

http://worsethanhitler.tumblr.com/post/3695048014/drive-angry-3d

Finally watched the latest Bond film, Quantum of Solace - easily the worst Bond film yet: no story, no characterisation, and the action scenes ruined by editing that demanded a cut every 2 seconds. Absolutely dreadful - could be used in a class showing how modern film now takes its cue from video games and how this has decimated the traditional strengths of film.

Ah, but then along comes "Sucker Punch"--it didn't seem possible that Zack Snyder could get any lower than "300" but here's a quote from the CBC on-line review by Eli Glasner:

"A monstrous edifice that crumbles under the sheer metric tonnage of its own crappiness. It's a movie that makes me long for the straightforward storytelling of Michael Bay's 'Transformers' . It makes 'Fast and Furious' look like a Chekhov play.

Try to imagine something dreamt up by a bunch of horny 16-year-olds stuck in their basement playing Dungeons and Dragons and you might come close to the supposed sophistication of 'Sucker Punch'."

I think the reviewer is being over-kind...

The Onion AV Club had a hilarious summary of it, calling it Comic-Con: the Movie.

It’s as if the filmmakers took a poll at Comic-Con of all the elements attendees seek in a movie—starlets in skimpy outfits adept at hand-to-hand combat; Nazi robot monsters; elaborate fantasy worlds; a wise mentor figure who adopts many forms; cabaret-style covers of New Wave hits; and why not throw in Don Draper while you’re at it?—then combined them all in the ultimate fanboy mash-up. Snyder has described it as “Alice In Wonderland with machine guns,” but it’s more like The Pussycat Dolls Present Steampunk Kill Bill, only more assaultive and pandering than that description suggests

http://www.avclub.com/articles/sucker-punch,53611/

I assume the members of this group have seen Der Ister or at least heard about it. Ive heard about from a bookseller friend of mind and seen the trailer on the internet. It looks interesting and seems the ultimate for snobs. Any comments?

I assume you mean this one:

http://www.theister.com/index2.html

Funny, I just bought a book of selected poems by Holderlin. If this film is released over here, I'd certainly be interested.

(Moments later)

Ah, it is available through Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Ister-Daniel-Ross/dp/B002EOVWTS

147: I haven't. Heck, I've never even heard of it. Does that mean I have to turn in my Literary Snobs: Local 106 Decoder Ring(TM) and "hipster" status? I need to know what other people think of me! It's my only validation!

WARNING: The above may contain trace amounts of sarcasm and snark.

149: But only trace amounts.

Finally, Cracked and Cliff agree about something:

http://www.cracked.com/article_19052_oscar-nominee-venn-diagram-weirdly-specific...

I...am...Cracked...

A simple, but brilliant ad. One of the best I've seen in awhile:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KDLgaili8s

This morning I got sucked in by a terrific documentary that you can watch for free on the National Film Board site. It's called "Radiant City" and I thought it was enthralling.

http://www.nfb.ca/?ec=en20110330

Saw "Superstar in a Housedress" a documentary about Factory superstar Jackie Curtis I find the gay underground / 60s-70s NYC art scene thing endlessly fascinating. (I wonder if Netflix has Flaming Creatures?) Made me nostalgic for my undergrad days, since the film dept had a Warhol film festival. I saw a bunch of Warhol films, including "Chelsea Girls."

Saw the preview for The Kite-runner In the words of my fiancee: "culturally sensitive shlock." I called it "emotional pornography" and said there's more fake beards in that film since Gettysburg, another film with a thuddingly reverential tone and fake beards everywhere. Yes, the situation in Afghanistan is terrible, but that's no excuse to throw emotionally exploitative shlock in my direction. The plot seems like a warmed-over version of the Sally Field flick Not Without My Daughter Ugh, barf!

Saw that CGI version of Beowulf -- somehow it got on to the Netflix queue -- ugh. As James Agee once opined: "Unclean! Unclean! Unclean!" Well, those are two hours I won't get back. Basically, it was like watching Shrek, but with more boobs and blood. Added bonus, script by Neil Gaiman

Let the hating begin!

I saw a bit of "Beowulf" when it was on TV a while back. Truly appalling stuff. Ghastly.

Caught "RED" on the weekend. I was extremely tired, so I think I missed some plot points (I was quite confused as to why things were happening), but it was still good fun, and great to see Dame Helen Mirren with some serious weaponry.

And went to the theatre and saw "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest". I've mostly been happy with the (Swedish) adaptations, they basically did a good edit job on the whole story and made it a lot less frustrating and a lot more fun. But the third book is more problematic - there's so much setup, and there are only really two set pieces: the court case; and the scene with the nail gun. The court case wasn't half as powerful on the screen as it was in the book, so that left one excellent but short chase-with-nail-gun scene. In a movie that went for 2.5 hours, that wasn't really enough. (I wonder how Hollywood's going with it...)

And saw "The Lost Thing", which won the Academy Award for Animated Short this year. I really like the book it's based on (also titled The Lost Thing), and the animated short was just delightful. Quirky and wondrous, and ever so slightly bittersweet. (And yay! it's Australian!)

Watched Where the Wild Things. Is this a children's film? Perhaps the kind who keep a diary and write poetry about unfair and horrible life is. Strange bleak film.

Also watched Without Reservations, a John Wayne - Claudette Colbert comedy wherein Colbert plays an Ayn Rand style writer (she has published her sensational novel Here is Tomorrow about the type of man who will forge the future), while Wayne plays a pilot who Colbert thinks would be perfect to play the hero of her novel. Wayne puts her in his arms and her philosophy in its place. Good fun.

STRANGE mix of movies, folks.

Last night I watched the old SF "classic" (?) "Flight to Mars". Ah, but Cameron Mitchell made some bad films. There's a videotape interview with him as one of the extras and he reveals "Flight to Mars" was shot in 5 days (you heard right) and it was the film that launched the career of Walter Mirisch (he went on to produce films like "In the Heat of the Night").

>159 CliffBurns: - you're not joking. I saw him in Viva Knievel at the weekend. Talk about bad films - this was a shocker. If they had placed a potato with a painted face on a motorcycle it would have been more believable. Evel Knievel could be the worst leading actor ever. What's even more shocking however is that he didn't even do his own stunts due to the insurance.

158: I thought that movie was very disturbing as well. But very good. When I used to read the book as a child I never thought about the Wild Things being a metaphor for internal demons.

I saw the documentary "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" with my son on Sunday night. It was pretty awful to contemplate. Particularly since it seems to me this kind of behavior is not really a bug but a feature of corporatism. (Not that I've come up with a better alternative or anything.) I was out of the country when all this stuff went down and was mesmerized by the parts about the energy blackouts in California. Can't believe what these people got away with.

The Enron doc is a fascinating look at the corporate, "fuck-the-people" mentality. Loved that flick.

Cliff, don't be redundant when talking about Enron

Off to see "The Illusionist" tonight. Along with Mike Leigh's "Another Year", this is the flick I've most wanted to see for the past 1 year+...

Watched Please Give. This is a textbook 'indie' film about the dysfunctional middle class in New York, Woody Allen without the (attempted) jokes, if you like. Aims for profound but hits meh.

"The Illusionist" was quite wonderful and seeing it on the big screen was a double treat. Very Tati-like feel to it, with a melancholy ending that refused to cater to expectations.

A feature on action director Walter Hill:

http://www.avclub.com/articles/walter-hill,54594/

Atlas Shrugged, Part I, opens at 14th and unable to crack the $2 million mark. (Per theater average: $5595.) Come on, that's hilarious!

http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/

Such irony that a preachy tale about greedhead egomaniacs would get beat out by CGI movies about talking bunnies and chicks.

"Peeps reap Rand sleep deep."

Afraid you'll never see all the great films out there? You're not alone:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/apr/14/fear-of-missing-out-films

(From Gord)

# 127: "Thrill me".

The bonus features that accompanied "Night of the Creeps" were fun too. Including an interview with the aforementioned Tom Atkins.

Has anyone seen The Man from Earth, directed by Richard Schenkman, written by Jerome Bixby? Sounds interesting, but it also sounds like a ninety minute version of the Star Trek episode Bixby wrote, "Requiem for Methuselah", about the long lived human, originally born in Mesopotamia. In The Man from Earth the character was born a Cro-Magnon and is 14,000 years old. I'm trying to decide if it's worth an hour and half on Netflix instant.

#171: I saw Night of the Creeps over twenty years ago, on HBO. Tom Atkins was great.

I've watched the first half hour (of "Man From Earth") but, to tell you the truth, it's boring. A bunch of talking heads sitting around, speculating, until it begins to dawn on them their host is a great deal more than he seems. It's somewhere down in my collection but I'm not in any hurry to get back to it.

Minor character actors hardly enlivening a pedestrian script. Or words to that effect...

Mr. Bixby will forever be remembered as the author of "It's A Good Life" (1953), one of the all-time great horror tales. "Man From Earth" is but a minor blip in comparison.

I watched about half of it. Not the worst thing I ever saw, but not great either. I think it's a good idea, but it didn't work that well for me. Maybe a TV series showing the character moving through history, sometimes as a major player, sometimes just as an observer. Maybe with a little alternate history mixed in.

Watched "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold", with Richard Burton, last night. Not bad, but I thought they fluffed the end a bit.

A really downbeat/depressing book and movie. I liked Burton in that one.

Hey, Remember the "Cold War".

I love all the deighton "Michael Caine" films.

And of course "Smiley" Sir Alex Guiness. TV only?

Hmm. Guess I'll have to "get" as many films of that ilk (on DVD) as I can, before that media is replaced by the CLOUD

Sorry Ian/Cliff (surely twins?) Your "tapes"/Edison Cylinders mights be becoming a tad obsolescent.

Guido.

Speaking for myself, I'm a relic.

Ian is British and, therefore, can be excused for being dour and almost certainly obsolete.

The sexual subtext of the movie Predator:

http://hippoversuswhale.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/an-exegesis-of-sexual-subtext-i...

This will probably suck:

http://www.avclub.com/articles/jj-abrams-working-on-secret-samurai-robot-project...

Make that DEFINITELY suck. To me, Abrams is right down there with Michael Bay and Zack Snyder. The worst of the worst.

Saw a pair of oddball flicks: Dead Man by Jim Jarmusch and 12 Chairs by Mel Brooks.

I saw "Dead Man" with a screaming headache. Very strange, and I don't think that was just the neurological effects of a migraine.

Ahem. Speaking of Zack Snyder. I went and saw "Sucker Punch". Definitely gets my vote for Worst Movie of 2011. If you believe that women become better fighters as their skirts get shorter (a corollary of the "battle bikini" effect, I'm sure), this could be the movie for you.

Okay, the steampunk zombies were pretty cool, although it did rankle that the women weren't allowed to kill men, but only zombies, or mech, etc. Too emasculating to the target (young male) audience...?

Commence with the gloating:

http://www.somethingawful.com/d/current-movie-reviews/scream-atlas-shrugged.php?...

Ken Russell, a lion in winter:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/apr/28/ken-russell-the-devils

If classic movies were remade by Michael Bay:

http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_192_if-classic-movies-were-remade-by-michael-...

Soviet Film Classics On Youtube

" The Moscow film company behind some of the greatest classics of Soviet cinema on Wednesday said it had agreed to make dozens of its best-known movies freely available on YouTube.

The agreement between Mosfilm and YouTube means that an initial batch of 50 films that still have legendary status in Russia but are little known outside will for the first time find a wide foreign audience."

Subtitles have also been added.

188: Leave showing films for the profit motive to capitalist imperialist running dogs.

Saw Tough Guys Don't Dance, written and directed by Norman Mailer. Probably one of the few films involving Isabella Rosellini and Penn Gillette knowing each other "biblically," and Penn's character's name is Big Stoop. It's wonderfully over-the-top and ludicrous in the best possible way.

Chris has been able to show me some of those Soviet cinema greats through this YouTube agreement. I am all for it. They are kind of weird, but interesting. The one we saw was Alexander Nevsky, or maybe it was just called Nevsky.

Forget Thor, I'm seeing a real action movie this weekend!

http://www.avclub.com/articles/hobo-with-a-shotgun,55628/

Because trashing the Atlas Shrugged movie never gets old:

http://coffeeforclosers.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/when-you-shrug-into-the-abyss-t...

Dear kswolff. #191.

You have got my attention.
Where are all the good vengence/revenge movies when you need them?
Remember that guy with a moustach err. Bronson I think? in the 1980's.
Although Van Cleef was my favourite.
Rutger H. (but I did like him in Blade Runner) is NOW my pet "baddy".

I want more "B" movies with him!

Roberto Rossellini:

http://hilobrow.com/2011/05/08/roberto-rossellini/

(The 1950s Catholic Church officially condemns this post.)

Brad Dourif, a terrific creep:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2011/may/06/brad-dourif-best-supporting-...

I'm gonna have to pop Cuckoo's Nest into the machine.

"What are you doin' here? You oughta be out in a convertible bird-doggin' chicks and bangin' beaver."

"Someone get me a fucking wiener before I die."

I'll stop before I put the entire movie down.

I think "Cuckoo's Nest" seems over-earnest and dated now. And Louise Fletcher's performance as Nurse Ratchet has her practically breaking out in nose warts and a pointy hat. The supporting performances are, I admit, very strong. Nicholson chews the scenery, as always. I thought he was FAR better in "The Last Detail" and "Five Easy Pieces".

Other movies that were over-rated and don't stand up well to scrutiny: "Bonnie & Clyde", "French Connection" and "Silence of the Lambs".

Re: The Last Detail; Have you ever read Ponicsan's little novel? More there, of course, with a different ending.

Never read the novel--another one to add to the inter-library loan list.

Watched the original "Stepford Wives" last night. Not as bad as I thought it would be (haven't seen it in decades) and featured eye candy like Katherine Ross and Paula Prentiss. Not interested in the sequel, starring Nicole Kidman. Sexy robots just ain't my thing...

>200 CliffBurns: - what about Metropolis?

Yeah, Brigitte Helm was quite a beauty.

http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2010/05/the-making-of-metropolis-actress-brigit...

Commie spy films:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/may/05/communist-spy-films

(Another good find by Gord)

Saw "Waitress" by Adrienne Shelly. A really great little film. "Now You Know" by Jeff Anderson (the other guy from Clerks) was surprisingly well done, showing very little influence from Kevin Smith and actually directed a little better.

Terrific interview with D.A. Pennebaker:

http://www.avclub.com/articles/da-pennebaker,55463/

Venerable video store closing:

http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Videomatica+Vancouver+reno...

I used to order movies from these folks YEARS ago, back when we lived on Baffin Island and I was starved for good films. Or anything else that could divert me from the cold and boredom.

206: Video stories still exist? I thought they all got swallowed into the Netflix Hivemind?

My local Movie Gallery closed and I went to Netflix. I'm. . . satisfied. The more they have available for streaming the more satisfied I'll become.

Hi Cliff #202,
Do you know if a DVD with the missing 26 minutes is availible?
Guido.

Sorry, not sure. I know they played the restored movie in its entirety last year in Berlin.

Now if they'd only find the missing scenes from "The Magnificent Ambersons"...

Watched Steven Soderbergh's "The Good German", based on a novel by Joseph Kanon. Dunno if the novel was any good but the movie was dull and formulaic. Only the photography was of any interest. Sherron conked out about 3/4 of the way through.

Watched David Lean's "Summertime" (AKA "Summer Madness") last night. Some lovely photography of Venice but... I find Katherine Hepburn a bit annoying (and Audrey Hepburn a bit insipid). I liked the story - oldish spinster has holiday romance with eyes wide open (he's a married, allegedly separated, smooth-talking Venetian antiques shop owner), and chooses to walk away when her holiday ends. But still, Hepburn...

In fake Arnold voice: "It's not a toomah!"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_schwarzenegger_shriver_separation

Ironic, a Republican politician with a love child. At least this affair was with a woman, which can't really be said of other libertine politicians of the party of "Family Values." Now the politician he most resembles is Grover Cleveland:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wL3kytptLYA/TIjiHvy27KI/AAAAAAAAAtc/7tNoWyYHN_s/s1600/...