PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Jul 8, 2018 19:48:14 GMT -5
Porco RossoPorco Rosso, the sixth film from Hayao Miyazaki, is about a veteran World War I fighter pilot that lost his faith in humanity, transformed into a pig, and became a bounty hunter known as Porco Rosso (Crimson Pig). After rescuing a group of kidnapped school girls from sea pirates, they retaliate by hiring an American Ace pilot that is Porco Rosso’s equal. The chain of events that follow lead to an inevitable showdown between the two pilots. This film is one of Miyazaki’s earlier works and, based on the films I’ve seen from him so far, seems to be one of his more adult efforts. Porco is portrayed as pig, with the soul of a man, who is so haunted by his past that he seems to prefer a life where he could honorably die in the sky, instead of settling down with his life-long love. Not exactly what I would consider a children’s character, yet he does what it takes to defeat his enemies without taking their lives, even if it might cost him his own. Also, it’s a pretty violent film, complete with some exciting aerial dog fights and a pretty extreme one-on-one fist fight in the climax. In regards to the animation, it ranks up there with Miyazaki’s best, with beautifully drawn European locations and spectacular air-fights, but it’s hard not to notice how much technology has helped improve animation in the decades that followed. In short, I really enjoyed this film. It’s nice to watch a Miyazaki film where “Save The Planet” is not the focus, but a rousing adventure, with respect for its historical and geographical locations, is. Not his best, but has now made its way into my top 3, although I wouldn’t recommend it for children. 8/10 Nice. Glad you liked it. I too was surprised that the film about the talking pig was one of Miyazaki's most overtly adult movies.
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1godzillafan
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Post by 1godzillafan on Jul 8, 2018 20:30:39 GMT -5
Ooh, sounds like you and I have some common ground. Some of those sound interesting. I've already seen (and love) Hot Fuzz, and while it might be the safe choice I'm probably going to go with Spirited Away. I've been meaning to watch that for a while, and I actually have a copy handy thanks to friends. I Saw the Devil might be my number two choice if I can't get to that though. I'm racking my brain to think of some obscure stuff that I think gets overlooked. Some of these might be well known, but these are some movies I really enjoy, and I'm going to try and keep it diverse. Let me know if you've seen them all. Nilade The CameramanIkiruA Shot in the DarkWait Until DarkWestworldEnjoy Spirited Away. That and I Saw The Devil are on extreme opposite ends of the emotion scale. I haven't seen any of these, but it looks like Ikiru is readily available to rent on Amazon Prime, and it looks pretty interesting, so that it is. Excelent choice. It's the most artistic and heavy of the five by far. The minute you mentioned it, I was thinking up various Asian features I could include on this list until finally I was like "Fuck it! Go big or go home!" and picked my favorite Kurosawa film. Hope you enjoy!
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Deexan
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Post by Deexan on Jul 9, 2018 10:32:30 GMT -5
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Jul 10, 2018 12:08:04 GMT -5
Withnail and I has been on my list for a long time, I'll go with that one. I've referred Apocalypto several times in the film club and I believe this is the first time someone has selected it. It's one of my favs of the 2000s, hope you dig it.
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Jibbs
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Post by Jibbs on Jul 12, 2018 18:33:55 GMT -5
What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
Without trying, I have somehow chosen mockumentaries in two straight rounds. This one is about a flat of vampires living their life over a few months in New Zealand.
What We Do in the Shadows is a charming movie with a fair amount of laugh out loud moments, including the opening shot of an alarm clock being snoozed by a hand coming out of a coffin. There's Vladislav (Jemaine Clement, also director), one of the older vampires (900 years old), but also jokes concerning newbie vampires like Nick, who can't stop telling humans that he's a vampire. Some of the funniest stuff involves a gang of werewolves that cross their paths every now and then.
"I hit a main artery and, as you can see, it made a bit of a mess. But on the plus side, I think she had a good time."
***/****
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IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on Jul 14, 2018 0:21:10 GMT -5
I'm glad it made you laugh.
Your Name
This was an incredible film. Its the story of two teenagers who have a very strange connection and try to figure out what it means and what to do with it. And just when you think you know where things are going, the focus of the story changes and stays fresh until the end. Its a very effecting and emotional story as well. I don't know if its trying to say something more metaphorical on the nature of relationships perhaps, or soul mates, or something else. Or maybe they just wanted to tell a really touching story centered around some preternatural event. Either way, it works exceedingly well and evoked a strong empathy for these two characters.
I also want to talk about the animation, because this was a gorgeous film. I don't think I've ever seen anything in this anime style that has looked so good. It was rich in details and vivid in colour. I'm by no means an expert or even amateur expert in the realm of animation and art, but there was something about the way that all the details, objects, and backgrounds were layered on top of each other which created beautiful looking perspectives. This was one of the best-looking animated films I've ever seen. Thanks Jibbs.
9/10
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Jibbs
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Post by Jibbs on Jul 14, 2018 18:59:48 GMT -5
Great, glad you liked it.
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IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on Jul 15, 2018 8:53:02 GMT -5
So does this mean Jbond and I win?
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Jibbs
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Post by Jibbs on Jul 15, 2018 12:02:25 GMT -5
God damn right.
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Jul 15, 2018 12:05:00 GMT -5
Yes, you win. Closing the thread now.
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Jul 17, 2018 23:03:35 GMT -5
So just a heads up that I'm probably going to be late. This week is my ideal time to binge through Twin Peaks: The Return so that's taken priority.
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1godzillafan
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Post by 1godzillafan on Jul 18, 2018 0:30:10 GMT -5
As for myself, I'm spending the last two weeks of the month moving. I tried to watch Spirited Away while packing but I felt like I wasn't paying proper attention, so I'm still working on putting time aside.
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Jul 22, 2018 22:13:14 GMT -5
The Breaking Point (1950) The Breaking Point is, rather oddly, the second film make within six years made by the same studio based on Ernest Hemingway’s novel “To Have and Have Not.” That first movie is almost entirely remembered as a vehicle for Humphery Bogart and Lauren Bacall and was not believed to be a particularly faithful or good adaptation of Hemingway’s novel. I’ve read that book and don’t consider it one of Hemingways’s better works but it is still Hemingway and probably deserved something that was a bit more serious than Hawks’ film. The film casts John Garfield as a guy who could almost be said to be something of a prototype for Han Solo given that he’s (occasionally) a smuggler who captains a ship and has a first mate/sidekick. The highlights of the film are almost certainly a pair of set-pieces, one a tense attempt at smuggling illegal immigrants and the other a rather brutal (for its time) shootout in close quarters at the film’s climax. Less successful is Garfield’s relationship with his wife Phyllis Thaxter, which isn’t bad exactly but it lays some of the morality on a bit thick and another relationship of sorts with a woman played by Patricia Neal ends up sort of being a non-starter that feels a bit like a lingering thread. That aside, this is a pretty strong film and one I’m surprised isn’t talked about more. **** out of Five
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Jul 23, 2018 8:26:56 GMT -5
The Breaking Point (1950)The Breaking Point is, rather oddly, the second film make within six years made by the same studio based on Ernest Hemingway’s novel “To Have and Have Not.” That first movie is almost entirely remembered as a vehicle for Humphery Bogart and Lauren Bacall and was not believed to be a particularly faithful or good adaptation of Hemingway’s novel. I’ve read that book and don’t consider it one of Hemingways’s better works but it is still Hemingway and probably deserved something that was a bit more serious than Hawks’ film. The film casts John Garfield as a guy who could almost be said to be something of a prototype for Han Solo given that he’s (occasionally) a smuggler who captains a ship and has a first mate/sidekick. The highlights of the film are almost certainly a pair of set-pieces, one a tense attempt at smuggling illegal immigrants and the other a rather brutal (for its time) shootout in close quarters at the film’s climax. Less successful is Garfield’s relationship with his wife Phyllis Thaxter, which isn’t bad exactly but it lays some of the morality on a bit thick and another relationship of sorts with a woman played by Patricia Neal ends up sort of being a non-starter that feels a bit like a lingering thread. That aside, this is a pretty strong film and one I’m surprised isn’t talked about more. **** out of Five Interesting. I rather liked the relationship drama. Either way, I'm glad you liked the film.
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1godzillafan
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Post by 1godzillafan on Jul 24, 2018 1:29:34 GMT -5
Spirited Away
For all of my interests in Japanese cinema, Japanese animation is one that I haven't delved that deeply into, despite and enthusiasm for American animation. I'm a toku guy more than an anime guy. I like the scrappy nature of live action creature features from Japan, and of all of Japan's cultural creativity it always lost a bit of its charm when it was in animated form. Maybe I just like it goofy. I did however date a girl who was a Studio Ghibli fan and we watched some of Hayao Miyazaki's film's together. I don't quite remember how many or which ones, though I'm pretty sure Howl's Moving Castle was in there since it was her favorite. One of my earliest gifts to her was a copy of Spirited Away on DVD, which was one of the few she didn't own. We had made plans to watch it but then a little break up happened.
Spirited Away is also one of the two Best Animated Film Oscar winners I haven't seen, the other being Curse of the Were-Rabbit. The OCD completist inside me always nagged me to watch Spirited Away, it's just taken me a damn long time to do it. Now I need to get into the mood for Wallace and Gromit to finish that list.
The film is about a little girl who travels from our reality into a fantasy world, very much an Alice in Wonderland tale. There she finds a beautiful woman who turns out to be a dude in a luscious wig who turns out to be a dragon who turns out to be a...spoiler, so I won't go into that, who tells her she needs to get a job. WHAT KIND OF FANTASY IS THIS? I'd much rather be swept away from my day job in my fantasies, thank you. She finds herself then employed by witch who runs a health spa for spirit creatures, where she deals with being a grunt while the fantasy setting whirlwinds her into getting back home.
For a while I didn't really know what to make of this movie, though not in a bad way. It was a tale that reveled in the world it created through most of its runtime without really hinting much as to where it was going. When it did end I backtracked through the movie and identified where the story threads were and appreciated them more. Most of the time though I was noting something familiar about the film. I definitely identified Alice stories in its DNA from the get go. I also felt maybe a hint of Oz or Narnia in it as well. I was also getting a vibe of Pan's Labyrinth, even though this film predates it and is far lighter in tone, leading me to believe that Guillermo del Toro might have had some influence from this film when he made his masterpiece. Though despite feelings of influence, it's something unique and creative. Those who like their fantasies wild will get it. I may not know much about Japanese animation, but I do know toku, so I can appreciate unique creature designs and Spirited Away is full of some damn good ones.
If I were to give any criticism toward it it would be something unique to myself and it's something I had noted while watching Miyazaki movies with my ex way back when, and it would be that I feel a certain emotional detachment from them. Most people in my life I've heard talk about Spirited Away say they cried during it. Unfortunately I didn't, nor did I really come close. I recognized points of genuine emotion, but I didn't really feel aligned with it. But I'll be the first to admit that this reaction may be unique to myself. For example, I feel detached from Stanley Kubrick's work as well, though for different and more easily identifiable reasons. With Miyazaki I'm not entirely sure what it is. There's a certain calmer tone and pace to his films that I'm not used to in my animated movies, though I admire it so I can't quite say that's the root of it. Maybe its a cultural schism, though it doesn't quite explain why I enjoy other work from Japan. Or maybe I'm just nuts. I have no rebuttal for that.
But while I can't say I was enraptured by Spirited Away, I can say I was enchanted. It's admirable, creative, intriguing, fun, and quite beautiful to look at. There were seriously some moments during the film I just whispered to myself "Damn, that's some of the most gorgeous animation I've ever seen." I can picture myself watching this again down the road and thinking higher of it.
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Jul 24, 2018 18:23:44 GMT -5
Withnail and I
This is another one of those movies that I've been meaning to see for years and thanks to this round I was finally able to get it out of the way. I've known about Withnail and I solely through it's reputation, a British cult comedy that has a pretty hefty following. It begins with two struggling actors, Withnail and the narrator who remains nameless, living in a squalid London flat at the tail end of the 60s. They drink, do drugs, and complain about their careers. Withnail, the more demented of the two, suggests going away to his uncle's flat for a short holiday. While there they encounter starvation, storms, and attempted rape. The movie is more of a story of shared misery as they encounter one set of crummy circumstances after another. In reality there's no way either of these people should even be on speaking terms let alone roommates as they often drive each other crazy. At the same time watching these opposites avoid one pratfall after another is pretty endearing and helps give the final few scenes an emotional punch.
When discussing the overall idea of 'cult' films, I suppose I'm hit or miss when it comes to my enjoyment of them. There are those that I love such as The Big Lebowski and This Is Spinal Tap while at the same time there are those that I loathe like Rocky Horror Picture Show. But therein lies the issue; at what point does a cult film stop becoming a cult film? From my understanding Withnail and I is a British cult classic but as I started reading about it I saw that it's included in several 'best of' lists. I usually try not to let a film's reputation influence my judgement but whatever makes it jump from an entertaining film to a 'great' film is escaping me. I typically very much enjoy British comedies, I enjoy the sarcasm and deadpan humor. There's a lot of that in Withnail and I. In fact it's hard to even identify actual jokes in the movie because there aren't any, it's all dialogue-driven, dialogue that's clever and sharp. It often works here but at the same time there wasn't a lot for me to grab onto. On the one hand it was fun listening to the banter between these two almost absurd characters but at the same time I wasn't quite sure where the movie was taking me.
I don't know where Withnail and I comes down for me. Is it a movie that deserves repeat viewings in order to appreciate it? Perhaps. Is it a movie that just didn't really hit me the same way it hits its fans? Probably. It's certainly not a bad movie and I can admire the quirkiness of its characters and there are some legitimately funny lines. That said though I don't think it was quite up my alley. Maybe it will take another watch to appreciate it more and I'll almost certainly require subtitles to do so. I hate to say that it might have gone over my head because I don't think it did, I just wonder what the movie had to offer that I may have missed my first time around.
B so says Doomsday
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Nilade
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Post by Nilade on Jul 25, 2018 18:22:45 GMT -5
Uh oh... looks like I'll be the late one again.
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Deexan
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Post by Deexan on Jul 26, 2018 3:39:44 GMT -5
Apocalypto
Whatever I'd learned about Apocalypto since it was first released, I'd managed to pretty much entirely forget before i watched it this week, so I went into this movie Almost (hehe) blind. I was aware that Gibson had directed it and that it was about ancient humans and their world potentially ending, but that was it.
Gibson deservedly gets considerable grief for the things he's done in his private life but his achievement here is truly worthy of applause, as what he has crafted is the work of a master filmmaker, making it all the more disappointing that he stopped directing for a decade after its release.
Whether it was because I'd not seen Braveheart for a while or I'd forgotten that he directed Passion of the Christ, I wasn't prepared for just how visceral and gory it would be, which made for some unsettling scenes with the film's main tribe, who Gibson expertly makes the audience care about in funny and intelligent ways early on thanks to his (co-written) screenplay.
Visually, Apocalypto looks gorgeous on every level. The make up and costumes are immaculate, the cinematography as engaging in the tight, thick confines of the forest as it is when cascading over a waterfall in a perfect Spydercam shot.
The cast, made up of mainly Native Americans and Mexicans, some of whom are new to film, are equal to the delivery of the filmmakers, with Gibson once again taking the bold decision to film entirely in another language, this time Mayan.
Bold is actually how I'd describe this movie in general. It's one that probably only Mel Gibson could have executed on this scale, and one I couldn't, sadly, see being made today. Even by him.
A fascinating tale about a fascinating time in human existence, of which not nearly enough creative output has been focused on in the movie world.
8.5/10
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IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on Jul 26, 2018 11:17:54 GMT -5
Glad you liked it Deex. Apocalypto is a very underrated movie. I think Gibson's personal crap really overshadowed this.
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Jul 26, 2018 13:38:42 GMT -5
For sure, Apocalypto is awesome and like you said took a lot of balls to make. Unfortunately those balls were Mel Gibson's but hey, compared to what's come out about other Hollywood heavyweights as of late he's looking okay in comparison.
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Nilade
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Post by Nilade on Jul 26, 2018 22:07:38 GMT -5
Apocalypto's a great film. I usually end up watching it whenever I pass a channel that has it on.
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Post by Doomsday on Jul 27, 2018 15:28:45 GMT -5
Still waiting on a couple more but who's in for next round?
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IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on Jul 27, 2018 15:31:15 GMT -5
sure
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Jul 27, 2018 15:55:01 GMT -5
Still waiting on a couple more but who's in for next round? In
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Jul 27, 2018 16:16:17 GMT -5
In. Will watch mine soon.
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