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**Servo2000** · 04-06-2007, 04:48 PM

Re: Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second: The cinema thread

[quote user="Faust"]I think DiCaprio was always a good actor - if you look at films like What's Eating Gilbert Grap and Basketball Diaries - he's amazing. Titanic was his "I-will-now-become-a-household-name" film. But it looks like he's taking the Johnny Depp route with the huge blockbusters. It's all right, I guess - but that's not where an actor's strength lies. I'd like to see him in theater. I look at these guys who are a right mix of a good actor and a pretty face (DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt), and I sometimes wish they were ugly and stuck to more challenging roles :-). They do a nice mix though - just when I'm ready to give up on Pitt he'll do a Snatch or Babel. Still waiting for Depp to do something worthwhile these days...
[/quote]

I think Depp tried for on with The Libertine but personally I thought the movie was so terrible as to be almost unwatchable. I've heard others who absolutely adored it though, so it seems like a rather divisive film. He has The Rum Diary coming up probably in 2008 / 2008, that might be alright.

**Faust** · 04-06-2007, 05:06 PM

Re: Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second: The cinema thread

[quote user="Servo2000"]

I think Depp tried for on with The Libertine but personally I thought the movie was so terrible as to be almost unwatchable. I've heard others who absolutely adored it though, so it seems like a rather divisive film. He has The Rum Diary coming up probably in 2008 / 2008, that might be alright.
[/quote]

I haven't seen The Libertine. I am also convinced that they will never make the Rum Diary - I've been waiting for it for about 4 years already, ever since the news came out. I think it's the most underestimated of Thompson's works (it was only released because he became famous, but I thought it was a good novel on its own).

**PrinceOfCats** · 04-07-2007, 12:55 PM

Re: Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second: The cinema thread

Depp's one of those 'can-act-won't-act' actors. He's been in so many films giving the camera the fifth look (the 'I'm just doing this for the money, I could do a serious film if I wanted to' look) that he may have to apply for British citizenship soon so he can join the rest of them.

**Faust** · 04-07-2007, 03:19 PM

Re: Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second: The cinema thread

[quote user="PrinceOfCats"]Depp's one of those 'can-act-won't-act' actors. He's been in so many films giving the camera the fifth look (the 'I'm just doing this for the money, I could do a serious film if I wanted to' look) that he may have to apply for British citizenship soon so he can join the rest of them.
[/quote]

Hahaha, I like the way you put it. The only difference is, I would like to say that he has become one of those actors after he re-emerged from a short break '03 - it's been much more easy-film heavy since.

**Casius** · 04-07-2007, 03:29 PM

Re: Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second: The cinema thread

Faust- I love the basketball diaries. Not really a fan of Gilbert Grape, maybe it's because I found the character to annoying or hard to watch. None the less he did a great job in both of those films though.<DIV> </DIV><DIV>Just bought "The pursuit of happiness" staring Will Smith. Movie day today. </DIV>

**Fuuma** · 04-11-2007, 02:43 PM

Re: Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second: The cinema thread

Amants réguliers, les (Regular
lovers)/France/Philippe Garrel/2005: [/b]Semi-autobiographical story of lovers who meet
during the «social revolution» of May 68 and later hang around with
a bunch of disillusioned artistic youth in the luxurious apartment of a
bourgeois friend.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

May 68:[/b] pretty much the French pendant to the American
Vietnam protests, but with more intellectual posturing and less patchouli. A
lot of intellectuals of all stripes had their life shaped by what they lived
during May 68; in French political thinking there is a pre and post 68
division, which doesn?t happen often in history unless the son of god comes to
earth or something of that caliber. French new wave members were among those
that were greatly involved in all this, the work of Jean-Luc Godard being a
shining example.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Why you
should see Les amants réguliers:<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

·
Gorgeous
black and white cinematography, the movie is striking, space and camera
positioning are sharply put to use, all this without looking overproduced or
too staged. In other words I don?t think a movie like 300 is visually
impressive but this one is?<o:p></o:p>

·
Great
elliptical narrative that often skips the ?action? phase to go straight to what
is important; how the character react, what they feel, what it means to them.<o:p></o:p>

·
Generates
various question about art, creation and the place of creators.<o:p></o:p>

·
I
want to dress like the main character, who happens to be played by Louis Garrel
(the director?s son) which takes the autobiographical references to a whole
different level.<o:p></o:p>

·
The
first act, which concerns the riots and their aftermath, is presented through a
series of long takes where uncertainty and a certain unreality makes the proceedings
all the more realistic by conveying how it felt, at least for one man, to be
there. A lesser director might have used frantic editing and a standard cinema
vérité, hand-held camera approach, creating a sort of newsreel but this is,
thankfully, not the case here. <o:p></o:p>

·
Garrel,
a child of May 68 himself, manages to tell how the ?revolution? collapsed
afterward, without using dramatic gestures or overt symbolism; just by showing
you how the characters react and interact with each others and the world at
large.<o:p></o:p>

·
The
male and female leads are excellent and bring a great sensitivity that is much
needed, as this is, at the foremost, a film that should speak to you on a
visceral level<o:p></o:p>

·
Be
warned that it?s 3 hours and that I?m sure you could find people to say that ?nothing
happens?<o:p></o:p>

**Fuuma** · 04-11-2007, 02:45 PM

Re: Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second: The cinema thread

[quote user="Incroyable"][quote user="Fuuma"]

Fuuma's top 100 movies: 10's<ul><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Vampires, les/France/Feuillade/1916: Engrossing crime serial with a macabre edge, the main character is boring but you?ll be cheering for the amoral members of ?les vampires? gang[/list]

[/quote]

An interesting vampire film is the Danish Vampyr which has the Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg in a role. The Baron was the world's first male fashion editor, at Vogue with Diana Vreeland and people like Carmel Snow--at Harper's Bazaar--as contemporaries.




[/quote]

Sounds interesting, is their a DVD/VHS release somewhere or should I wait for an occasion to see at a theater?

**Faust** · 04-11-2007, 03:22 PM

Re: Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second: The cinema thread

Thanks for the review, Fuuma. That era is certainly most interesting. I'll have to check it out.

So, I watched Zizek! Meh, not really worth it. He did a couple of smart/funny lines, but that's about it. I guess film is not the right medium for this kind of stuff - readin his books would be a much more gratifying experience, I would think.

**Faust** · 04-11-2007, 03:29 PM

Re: Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second: The cinema thread

The Wind That Shakes the Barley

Clumsy title notwithstanding (it's taken from an Irish folk-song), a really excellent film about the Irish resistance to the British, gaining independence for Ireland, and the formation of IRA. 

A very heavy, gut-wrenching film, full of anguish, but more important (for a medium such as film) full of ambiguity and ambivalence, especially in the part where the Irish resistance split up into those who accepted the partial independence, and those who wanted full independence and formed the new IRA. It's also beautifully shot, really takes you there. The actors were great.

**PrinceOfCats** · 04-11-2007, 05:07 PM

Re: Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second: The cinema thread

Loachy goodness as it may be... I'm not really sure that TWTSTB does anything that Land and Freedom didn't do twelve years ago.


I'm rewatching Beau Travail on slo-mo for my exam on Monday. Truly remarkable film... who knew that someone could go one better than Godard? (And that director being Claire Denis made it a real coup for women in the film industry.) I've heard that L'Intrus is even more challenging.

**Vicomte** · 04-11-2007, 06:30 PM

Re: Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second: The cinema thread

[quote user="Fuuma"]
Amants réguliers, les (Regular lovers)/France/Philippe Garrel/2005: Semi-autobiographical story of lovers who meet during the «social revolution» of May 68 and later hang around with a bunch of disillusioned artistic youth in the luxurious apartment of a bourgeois friend.<?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>

[/quote]

Funny how Garrel almost always plays the same roles- I like him though.

Your description may also suit The Dreamers (Bertolucci) -it wasn't exactly praised by the critics though but it's definitely an "easier" film if you compare with les Amants Réguliers

**Faust** · 04-12-2007, 03:02 PM

Re: Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second: The cinema thread

[quote user="PrinceOfCats"]

Loachy goodness as it may be... I'm not really sure that TWTSTB does anything that Land and Freedom didn't do twelve years ago.


I'm rewatching Beau Travail on slo-mo for my exam on Monday. Truly remarkable film... who knew that someone could go one better than Godard? (And that director being Claire Denis made it a real coup for women in the film industry.) I've heard that L'Intrus is even more challenging. 



[/quote]

I'd have to check that out. Of course I take everything with a grain of salt form an English imperialist like you [:P] 

I watched Children of Men yesterday. It was all right. I liked the apocalyptic portrayal of the world, the showing of controlled paranoya, and while I was a little bit upset at the end, I realized that there could be no other end without turning this movie into a complete science fiction and taking away from the philosophical bit of it. I also liked the idea of the savior figure going through the entire film without firing a single gun shot (without even handling a gun, actually) - that was refreshing from the usuall Hollywood machismo.

**kamsky** · 04-12-2007, 03:45 PM

Re: Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second: The cinema thread

[quote user="Faust"]

The Wind That Shakes the Barley

Clumsy title notwithstanding (it's taken from an Irish folk-song), a really excellent film about the Irish resistance to the British, gaining independence for Ireland, and the formation of IRA. 

A very heavy, gut-wrenching film, full of anguish, but more important (for a medium such as film) full of ambiguity and ambivalence, especially in the part where the Irish resistance split up into those who accepted the partial independence, and those who wanted full independence and formed the new IRA. It's also beautifully shot, really takes you there. The actors were great.


[/quote]

THIS POST CONTAINS A SPOILER (OF SORTS)!!!

I also came away with a generally positive opinion of this movie, but I do feel like there is one major flaw with it; namely, Teddy, the main character's brother, becomes increasingly unbelieavable. I fail to see how it couldbe possible for a person to undergo the kind of atrocities to which he is subjected by his oppressors, and then, as you mention, accept a compromise that falls far short of his original ideal. If anything, his experiences would further, and irreversibly,polarize and harden his position. This becomes even more glaring as the story winds down, as his decisions, and the course of action that they entail, seem absolutely implausible.

**nairb49** · 04-17-2007, 07:49 AM

Re: Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second: The cinema thread

Watched "Sleeping Dogs Lie" yesterday, written/directed by Bobcat Goldthwait

Haven't decided whether I love it or hate it yet, but I don't think there's a middle ground...



You should see it just for the awkwardness.

**Servo2000** · 04-22-2007, 02:38 AM

Re: Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second: The cinema thread

Just finished The Proposition. I loved it, Nick Cave did an amazing job with the soundtrack, as well (as well as with writing the film!).

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