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| gromit |
 Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 1:19 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
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Quote: Q: I heard Madonna was interested in remaking Cléo from 5 to 7.
Agnès Varda:
Madonna was touched by the story of Cléo [a story of a women waiting for a cancer diagnosis], and she asked a woman to adapt the screenplay for her. It was OK with me. But her mother had cancer and died, and she quit the project. If I had remade it in the US at the time, I thought it should be a black woman being afraid of Aids – in those years, Aids was such a terrible threat. I would have loved to make it with Whitney Houston. |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 1:53 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
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I flew to Rome just a few days after Charles Aznavour died last October. And the girl next to me on the plane was French, so I asked her about Aznavour, and we talked a bit about his music and role in France. Then I brought up Varda as another old French legend and the girl had actually gone to see some Varda short documentaries in Los Angeles a few weeks before. And we chatted about Varda a bit.
You have to realize that noone I know in China knows who these people are -- I could almost be making them up. So it was exciting for me. This weekend I'm booking flights to Armenia where we plan to go to the Aznavour Museum in Yerevan. Really to me, Aznavour sounds a little silly singing in English and I can't say I'm a fan, but he had a brilliant career -- started as a protege of Edith Piaf, was in some films including a small but central role in Atom Egoyan's Ararat, and was often called the French Sinatra. He was Armenian, Charles Aznavourian originally. In Spring 2018, we went to Bulgaria and Romania, and when we arrived in Sofia, Aznavour was playing a sold out soccer stadium in Belgrade Serbia, not too far away. Not bad for an octogenarian.
We're also going to go to the Sergei Parajanov Museum in Yerevan. Parajanov is pretty amazing, I just rewatched Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors in preparation. Great film, with amazing visuals. If anyone hasn't seen that, hop to it -- you're missing out on a highly original film. Parajanov only made a handful of feature films as the Soviet authorities kept providing him free housing and health care in their gulags. The Color of Pomegranates is considered his masterwork, and has stunning images, but limited dialogue and definitely an art film entrant. Less accessible than Shadows.
France really should turn Varda's house into a museum -- where her cats could continue to live. She had such an impish charm and vitality and sense of purpose. She was going to be her own person, her own artist, and invite everyone to join in. Her two-tone bowl cut made her a performance artist of sorts. What's impressive about Varda is how she just kept on going, and producing films no matter where she was. In LA while Demy worked in Hollywood? Varda's in the back alleys recording the street graffiti of the early 70's, hanging out with Jim Morrison, and meeting up with Huey Newton and the Black Panthers.
She's curious and fearless and unflinching. Which gets you to a powerful film like Vagabond.
I was somewhat surprised when The Gleaners & I a 2000 documentary about scroungers became a minor hit. And Varda's persistence and dedication and empathy and charm really shine through. Beaches of Agnes is a bit slight, but creative and interesting, and she's still full of creativity and experimental in her 80's. Faces Places (2017) is a really fine documentary as Varda teams up with a young artist and they proceed across France in a mobile art studio producing giant collage works of art that involved the local people and whole villages. it's really a joyous and remarkable approach to art and making it relevant.
I have a set of Agnes Varda short films from the late 60's and 70's and should dig that out. I think it's something like 8 discs. Varda was a remarkable filmmaker and artist and person. Usually when someone is 90 all their work is well behind them, but Varda was still fully capable of creating a great film. Pretty unique. |
Last edited by gromit on Thu Sep 03, 2020 1:50 am; edited 1 time in total
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 10:04 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12921
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| I've only seen one collection of her short films, Cinévardaphoto, which has her film on the Teddy Bear project. I'd like to find more. |
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I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 11:42 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6958
Location: Black Hills
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| gromit |
| Posted: Tue Apr 02, 2019 1:03 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
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I prefer Zombie Jesus and The Flying Spaghetti Monster, but Jesus getting ahead on nepotism is good too.
Hey, a trinity! |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2019 2:38 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
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R.I.P.
Bibi Andersson, Luminous Presence in Bergman Films, Dies at 83.
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2019 8:33 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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Ghulam wrote: .
R.I.P.
Bibi Andersson, Luminous Presence in Bergman Films, Dies at 83.
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I remember her best as the two Saras in Wild Strawberries which probably means I need to see Persona. |
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I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2019 10:47 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6958
Location: Black Hills
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Persona is disturbing, confusing, and possibly about vampires. And maybe lesbian love, spiders, the Holocaust, Vietnam, the emptiness of modernity, catatonia, abortion, orgy regrets, and why Swedes kill themselves in large numbers. If you understand the film, you didn't see it, and must watch it again until you don't understand it anymore.
Remove all dangerous prescription drugs, knives, and firearms from your dwelling before watching. Forget to feed your cat for half a day, so it/they will interrupt you while you're watching and bring you back from the hideous void that's yawning inside your mind.
Enjoy! |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 6:07 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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bartist wrote: Persona is disturbing, confusing, and possibly about vampires. And maybe lesbian love, spiders, the Holocaust, Vietnam, the emptiness of modernity, catatonia, abortion, orgy regrets, and why Swedes kill themselves in large numbers. If you understand the film, you didn't see it, and must watch it again until you don't understand it anymore.
Remove all dangerous prescription drugs, knives, and firearms from your dwelling before watching. Forget to feed your cat for half a day, so it/they will interrupt you while you're watching and bring you back from the hideous void that's yawning inside your mind.
Enjoy!
This is a bartist keeper. And, almost incredibly, right on the money. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 4:13 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6958
Location: Black Hills
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| Syd |
| Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 6:25 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12921
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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bartist wrote: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/john-singleton-director-of-powerful-inner-city-drama-boyz-n-the-hood-dies-at-51/2019/04/29/a6d3fd58-67aa-11e9-8985-4cf30147bdca_story.html?utm_term=.6943f78355c1#
RIP John Singleton.
Those damn helicopters still get to me. And:
Quote: Furious Styles: Why is it that there is a gun shop on almost every corner in this community?
The Old Man: Why?
Furious Styles: I'll tell you why. For the same reason that there is a liquor store on almost every corner in the black community. Why? They want us to kill ourselves.
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I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 11:40 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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R.I.P. Doris Day, a great singer-actpr. She was marvelous in "The Pajama Game," sensational in "Pillow Talk," and absolutely stunning in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much." That she was not cast as Nellie Forbush in "South Pacific" is IMO one of the biggest boners in screen history.
James Cagney was quoted as saying he only worked with two women in his life that he would call great actresses. One was the legendary Laurette Taylor. The other was Doris Day. |
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| chillywilly |
| Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 8:37 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 8251
Location: Salt Lake City
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Apologies for my long history of silence here.
It's time we discuss the future of this site and who will want to keep it going. The lat 3 years, it's been easy for me to just pay for the hosting fees and the domain name registration. This last round I did 6 months of hosting, which moved the billing date from first week of December to the first week of June. The cost is $160 a year to keep the site going ($120 for web hosting and $40 for domain registration). It's not been a concern, but ongoing, if we keep the site going, it's something we should discuss about going back to donations and dues.
I recently had a talk with Marc Campbell about any input he had on this site. He said "as I'm no longer involved it seems whoever is should make the decision. It's up to the community."
Additional apologies for multiple emails I've not responded to over the last 3 years on the status of this site.
As for the interim, I've paid for hosting for the next 3 months. That should give us time to make whatever decisions we need to for this site.
So I put this out to those who are still here and posting. What is the future of the site? |
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Chilly
"If you should die before me / Ask if you could bring a friend" |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 3:02 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6958
Location: Black Hills
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| I will sometimes look in when no one has replied to a post for over a week. That can work for classic films and the like, but it's a little sluggish for current films. Many posts are now danglers, i.e. someone posted, no one ever replied to that post, leaving it an open question if anyone read it or garnered anything of value. I can't see spending $160/year for, what, 5 members? to have a sort of frustrating nonchat where they aren't sure if they are getting through or just monologists? I can't speak for anyone else, but I just really prefer more eyes on a page than you can get here these days. Best of luck, and thanks for all the film fellowship. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 6:57 pm |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12921
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| I'll pay $40 to that. |
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I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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