"Not the art of scholars but of illiterates." (new movie thread)

[Nick]

I downloaded Synchedoche New York a little while ago, but still haven't gotten around to watching it.

You should. It's worth it.

[Andrew_TSKS]

I think I helped hannah pick that, or at least endorsed it or something! you should totally get on it, Anger is amazing. would even go well with Schrader, I think--themes of obsessive fetishism and eroticized power dynamics abound.

Fuck it, you know what? I'm gonna go downstairs and watch Kenneth Anger short films and eat ice cream.

[auto-da-fey]

I couldn't bring myself to head back to NYC tonight, so instead I watched Sidney Lumet's Bye Bye Braverman, which had mostly languished in cinematic no-man's-land since its shrugged-at 1968 release until Warner Archives put it out as a DVD-R (which I ordered in a show of support for the undertaking, not because I really wanted to buy it). No great shakes here--a bit too much meandering exposition setting up the four sort-of/former friends who will travel together to another friend's funeral, and some really dumb fantasy scenes--but the last hour of its 93 minutes is basically them traveling from Manhattan to Brooklyn and getting lost, with all kinds of awesome street-shooting, which is enough to please me.

also the presence of Zohra Lampert is always a plus in my book, even when it's the thankless supporting roles that I think dominated her entire odd career outside of Let's Scare Jessica to Death.

[auto-da-fey]

while I'm at it, saw Tarkovsky's The Mirror/Zerkalo at the Lincoln Center last week, and was mesmerized by its elliptical poignance; while I suppose it's imbued with Big Themes of individual experience being filtered through global history and the past as something continuously created by the present, it never forces those in front of the small human moments, even when those moments lack a clear context (which is part of his approach here--"mirror" as in, you see in it what you bring to it). the last shot, with the camera receding into a forest, is damn near perfect. I'm bummed that I missed Stalker, and now I probably need to see Andrei Rublev. 

[Andrew_TSKS]

Well, I ended up watching the first three of the five films on that Kenneth Anger DVD: "Fireworks," "Puce Moment," and "Rabbit's Moon." I was profoundly affected by "Fireworks" and "Rabbit's Moon," especially by the latter, which resulted in me writing way too much about them to post here, but I posted on my blog about them, and if any of you want to read my in-depth thoughts about three Kenneth Anger short films, you should go here.

If anyone wants to respond and further discuss those movies, I'd be all about it, but I'm assuming that this is a viewing choice that appeals to a tiny minority of LPTJ posters, so if it doesn't happen I won't be surprised, nor mind in the least.

[Bernard]

it never forces those in front of the small human moments, even when those moments lack a clear context

YES. This is why I have spasms over Tarkovsky. It's not the Big Theme stuff at all, I don't actually care about that all that much.

[auto-da-fey]

Andrew, I read and enjoyed your post on Anger. this was interesting to me:

Anger says on the commentary that the idea for the film came from the zoot suit riots of WWII era LA, but one can't help but imagine that he related the persecution of Mexican-American teenagers in those riots with similar persecution dealt out to gay men.

I've seen the films but haven't heard the commentary tracks, but this corresponds perfectly to Daniel Hurewitz's recent book on the rise of the gay rights movement (Bohemian Los Angeles and the Making of Modern Politics)--the ways race served as a foundational metaphor for the (white) men who began the movement (a metaphor that wound up backfiring, of course), that is. I'll have to give the commentaries a listen--hell, I should just buy myself a copy of both volumes once the DeepDiscount sale begins soon.

[Andrew_TSKS]

The commentaries are somewhat sparse but tend to be informative. I learned a lot from the one for "Rabbit's Moon" about the commedia dell'arte and Japanese myths that informed it. I wouldn't have been able to describe what happens in that film without listening to the commentary. I still would have loved it and found it beautiful, though.

But so yeah, definitely listen to the commentary tracks. Well worth your time.

[hannah]

Andrew, I enjoyed your blog post a lot! And I'm glad you reminded me of the Kenneth Anger commentary track... IIRC, when I saw him speak at UCLA he discussed the Zoot Suit Riots imagery in "Fireworks," and addressed in greater detail the connection you made (and which adf quoted).
 
I'm curious what you'd think of the other version of "Rabbit's Moon," which I believe is available on the second volume. You also have to see "Scorpio Rising," also on volume II. Absolutely amazing film.

[Andrew_TSKS]

Oh yeah, "Scorpio Rising" was the first Kenneth Anger film I ever heard of and I've been interested to see it since I was a teenager. "Invocation Of My Demon Brother" (I think that's what it's called) is also really interesting to me. I'm gonna have to purchase Volume 2 at some point.

[Lucy]

I never see anything, but when I do it's usually something pretty random. Mona the Monkey was the best part of Robinson Crusoe on Mars.

[Anne the Man]

Harry Potter 2 days ago: Underacted and shit. When you come across your beloved headmaster sprawled dead off the Astronomy tower you scream and sob and stuff, YOU DO NOT POUT. Same goes for when you just killed that man cos you had to and you are being called coward, YOU SCREAM AND ARE UPSET. I love Alan Rickman but he's really going at hlaf-speed here.

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea yesterday: Eeee  . It was so sweet! And not sentimental. I wish Hayao would live forever and keep directing and it would be cool. He gets children's body language really right. The animation was kinda different this time, not the people but the backgrounds were very obviously drawn, unlike the others where the clouds look almost real. It was lovely though.

[G.C.R]

Dang, Anne beat me to it with the Ponyo review. I have to say though, I really really am glad i saw this on the big screen, with an excited festival audience. The opening sequence, with Ponyo escaping to the surface of the sea in a jellyfish was just breathtaking - my friend Ed and I were both sitting there with our eyes wide and our hands over our mouths. While I enjoyed it in many ways more than Howl's Moving Castle, it did have some flaws (all the stuff about the children "saving the world" seemed over the top and badly explained, and I'm not sure whether the scene with the mother and baby added much more than letting us see Ponyo being a super cute, odd little girl) But that said, it feels a bit churlish of me to complain, there's a hell of a lot to like in this movie. The scene where Ponyo runs along the waves, chasing after Sosuke in the car almost had me in tears. An animated button face of a little girl happy to see someone she loves can cut you sideways more than you expect.

[G.C.R]

On the downside, I was going to take the boyfren to see Moon tonight, but I'm an idiot and didn't book tickets and it has sold out. Hopefully it will be one that comes back.

[girl]

Milly, about Australia, it's supposed to be a comedy, right?

[elpollodiablo]

We saw Public Enemies last night. Michael Mann is badly in need of a strong editor. Also the French girl was godawful and the love story couldn't have felt more tacke on. Depp and Bale seemed like they were sleepwalking through it for the most part. There were some nice set pieces and Billy Crudup was great. That was about it. 

[Bernard]

How was the cinematography?

[hannah]

fabbo

[Bernard]

Really? Huh.

[Thermofusion]

I haven't seen any of his movies since Collateral, but people levied the "needs an editor" complaints against Heat and I still love every second of that one, with all of its myriad unnecessary little subplots

[milly balgeary]

Food, Inc was pretty damn cool! Made me rethink some habits, so I guess it works. Most of you doubtlessly already eat better than I do, so you don't really need to see it. Twee bastards.

[Andrew_TSKS]

"Collateral" was great.

[hannah]

Really? Huh.

It doesn't look like anything you've ever seen before.

[milly balgeary]

Milly, about Australia, it's supposed to be a comedy, right?

you have to ask that fucker baz lurhman

[elpollodiablo]

Really? Huh.

Not really. It was kind of humdrum, actually, except for a few scenes. And I thought the lighting was atrocious.

Also Thermo I hear you w/r/t Heat, but this was a different kind of bloated. Not dense, just ponderous.