Bong Joon-ho - Memories of Murder - 2003
One of the best films I have seen in a while, a total and complete immersion into one hell of a fucked up world. Bong Joon-ho masterfully images a strange, frightening, dense and absurd serial killer film where fog and darkness keep the spectator from having any kind of articulate vision.
Was very excited to see this after the Godspeed heavy trailer. Nicole Kidman is as stunning as she always is. I found the structure of the film and elements of the story not quite right but overall a good film. Sometimes the "motivations" of characters in film just utterly muddies a clear filmic experience, this muddiness sometimes can work well and make a film better in some abstract way, but this is rare and didn't seem to happen here.
Peter Jackson - The Lord of the Rings 1-3 - 2001-2003
(rewatch)
After seeing the J. R. R. Tolkien show at the Morgan library, my wife and I decided to give the films a yearly revisit, her third time and my I have no idea, maybe eighth time for myself? I saw the theatrical releases about 3 times each and then the DVD set about four times or so, and now twice viewing the bluray set. I am at the point where I am more familiar with the extended cuts and am curious to go back and watch the shorter versions as these three films seem pretty tight to me and I cannot image really cutting anything out. As stated in the supplements, these are made in the B movie tradition, and that surely separates them from the films made after in the LOTR's style, many of which are quite passionless and without merit. I find many members of the modern day intelligentsia are quite dismissive of this film, something I have never understood but to each his/her own, I love them and find them endlessly watchable and evocative of a world I wish I was in rather than one that embraces up talk, vocal fry, valleygirlisms, and other contemporary epidemics. Great cameo by Jackson as a belching carrot eater (above) in the tradition of Hitchcock.
4.23.2019
The Lord of the Rings Appendice
(rewatch)
Surely the standard for detailed information on the making of a film.
4.26.2019
Jonah Hill - Mid90s - 2018
Didn't think I would like this but not a bad film, honest and simple.
4.27.2019
Ali Abbasi - Border - 2018
A modern-day Troll love story. Interesting to follow over a week of LOTR viewing with this. I loved this film through the first half but found the direction of the latter half not as engaging. I sometimes wish contemporary films could be a bit more simple. Overall a good film, the actors and the look and feel of the film were fantastic. Definitely very strange.
4.29.2019
Paul Haggis - In the Valley of Elah - 2007
(rewatch)
I have seen Crash by Haggis a couple of times and it really makes me uncomfortable, but this film I quite like, especially the performances of Charlize Theron, Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Corbin, and Susan Sarandon. Pretty good story and it unfolds in a way that works well as entertainment and for people digging below the surface. Very much in line with No Country for Old Men, with similar cast members as well including the strange Kathy Lamkin as the Chicken Shack Manager (in No Country she plays Desert Aire Manager, one of the best and most funny parts of the film). Trackers or people who see things others don't in terms of movement across the open country always make for good stuff in film, here Tommy Lee Jones helps Theron with her and her team's lack of clear vision, very much for me similar to how one watches film.
Paul Haggis - In the Valley of Elah - 2007
(rewatch)
I have seen Crash by Haggis a couple of times and it really makes me uncomfortable, but this film I quite like, especially the performances of Charlize Theron, Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Corbin, and Susan Sarandon. Pretty good story and it unfolds in a way that works well as entertainment and for people digging below the surface. Very much in line with No Country for Old Men, with similar cast members as well including the strange Kathy Lamkin as the Chicken Shack Manager (in No Country she plays Desert Aire Manager, one of the best and most funny parts of the film). Trackers or people who see things others don't in terms of movement across the open country always make for good stuff in film, here Tommy Lee Jones helps Theron with her and her team's lack of clear vision, very much for me similar to how one watches film.
4.30.2019
Andrew Huculiak - Violent - 2014
Yorgos Lanthimos - Dogtooth - 2009
Jacques Audiard - The Sisters Brothers - 2018
Watched the first half or so of each of these three films and couldn't really get into their scene so stopped them mid way.
5.1.2019 - 5.4.2019
Phoebe Waller-Bridge - Killing Eve season one - 2018
Sandra Oh!
5.5.2019
Phoebe Waller-Bridge - Killing Eve season two episode one - 2019
(rewatch)
The beginning of this film, and especially the chainsaw section, is some great cinema. When Michelle Pfeiffer shows up the film goes in a direction I don't personally care for, definitely dated, but the end with "say ello to my lil friend" gets us back in business. I love in The Sopranos when Tony shows this part to his son, good stuff.
No comments:
Post a Comment