Just another movie blog

todd solondz movies

2007-10-16T14:27:00.000+03:00

After more than a year without posting, I realized I felt extremely sorry for this blog and decided to do something about it.

Todd Solondz is a director I only came across two weeks ago. I watched “Happiness”, the movie he directed in 1998, with little expectations, but as the movie progressed, my interest grew bigger and bigger. As soon as the movie finished, I was curious to see another of the director’s movies, in order to form an opinion. I watched Storytelling. I was further intrigued, and finished watching two others, Palindromes and Welcome to the Dollhouse.

Everybody says that Solondz makes weird movies, some say he makes weird and sick movies. But the reason I find his work so interesting is that he doesn’t make weird movies for the sake of weirdness, he’s not purely shocking for the sake of it. On the contrary, he focuses on life aspects that I’m sure can definitely be part of the real suburban life, and invites us to discover and investigate them. I think we all know or hear life stories that are awkward, and we’re not sure about how to react at their bizarreness: we’re amused and we laugh, and at the same time we’re shocked and outraged. And this is the kind of complex state Solondz’s movies induced to me. “I don’t like victim stories and I don’t write them […]There can be a blurry line between laughing at the expense of a character and laughing at the recognition of something painful and true”, the director says in an interview which explains quite interestingly the essence and dynamics of his work. I didn’t watch his movies thinking about them as a sick outcome of a sick person’s imagination, but rather actually feeling some very sad sides of human existence. They’re not “freak shows”, they’re takes on the sometimes freaky spectacle of life: “When I want to show the kind of meanness people are capable of, to make it believable I find I have to tone it down. It’s in real life that people are over the top. And if I have a certain view of how people behave in this regard, it’s because I’ve been a target for a certain kind of comment all my life. Perfect strangers have always felt free to say things to me in the street, or shout things from passing cars.”

big fish

2006-06-04T21:56:00.000+03:00

Big Fish (2003) is one of the most beautiful movies i've watched so far. I am well aware of the fact that i can be accused of being a silly melodramatic girly, but i honestly don't care, since i have always adored storytelling (no wonder i am a great fan of fred&farid's essay on advertising being storytelling and so on). Plus, i am a Tintin huge fan (comics fan in general, to be more precise). And these two characteristics enjoyed every single minute of this movie. Thing is, if Tim Burton knows to do something really well, that something is to tell stories. And if people enjoyed and believed in such stories a little more, we would probably live in a better world.

But for those of us who spend most of the time unleashing our imagination and occasionaly finding outrageous explanations for every single detail, for those who look at this world the way everybody else does, but manage to see it quite differently (that is, in that particular, special way), for those who are never ashamed of smiling from their hearts, and who are willing to believe in the most out of the ordinary issues, and who never shout "nonsense" when exposed to something which seems unreal, this movie might be a very pleasant way of spending some time.

As far as the plot is concerned, the movie is no more than a story about some guy trying to find out the real side of his dying father, while reconstructing his fantasy-like side from all sorts of myths his father told him about himself. I can hardly wait to watch the many goodies on the DVD, about which i might add some updates at a later date.

Young Ed Bloom: There's a time when a man needs to fight and a time when he needs to accept that his destiny's lost, the ship has sailed and that only a fool will continue. The truth is I've always been a fool.

Young Ed Bloom: Now I may not have much, but I have more determination then any man you're likely to ever meet.

lost highway

2006-06-03T23:54:00.001+03:00

It's been a very long break, for which i deeply apologize, but the thing is that i've really been terribly busy. Which unfortunately means that i didn't have much time to watch movies, as much i was craving for them, and that i had even less time to post. Hopefully, i'm getting back on track.

Lost Highway is a David Lynch movie. For any regular movie-watcher, this should say pretty much. Because i believe that any regular movie-watcher has a strong opinion on Lynch and his style.

Personally, i love Lynch and his movies for several reasons. First of all, because in my opinion, they provide a very engaging perspective on dysfunctional minds. I mean if you happen to watch some Discovery FBI or forensic files on psychopaths with a totally deviant behavior, or just read something related and you find yourself wondering what on earth could drive a person mad enough to commit something totally out of the ordinary, movies like Lost Highway might actually provide some relevant insight. David Bowie singing "I'm deranged" at the beginning and at the end of the movie is no surprise, or coincidence from this point of view.

Second, there is the soundtrack. As far as i am concerned, the soundtrack helps a lot in building the perfect atmosphere and inducing the viewer a very "accurate" state of mind in accordance with the movie. No wonder: we have Trent Reznor working a lot for Lost Highway soundtrack, which is obviously "psychological" enough, and then there are Bowie, and Manson, and Lou Reed...just to give you an idea.

The plot, in brief, would sound like this: after a weird encounter at a party with some obsessively funny-looking man, some guy is accused of murdering his wife, but is curiously "replaced" the next day with a young mechanic, and has to start it all over. As this fascinating nightmare unravels, keep in mind the fact that it's like when you're lost or unsure on a lost highway and you just go with the flow...After all, "i think there is no such thing as a bad coincidence."

libeled lady

2006-04-16T22:10:00.000+03:00

ok, so you can call me nuts, but i'm just crazy about old movies. not any old movies, of course, but Libeled Lady received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture in 1937. Directed by Jack Conway, the movie is a comedy/romance of the 30s and, to be honest, i couldn't help laughing out loud several times while watching it.

dark passage

2006-04-15T19:58:00.000+03:00

Before saying a few things about this one, i have to make an observation which puzzled me a bit, although making me very proud. As probably any person with some interest in movies noticed, IMDB not only has a list of Top 250 movies as voted by users, but also lists with votes by genre. In this latter category, each genre has a Top-rated list of titles, and a Bottom-rated list of titles. All genres but one: film noir is the only one which only has a Top-rated list.

As for Dark Passage, it's the first Delmer Daves i watch, and it's also the third (i hope i'm not wrong) in the famous Bogart-Bacall series of movies. Noir thriller, it uses the subjective camera technique in the first part, doubled by first-person narration and manages to create quite an atmosphere. We get to see what escaped prisoner Vincent Parry -wrongly accused to have murdered his wife - sees, we get to share his fear of not being caught, we practically get into his shoes, all careful and afraid. Until he gets lucky enough to find a taxi driver who recognizes, yet believes in him. So Vincent decides that the best way to be able to hide from the police, as well as from all the people who spotted his pic in the newspapers is to have his face arranged. To get a plastic surgery, that is. And this is the gimmick of the movie. Only after he gets a new face, can we step out of Vincent's shoes and get a grip while observing him from the outside. Only then, does the camera move off, that is. What follows is typically noir, with Lauren Bacall performing beautifully as the caring, loving woman by his side, as well as Agnes Moorehead acting impressively as the psychotic, obsessed one. So...hold your breath and cross your fingers, and don't miss it if you're a noir addict.

modern times

2006-04-15T19:39:00.000+03:00

each time i watch a silent movie, i am looking for the magic described by Paul Auster in "The book of illusions". i want those people on the screen to be so expressive and develop such a powerful story, that i can develop strong feelings myself. I haven't yet watched all Charlie Chaplin movies, but so far, i haven't been dispappointed by any of them.

Although a quasi-silent movie, Modern Times has everything for one of the best in the silent era. Set in the 1930s during the Great Depression, the movie is mainly a social protest, dealing with the major issues of people during the 30s: unemployment, poverty, and hunger. The very simple story manages to millitate strongly against people being dehumanized due to machines in the Industrial Era, also by bringing a touch of fun. Actually, the same touch of fun goes on during the entire movie, making possible a very optimistic end:

Gamin: What's the use of trying?

The Tramp: Buck up - never say die. We'll get along!

good, old reminder habit

2006-04-02T19:26:00.000+03:00

i've watched and will soon post impressions: Marnie, Match Point, Dead man, Spellbound, Brokeback mountain, Ice Age 2, Basic Instinct 2, Witness for the prosecution and Violence des echanges en milieu tempere.

marnie

2006-03-19T17:29:00.000+02:00

If Psycho announced the mother as a man's best friend, Marnie states that the mother is a girl's best friend. In yet another Alfred Hitchcock-like psychological exploration, Mark marries Marnie, a habitual thief as well as pathological liar, who is not fond at all of any kind of man's presence anywhere near her. However, she is forced by circumstances to accept him and his continuous attempts to help her, the alternative being jail. Mark's persistence eventually pays off, and the psychological solution to Marnie's problems is built with the usual Hitchcock thrilling ability.

Some quotes:

"Marnie Edgar: You don't love me. I'm just something you've caught! You think I'm some sort of animal you've trapped!

Mark Rutland: That's right - you are. And I've caught something really wild this time, haven't I? I've tracked you and caught you and by God I'm going to keep you."

"Marnie Edgar: Why don't you love me, Mama?"

"Marnie Edgar: You Freud, me Jane?"

De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté

2006-03-19T00:10:00.000+02:00

Jacques Audiard attracted my opinion some time ago, when i came across his following quote: "In essence, my work brings a plus of realism and eliminates the classical story in which you accept the conventions, but don't actually manage to identify yourself with the characters." I really liked the sound of this, and i've considered it a planner's ego ever since.
Since i am so fond of (good) French movies anyway, i was quite familiar with the atmosphere, as well as with the development the movie would offer, and wasn't disappointed at all by any element. Tom Seyr has every chance of following his father's footsteps, into dirty real estate business. However, he's not ready to let go his dream of becoming a pianist, just like his mother, especially since he's offered the chance of an audition, by his mother's agent. Trapped between his father's demands, his love for his best friend's wife and his passion for music, which is enough to turn into the only connection with his Chinese virtuoso teacher, who doesn't know a bit of French, Tom is vividly analysed and portrayed on the screen. Everything in 2005 De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté, winner of 8 César awards, one BAFTA Film Award and a Silver Berlin Bear.

the lady vanishes

2006-03-18T20:54:00.000+02:00

Alfred Hitchcock is one of those directors who never cease to amaze me. The lady vanishes is one of the greatest films of 1938 (of course) and yet another proof that Hitchcock is one of the best creators of thrillers ever. After an old British lady seems to have disappeared from a train, an entire game of complications and suppositions develops, most of them related to the question whether the lady actually was on that train or not. In other words, as one commentor on IMDB said, "A cracking plot, sparkling dialogue, great characters and sublime direction make The Lady Vanishes an all-time must see."

I admit i am rushing a bit with the comments, but i really am trying to get up-to-date with this blog.

nanny mcphee

2006-03-18T20:39:00.000+02:00

aaaah...the eternal child in me...enjoyed this movie. Of course it's a silly children's story and nothing more, with magic and good and evil and all that, but i am always open to stories. Part because i still love reading comics so much, part because things are explained and revealed differently to children, which many times helps me spot and reflect upon certain details i'm not sure i would have taken into consideration otherwise. Plus, children have an amazing eye and way of thinking an sometimes their small things actually strike me. Enough with the mumble. Nanny McPhee is a sort of Marry Poppins, whose work principle is: "When you need me, but do not want me, then I will stay. When you want me, but no longer need me, then I have to go." It's just that unlike Marry Poppins, she's damn ugly in the beginning, i mean much more of a witch than a fairy. She has to take care of 7 children who had previously got rid of all the nannies in the local agency. And she manages to develop a great relationship with them, teaching them five great lessons and helping them and their father become a real family again.

Emma Thompson plays Nanny Mcphee and is also responsible for the screenplay, together with Christianna Brand. The director is Kirk Jones, and the seven children are really adorable.

broken flowers

2006-03-18T20:24:00.000+02:00

"Sometimes life brings some strange surprises." Apparently this is the only thing capable of getting Don Johnston out of his current hibernation in the latest Jim Jarmusch movie. Only when receiving a letter which announced him that he was the father of a 19-year-old boy, does former Don Juan decide to go on a half-detective, half-emotional journey meant to unravel the sender of his previous lovers. "Broken flowers" was a pleasant experience from me, but i have to admit i had bigger expectations from it. The thing is that despite enjoying it, i constantly had the feeling that somethingwas missing. However, i'm not very sure what was that; i think i just wanted more.

Anyway; the movie contains a characteristic Jarmusch touch, therefore its atmosphere easily explains and will not be a disappointment for this director's fans (i guess). And Bill Murray achieves a great performance, which is not too surprising, giving his previous roles.

lock, stock and two smoking barrels

2006-03-18T19:38:00.000+02:00

The funny thing about Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is that somebody whose tastes i really trust had told me that the movie wasn't actually any good, therefore i kept on avoiding it. Well, actually i think it is. Guy Ritchie's movie is one of the best comedies i've watched and if you're looking for a highly entertaining time, this is to my mind one of the best options. I appreciated both the script, and the directing, as well as the acting. And, all in all, i guess i can quote Big Chris, when saying "It's been emotional."

the conversation

2006-03-18T19:10:00.000+02:00

"Harry Caul...an invader of privacy. The best in the business. He can record any conversation between two people anywhere. So far, three people are dead because of him." These are the premises of Francis Ford Coppola's 1970 masterpiece "The conversation", a lucid analysis of electronic surveillance and the threat of new technologies, released at a time when the violation of civil rights was on of the main public concerns. The movie follows Harry Caul (Gene Hackman), a surveillance expert who becomes utterly obsessed with a case of apparent marital infidelity, for fear that the couple he's closely watching might be murdered by the cheated husband. However, the movie's end is an impressive twist, turning Caul into the victim of his own profession. "The conversation" received 3 Oscar nominations, for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Sound. Actually, it unfortunately competed for Best Picture with Coppola's "The Godfather Part II". Full details and analysis here.

proof

2006-03-16T23:09:00.000+02:00

Although it's scored 7 on IMDB, Proof really failed to impress me. I'm not necessarily saying it's a bad movie, but i watched so many brilliant movies lately, that it has become a little difficult for me to credit a movie like Proof too much.

What i liked the most, and what actually determined me to watch the movie was its idea itself: the uncertainty surrounding the daughter of a mathematics genius who had gone insane. Since i have been studying the phenomenon for a while, i am somewhat familiar to the drama of having a mentally disturbed parent or close relative, as well as the fear of inheriting the disease. However, the movie didn't seem powerful enough, as the psychological state would have demanded, but rather superficial and built for the sake of developing a drama. I enjoyed Gwyneth Paltrow playing her character though, and then, there was Anthony Hopkins, whom i loved of course, since he is among my favourite actors of all time.

The good thing about the movie is that it reminded me about a book i've been willing to read for a while now, about the fantastic story of the number pi. The film acted as an incentive and I finally decided to read it, which is quite satisfactory after all.

pink panther

2006-03-15T19:53:00.000+02:00

well, yes, i watched "The Pink Panther". The explanation is simple: i was so tired and so full of wok-related thoughts that i simply felt the need to watch something totally stupid and laugh accordingly. If Shawn Levy doesn't ring any bells, i should say that he also directed Cheaper by the Dozen and Just Married. And then, there's Steve Martin. The impression that i had was that this movie was alarmingly similar with basically any Leslie Nielsen movie, and in particular, with basically any of the movies in the "Naked Gun" series. So, if you feel like laughing from variations of such hilarious situations, you might as well enjoy this film. I honestly did, i needed a good laugh too badly not to use this opportunity.

taxi driver

2006-03-13T12:48:00.000+02:00

well, i don't think there's any respectable movie site or blog which didn't discuss this all-time classic. Directed by Martin Scorsese in 1976, Taxi Driver is widely regarded as a masterpiece, despite not having been rewarded with any Academy Award. Actually, not even the nominations it received [Best Picture, Best Actor (Robert De Niro), Best Supporting Actress (Jodie Foster), and Best Original Score (Bernard Herrmann)] managed to cover the brilliance of the movie and the people behind it, since neither director Martin Scorsese, nor screenwriter Paul Schrader, or cinematographer Michael Chapman gained any recognition.

The powerfully insightful tagline "On every street in every city, there's a nobody who dreams of being a somebody." manages to focus in just a few words the entire story of the movie. And not only. Cause the movie still echoes in many of today's social, political and psychological realities. Robert De Niro achieves a wonderful performance as nighttime taxi driver Travis Bickle, a mentally unstable, but rather special guy who overcomes the premises of being an obsessed freak, ending up as the local hero.

Quotes:

Travis Bickle: The days go on and on... they don't end. All my life needed was a sense of someplace to go. I don't believe that one should devote his life to morbid self-attention, I believe that one should become a person like other people.
Travis Bickle: June twenty-ninth. I gotta get in shape. Too much sitting has ruined my body. Too much abuse has gone on for too long. From now on there will be 50 pushups each morning, 50 pullups. There will be no more pills, no more bad food, no more destroyers of my body. From now on will be total organization. Every muscle must be tight.
Travis Bickle: I'll tell you why. I think you're a lonely person. I drive by this place a lot and I see you here. I see a lot of people around you. And I see all these phones and all this stuff on your desk. It means nothing. Then when I came inside and I met you, I saw in your eyes and I saw the way you carried yourself that you're not a happy person. And I think you need something. And if you want to call it a friend, you can call it a friend. Betsy: Are you gonna be my friend? Travis Bickle: Yeah.

delay delay delay

2006-03-06T23:15:00.000+02:00

just give me one more week, please, to finish the tons of work that i have and i will add the movies i've watched in the last two weeks, that is: Lock, stock and two smoking barrels; Proof; Broken Flowers and the already delayed Taxi Driver and The Conversation.

monty python's life of brian

2006-02-26T19:15:00.000+02:00

Life of Brian is the second Monty Python movie i watched. So i had quite some expectations from it, and the movie surely didn't let me down. I had quite a laugh, but not the sort of stupid laugh i sometimes get from silly American comedies or comedy/romances. Nope. Life of Brian uses English humour as a perfect tool to critisize excessive religiosity, as well as hypocrite and manipulative religion. In other words, as Wikipedia characterizes it "a sacrilegious film "deserving censorship". The movie presents the life of Brian Cohen (played by Graham Chapman), a young man born nearly the same time as, and right down the street from Jesus.

What I liked the most was the way in which psychology of masses is portrayed. I remember one person asking at a certain point: "How shall we fuck off, oh, Lord?" and i found that terribly funny. And then, there were many scenes which seemed to take place in one of today's churches, with people having come to listen to Jesus preaching who end fighting and arguing and insulting each other.

All in all, in 2000, "Life of Brian" was voted the greatest comedy film of all time by readers of the Total Film magazine. In 2004 the same magazine named it the 5th greatest British film of all time. And i do not believe that this happened for nothing.

the purple rose of cairo

2006-02-25T20:32:00.000+02:00

if i take into consideration how much work i have to do, i'd have to skip movies for quite a while; and i just couldn't take it any longer.

So, here i was watching "The Purple Rose of Cairo". Indeed "inventive, funny and magical" as announced in its launching poster, this movie makes me simply love Woody Allen a bit more (despite being among the few in which Allen doesn't act himself). The thing i like the most about Allen is his excellent writing skill. His dialogues simply keep me fully focused all the time, in a very enjoyable manner. They entertain me and enchant me, through a certain natural way of being able to go so deep into things, without requiring the intense implication of the viewer. Just like in the case of "Annie Hall", i feel like i need to mark down quote after quote, cause i could use it sometime, but, on the other hand, i don't feel like skipping parts of the movie while writing those quotes anyway.

What i'm trying to say, through all this complicated mummbling is that i loved this movie. Its idea is simple: we have a New Jersey waitress, with a jerk of a husband, who doesn't respect or love her, and whose only, but great escape from quite a miserable life are her nights at the movies. Together with the entire cinema world, which fascinates her and which she knows by heart. And then, we have the premier of "The Purple Rose of Cairo", the latest romantic story brought to the theatre. She falls in love with the movie, and one of the characters falls in love with her, so he just decides to leave the screen and go after this real woman he's mad about. There are no attempts to sabotage the story itself by getting into scientifical explanations of how the character did it. As one of the viewers says, "It's New Jersey, anything can happen". And things do happen. And twists and turns occur. And the feeling with which i remained is that cinema can indeed change lives; and this is neither good, nor bad; it's a form of therapy like any other forms of therapy, maybe a little more magical, because it focuses around stories in which situations solve, and there are people you can count on and then, there are all the little things, the minor details which real life doesn't spoil real people with.

ed wood

2006-02-24T11:42:00.000+02:00

Ed Wood is the type of movie that i adore because it forces me to find out a lot of other things, starting from the story it presents. So, i am not going to focus on the fact that i could never think that the combination between a black and white movie, Tim Burton as a director and Johnny Depp in leading role might possibly fail to provide something worthy.

Instead, i am going to talk a little about the real Edward D. Wood Jr.. Possibly the worst male director of all times (as tagged by the majority), he still remains an extraordinary model of determination. His debut? In 1953, he directs Glen or Glenda, based on the Christine Jorgensen sex-change, having the courage to expose an unusual subject for a 50s movie. Now, i haven't yet watched any of his movies, but voices say that they are indeed of no good and the only thing which turned them into cult movies today is precisely their combination of the director's exquisite lack of talent, his tendency to resort to stock footage of lightning during dramatic moments and the terrible acting from his bunch of untalented actors. However, he never gave up his passion for directing and his dedication enabled him to further produce movies, such as Bride of the Monster (starring Bela Lugosi) and Plan 9 from Outer Space, which is said to be the Worst Film Ever Made. Plan 9 is available for download from Public Domain Movies, so i will probably watch it soon enough to state my own opinions. Until then, i will always admire Wood for his ability to go on shooting out of nothing, and to follow his dream to the end.

But, as i was saying, details on Ed Wood were not the only ones to come out after watching this movie. It turns out that there also is director often referred to as the "female Ed Wood.". This would be Doris Wishman, "grand dame of American sexploitation films", as characterized by Senses of Cinema in an extensive review of her career. "Most of her 30 films were sexploitation films. Her directing, editing and marketing skills were self-taught and almost all of her films were self-produced. They often featured hand held tracking shots that would be interrupted by cutaways to shots of ashtrays, bric-a-brac, and characters' knees, hands, and feet. " (via wmmna)

delay

2006-02-20T22:25:00.000+02:00

during the weekend, i (re)watched Taxi Driver, Ed Wood and The Conversation, as well as "The Wizard of Oz" and a coloured and cut version of "Angels with dirty faces" (which was awful in comparison with the original black and white masterpiece, which i possess :D). However, i am really busy, therefore i will return with some considerations on the movies a little later.

sunset boulevard

2006-02-09T00:19:00.000+02:00

Sunset Blvd (1950) is perhaps the darkest noir Hollywood story, as well as my favourite Billy Wilder movie.

Detailed review, synopsis and discussion of the film here.

There i go, finally up-to-date with the movies i watched.

the elephant man

2006-02-08T23:03:00.000+02:00

The elephant man brings the great combination of David Lynch, as a director, and young Anthony Hopkins, playing Dr. Frederick Treves. Therefore, the fact that the movie is a success is not such a big surprise. Gradually introducing The Elephant Man, a character whose both physical and psychological profile are revealed step by step, the movie presents various sides of a "a freak show". From a cirsus attraction, John Merrick becomes a London high-society attraction, never actually being able to defeat human prejudice, fear and disgust by convincing the majority he is a human being on top of everything else.

M

2006-02-07T23:07:00.000+02:00

yes, i finally got my hands on M. Directed by the brilliant Fritz Lang in 1931, the movie is a masterpiece from all points of view. Sixty years before Hannibal, Peter Lorre offers us the perfect profile of serial killer Hans Beckert, offering a sample of amazing acting. I had seen him before, in The Maltese Falcon and in Casablanca, and i liked him each time, but his performance in M really blew me away.

This movie is so well paced and directed, so well driven and articulated that it makes a shame of many attempts of psychological serial killer thrillers produced recently. Just like with Metropolis, Fritz Lang proves to be way ahead of his time. I adored the way he fixed some frames - which would have made great black/white photos - keeping the camera focused on them for several seconds.

Hans Beckert: I can't help what I do! I can't help it, I can't... Criminal: The old story! We never can help it in court!

Hans Beckert: What do you know about it? Who are you anyway? Who are you? Criminals? Are you proud of yourselves? Proud of breaking safes or cheating at cards? Things you could just as well keep your fingers off. You wouldn't need to do all that if you'd learn a proper trade or if you'd work. If you weren't a bunch of lazy bastards. But I... I can't help myself! I have no control over this, this evil thing inside of me, the fire, the voices, the torment!

Schraenker: Do you mean to say that you have to murder?

Hans Beckert: It's there all the time, driving me out to wander the streets, following me, silently, but I can feel it there. It's me, pursuing myself! I want to escape, to escape from myself! But it's impossible. I can't escape, I have to obey it. I have to run, run... endless streets. I want to escape, to get away! And I'm pursued by ghosts. Ghosts of mothers and of those children... they never leave me. They are always there... always, always, always!, except when I do it, when I... Then I can't remember anything. And afterwards I see those posters and read what I've done, and read, and read... did I do that? But I can't remember anything about it! But who will believe me? Who knows what it's like to be me? How I'm forced to act... how I must, must... don't want to, must! Don't want to, but must! And then a voice screams! I can't bear to hear it! I can't go on! I can't... I can't...

rashomon

2006-02-07T22:15:00.000+02:00

i really have tones of things to do these days, so i don't really have time to write my posts properly. Rashomon is the first Akira Kurosawa movie that i watch and i must admit being impressed. The plot is built around several accounts of a murder mystery [which reminded me of "Twelve angry men", but this might be juts me] which drive to several considerations on life and people and stuff. Pretty much the usual Japanese type of story, with the associated bits of wisdom and tradition. However, i appreciated the way the movie was directed quite a lot, so i can hardly wait to watch some more Kurosawa films. Seven Samurai and Yojimbo will probably follow.

crash (2004)

2006-02-05T11:38:00.000+02:00

I think that Crash is a breathtaking movie from all points of view. I couldn't actually find any flaws able to shadow the experience of watching it, despite several comments and reviews i've read. The directing is great, the acting just the same, while the soundtrack helps building a threatening atmosphere. It's that kind of thriller which actually makes you shiver, not necessarilly because it frightens you, but because it makes you realize your helplessness in such a painful manner. It gives you chills just because it makes you realize you are part of a world and of a society which allows such things to happen. Which doesn't give much on humanity or dignity. The movie goes up and down, and somehow forces you to place yourself in the shoes of the characters. Or at least it should appeal to you that way. It makes you think twice about yourself, your morality, your friends, your neighbourhood, your social whereabouts. It makes you wanna change things, but it also induces a question like: "can things actually be changed?".

Graham says:"It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something." Officer Ryan expands: "You think you know who you are? You have no idea."

Crash initially reminded me of "Requiem for a dream", with the observation that the experience of Crash is far more complex, covering so many both social and psychological aspects. One can visit the official site and "explore the film", and will be granted some design sketches derived from the personal interpretations of several scenes. The movie has 6 Oscar nominations this year, for Best Achievement in Directing; Best Achievement in Editing; Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song; Best Motion Picture of the Year; Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role; Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.

walk the line

2006-02-04T20:20:00.000+02:00

i finally got to watch "Walk the line" (2005), and i surely didn't waste my time. The movie is the chronicle of music legend Johnny Cash, and i think that if i were to summarize my impressions in just a few words, i'd simply quote a member of the audience, who said "so sad, and yet so great". I loved the performances of Joaquin Phoenix and of Reese Witherspoon, and i wouldn't dismiss that of Ginnifer Goodwin either. They all manage to recreate the atmosphere of a real drama and it's almost impossible not to enjoy the 136 minutes of pain, morality, music and redemption.

planner spots. some ideas. There is a conversation in the beginning of the movie between Johnny and his brother, Jack, when Johnny admits how much he admires his brother for knowing all the stories in the Bible. And Jack replies that he wants to be a good preacher (if i remember correcly) and help people, and that you have to know all the stories in order to know which story to tell a person in order to help him/her. A very important aspect for a planner as well. The more you know, the more stories you acknowledge, the more likely you are to deliver the right one to the target, the one that gets to them. Maybe i'm being a litte absurd, but that's what i thought at the moment.

And then, there was another conversation when Johnny first auditions for a recording studio. And he and his band first play a very common gospel, and the head of the recording studio stops them and ask Johnny whether that very common gospel, that people could hear daily on the radio was the song that he would have wanted to sing, if he was to sing something for the last time in his life, something that should communicate to people all the feelings he has had along his life. Cause that was what people wanted: that special touch of feelings, of experience. And my guess is that this applies to brands and ads. That's the thing in which the success of Honda resides. Different from the ads we all grew so fed up with, different from the same type of advertising we are exposed to daily, this brand managed to capture bits of human feelings and transmit them.

monty python and the holy grail

2006-02-04T01:00:00.000+02:00

i've just finished watching "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", which is good for three reasons: i got some entertaining Friday time, i got to watch yet another movie from Top 250 and i got an idea which is hopefully going to work, namely to mark the connections with my job, planning, communication, brands and stuff that i make at each movie. some planner twisted plan :)).

The movie is a cult British comedy, a parody from its opening to its closing, written, performed, and directed by Monty Python, an English comedy group, during a gap between the third and the final series of their popular BBC television series Monty Python's Flying Circus. One has to watch it in order to get a glimpse of it, therefore i won't get into plot details or anything of the kind, since the links provided cover these areas quite satisfactory.

planner's corner: somewhere at the end of the movie, there is this dialogue:

Bridgekeeper: Stop. Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see.

Sir Lancelot: Ask me the questions, bridgekeeper. I am not afraid.

Bridgekeeper: What... is your name?

Sir Lancelot: My name is Sir Lancelot of Camelot.

Bridgekeeper: What... is your quest?

Sir Lancelot: To seek the Holy Grail.

Bridgekeeper: What... is your favourite colour?

Sir Lancelot: Blue.

Bridgekeeper: Go on. Off you go.

Sir Lancelot: Oh, thank you. Thank you very much.

Sir Robin: That's easy.

Bridgekeeper: Stop. Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see.

Sir Robin: Ask me the questions, bridgekeeper. I'm not afraid.

Bridgekeeper: What... is your name?

Sir Robin: Sir Robin of Camelot.

Bridgekeeper: What... is your quest?

Sir Robin: To seek the Holy Grail.

Bridgekeeper: What... is the capital of Assyria? [pause]

Sir Robin: I don't know that. [he is thrown over the edge into the volcano]

Sir Robin: Auuuuuuuugh.

Bridgekeeper: Stop. What... is your name?

Galahad: Sir Galahad of Camelot.

Bridgekeeper: What... is your quest?

Galahad: I seek the Grail.

Bridgekeeper: What... is your favourite colour?

Galahad: Blue. No, yel... [he is also thrown over the edge]

Galahad: auuuuuuuugh.

Bridgekeeper: Hee hee heh. Stop. What... is your name?

King Arthur: It is 'Arthur', King of the Britons.

Bridgekeeper: What... is your quest?

King Arthur: To seek the Holy Grail.

Bridgekeeper: What... is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

King Arthur: What do you mean? An African or European swallow?

Bridgekeeper: Huh? I... I don't know that. [he is thrown over]

Bridgekeeper: Auuuuuuuugh.

Sir Bedevere: How do know so much about swallows?

King Arthur: Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.

and it's funny cause it showed how important it is to pay attention to all sorts of tiny details, and to know all sorts of trivia information, such as this one with the swallows, which came from an earlier dialogue between arthur and some guardian. these silly considerations are probably de to me being really sleepy, so that would be enough for now.

reminder

2006-02-03T14:43:00.000+02:00

a friend of mine recommended a movie i can hardly wait to watch: Tzameti, directed by Géla Babluani.

the apartment

2006-02-03T13:45:00.000+02:00

Billy Wilder's "The Apartment" (1960) won five major Academy Awards out of ten nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best B/W Art Direction/Set Decoration, and Best Film Editing, Jack Lemmon for Best Actor, Shirley MacLaine for Best Actress and Jack Kruschen for Best Supporting Actor. It was a triple win for Wilder as Director (Wilder's second directing Oscar), Producer, and Screenplay author.

The movie is the cynical story of an average clerk who lends his apartment to different superiors for their various sexual escapades in exchange for them helping him get a higher position within the company. The plot complicates the moment when he realizes that the woman he fell for is the very lover of his married "big boss", who also uses his apartment rental services.

meet me in st louis

2006-02-02T01:43:00.000+02:00

Apparently, Meet me in St Louis (1944) is the second Judy Garland musical i've watched this week. Enjoyable, full of romance, songs, dance and puns, the movie undoubtedly proves Judy Garland's qualities.

casablanca

2006-01-31T21:09:00.000+02:00

i haven't watched Casablanca (1942) for years, because of several misconceptions heard along the years according to which this movie is nothing more than a soft soap. however, after watching Michael Curtiz's "Angels with dirty faces", i decided it was high to give a chance to "Casablanca", because i couldn't imagine Curtiz directing something pathetic.
after watching it, i personally believe that there is a good reason as to why "Casablanca" can be found on almost any top ten list of the best movies ever.

detailed review, a synopsis, and a discussion of thematic elements in the film here.

You must remember this

A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.

The fundamental things apply

As time goes by.
And when two lovers woo

They still say, "I love you."

On that you can rely

No matter what the future brings

As time goes by.
Moonlight and love songs

Never out of date.

Hearts full of passion

Jealousy and hate.

Woman needs man

And man must have his mate

That no one can deny.
It's still the same old story

A fight for love and glory

A case of do or die.

The world will always welcome lovers

As time goes by.
Oh yes, the world will always welcome lovers

As time goes by.

Oscar nominees

2006-01-31T20:56:00.000+02:00

Best Motion Picture of the Year Nominees:
Brokeback Mountain (2005) - Diana Ossana, James Schamus
Capote (2005) - Caroline Baron, William Vince, Michael Ohoven
Crash (2004) - Paul Haggis, Cathy Schulman
Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005) - Grant Heslov
Munich (2005) - Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Barry Mendel

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Nominees:
Philip Seymour Hoffman for Capote (2005)
Terrence Howard for Hustle & Flow (2005)
Heath Ledger for Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Joaquin Phoenix for Walk the Line (2005)
David Strathairn for Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Nominees:
Judi Dench for Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005)
Felicity Huffman for Transamerica (2005)
Keira Knightley for Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Charlize Theron for North Country (2005)
Reese Witherspoon for Walk the Line (2005)

Best Achievement in Directing Nominees:
George Clooney for Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
Paul Haggis for Crash (2004)
Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Bennett Miller for Capote (2005)
Steven Spielberg for Munich (2005)

The rest of the nominations here.

after hours

2006-01-30T12:21:00.000+02:00

After hours (1985) is a movie i bought on DVD because i couldn't get my eyes off its cover. This doesn't usually happen to me, but this time i really really liked that image. and i felt inspired by it, cause it seemed like that kind of cover which provides you the insight of the movie, like it's enough to look at it and get an idea on the film's story.

The movie was directed by Martin Scorsese, and there's an interesting story as how he got to direct this movie. The script of the movie was discovered by one of the producers, Amy Robinson, who fell in love with it cause it was amazingly funny. She passed it on to her partner, Griffin Dunne, who laughed out loud as well, while feeling pity for the poor main character. They passed the script forward and obtained two types of reactions: people laughing madly and having the fun of their lives and people throwing the script away, saying that it's unbelievable how many things happen to the guy and they simply cannot stand it. But the result was clear: they were going to produce that movie. They thought about Martin Scorsese, but he was in the middle of directing "The last temptation of Christ" and was, therefore, too busy. Feeling very sorry, Amy remembered having seen a short, Vincent, directed by a young cartoonist named Tim Burton and thought he might like her script. Burton was pleased to accept the offer. But in the mean time, "The last temptation of Christ" project fell apart and Scorsese was surprinsingly available. Therefore, Griffin called Burton in order to try to tell him the news, though not knowing exactly how to put it. It turned out easier than expected, because Burton asked whether they had sent the script to Scorsese first and whether the latter was interested in the movie. And then he just said he would gladly retire, because he would never stand in the way of something Scorsese wanted to develop.

As far as the story is concerned, it suggested me the type of absurd Kafka experience, also reminding me of "The shape of things". And of David Fincher's 1997 "The game". And the music is absolutely extraordionary, it helped create a great atmosphere.

some like it hot

2006-01-29T19:37:00.000+02:00

Some like it hot (1959), directed by Billy Wilder, is the second movie i watch whose action takes place during the Prohibition era (the first one was "The Roaring Twenties"). I enjoyed watching the movie, although i cannot say i placed it among my favourites. Maybe just cause i do not actually like Marilyn Monroe.
Detailed review, synopsis and discussion of the film here.

annie hall

2006-01-29T01:04:00.000+02:00

Annie Hall (1977) was the funniest movie i watched in a long while. i simply loved it and would recommend it to anyone. i liked it especially for the manner in which it was directed and for its script; and i liked the way Woody Allen dealt with the role. Now i can hardly wait to watch his 2005 production, Match Point.

Self-entitled "a nervous romance", the movie gives great insights of contemporary love and urban relationships, as bitter-sweet as they are, being centered around the relationship between "neurotic New York comedian Alvy Singer and the ditsy Annie Hall". Plus, the way Woody Allen acted made me think a lot about planners, and the natural way that they should express and talk and question and use each circumstance. i'm not sure this makes sense, but these were the connections my tourmented brain made.

As a trivia, i read on filmsite.org that "a real-life relationship and breakup did occur in early 1970 between Allen and co-star Keaton. Keaton's birth name was Diane Hall, her nickname was Annie, and she did have a Grammy Hall. And Woody Allen played a similar role as mentor to Diane Keaton (about New York life, politics, philosophy, and books), as did best friend Tony Roberts to Allen."

Some quotes:

"Two elderly women are at a Catskill Mountain resort. And one of 'em says: 'Boy, the food in this place is really terrible.' The other one says: 'Yeah, I know. And such small portions.' Well, that's essentially how I feel about life. Full of loneliness and misery and suffering and unhappiness, and it's all over much too quickly."
"The other important joke for me is one that's usually attributed to Groucho Marx but I think it appears originally in Freud's Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious - and it goes like this. I'm paraphrasing. I would never want to belong to any club that would have someone like me for a member. That's the key joke of my adult life, in terms of my relationships with women."
"The universe is expanding...Well, the universe is everything, and if it's expanding, some day it will break apart and that will be the end of everything."
A normal-looking kid: "I used to be a heroin addict. Now I'm a methadone addict."
"I don't want to live in a city where the only cultural advantage is that you can make a right turn on a red light."
"'Why do you always reduce my animal urges to psychoanalytic categories?' he said as he removed her brassiere."
"I'm obsessed with uh, with death, I think. Big - big subject with me, yeah. I have a very pessimistic view of life. You should know this about me if we're gonna go out. You know, I - I feel that life is - is divided up into the horrible and the miserable. Those are the two categories, you know. The - the horrible would be like, um, I don't know, terminal cases, you know, and blind people, crippled. I don't know how they get through life. It's amazing to me. You know, and the miserable is everyone else. That's - that's - so - so - when you go through life - you should be thankful that you're miserable because you're very lucky to be miserable."

.....hmmm...but come to think about it, there are so many lines i would quote, that one could actually take the whole script and read it as a very funny book. or, much better, watch the movie.

the wizard of oz

2006-01-28T20:34:00.000+02:00

"Gaiety! Glory! Glamour!" is the tagline of 1939's version of "The Wizard of Oz", eventually directed by Victor Fleming adaptation of the beloved book written by L. Frank Baum. And this tagline surely is a good characterization of this movie which had become an all-time classic, as well as favourite musical. Despite the fact that some of the movie's quotes are far more memorable and famous, such as: "There's no place like home", "Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!", "We're not in Kansas anymore," "Follow the Yellow Brick Road". Not to mention the beautiful "Somewhere over the rainbow", which has also inspired lots of covers.

In my opinion, the movie's insight, if i can put it like this, is given by the opening phrase: "For nearly forty years this story has given faithful service to the Young in Heart; and Time has been powerless to put its kindly philosophy out of fashion. To those of you who have been faithful to it in return...and to the Young in Heart...we dedicate this picture." And if you're in this target, there is no possible way that this movie doesn't get to you.

Dorothy is a Kansas girl, living in a Kansas farm - as we find out from the opening sepia-coloured images - together with her Auntie Em, Uncle Henry and their helpers, Hunk, Zeke and Hickory. And she also lives with a little dog that she adores, Toto, and who's in danger because of nasty Almira Gulch wanting to have him killed. However, when a powerful storm comes, Dorothy gets hurt by a crashed window and flies away to a beautiful dream, taking place "somewhere over the rainbow". She becomes the national hero of the Munchkins, after accidentaly killing the Wicked Witch of the East, who had been tourmenting them. And she meets Glinda, a good witch who advises her to go to the Emerald City and look for the wizard of Oz, if she ever wants to return to Kansas. Following the Yellow Brick Road, she further meets other friends, willing to join her on her quest: a mind-less Scarecrow, a heart-less Tin Man, and a courage-less Lion. They have to beat the traps set by the Wicked Witch of the West and finally arrive to the wizard of Oz, who is willing to grant each of their wishes if they bring him the broomstick of the Wicked Witch as a sign that they actually deserve his attention. The four friends discover that each of them actually has everything he wanted all along, and when Dorothy wakes up, she feels more blessed than ever to have such a family.

The movie is also very witty, with phrases such as:

"Why, anybody can have a brain. That's a very mediocre commodity. Every pusillanimous creature that crawls on the Earth or slinks through slimy seas has a brain. Back where I come from, we have universities, seats of great learning, where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts and with no more brains than you have! But they have one thing you haven't got - a diploma. Therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Universitatus Committeatum E Pluribus Unum, I hereby confer upon you the honorary degree of Th. D...that's Doctor of Thinkology."
"As for you, my fine friend, you're a victim of disorganized thinking. You are under the unfortunate delusion that simply because you run away from danger you have no courage. You're confusing courage with wisdom. Back where I come from, we have men who are called heroes. Once a year, they take their fortitude out of moth balls and parade it down the main street of the city and they have no more courage than you have. But they have one thing that you haven't got - a medal. Therefore, for meritorious conduct, extraordinary valor, conspicuous bravery against Wicked Witches, I award you the Triple Cross. You are now a member of the Legion of Courage."
"Therefore, in consideration of your kindness, I take pleasure at this time in presenting you with a small token of our esteem and affection. And remember, my sentimental friend, that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others."
and, my favourite one, "Hearts will never be practical until they become unbreakable"

Filmsite.org, which offers as usual the most comprehensive analysis of the movie, points out an interesting sidenote: the plot of The Wizard of Oz has often been used, rightly or wrongly, as a Parable on Populism in the Gilded Age, to explain the political situation at the time of its writing, including the 1896 Presidential election, and the turn-of-the-century Populist movement. Here are a few of the allegorical connections, most of which were originally recognized by Henry M. Littlefield, and published in the American Quarterly in 1967:

the Scarecrow - the wise, but naive western farmers
the Tin Woodman - the dehumanized, Eastern factory workers
the Wicked Witch of the East - the Eastern industrialists and bankers who controlled the people (the Munchkins)
the Good Witch of the North - New England, a stronghold of Populists
the Good Witch of the South - the South, another Populist area
the Wizard - President Grover Cleveland, or Republican Presidential candidate William McKinley
the Cowardly Lion - Democratic-Populist Presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan
Dorothy - a young Mary Lease; or the good-natured American people
Dorothy's silver shoes - represents the 'silver standard' (acc. to the Populists, "the free and unlimited coinage of silver")
Toto - the 'teetotaling' Prohibitionists (or Temperance Party), an important part of the 'silverite' coalition
the Yellow Brick road - the 'gold standard' - paved with gold, but leads nowhere
the land of Oz - oz. is the standard abbreviation for ounce, in accordance with the other symbolism
Emerald City - Washington, D.C., with a greenish color associated with greenbacks
the Poppy field - the threat of anti-imperialism

singin in the rain

2006-01-28T11:45:00.000+02:00

Singin in the rain (1952) is one of the most entertaining, optimistic and sweet movies i have ever watched. It's impossible for this movie not to fill you with joy and excitement and not to make you look at life in a more delightful way at least for a little while. It's one of those shows that end on the screen leaving you with the need to sing and dance and smile and want to make the others laugh with you.

The musical co-directed by Stanley Donen and acrobatic dancer-star-choreographer Gene Kelly is a funny satire of the difficulties that troubled Hollywood production studios during the transition from silent to spoken movies. Very comprehensive details can be found here.

And some downloadable goodies here.

fargo

2006-01-27T20:47:00.000+02:00

Coen Brothers' 1996 "homespun murder story". An excellent movie, in the opinion of an enourmous number of people, including critics, if we consider the fact that Fargo's success implied seven Academy Awards nominations, including Best Supporting Actor (William H. Macy), Best Cinematography (Roger Deakins), Best Director (Joel Coen), Best Film Editing (alias Roderick Jaynes, actually the Coens), and Best Picture (Ethan Coen). And two Oscars for Best Original Screenplay (Joel and Ethan Coen), and Best Actress (Frances McDormand, Joel Coen's real-life wife).

However, i should say that i was not so impressed by this movie. I cannot even agree with critics or viewers characterizing it -like here- as "a satirical comedy, a suspenseful crime drama, and a violent mystery thriller, the Coen Brothers' film is an original mix of black mirth and murder that both delights and disturbs the viewer". I was neither delighted, not disturbed. The movie reminded me of Tarantino movies, it didn't for sure remind me of film noir (the same source considered it: "an anomaly of categorization, the contemporary masterpiece is a film noir (with stark white vistas and backdrops)", and the thing that i mostly enjoyed was actually the people's accent and regional dialect, with phrazes like:"You betcha," "Aw Jeez," "You're darn tootin', "Okie-Dokie," "Yup," "Be there in a jif," and the obsessive "Yah." repeating all the time.

And...that's about it for now. A movie i did appreciate, but by which i wasn't as impressed as i expected to be.

AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes

2006-01-27T13:45:00.000+02:00

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." Gone with the Wind (1939)
"I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse." The Godfather (1972)
"You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am." On the Waterfront (1954)
"Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." The Wizard of Oz (1939)
"Here's looking at you, kid." Casablanca (1942)
"Go ahead, make my day." Sudden Impact (1983)
"All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." Sunset Boulevard (1950)
"May the Force be with you." Star Wars (1977)
"Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night." All About Eve (1950)
"You talking to me?" Taxi Driver (1976)
"What we've got here is failure to communicate." Cool Hand Luke (1967)
"I love the smell of napalm in the morning." Apocalypse Now (1979)
"Love means never having to say you're sorry." Love Story (1970)
"The stuff that dreams are made of." The Maltese Falcon (1941)
"E.T. phone home." E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
"They call me Mister Tibbs!" In the Heat of the Night (1967)
"Rosebud." Citizen Kane (1941)
"Made it, Ma! Top of the world!" White Heat (1949)
"I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" Network (1976)
"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Casablanca (1942)
"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti." The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
"Bond. James Bond." Dr. No (1962)
"There's no place like home." The Wizard of Oz (1939)
"I am big! It's the pictures that got small." Sunset Boulevard (1950)
"Show me the money!" Jerry Maguire (1996)
"Why don't you come up sometime and see me?" She Done Him Wrong (1933)
"I'm walking here! I'm walking here!" Midnight Cowboy (1969)
"Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.'" Casablanca (1942)
"You can't handle the truth!" A Few Good Men (1992)
"I want to be alone." Grand Hotel (1932)
"After all, tomorrow is another day!" Gone with the Wind (1939)
"Round up the usual suspects." Casablanca (1942)
"I'll have what she's having." When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
"You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow." To Have and Have Not (1944)
"You're gonna need a bigger boat." Jaws (1975)
"Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!" The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
"I'll be back." The Terminator (1984)
"Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth" The Pride of the Yankees (1942)
"If you build it, he will come." Field of Dreams (1989)
"Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Forrest Gump (1994)
"We rob banks." Bonnie & Clyde (1967)
"Plastics." The Graduate (1967)
"We'll always have Paris." Casablanca (1942)
"I see dead people." The Sixth Sense (1999)
"Stella! Hey, Stella!" A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
"Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars." Now, Voyager (1942)
"Shane. Shane. Come back!" Shane (1953)
"Well, nobody's perfect." Some Like It Hot (1959)
"It's alive! It's alive!" Frankenstein (1931)
"Houston, we have a problem." Apollo 13 (1995)
"You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?" Dirty Harry(1971)
"You had me at "hello."" Jerry Maguire (1996)
"One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know." Animal Crackers (1930)
"There's no crying in baseball!" A League of Their Own (1992)
"La-dee-da, la-dee-da." Annie Hall (1977)
"A boy's best friend is his mother." Psycho (1960)
"Greed, for lack of a better word, is good." Wall Street (1987)
"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." The Godfather: Part II (1974)
"As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again." Gone with the Wind (1939)
"Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!" Sons of the Desert (1933)
"Say "hello" to my little friend!" Scarface (1983)
"What a dump." Beyond the Forest (1949)
"Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?" The Graduate (1967)
"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!" Dr. Strangelove (1964)
"Elementary, my dear Watson." The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1929)
"Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape." Planet of the Apes (1968)
"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." Casablanca(1942)
"Here's Johnny!" The Shining (1980)
"They're here!" Poltergeist (1982)
"Is it safe?" Marathon Man (1976)
"Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothin' yet!" The Jazz Singer (1927)
"No wire hangers, ever!" Mommie Dearest (1981)
"Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?" Little Caesar (1930)
"Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown." Chinatown (1974)
"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
"Hasta la vista, baby." Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
"Soylent Green is people!" Soylent Green (1973)
"Open the pod bay doors, HAL." 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
"Striker: Surely you can't be serious. Rumack: I am serious…and don't call me Shirley." Airplane! (1980)
"Yo, Adrian!" Rocky (1976)
"Hello, gorgeous." Funny Girl (1968)
"Toga! Toga!" National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
"Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make." Dracula (1931)
"Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast." King Kong (1933)
"My precious." The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
"Attica! Attica!" Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
"Sawyer, you're going out a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!" 42nd Street (1933)
"Listen to me, mister. You're my knight in shining armor. Don't you forget it. You're going to get back on that horse, and I'm going to be right behind you, holding on tight, and away we're gonna go, go, go!" On Golden Pond (1981)
"Tell 'em to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper." Knute Rockne All American (1940)
"A martini. Shaken, not stirred." Goldfinger (1964)
"Who's on first." The Naughty Nineties (1945)
"Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac...It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!" Caddyshack (1980)
"Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!" Auntie Mame (1958)
"I feel the need - the need for speed!" Top Gun (1986)
"Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." Dead Poets Society (1989)
"Snap out of it!" Moonstruck (1987)
"My mother thanks you. My father thanks you. My sister thanks you. And I thank you." Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
"Nobody puts Baby in a corner." Dirty Dancing (1987)
"I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!" The Wizard of Oz (1939)
"I'm king of the world!" Titanic (1997)

Source.

the maltese falcon

2006-01-26T22:00:00.000+02:00

the awesome 1941 version, directed by John Huston, and adapted after Dashiell Hammett's novel. I knew i should have watched this movie before "The big sleep" and "Chinatown", but, after all, i am really glad i could watch the three of them in a row.

Superb film noir, "The Maltese Falcon" has it all: thrilling detective story, beautifully-managed plot twists, actors who create powerful characters, in other words, both atmosphere and performance.

When a certain Miss Wonderly enters the offices of Spade & Archer detective firm, Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) doesn't believe a word she says, but accepts to take over her case. When his associate is shot to death the first night he goes to shadow Floyd Thursby - the man pointed by Miss Wonderly (Mary Astor), event followed closely by the very Floyd Thursby's death, things are starting to go wild. Miss Wonderly proves to be Brigid O'Shaughnessey, a woman surrounded by a dark mystery, who will attract Spade in a complication that might be worth a great deal of money or his very life. But for a man who claims that he doesn't mind "a reasonable amount of trouble", this is nothing. Also, impressive performances from Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet and Elisha Cook Jr..

chinatown

2006-01-25T12:29:00.000+02:00

"Q: Does Chinatown represent a departure for you in either theme or treatment?

Polanski: Every film I make represents a departure for me. You see, it takes so long to make a film. By the time you get to the next one you're already a different man. You've grown up by one or two years.Chinatown is a thriller and the story line is very important. There is a lot of dialogue. But I missed some opportunity for visual inventiveness. I felt sometimes as if I were doing some kind of TV show. I thought I had always been an able, inventive, creative director and there I was putting two people at a table and letting them talk. When I tried to make it look original I saw it start to become pretentious, so concentrated on the performances and kept an ordinary look.

Q: Isn't that better than having the audience acutely aware of the camera, like a thumb in their eye?

Polanski: Yes, but I don't think that's ever happened to me. Only when your camera makes them nauseous do the critics say, "His nervous camera moved relentlessly throughout the entire sequence" and so on. I've read those criticisms of some pictures. It's the same thing with writers. Sometimes a great stylist writes so smoothly that you're not aware of what you're swallowing.". [Interview from Penthouse Magazine 1974]

In order to prepare for directing this movie, Roman Polanski spent some time carefully analysing great mystery movies of the Thirties and Forties, therefore, as Polanski himself admits, "Chinatown" bears the tradition of film noir, and, of course, of Raymond Chandler mystery stories. With an excellent private-eye film noir thriller screenplay written by Oscar-winning Robert Towne, Chinatown manages to create a great atmosphere of mystery, romance, suspense, and thrilling detective work around what might be its tagline: "You may think you know what you're dealing with, but believe me, you don't". After all, as i read somewhere, the film's title itself, referred to a 'state of mind' rather than an actual geographic place, according to Towne.

I've read so many reviews and comments on this movie, that i sincerely do not know what i could add here. I'll just go here or here and remember what the movie was all about. So, i'd only add some quotes:

Jake Gittes: So there's this guy Walsh, do you understand? He's tired of screwin' his wife... So his friend says to him, "Hey, why don't you do it like the Chinese do?" So he says, "How do the Chinese do it?" And the guy says, "Well, the Chinese, first they screw a little bit, then they stop, then they go and read a little Confucius, come back, screw a little bit more, then they stop again, go and they screw a little bit... then they go back and they screw a little bit more and then they go out and they contemplate the moon or something like that. Makes it more exciting." So now, the guy goes home and he starts screwin' his own wife, see. So he screws her for a little bit and then he stops, and he goes out of the room and reads Life Magazine. Then he goes back in, he starts screwin' again. He says, "Excuse me for a minute, honey." He goes out and he smokes a cigarette. Now his wife is gettin' sore as hell. He comes back in the room, he starts screwin' again. He gets up to start to leave again to go look at the moon. She looks at him and says, "Hey, whats the matter with ya. You're screwin' just like a Chinaman!"
Jake Gittes: You're dumber than you think I think you are.
Jake Gittes: Let me explain something to you, Walsh. This business requires a certain amount of finesse.
Noah Cross: 'Course I'm respectable. I'm old. Politicians, public buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough.
Ida Sessions: Are you alone? Jake Gittes: Isn't everybody?

the big sleep

2006-01-24T17:38:00.000+02:00

The Big Sleep is credited as a classic film-noir, as well as a masterpiece of the genre. While there are many people complaining about the quality of the screenplay adapted by William Faulkner from Raymond Chandler's novel with the same name, blaming a plot which is extremely difficult to follow or even to understand, the movie is, in my opinion, one of the best i've watched in the genre.

Now, as far as the plot difficulties are concerned, several readings i've done recently indicated a clear reason. The movie was originally shot in December 1944, shortly after Bogart and Bacall's another classic "To have and have not". The latter was a big hit, and Bogart-Bacall couple was very well received by the public. Maybe that's why i liked so much the presentation in "The Big Sleep" trailer, which said something like: "Bogart and that woman Bacall are in that again".

"The Big Sleep" was supposed to be released in 1945, but, despite the success of "To have and have not", Warner Bros. decided to postpone the moment, due to Bacall's "Confidential Agent" (released in 1945) being received by the audience as a flop. While holding "The Big Sleep" back, Warner Bros. operated some major changes in the movie, in order to adapt it more to the recipe that turned "To have and have not" into a public's favourite. And that implied adding some scenes of dialogue between the main characters (maybe the most memorable being the conversation on horse racing). However, this improvement has severe consequences on the plot's continuity, since scenes which could have helped the viewer figure out the mistery were cut off, in order to allow the longer dialogue scenes, and not lenghten the movie too much. From what i read, the original 1945 version was traced back in 1945, and made available in 1997.

good night, and good luck

2006-01-21T22:48:00.000+02:00

as stated by gareth kay some time ago, Good Night, And Good Luck is a worthy movie, as well as a powerful tale of integrity and the price of truth. Directed by George Clooney , the black and white picture illustrates the American television and journalism industry during the roaring fifties, its plot being built around the attempt of veteran CBS journalist Edward Murrow to bring down Senator Joseph McCarthy. David Strathairn manages a gorgeous performance, and, for some reason, the movie reminded me of the masterpiece Citizen Kane.

Another observation would be that Participate.net (Movies have the power to inspire. You have the power to act. Participate! ) was inspired by "Good night, And Good Luck" for the Report it Now project, which invites people to take the Media into their own hands.

the pillow book

2006-01-20T20:50:00.000+02:00

When God made the first clay model of a human being, He painted in the eyes... the lips... and the sex. And then He painted in each person's name lest the person should ever forget it. If God approved of His creation, He brought the painted clay model into life by signing His own name.

Although released in 1996, for some reason, "The Pillow Book" has just entered Romanian cinemas. But it was certainly worth watching. Directed by Peter Greenaway (as if this didn't say everything), the movie is an erotic tale of passion, creation and perfection, developed around the "two things in life which are dependable: the delights of the flesh and the delights of literature." Witty, experimental and mostly enjoyable, the movie slowly introduces you in another world, which quickly imposes its high standards and doesn't bore for a minute, despite all sorts of unconventional use of cinema techniques. The soundtrack is perfectly integrated in the tale, adding a spark of multicultural experience. All in all, the movie manages to combine in a balanced manner the ugly instances, out of which life experience can later extract and manufacture the beauties that matter, with rhetorical questions of creation and genesis, building all this around thirteen originally-written books. 9/10

Quotes that i liked:

Nagiko: Where is a book before it is born? Who are a book's parents? Does a book need two parents - a mother and a father? Can a book be born inside another book? Where is the parent book of books? How old does a book have to be before it can give birth?
Nagiko: I am certain that there are two things in life which are dependable: the delights of the flesh and the delights of literature. I have had the good fortune to enjoy them both equally.
Nagiko: Farewells can be both beautiful and despicable. Saying farewell to one who is loved is very complicated. Why should a person be obligated to stand such sweet pain and such bitter pleasure?
Nagiko: The smell of white paper is like the scent of skin of a new lover who has just paid a surprise visit out of a rainy garden. And the black ink is like lacquered hair. And the quill? Well, the quill is like that instrument of pleasure whose purpose is never in doubt but whose surprising efficiency one always, always forgets.

"He used to be a big shot"

2006-01-18T19:10:00.000+02:00

“It may come to pass that, at some distant date, we will be confronted with another period similar to the one depicted in this photoplay. If that happens, I pray that the events, as dramatized here, will be remembered. In this film, the characters are composites of people I knew, and the situations are those that actually occurred. Bitter or sweet, mot memories become precious as the years move on. This film is a memory – and I am grateful for it.” This text signed by Mark Hellinger is the foreword of "The Roaring Twenties"(1939), movie directed by Raoul Walsh and situated somewhere on the top of my list for gangster movies.

What i appreciated the most in "The Roaring Twnties" was its documentary attempt – different from the regular plots of late thirties gangster movies – to deal with a very important social and economical matter in the history of the United States: the period of Prohibition, correlated with the aftermath of World War I. The movie follows the life of Eddie Bartlett (beautifully played by brilliant James Cagney), one of the American soldiers who had fought in WWI, only to return home after two years and find a society which didn’t seem to want to reintegrate either him or his fellow-soldiers. Under the circumstances, the only way left for him was to adapt was to take advantage of the Prohibition, and therefore, he becomes part of a network of organized crime, faking and selling alcohol, until the stock market crash in 1929. The drama in Eddie's social life and its brutal fall, after losing everything he had (except for one cab which his back-stabbing partner George Hally - played by Humphrey Bogart), are doubled by the drama in Eddie's love life, the girl (Priscilla Lane) for whom he would sacrifice everything leaving him for the higher-style lawyer Lloyd Hart (Jeffrey Lynn).

In addition to the movie, i also watched a very interesting DVD bonus: the documentary The Roaring Twenties: The World Moves On, in which great names such as Martin Scorsese, Lincoln Hurst, Eric Lax or Alain Silver express their own views on the movie.

Golden Globes 2006

2006-01-17T11:15:00.000+02:00

Full list here.

Best Motion Picture - Drama
Winner:
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Other Nominees:
The Constant Gardener (2005)
Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
A History of Violence (2005)
Match Point (2005)

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Winner:
Walk the Line (2005)
Other Nominees:
Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005)
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
The Producers (2005)
The Squid and the Whale (2005)

film noir book

2006-01-16T22:39:00.000+02:00

Film Noir, written by Alain Silver and James Ursini, is the movie book i am currently reading and it's a really great edition.

"Beginning with a general overview of film noir and covering its most important themes chapter by chapter (lovers plan murder, corrupt police, doomed love, psychological noir, etc.), this copiously illustrated handbook provides instant and in-depth access to the film noir genre for amateurs and aficionados alike. Among the films covered are these "top ten": Double Indemnity, Kiss Me Deadly, Gun Crazy, Criss Cross, Detour, In A Lonely Place, T-Men, Out of the Past, The Reckless Moment, and Touch of Evil." (source: Taschen Books)

reminder

2006-01-16T13:37:00.000+02:00

apart from the IMDB Top 250, there are some movies which i have to watch or find really soon. I'm just writing them here so that i can remember them:

1. Kiss me deadly, 1955, directed by Robert Aldrich

2. Mean streets, 1973, directed by Martin Scorsese, because it is said to be the first film noir in colours (i'm not kidding)

3. Body Heat, 1981, directed by Lawrence Kasdan

Then, there are two recommendations from Space (which i expect to be either sick, or bearing a hidden meaning):

1. Reefer madness, 1936, directed by Louis J. Gasnier, a must-see drug-exploitation movie, as a symbol of exploitation movies in general.

2. Heavy Metal, 1981, directed by Gerald Potterton and Jimmy T. Murakami

And then, there are two movies which i must have, but i simply cannot find them anywhere:

1. M, 1931, directed by Fritz Lang - i'm dying to see this noir!!
2. Vana Espuma, 1998, directed by Andrés Useche

the constant gardener

2006-01-15T21:59:00.000+02:00

John le Carré's successful book. Fernando Meirelles, who is better known as the director of "Cidade de Deus". Great acting from both Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz. Splendid views. A very high IMDB ranking for a new-comer. All these things might recommend "The Constant Gardener" (2005). And the truth is that this political drama/thriller whose plot develops around a beautiful retrospective romance might actually be worth 129 minutes of one's life.

After his wife, Tessa, is brutally killed somewhere near a lake in Kenya, Justin Quayle, a British diplomat, finds himself in the position to investigate her murder all by himself. While trying to make something out of both the misterious life that his wife lived, and her misterious disappearance, Justin gets trapped in a sick political game, an international conspiracy that implies the usage of Africa as an enourmous laboratory which remourselessly performs all sorts of tests directly on humans. During his quest, Justin gains more and more trust in his dead wife and in the love that kept them together, gradually losing confidence in everybody else.

The well-paced movie is somewhat disturbing and thought-provoking. However, there is one detail which kept me from enjoying this movie at its full potential. And that would be the striking resemblance between the plot of this film and the story from the 1996 brilliant thriller "Extreme Measures", directed by Michael Apted, and starring Hugh Grant and Gene Hackman.

And another observation: for some reason (and i am really curious to find it out), the movie's title was translated into Romanian as the title of another le Carre's novel, "Absolute friends".

8/10

first post

2006-01-14T23:16:00.000+02:00

among my many disturbing obsessions, movies are somewhere on top of the list. i adore watching movies, discussing them, paying attention to the way the story is told and, most important, find as many insights and valuable information for my planning activity. it's amazing how many ideas i sometimes get while watching a movie. i used to discuss the films i watched on my main blog, but i ended up developing a whole new blog dedicated exclusively to movies, because when i don't have too much work to do, i watch at least on movie each day. and somehow, i have to remember what i made out of each seen picture.

as far as what i particularly like...i adore film noir, i enjoy early 30s-40s gangster movies, i love thrillers, mostly psychological thrillers, as well as animations, sometimes comedy-romance and...my goal for the next few months is to watch the 250 best movies ever as voted by IMDB users. that's about it, for now :). Be seeing you!