Don’t ask, do it.
It’s a surprise there isn’t already a thread for OuTA up to now.
Reminds me that it is long time to review it also.
There is a Review on fistful of Leone, but another one won´t harm. Don´t think there are many movies that give that many opportunities for differing reviews than this one.
The Devil’s Rejects
Last night I watched the Japanese film Branded To Kill/1967/Seijun Suzuki
This is a really interesting film. It is sort of a Yakuza/crime film but, also, something more.
The studio for which Suzuki worked (Nikkatsu Action) fired him after he made this film. Nikkatsu did A LOT of boiler-plate, repetetive action movies in the late 50’s to 60’s. Suzuki was that rarest of things, a genre director who transended the genre. His studio thought he went off the deep end. Branded To Kill is really an art movie in the guise of a Yakuza film. It is a very strange but completely engaging film and I was mesmerized.
Highly recommended (as is its “companion” film, Tokyo Drifter) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
STORM (2005, Mans Marling, Björn Stein)
Swedish-Norvegian psychological/SF-thriller/drama, about a young man who (seemingly) is sucked into a traditional good versus evil battle, only this time it might all be in his head. Or a computer game. It’s also, or at least tries to be a study about blocked and implanted memories. See films like: The Matrix, Equilibrium etc. There are also similarities to some of the films of Danny Boyle and (the later) David Lynch.
Beautifully made, well-acted, not without interest, but hardly convincing.
The Matrix-like story, seasoned with suggestions about dreamworlds, alternative realities etc. isn’t really elaborated, and the psychological background about the way the brain works and how conscience is able to fool us, is only hinted at.
Very ambitious, but few ambitions are realized. As more often with this type of movies, the makers seem to have only a vague idea about some of the ideas they push forward. But these kind of films are not made for professionals and I guess most moviegoers will be more impressed than I was.
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot with Clint Eastwood. I like it better than most, it seems.
Well, I’m definitely in your camp on this one AceHigh. I’ve always had a real fondness for this film.
I’ll watch the second half of Copperface - an all star cast and it was looking alright - good interplay between Ireland as Owl and Damon’s character Johnny, plus a good shifty female lead. Started it last night but in the end cider and tiredness won out.
I like this one very much aswell.
P2 (2007, Franck Khalfoun)
Thursday night has become my horror/trash night, so I picked this one up in the video rental shop on the way home from work
A girl is trapped in a parking garage (P2) by a janitor who secretly admires her
He’s of course a psychopath and the girl’s mobile won’t work (mobiles are a horror director’s worst nightmare, I guess), so it seems one big predictable piece of crap, but actually this little thriller is much better than I had expected.
It’s no masterpiece, but it’s tense, well-acted (especially by Wes Bently, who plays to psycho), and will hold your attention to the very last minute
I just read the film was a failure at the box-office, but it certainly is worth watching
3,25 out of 5
PS: I like Thunderbolt and Lightfoot too
I have not seen many movies really lately. I have been focusing on tv series, after the writer strikes it seems a lot of creativity is there, especially comparing with the shit that hollywood is putting out.
I really like How I met your mother, one funny show. Especially Neil Patrick Harris is the man there, love it.
And i also got hooked on caliFornication. It good a bit repetitive, but the start and idea is still good. Putting David duchovny in a role as a sex addictet writer who can´t write no more is quite funny.
Anybody else hooked to a series, or old sholl movie watchers? I mean the internet makes it quite convinient to check series, without ads and stuff.
Last Days by Gus van Sant.
This film isn’t easy to watch, as it is nearer to the painful Gerry than to the fascinating Elephant. Since his departure from mainstream film back to the independent works of his beginnings, van Sant has become one of the true mavericks of underground film making. Risky things he does.
I’m looking forward to see Paranoid Park.
First things I’v e heard of Paranoid Park were negative, but some people were negative about Elephant too
Interesting film maker, even films like To Die For and Good Will Hunting are remarkable pieces of work
Gerry was a misfire, don’t know what he had in mind with it
I know a critic who gave it four stars (the maximum), but he couldn’t explain to me why he was fascinated by it
Gerry is one of those films which are terrible boring at 1st watching (indeed I used sometimes fast forward when minute after minute nothing happened), but then, when I’m gladly through, I suddenly think, wait, it could be fun or maybe even fascinating to watch it a 2nd time. I haven’t done so since then, but I also haven’t erased the recording.
Hmm …
In a poll of the german film journal Steadycam amongst critics and filmmakers, asking for their 30 favourite films, of the 174 participants at least 3 named Gerry, which puzzled me. Elephant got only one vote.
Great poll by the way.
Another masterpiece of van Sant is My Own Private Idaho.
[quote=“Stanton, post:2254, topic:372”]Gerry is one of those films which are terrible boring at 1st watching (indeed I used sometimes fast forward when minute after minute nothing happened), but then, when I’m gladly through, I suddenly think, wait, it could be fun or maybe even fascinating to watch it a 2nd time. I haven’t done so since then, but I also haven’t erased the recording.
Hmm …
In a poll of the german film journal Steadycam amongst critics and filmmakers, asking for their 30 favourite films, of the 174 contenders at least 3 named Gerry. Elephant got only one vote.
Great poll by the way.
Another masterpiece of van Sant is My Own Private Idaho.[/quote]
Right about My Own Private Idaho, I couldn’t think of the title and was sure somebody else would come up with it
What was, let’s say, the Top 20 of that list?
Talking about Van Sant, I’d probably name Elephant, but it’s close
Top 20 of the latest Steadycam favourite film poll. The latest, because they have made one every 10 years.
-
Vertigo 39
-
The Godfather 36
-
Le mepris 33
-
North by Northwest 32
-
The Searchers 31
-
Taxi Driver 28
To Be or Not to Be 28 -
Somelike It Hot 27
-
Heat 26
-
A bout de souffle 25
Blade Runner 25 -
The Deer Hunter 23
-
Lawrence of Arabia 21
Rio Bravo 21
Le samourai 21 -
Apocalypse Now 20
Jules and Jim 20 -
Chinatown 19
The Godfather Part II 19 -
The Wild Bunch 18
Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo
Sunrise
La regle du jeu
In the Mood for Love
Fargo
Followed by Blow Up; Citizen Kane; Il gattopardo; M; Touch of Evil 17
and The Apartment; C’era una volta il West 16
More spags:
FoD 3
FaFDM 2
Giu la testa 1
The Great Silence 4
Many, many american westerns were named.
The usual dominance of Hollywood in all similar lists or polls is meanwhile a somehow sad standard.
In 95 with 78 participants
The Searchers 23
Taxi Driver 16
Vertigo 15
The Night of the Hunter 13
Citizen Kane 12
Lawrence of Arabia
Le mepris
Le samourai
To Be or not to Be
North by Northwest
The Last Picture Show 11
The Deer Hunter 9
Diner
Les enfants du paradis
Red River
Rio Bravo
My Darling Clementine
and with 8
A bout de souffle; Barry Lyndon; Blade Runner; Chinatown; Il gattopardo; The Godfather Part II; Jules et Jim; Once upon a Time in America
The 85 list with 35 amigos
Le samourai 12
The Searchers 11
Taxi Driver 9
Vertigo
Touch of Evil 8
A bout de souffle 7
Singin in the Rain
Une partie de campagne
Celine et Julie vont en bateau 6
Mean Streets
Johnny Guitar
Trouble in Paradise
Le mepris
North by Northwest
YIPPEEE i’m back on a little run of SW’S now starting tonight with " the man from oklahoma" 
I just got the new Wild East release so I think I’ll hang out with Edd “Kookie” Byrnes tonight.
Look forward to hearing which film you like the best.