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| lady wakasa |
 Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 6:59 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 5911
Location: Beyond the Blue Horizon
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gromit wrote: lady wakasa wrote: But Weine's The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1919), Alfred Hitchcock's The Lodger (1927), and Fritz Lang's M (1931) would fit the bill.
I think the film noir historian commenting on the film calls The Sniper one of the first serial killer movies. Then he qualifies it as more like the first modern American serial killer films. He does mention The Lodger and M, but kind of pushes them aside into Gothic/horror films with a killer, rather than a good red-blooded American methodical serial killer.
There's also Chaplin's serial killer flick, Monsieur Verdoux from 1947.
And one year prior to The Sniper, Joseph Losey re-made Lang's M in an American setting.
Well, but if we can come up with five movies off the cuff here - and I'm sure there are others, I'm just not thinking of them - even "one of the first" starts getting dodgy if there as a stream of films starting from 25-30 years earlier (The Sniper is early-mid 50s). If he wants to say with an American twist, okay - but I'm not sure he's really saying much. The murderer in The Lodger, for example, is based on Jack the Ripper - he's "good" (at least at what he does) and methodical; just not American. And Hitchcock, for one, paid some dues at Babelsburg, picking up some of the same influences that also later developed into American noir - elements of which he brought back with him when he came to the US.
The statement starts throwing off lots of alarms for me, sorry. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 10:16 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Location: Shanghai
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I agree.
I think what he wants to get at is that The Sniper sort of set a template for the serial killer sub-genre, including seeing targets lined up in the crosshairs, criminal psychology understanding of the killer's mind (wanting to get caught, lack of remorse, social misfit status, etc.). After this point, such movies start becoming more common, especially in the 60's and 70's. |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 11:24 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
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Quote: I heart me some Wong Kar-Wei and have the Criterion of In The Mood For Love. Lovely, long and lush.
That is one of the few Criterions I have. Love 2046........maybe more than In the Mood. Love Tony Leung.
Quote: I don't know why, honestly some things happen that I can't explain, but I rented The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons. Saw the first and the second just arrived. I didn't really like it or its obvious propagandizing, but found the film entertaining. Also didn't know Sir Ian McKellen was in it so that was a nice surprise. So, for Ewan McGregor's sake, I'll watch the second tonight or tomorrow.
I liked both books........movies were okay. But I just read The Lost Symbol and have to say.......it was a struggle. The focus is Washington, DC, its buildings, and Masonic symbolism. It was a heavy handed read. I forced myself to finish it. Noetic science. Thoughts have mass. The soul has weight. |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 11:26 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: AZ
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| ehle64 |
| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 12:45 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 7149
Location: NYC; US&A
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| Thanks, Bets! I can't remember if I mentioned watching Chris and Don..., but I did, and I liked it. I've been an Isherwood fan since my teens. Why does Tom Ford think he can be a movie director? We'll see with A Single Man. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 12:56 pm |
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| Betsy, I liked Bachardy's drawings very much. Excellent portraits and use of the medium. His paintings, not so much, though I could only find a couple of them. It may be a personal thing, but I didn't care for the style and the end result didn't make me want to see more of them. I have to disagree with you, painting wise he is not in the same class as Hockney. Not even close. |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 2:15 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
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| Gary........I haven't found a link to his portrait paintings but there were alot of them shown in the movie and they were GOOD. The nude paintings I linked were nothing to write home about. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 2:37 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
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Yes, Earl, my semi-negative review of A Christmas Tale was a rave compared to your flat-out pan. Ebert seems to enjoy the director noodling around with different styles and assorted film references. I didn't have a problem with the styles (except for one or two scenes), but thought too much of the film was the director imposing himself upon the characters and the plotline. In other words, the director got in the way of and overshadowed the film he was making. So it all rang false and contrived to me.
I really think someone should make a list of the ways in which The Royal Tenenbaums was re-interpreted in A Christmas Tale.
- The father's central role has been reduced and split off so that the elder son is estranged from the family instead and the mother has cancer (as opposed to Hackman being estranged and pretending to have cancer).
- Both daughters are successful writers.
- Instead of the Ben Stiller character being overly protective of his two sons, the younger brother in XmasT has two sons and the sister is overly protective of her boy.
- Does the Bill Murray character get into a fight, or almost, like the son-in-law does in XmasT?
- Even the wacky brother climbs out of the window and down the wall of the house, like Owen Wilson climbing into the Tenenbaum house.
- And the younger brother Ivan looks a good deal like Luke Wilson.
I'm sure there's more, such as the affair ... |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 4:15 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
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Cool Monk Photo:
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| Syd |
| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 5:10 pm |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12921
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| I've heard his son live, but I never got to hear the father. |
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| lady wakasa |
| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 5:36 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: Beyond the Blue Horizon
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| Wade, I'm coming to your house and we're watching In the Mood for Love! Just not sure when... |
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| Marj |
| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 6:40 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 10497
Location: Manhattan
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I really want to thank Lady and Gromit.
I'm going to be writing a review of The Spiral Staircase, sometime soon and I was planning to ask you all about the first serial killer film but thankfully you've both educated me before I had to.
Still why I didn't think of The Lodger, either version, I'll never know.
Gromit: Great photo of Monk. |
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| lady wakasa |
| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 6:49 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 5911
Location: Beyond the Blue Horizon
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Marj wrote: I'm going to be writing a review of The Spiral Staircase,
YAY!!!! \o/
Looking forward to it, Marj. %^D
I saw The Spiral Staircase maybe 5-7 years ago - someone had gotten me a subscription to Nicheflix (now defunct) and that was I think the first movie I rented. It was fascinating (and refreshing) in the way it approached the subject, even the treatment of disabilities. (And I liked the little movie they watched at the beginning, lol.)
The Monk / Rothschild documentary looks interesting, too. |
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| ehle64 |
| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 9:11 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: NYC; US&A
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lady wakasa wrote: Wade, I'm coming to your house and we're watching In the Mood for Love! Just not sure when...
Well, by all means, but, a little notice would help!
hehehe |
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| Marj |
| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 10:24 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: Manhattan
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Thanks Lady. And that's why I'm reviewing it. It's all about the way in which disabilities are treated. I have to thank Joe for reminding of it.
The Spiral Staircase has become somewhat of a classic. More because of its use of black and white cinematography, than the story. It does seem rather dated today, but as a serial killer mystery, it still works.
The Jazz Baroness is well worth the rental. I hope you like it. *w* |
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