Saturday, November 24, 2018

plato's cave seventy five (being a film journal)

I just moved from one apartment to another. Very hard work. After settling in I finished writing this post and somehow it completely disappeared and I don't feel like rewriting, so here are the films sans proper description, just a small bit on if I liked or not.

11.1.2018 - 11.23.2018

Debra Granik - Leave No Trace - 2018
Good film, more raw version of Captain Fantastic. Fuck Portland and its anti-humanistic rules.

Stefano Sollima - Sicario: Day of the Soldado - 2018
Mimics tasty bits of first film.

John Sturges - The Magnificent Seven - 1960
Second time seeing this, use to the story as Seven Samurai which is a code-10 for me. Good film but not quite the same calibre. Eli Wallach!!!! Only one the same level as Mifune except for Steve McQueen and possibly Yul Brynner.


Tony Zierra - Filmworker - 2017
Portrait of the wonderful Leon Vitali who gave up his acting career and devoted himself to Stanley Kubrick, very good film and Vitali is endlessly fascinating.

Chang-dong Lee - Secret Sunshine - 2007
Really good film, looking forward to seeing his few film Burning


William Wyler - The Big Country - 1958
I love all Bill Wyler films. Second time seeing, great stuff.

Norman Jewison - In The Heat of the Night - 1967
Second time seeing this great film. Portrait of American racist melon farmers, not much different than the times we live in.


Yuri Norstein films
Norstein exhibition in Jersey City, many unseen films including a nice segment from The Overcoat. I bought a signed print of Mr. Hedgehog for my new apartment (above image).

Chloé Zhao - The Rider - 2017
Really top notch raw / natural film. Blew me away.


Coen Brothers - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - 2018
Was very excited by the Tom Waits segment and the Liam Neeson/Harry Melling segment.

Noah Baumbach - While We're Young - 2014
Not sure why I watched, don't like this blaggard's films.


Kenneth Lonergan - Margaret Extended Cut - 2011
Had seen the theatrical version a few times, finally saw this extended cut which is a very much better film, with overlapping Bob Altman style abstract dialogue-confusion and NYC as a supporting role  in a Woody Allen meets Ernie Gehr sort of way. Will never see the short version again but will stick with this masterpiece.