The World Beyond BetterMost > The Culture Tent
Resurrecting the Movies thread...
delalluvia:
--- Quote from: Meryl on January 30, 2007, 05:12:08 pm ---I agree with all you've said about "Pan's Labyrinth," Barb. I almost didn't go, knowing about the violence, but nowadays if we avoid films with violence in them, we won't see much. And when all is said and done, I didn't think it was really gratuitous. It's very senselessness and severity was indicative of how far the commander had gone in losing his humanity. It's the first film I've seen since BBM that I felt was rich enough in ideas and execution to warrant the kind of analysis we've given our beloved movie here.
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--- Quote ---Well, it does give a little bit of a history lesson, too, about the Fascists winning the Spanish Civil War. And as fantastical as it is, its message is not at all a dark one. It's actually a very liberal message - about taking a stand when the people/society around you are doing something terribly wrong, even if taking that stand puts you at risk. It is also kind of Christian allegory in the sense that when you do the right thing, you are rewarded with everlasting life. Normally, that would annoy me a bit, but the way it was presented here is actually rather comforting. It's presented in the sense that you shouldn't do what you think your God/your church is telling you to do if you know it isn't right - that sometimes going against all that is preached is really the way to salvation.
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Well said Meryl and Barb. I didn't think the violence was gratuitous, it was war, the real violence - torture scenes - were done - thankfully - offscreen. I agree the stepfather's character was a complex man. Cruel and callous but still his character was more than just an ogre.
oilgun:
--- Quote from: Meryl on February 02, 2007, 07:17:03 pm ---I finally got to see "Volver" the other day. I didn't want to miss an Almodovar movie that had gotten such good reviews, and I wanted to see Penelope Cruz in a role that really used her talents. I enjoyed it, though I wasn't wowed by it.
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I agree Meryl, I wasn't wowed by Volver either. It didn't have the emotional impact of All About My Mother, which I think is Almodovar's masterpiece. I'm pretty excited because I just bought the Viva Pedro boxed set which has eight of his films, including Law of Desire, Matador, Women on the Verge, Live Flesh, The Flower of My Secret, All About My Mother, Talk To Her & Bad Education.
Has anyone seen Soderbergh's Bubble? It's one of his low budget Digital Video projects and it was released in theatres, PPV and DVD all at the same time. It's the story of two friends in a midwestern working class town who work in a doll factory and how the dynamics of their relationship is affected when a new employee arrives on the scene. A murder complicates things further. The actors are all non-professional but are surprisingly effective.
ednbarby:
I haven't seen Bubble yet, but I'd like to.
I saw Children of Men today. It was very good - I'd give it a solid three stars. But as you've said about Volver, as much as this one tried, it somehow lacked that emotional punch I was hoping for. I do quite like Clive Owen, though. There is something so multi-layered even about his physical appearance. How he looks so craggly and lined and hard (albeit handsome) in the face, but how when he smiles, it's a little boy's bashful smile with perfect white teeth. Amazing. Changes his whole face so much that it's almost like it's someone else's for a time. I really enjoyed Michael Caine, which I don't always do, too. When he doesn't take himself too seriously, he's still quite a gifted comic actor.
Meanwhile, I can't stop thinking about two scenes in Sweet Land when it's subtlely but profoundly shown how the protagonists are falling in love with each other. One is when their eyes meet - I won't say when or why because it's so beautiful I don't want to spoil the impact for someone later - and hold on each other's for several seconds. The other is when one takes the other's hand for the first time. The filmmakers leave a lot to the imagination, not unlike certain other filmmakers I could mention, so I find myself finishing a couple of the scenes in my mind, if'n ya know what I mean. Good, GOOD stuff. Can't recommend it enough. (But God knows I'll try.)
SFEnnisSF:
Anybody here a David Lynch fan? :D
I'm excited about INLAND EMPIRE opening here next Friday. It is opening at the two theatres BBM premiered at, The Embarcadero and the California in Berkeley. The Landmark Theatres website says this about the Cal:
Giveaways before all evening shows all weekend!
Plus: Prizes for anyone who brings a log
or comes in a Lynch-inspired costume!
Too bad I'll be headin' to Santa Barbara this weekend, otherwise I'd come as Frank Booth, gas mask and all. LOL. :D And after reading the fan fiction Green Eyes, I'll all ready for another David Lynch adventure...
The Cal was so great for BBM on opening night. The ran an old trailer for Urban Cowboy! :D
(http://www.inlandempirecinema.com/)
ednbarby:
I'd come as Laura Palmer, draped in a plastic body bag with grey face paint and lipstick. Probably not the most original idea out there, though, I reckon.
You know what I think my favorite movie of his is? The Straight Story. Man, that was lovely. I also thoroughly enjoyed Blue Velvet back in the day. You too, I take it.
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