The cinema thread

[morsto]

Yes, it's The Kingdom (in Danish: Riget, it's the nickname of a real hospital in Denmark, where the series takes place). It's really strange, I saw it when I was a child and found it absolutely disturbing.

Breaking the waves is by far his best movie IMO. Nymphomaniac revisits the topic of addiction, but I'd much rather re-watch Breaking the waves and then have lots of time left over to watch some porn, getting the better of both worlds as compared to Nympho.

Speaking of, currently watching Oscars in the background while I'm reading, I always find it rather sad how garbage the nominees for best movies are, and not only due to them being so incredibly America-centric.
Yet another stale movie about the struggle of blacks, constructed particularily to the Oscars, zzz.
I hope Her wins, this is IMO the only movie of the bunch that are on par with The Hunt and Broken Circle Breakdown.

[flashoflight]

^ I've got the Oscars in the background too, but only because of the ballot from work haha. Last year I watched it because a smallish movie we worked on got a nom for best picture so it was exciting. Otherwise, I never really watch.

This past year, one of my favorite movies was Prisoners. One of the most intense movies I've seen in a long long time. I certainly thought it deserved a nomination for more than just cinematography.

[Ahimsa]

Of course Frozen beat The Wind Rises

Apparently 4 of the 7 academy members anonymously interviewed abstained from voting for best animated feature.

[BSR]

I mean, I really want to be a fan of his, mainly due to Alien and Bladerunner, but it's been far more miss than hit since 1982. What have we got on the plus side... Thelma & Louise, maybe Black Hawk Down, fuck I am clutching at straws already. I mean, he made GI Jane. Enigma for sure...

agreed, even if "american gangster" wasn't so bad (just boringly academic). i suspect scott isn't a great director, and alien/blade runner are more the outcome of top notch script / new visual effects / great art direction and professional mise en scène (but certainly not breath taking).

[mrbeuys]

Of course Frozen beat The Wind Rises

Apparently 4 of the 7 academy members anonymously interviewed abstained from voting for best animated feature.

I have not seen The Wind Rises yet, but as a BAFTA member I (have to) watch pretty much everything that comes out and I too thought Frozen was special (The Wind Rises wasn't in competition at the BAFTAs).

[Faust]

agreed, even if "american gangster" wasn't so bad (just boringly academic). i suspect scott isn't a great director, and alien/blade runner are more the outcome of top notch script / new visual effects / great art direction and professional mise en scène (but certainly not breath taking).

I think this might be it, his brain missing a filter that cannot tell a good script apart from a bad one.

BTW, mr.beuys, I loved Black Hawk Down. It drew me in spite of its blueprint Hollywood narrative. I maintain that there is success in making a stereotypical film without making it cheesy. BSR, I think American Gangster falls into the same category.

Then again, my standards for film are that of quality entertainment and not art.

Frozen was OK. Nothing close to last year's Wreck It Ralph, which is the best children's cartoon by a mile since UP.

[IALAB]

I really need to see Dallas Buyers Club.

I only saw 3 of 9 Oscar Best Picture nominees - Gravity, American Hustle, and Wolf of Wall Street, and was very luke-warm on all of them. I feel like I need to re-watch American Hustle though... I really like some of the scenes in a vacuum when I watch them online, but the movie left me feeling meh.

Definitely need to watch 12 Years A Slave and Dallas Buyers Club. Thoughts on those?

[flashoflight]

I really need to see Dallas Buyers Club.

I only saw 3 of 9 Oscar Best Picture nominees - Gravity, American Hustle, and Wolf of Wall Street, and was very luke-warm on all of them. I feel like I need to re-watch American Hustle though... I really like some of the scenes in a vacuum when I watch them online, but the movie left me feeling meh.

Definitely need to watch 12 Years A Slave and Dallas Buyers Club. Thoughts on those?

I actually saw all except 12 Years a Slave and Philomena. I doubt many people will agree with me, but out of what I saw, American hustle, Her, and Wolf of Wall Street were the ones that I found myself wishing were just a bit better. I rank Dallas Buyers Club, Captain Phillips and Nebraska above those three, and I would have picked DBC as best picture myself. Gravity is hard for me to really rate from a best picture perspective. I really really loved the cinematography, imagery, music and the technical skill that went into it. Because of that, I feel like it may have helped move focus away from anything the script lacked.

I've been meaning to watch 12 Years a Slave, but just have not had the time. It'll be out on BluRay soon, and I'll probably rent it then.

Also, I really thought Prisoners could have been nominated over a few of the actual nominations for best picture. That was one hell of a movie IMO.

[curiouscharles]

Frozen was OK. Nothing close to last year's Wreck It Ralph, which is the best children's cartoon by a mile since UP.

i don't watch terribly many films so i can't pretend to know much, but...

my fiancée & i watched Frozen the other night [mostly because of all the reading i'd done, re: the advanced animation / physics algorithms developed / implemented to realistically depict all types of snow & ice], and i must say - it managed to take every detrimental social stereotype [usually associated with films such as this] and completely flip them on their head.

seems like the people making mainstream children's movies are really starting to think about the impression the choices their characters make [& values they express] have on developing humans' lives.

made us very, very happy to notice.

[klangspiel]

you only need one film this year. everything else* is intolerably beige. so beige they leach into pale.



(*exceptions, however, could be made for the final tsai ming-liang or the forthcoming godard. and if you haven't seen the new denis, well then, you live under a rock. proverbially... and literally, because i hope that rock falls on you and flattens you to your death, you philistine dirt, you)

[klangspiel]

Re: Von Trier. I think "Element of Crime" and "Europa" are masterpieces.

normally i'm in the business of bagging lvt, but i will be nice and complimentary for a change. his best work, in my estimation, exists in the form of the three films that make up the europe trilogy - europa, the element of crime, and epidemic (yes, this too). there's also medea, a tv movie based on a carl dreyer screenplay, which was made during the same period as the trilogy. it's a personal favourite of mine out of everything he's done. every film since that period is, sadly, just a right big pander (however seemingly "challenging" they may appear) to the status quo of european art cinema sensibilities - cannes, berlin, venice, more or less.

[galia]

I'd be really interested in seeing Medea, would you perchance have a link for it?

[Faust]

you only need one film this year. everything else* is intolerably beige. so beige they leach into pale.

WOW. Probably every Russian director's dream, finally realized.

For those of you who are wondering what this is - it's a film based on the most famous and the best brothers Strugatsky book, who are also the authors of Picnic at the Side of the Road on which Tarkovsky's Stalker was based. Enough said.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, klangsipiel.

[flashoflight]

Has anyone else seen Grand Budapest yet? Just got back from a showing. It was a bit slow initially, but it really picked up and I ended up loving it. Had a huge grin through most of the movie! I enjoyed it more than I did Moonrise.

[Deux_Oiseaux]

Rest in Peace Věra Chytilová