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| bartist |
 Posted: Wed May 21, 2014 8:22 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6961
Location: Black Hills
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| Sad to say, I enjoy your review - or an episode of Futurama - more than a movie like this. Of course, if I never watched movies like this, then I wouldn't get pop culture jokes and parodies on Futurama or The Simpsons. I fear there is a sort of content-free cultural imperative implied here: I must consume junk culture in order to understand references and jokes about junk culture. How much of our lives do we spend consuming junk in order to authoritatively mock our own act of consumption? |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Thu May 22, 2014 4:15 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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Watched two early Soderbergh films -- King of the Hill ('93) and The Underneath (1995). King of the Hill is a period piece, based on A E Hotchner's memoirs of growing up in the Depression. While The Underneath is a a twisty neo-noir, which eventually gets to an armored car robbery. Hill is pretty enjoyable and well done. While Underneath is a little busy on style and short on character.
What struck me is how there were definite Coen Bros elements in both films. In KoftheH, Lauryn Hill's elevator operator is one of those deadpan Coen role players, framed in impassive close-up. Some of the deadpan dialogue qualified as well. Underneath at times reminded me of Blood Simple, with a love triangle involving a duplicitous woman, a bar owner and the main character who is kind of a rugged everyman, though no boy scout himself.
I'm not that familiar with early Soderbergh, and have never seen Sex Lies & Videotape, but given when he came along, it wouldn't surprise me if his indie career was influenced by the Coens. I can't imagine I;m the first one to make the connection ... |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| yambu |
| Posted: Fri May 23, 2014 3:32 pm |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
Posts: 6441
Location: SF Bay Area
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In The Attack, a distinguished Palestinian surgeon has been on staff for years in a Tel Aviv hospital. One day children bomb victims begin arriving in his ward. The suicide bomber's remains prove to be those of his Palestinian wife.
Didn't he, like his wife, have one foot in both worlds? If so, then why is Nablus such a moonscape to him? One could read news report after report and not get near what this film reveals. You will see that Nablus has its own ground zero. |
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That was great for you. How was it for me? |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 6:24 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Checked out the 1985 (original) version of Fright Night, the sorta-spoof sorta-for-real vampire flick that has become a semi-classic. It's a lot if fun, with Chris Sarandon as a sexy creature of the night, Roddy McDowall as a reluctant vampire killer, and a pre-Married-with-Children Amanda Bearse as a possible victim. It's funny and scary and has awesome makeup and apecial effects, especially for 1985. |
Last edited by billyweeds on Sun May 25, 2014 5:14 am; edited 1 time in total |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 7:27 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| I'd like to see that version again. Every time I see "Fright Night" in the TV listings, I hope it's the one with Roddy McDowall, but it never is. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 7:40 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: NYC
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Sitting around while the plumber took my kitchen apart, replaced a faulty pipe that was damaging the downstairs fellow's ceiling, and then put everything back over the past few days, I saw a bunch of TCM flicks. A good double feature could be "The Shanghai Gesture" with "The House on 56th Street"--a similar mother-daughter situation.
I also caught "The Moon Is Blue" for the first time. Hard to believe it was so controversial (banned in Boston!). Today it would be a TV sitcom. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 7:53 pm |
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| Remember The Moon is Blue very well. The uproar by who knows who was so ridiculous, that it was laughable. I think the problem was the word "virgin". I went to see it of course and didn't think it was very good. In those days they didn't ban underage movie-goers in Winnipeg. The movie was boring. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 8:01 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| Duplicate post |
Last edited by carrobin on Sat May 24, 2014 8:07 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 8:06 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| I thought the movie was fairly amusing, but William Holden and David Niven seemed pretty heavy talent for such a lightweight story. They did look like they were enjoying themselves, though--especially Niven. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 5:17 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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carrobin wrote: I thought the movie was fairly amusing, but William Holden and David Niven seemed pretty heavy talent for such a lightweight story. They did look like they were enjoying themselves, though--especially Niven.
Maggie McNamara was nominated for the Oscar for her performance in the lead role. One wonders why. Her career went nowhere and she ultimately committed suicide--another Hollywood horror story--cf. Diane Varsi, Margaux Hemingway. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 5:27 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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carrobin wrote: I'd like to see that version again. Every time I see "Fright Night" in the TV listings, I hope it's the one with Roddy McDowall, but it never is.
I saw it streaming on Netflix. And although McDowall is very good and very entertaining in the vampire-killer role, the most memorable scene for me was a dance-hall seduction featuring Chris Sarandon as the vampire and Amanda Bearse as his intended victim. This scene is hot to the max. Sarandon and Bearse tear it up. (She later made headlines when she came out as a lesbian, years before Ellen did.) |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 8:21 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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billyweeds wrote:
Maggie McNamara was nominated for the Oscar for her performance in the lead role. One wonders why. Her career went nowhere and she ultimately committed suicide--another Hollywood horror story--cf. Diane Varsi, Margaux Hemingway.
I wondered about her. She was well matched with her big-name costars and reminded me of a (less ethereal) Audrey Hepburn. Sad to hear about her suicide. |
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 1:48 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
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yambu wrote: In The Attack, a distinguished Palestinian surgeon has been on staff for years in a Tel Aviv hospital. One day children bomb victims begin arriving in his ward. The suicide bomber's remains prove to be those of his Palestinian wife.
Didn't he, like his wife, have one foot in both worlds? If so, then why is Nablus such a moonscape to him? One could read news report after report and not get near what this film reveals. You will see that Nablus has its own ground zero.
Yes, the movie does enhance our understanding of and empathy for both sides. |
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 2:02 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
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"Caesar Must Die" is set in a maximum security prison in Rome, with real long-term prisoners, all hard core criminals, preparing for the performance of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar". Directed by the much feted Taviani brothers, Italian counterparts of our Coen brothers. Interesting analogies are drawn between the lives of the players and the assassins in the play. Won 12 international awards.
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 8:25 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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The Frozen Ground is a well-made true-crime story set in Alaska and starring Nicolas Cage and John Cusack, but it's rather unexciting and far from the must viewing those name stars might suggest, even though it's their first pairing since Con Air, which many (IMO inexplicably) liked.
Cage and Cusack are both okay but nothing more. The movie is, most surprisingly, stolen by Vanessa Hudgens, the cutie from High School Musical, here playing a teenage prostitute with a foul mouth. Quite a change from her former Disney sweetness. But she's remarkably good. |
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