pffft.

Lohan!

I'd love for that too, but it'll probably depend on how well this one does...

I pretty much agree. It is boring but just about manages to include enough great Savini moments to somehow keep things going. And the near shot for shot copy of Psycho's shower scene always warrants a happy groan. The pool scene is a stonewall slasher classic, too.

Lohan was barely in Machete, and yet she got higher billing than Jessica Alba, who played a more prevalent character. Just shows what starpower can do.

thats because Alba sucks at acting and at getting naked... disappointed with Lohan's body double in the gratuitous pool scene, but i saw nipple when she woke up in the church, so that kinda made up for it.

word up!! Yeah the latter scene was definitely Lohan for real. Yep. Also, how can Genetic talk about top billing? Lohan isn't even MENTIONED in the tv trailers!

If I remember right, yes she is...and in the opening credits her name appears like, third or something, with Alba appearing after Don Johnson...

Incidently, at our screening there were no previews, no commercials, and none of that stuff they usually have before movies nowdays, and the movie started late (which was okay, since we got there 10 minutes after the show was supposed to start)...I figured they were having technical difficulties, but given the nature of the movie (it comes off in parts as Grindhouse: The Return), I've started thinking they might've done that on purpose...this happen to any of you guys?

she's not listed in the TV commercials man. Trust me. I've paid close attention.

Clerks 2 is horrible, one of the worst!

And Lohan isn't in any of the television spots or the theatrical trailers -- combined, that's 4 trailers. She was in 2 early teasers.

You're bananas. What more could you possibly have wanted from a sequel to Clerks (that came out over 10 yrs later)?

casey assleck gets on my nerves...

Uh, nothing. They just shouldn't have made a sequel. It was one of the least-funny movies I've ever seen; it was just annoying. Kevin Smith is horrible. Clerks 1 is great and Mall Rats is alright -- everything else he's done is unfunny, boring garbage.



exhausted - 4/10

Well, I was definitely EXHAUSTED by the end, so that's a great title. Um... purposely degraded super 8 footage has a snuff film quality to it, complete with hairs, scratches, burns, tears, etc. in the footage. Really, it's the selling point of the film, as it looks INSANE, it's almost like Begotten or Suspiria in that the visual impact is all that it really has going for it... but it's quite a sight to behold. It's an interesting little tale, I guess, but it's way way way too long, and the ending honestly grossed me out (SPOILERS: A fat chick abducts a mentally retarded prostitute and does a bizarre ritual where she puts on a gimp mask, then fucks herself with a pair of scissors and dies. The retarded girl then takes the scissors and cuts her own nipples off. Then, a retarded man fucks her and it shows a close-up of her vagina oozing cum out, and then a fetus falls out. Then, she takes the fetus to the beach and cries as she nurtures it. Truly one of the most shocking, unexpected, and downright stomach-turning sequences in the history of movies, and honestly wasn't necessary at all; the first 90 minutes were fine without it).



le gai savoir - 8/10

A truly brilliant film-essay/collage from Godard which I'd seen before but had to rewatch to get the full effect of, since -- as usual -- there's so much to take in, so much to behold, so many layers... so brilliant! Like Godard's best works, it baffles, confounds, shocks, makes one think, and inspires... probably the greatest director of our time...



network - 9/10

Had to rewatch this masterpiece with a friend who had never heard of it. Now, I'm not a stickler for acting -- bad acting, good acting, it's usually all the same to me, it usually can't make or break a picture. This film, though, is all about acting, and as such, is the archetype when people ask me what I think is a film with good acting. This is probably the best acting I've ever seen in a movie; all the performances are absolutely jaw dropping, just amazing. Sidney Lumet.. let's see, I've seen 5 films by him, and I love his style. Long takes sometimes, lots of clever quick cutting other times, in the films I've seen he NEVER USES ANY BACKGROUND MUSIC WHATSOEVER (?!), which creates a really interesting, sometimes creepy effect. I like that, though, it works beautifully here especially.. no "emotional undercurrent" to score our "feelings", how we're "supposed" to feel. As such, I find this movie absolutely hilarious at times, heartbreaking at other times -- is that how I'm "supposed" to feel? Who knows? But I think this is truly one of the funniest movies I've ever seen... a dark comedy, sure, but... look, it's a bunch of old asshole guys bitching and fighting about ratings and some heartless bitch yelling and raving about power... I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT!... It's so ridiculous and over-the-top, but with actual character development (!); you truly care about some of the characters, and ... I mean, it's just pretty much a perfect film. So, why the 9? Eh, sometimes it does drag, specifically in THE OLD FIRED MAN and THE YOUNG MOVING-UP-IN-THE-COMPANY WOMAN's relationship. Also, the ending -- which is kinda daring in a sense, and also really obvious in another sense -- felt like a whimper, instead of a boom that the rest of the film felt like it was leading up to.

 

Junk Food - 6/10

A confounding little picture... I love these "Japanese underground" movies, which are true "guerilla" pictures, but this one is a bit wandering, aimless, and overlong at times. Still has quite a few powerful scenes. Extremely disjointed and messy, and -- as with a lot of Japanese films -- overlong, but with enough interesting scenes to be reccomendable. I saw traces of Miike's more unhinged moments and even Korine's "vignettecore" scripts (as in, the film isn't really character- or plot-driven, moreso connected by scenes and general themes). Equally brilliant and frustrating.

finally..

taste of tea - 10/10

Well, this is simply one of my top 50 favorite films of all time. So, um, yeah, see it. Don't be put off by its length.. this film has more brilliant scenes in it than any film ever made, really. If you like contemplative cinema like Ozu and Kitano but also like really wacked-out cinema like Terayama and Motsumoto, then this is a great little balance. This director also made the great films Funky Forest, Sharskin Man/Peach Hip Girl, and the decent Party 7. Truly a classic film, unique and indescribable. No true lover of cinema could dislike this movie, imo.

Hey me., do you still check this thread? Was wondering if you've seen "Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers!"?

Oddly enough i was randomly checking this thread..I've not seen Funuke,it's on my list to watch.I'd second A Taste of Tea tho amazing film,i'm about to watch 'Kakera, A Piece of our Life',based on the manga by Erika Sakurazawa (Love Vibes),soundtrack by James Iha,looks intersesting.

glad you're still around, me.!!

Are you excited for Kitano's THE OUTRAGE? It comes out on dvd in japan december 4th!

A film i'm itching to see is Wakamatsu's Caterpillar.

Looks rad. ^

It is. It's 2 1/2 hours long but never gets boring. Few directors can pull that off, Kitano.. Bergman.. Sidney Lumet.. Tarkovsky.. Scorsese.. and Bela Tarr are the only ones who come to mind immediately. I really don't have a short attention span, I will still often call a film overlong or boring simply because so many films have SO MUCH in them that they could have chopped up. TASTE OF TEA is the quickest 2 1/2 hours I've ever witnessed in a Japanese film, it almost feels too short.

Sorry for just now replying to this, but this is in my top 50 films ever. At the same time, it's hard to reccomend, precisely for the reasons you layed out... it's hard to explain why I connect with it... "A film you can explain in words is not a successful film." - M. Antonioni... haha, great quote.. but it sums up this movie... it's one of those films that really haunted me for weeks. It's a very confounding movie experience, unlike any I've ever seen before. Just something about this one...

One of my favorite Antonionis -- and a surprisingly good starting place, though most will tell you otherwise -- is IDENTIFICATION OF A WOMAN.

I'd like to see this top 50 list you keep talking about. ;) I think we share quite some favorite movies, even if Red Desert isn't one of them. But yes, it's something with it. I thought a bit about the movie earlier today actually, it's still there in my head even though it didn't do that much for me at the time when I watched it. I'll probably watch it again.

I'll check Identification of a Woman out!

Adam, you change your top 50 all the time! One definitive list please.

Haha, no, I'm kidding. I've always kinda liked that you change your mind so much since it shows you take in new movies all the time and always find something you connect to. Plus I wish I had the patience to watch as many movies as you, I handle one or two a week maybe. When it comes down to it I think "2 hours of watching a movie... eh, I'll just read a book" or something in that vein.

Saying that, the movies I watch I tend to like A LOT. Watched Godard's La Chinoise and A Bout De Souffle recently which I thought were both fantastic.

I went and saw Inception again yesterday because my son hadn't seen yet and frankly it looked like the best movie out there. Didn't disappoint the second time either as the 2 1/2 hours went by like nothing again. I did pick up on Screaming Skull's idea this time around which I missed the first time.

Sure!

50. back against the wall (james fotopoulos)
49. once upon a time in the west (sergio leone)
48. taste of tea (katsuhito ishii)
47. glen or glenda? (ed woo)
46. freddy got fingered (tom green)
45. daisies (vera chytilová)
44. performance (roeg/cammel)
43. koyannisqatsi (godfrey reggio)
42. liquid sky (slava tsukerman)
41. ariel (aki kaurismaki)
40. chungking express (wong kar wai)
39. a clockwork orange (stanley kubrick)
38. ten (abbas kiarostami/)
37. brain damage (frank henenlotter)
36. death powder (shigeru izumiy)
35. stroszek (werner herzog)
34. satantango (bela tarr)
33. maboroshi (hirokazu koreeda)
32. chelsea girls (paul morrissey/andy warhol)
31. killing of a chinese bookie (john cassavettes)
30. the red desert (michaelangelo antonioni)
29. slow motion (aka every man for himself) (jean luc godard)
28. torso (sergio martino)
27. to live and die in la (william friedkin)
26. reflections of evil (damon packard)
25. out of the blue (dennis hopper)
24. the deer hunter (michael cimino)
23. end of evangelion (hideaki anno)
22. bad lieutenant (abel ferrara)
21. the bed you sleep in (jon jost)
20. maniac (william lustig)
19. videodrome (david cronenberg)
18. love is colder than death (rainer werner fassbinder)
17. cafe lumiere (hsiao-hsien hou)
16. touch me in the morning (giuseppe andrews)
15. august in the water (sogo ishii)
14. tokyo fist (shinya tsukamoto)
13. the killer (john woo)
12. funeral procession of roses (toshio matsumoto)
11. persona (ingmar bergman)
10. holy mountain (alejandro jodorowsky)
9. possession (andrzej zulawski)
8. blow out (brian depalma)
7. pierrot le fou (jean luc godard)
6. pastoral: to die in the country (shuji terayama)
5. branded to kill (seijin suzuki)
4. eureka (shinji aoyama)
3. hana-bi (takeshi kitano)
2. el topo (alejandro jodorowsky)
1. taxi driver (martin scorcese)

for right now.


Well -- and it's hard to find the proper wording for this -- but I usually "get" movies pretty quickly, uhh... if you know what I mean. Like, I can usually tell what the director is going for -- and, don't get me wrong, lots of people can, with most films -- what themes and ideas he's exploring and so on. Right? Well, with the Red Desert, on first watch, I felt, like... NOTHING. It just seemed so abstract. Colorful, pretty as hell, and wonderful musically... but just so abstract, to the point where I just didn't understand what the fuck I was watching, and it was over, and that was that, right?

But like I said, I continued to think about it, because the toxic, overwhelming, dystopian landscapes of the film are unlike any I've ever seen; just an amazing atmosphere. But, really, simplifying it a bit, but to me, the film is actually all about color (hell, it has a color in the title); it was Antonioni's first color film, and he clearly went through a lot of trouble painting the grass (!), painting streets, color-coordinating certain scenes, whatever. I guess I always liked it on that conceptual, visual level from the beginning anyway, but after watching the film again, I began to see why the colors were used -- in my mind, at least -- and what the film was really trying to say. By the 3rd watch, I considered it one of the best movies ever made. And to me, it's like a difficult album you learn to love later; so many albums I hear are obvious and predictable -- that doesn't mean the songs are bad, it just means that it's easy to consume and probably easy to forget. Or, even if it's easy to love, perhaps it won't stick with you later -- you take it for granted.

I found Red Desert a hard film to love, initially, but it just wouldn't go away. It wouldn't leave me. And now I can put up with any perceived flaws I had with it. It is a bit wandering- and aimless-seeming, but to me, that cold, flat, monotone style contrasts strangely and beautifully with the colorful world. And then the music ALSO clashes... very interesting contrasts... and I kept thinking how this is one of the most overwhelming films I've ever seen, there's just so much to take in; even when it doesn't appear to be doing "anything", conventionally, it's throwing 3 clashing things at you, aesthetically. I really love how a lot of the film is blurry, also (the main character is never blurred, but objects around her are often out of focus). To me, it all comes together beautifully....

But yeah, the problems you had with it, I definitely had with it initially; I think it does help to watch a few more Antonioni films, because he really has such a unique style, and I think it's easier to appreciate something like the Red Desert once you see some more of his films. He's one of my all time favorite directors, and at times, I'm not sure why -- it's not something I can put into words -- and that's the point. Well, sorta.

just my luck - 7/10


diary of a shijuku thief - 9/10

Started Kurosawa's Ran last night, I got 19mins through it and decided I probably wasn't going to say awake for 2 hours and 42 minutes. Watching it tonight. Looks very intriguing.

5/10

Same here, I also would like to see Prisoner / Terrorist by Masao Adachi. It's on Asiatorrents, but there's no subs and I my japanese skills are nonexistent.

Anyway heard of THIS:
https://buy.tromamovies.com/product_...elluh3979m5tb3

Obsession: Letters To David Lynch [Digital Download]
[TR-DD-OB] $1.99

 

Click to enlarge

 

Click to enlarge Dennis Woodruff is David Lynch’s biggest fan. He watched Inland Empire 32 times this week. After hearing that Lynch is casting for a new project, Woodruff seeks out his hero in order to personally introduce himself and land a role in the next movie. Astrology tells Woodruff that the planets have aligned for their meeting. Destiny says that it is meant to be, but no one told him that his search for his hero will take him through the darkest depths of obsession in sunny California.



..the fuck?!

yeast - 7/10

A bunch of women fighting. Truly disturbing!

@atsonicpark: I'm surprised you liked Just My Luck so much. It is actually about a 7 I guess. A lot of people overlooked that one.

I think I've seen all of LL's movies except Parent Trap, cuz who cares?

BTW -- did you see Machete yet???

saw this last night. laughed a whole lot. silly movie, but it was very neat how it touched on the old Cusack teen flicks, like better off dead and stuff. 8/10

^Crispin Glover's scenes were amazing!

crispin was fucking hilarious in it.

the ice sculputure scene had me in tears

7/10
The sort of slow burning, atmospheric, european art house flix in the guise of a spy thriller that angers the Instigator... but as a fan of pretentious film and the technique that goes into them, I enjoyed it.
I'm also a bit of a fan of Clooney's work... and this movie only made mel ike him more

ha! I wanna go watch it though, or at least rent it when it hits DVD.

The way you describe it makes it look similar to The Limits of Control... Is it similar ?