| Author |
Message |
|
| gromit |
 Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 11:00 am |
 |
|
Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
|
Deepa Mehta's new film Water sounds interesting. About widowhood in India.
So I was wondering if anyone has seen two of her earlier films, Earth or Fire?
And today I found a nice 3-disc set fo Bela Tarr's early films (1978-82). Apparently they are slice-of-life looks at relationships, inspired by Cassavettes work, and rather different from Tarr's later metaphoric films (inspired by Tarkovsky?)
Also, picked up some Mel Brooks nonsense (High Anxiety & History fo the World), an MC5 documentary, a Clark Terry concert, and
The Night of Truth, which I've seen described as the first feature film directed by an African woman. It's a political film about a gov't reaching peace accords with the rebels, and the difficulty of forgetting the past and moving forward. [Dir. Fanta Regina Nacro, Burkina Faso 2004] |
|
|
| Back to top |
  
|
| lady wakasa |
| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 12:55 pm |
|
|
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 5911
Location: Beyond the Blue Horizon
|
gromit wrote: Deepa Mehta's new film Water sounds interesting. About widowhood in India.
So I was wondering if anyone has seen two of her earlier films, Earth or Fire?
I haven't seen any of them, but a coworker with a good working knowledge of Hindi movies (as she refers to them) has been talking them up. If I can get to NYC I may check out Water. |
_________________
===================
http://www.wakasaworld.com |
|
| Back to top |
|
| Ghulam |
| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 1:09 pm |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
|
| Gromit, I have seen both Earth and Fire. They are both excellent. Earth has the backdrop of the partition of India in 1947, and focuses on inter-communal friendships in the midst of conflagration. Fire was bitterly resented in India because it shows a lesbian relationship between the wives of two brothers in a joint family. Actually it is about the neglect of wives by men. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| ehle64 |
| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 1:48 pm |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 7149
Location: NYC; US&A
|
I have a very good Indian friend from Delhi and she detested both Earth and Fire but still wants to see Water. Perhaps she's a completist.
We watched The Family Stone last night. Very worthy rental if only for the sublime Keaton. However, everyone in the cast (including WitchiePoo) does a very good job. Miles better than Rumor Has It. The only reason I'm comparing the two is because they were both Christmas 2005 releases and the only two I could pick from to see with my Mother over the Holidays and I, so obviously, picked the wrong one! |
_________________
It truly disappoints me when people do something for you via no prompt of your own and then use it as some kind of weapon against you at a later time and place. It is what it is. |
|
| Back to top |
|
| shannon |
| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 2:00 pm |
|
|
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 1628
Location: NC
|
| I like The Family Stone. I'm not sure if families that perfect really exist anywhere other than Hollywood, but whatevs. I still enjoyed it. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 2:32 pm |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
|
shannon wrote: I like The Family Stone. I'm not sure if families that perfect really exist anywhere other than Hollywood, but whatevs. I still enjoyed it.
I'll see you and raise you. I loved that movie to distraction, with an emphasis on Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane Keaton, and Luke Wilson. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| gromit |
| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 2:59 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
|
Thanks Ghulam. Now I have to hope Earth and Fire are still around. I know they were a month or so ago, but at that time I didn't even know they were Indian films. Kept forgetting to look them up on AMG.
Water finally registered with me.
Not too hard to guess the name of her next film.
A series of four.
Is that a quadrilogy? |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| mo_flixx |
| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 4:53 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 30 May 2004
Posts: 12533
|
Ghulam wrote: Gromit, I have seen both Earth and Fire. They are both excellent. Earth has the backdrop of the partition of India in 1947, and focuses on inter-communal friendships in the midst of conflagration. Fire was bitterly resented in India because it shows a lesbian relationship between the wives of two brothers in a joint family. Actually it is about the neglect of wives by men.
I've seen both of them too. I recommend them. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Earl |
| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 8:24 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 09 Jun 2004
Posts: 2621
Location: Houston
|
ehle64 wrote: [b]watched The Family Stone last night. Very worthy rental if only for the sublime Keaton. However, everyone in the cast (including WitchiePoo) does a very good job.
Witchie who? Who are you referring to? |
_________________
"I have a suspicion that you are all mad," said Dr. Renard, smiling sociably; "but God forbid that madness should in any way interrupt friendship." |
|
| Back to top |
|
| grace |
| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 8:58 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 11 Nov 2005
Posts: 3214
|
I'm confused....The Family Stone isn't listed in Witchiepoo's credits. Or is Witchiepoo a code name for someone? (Ms. Parker?)
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0370906/
(Poo, Witchie) |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| ehle64 |
| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 9:19 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 7149
Location: NYC; US&A
|
|
_________________
It truly disappoints me when people do something for you via no prompt of your own and then use it as some kind of weapon against you at a later time and place. It is what it is. |
|
| Back to top |
|
| grace |
| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 9:38 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 11 Nov 2005
Posts: 3214
|
| Hey, I got one right -- woo hoo! |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 3:23 am |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 14498
Location: Houston
|
Caught Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with Earl tonight at a midnight showing. I had a great time. The score is wonderful, and the rapid wit of the movie is astonishing. As I hadn't watched it recently, some jokes took me by surprise. But as each kid was introduced, I felt like I was getting back in contact with an old friend. And Gene Wilder...well, he's simply perfect, irreplacable. Some actors own a role. Vivien Leigh owns Scarlett, Yul Brynner owns the King. And Wilder owns Wonka. It's a perfect performance.
A few thoughts:
1. I think movies probably aren't magical, it's what we invest in them. The adults who first saw The Wizard of Oz thought it was pretty dreadful, only the kids could connect with it, and continued to as adults. Willy Wonka similarly opened to terrible reviews (and, because there was no longer a studio-chain connection, limited release), but was taken to heart by kids. So I'm not sure if the wonderment of the movie, with its t.v. movie sets and crummy picture quality really has anything to do with the talent of the filmmakers (though you'd be hard pressed to convince me Gene Wilder's rendition of "Pure Imagination" isn't one of the most magical moments on film). Does the talent of the set designers, choreographers, or anthing else come into play, or is it a combination of some good ideas and our willingness to be seduced by the fantasy? (To be fair, everyone connected with the movie says the chocolate room set really was spectacular, truly breathtaking, but that somehow the movie could never capture it.)
It's not that I think the movie is bad, and only our mindset makes it good. The script (credited to Roald Dahl from his novel, but others contributed and the magical "Never forget what happened to the boy who got everything he wanted" is by another hand) is first rate, incredibly funny, menacing at times, and ultimately touching. The songs are appealing (and in general I'm no fan of Anthony Newley's talent). And the cast is very strong. I mentioned Gene Wilder, but the whole cast is terrific. The kids are very good, terrific performances, but they are still, happily, kids, not automatons. The adults are wonderful. It's just that on a filmmaking level, as far as the mounting of the production goes, it's only mid-level quality, and yet it doesn't seem to matter.
2. This movie does something very unique with the old American tradition of verbal slapstick. Fast-paced, witty dialogue is an old standard in our movie history, but the double-speak, and rapid-fire response always belongs to the con-man, the man on the make, the man not to be trusted. In Willy Wonka, the only man with a gift for it is the most innocent (or most wise), most imaginative man, the dreamer. It's an interesting variation.
3. I think this movie particuarly appealed to GenXers for some strong reasons. We grew up in the era of inflation. We grew up with fewer possibilites and less hopes (we never had the idealism of the boomers). And Charlie is really a down and out kid. His grandparents live in bed, and it isn't cute-looking. His mother is a woman worn-out well before her time, just trying to hold on. His dad is dead. This is no Hollywood display of impoverishment. He has nothing. He looses out on the golden ticket three times before he finds one, so when he finally wins it's as if the movie slips into a comfortable fantasy, rather than as if he was meant to win all along. His essential goodness in the face of what is, quite honestly, dispair, is pretty marvelous.
The long and short of it is, I had a great time. |
_________________
You've got a great brain. You should keep it in your head.
-Topher |
|
| Back to top |
|
| mo_flixx |
| Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 11:11 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 30 May 2004
Posts: 12533
|
Has there been any discussion of Atom Egoyan's "Where the Truth Lies?" I watched this film last night. It's a suspenseful story about a 50's comic team (think Martin & Lewis) who leave an unsolved murder of a beautiful hotel employee behind them. Each man has an airtight alibi, but nothing seems quite kosher. 15 years later, an attractive young journalist approaches both men to research what really happened. Full of twists.
[Not to mention terrific use of sets and locations. Architect Pierre Koenig's famous Stahl House in the Hollywood Hills is one of the featured locations.]
The leads are Colin Firth and Kevin Bacon. Alison Lohman plays the journalist.
The extras (mostly deleted scenes) plus some documentary footage of the making of the film are interesting.
I was surprised at the negative user comments at imdb.com. It's an intriguing film that fits well into Egoyan's body of work. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Earl |
| Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 11:19 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 09 Jun 2004
Posts: 2621
Location: Houston
|
Joe Vitus wrote: Caught Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with Earl tonight at a midnight showing. I had a great time.
I enjoyed it, too. Thanks again for joining me. Great review. Rather than repeat your salient points, I'll mention some others that hit me.
Like you, I was impressed by the witty, rapid-fire dialogue, but I'd forgotten how funny the school teacher is in an absent-minded way. ("An announcement: Friday's schedule will be switched with Monday's schedule which means that the test we usually take on Friday on what we learned during the week will now be taken on Monday before we've learned it. But as today is Tuesday, it doesn't matter in the slightest.") Also, Wonka sometimes responds to uncomfortable questions with a corporate style stonewall. ("I'm sorry, all questions must be submitted in writing at the end of the session.")
I couldn't help being reminded a couple times of Al Gore's hilarious sketch when he hosted Saturday Night Live a few years ago. In the sketch he played Willy Wonka's exasperated accountant. "We have a river of chocolate running through this factory! Do you have any idea how much that costs to maintain? Then you have a TV camera that turns a giant chocoalate bar into a tiny one. Help me wrap my brain around that one. And I have to take that psychedelic boat trip every day just to get to my office!"
Am I a wet blanket for thinking that Charlie did break the rules just as the other kids did? Wonka was correct to remind him in his final rant near the end (even if it was all for show) that he and Grandpa Joe "stole Fizzy Lifting Drink and touched the ceiling which now has to be washed and sanitized." Was Charlie's transgression not as serious of those of the other four kids? Or did Wonka know from the beginning that Charlie was special and would return the Everlasting Gobstopper? Each of the other four kids did seem to fall prey to things that appealed to her/his own particular vice which suggests that Wonka knew when each one would drop out.
I like all of the songs with one exception. When Charlie's mother sings "Cheer Up, Charlie" it's a pleasant enough song, but doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the film. |
_________________
"I have a suspicion that you are all mad," said Dr. Renard, smiling sociably; "but God forbid that madness should in any way interrupt friendship." |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
