Multiple Cinegasms

[jebreject]

This was a really beautiful film.

[nonotyet]

BY WHICH I MEAN, GREG'S TYPING SKILLS ARE USUALLY IMMACULATE, AS ARE MINE, EXCEPT I THINK I FORGOT TO TURN OFF THE CAPSLOCK KEY, AND ALSO IT WAS A LAME JOKE YES, BUT YOU SUCK.

[nonotyet]

Sarah with the slam-dunk, or maybe the assist: Heart of the Game. Okay, I didn't think it was that great, but I still liked it an awful lot. It doesn't cut nearly as deep as Hoop Dreams, and you get the sense the director only figured out the real dramatic center four years or so into the seven year shoot, but I will 100% admit that none of that matters for shit by the time you reach the final championship game. I won't spoil the outcome, because who knows how many high-school-girls-basketball-documentary fans lurk here, but I gotta say, that was the most amazing coaching I've ever seen--in a tight, tight, state championship game, the dude vows to put in every single benchwarming scrub, and does it! I've never seen anything like that before, and it warmed my two-points-for-the-entire-season-10th-grade-JV former self to tears.

YES
I TOTALLY DID NOT SEE THIS BEFORE THE PART WHERE I WAS YELLING
BUT YAY
Also did you see the shit on the extras where the director was talking about how the movie almost did not get made for lack of money? and the fundraising parties he would have and high school girls would donate like $2 because they were in high school and had no checking accounts? And the whole idea that it was supposed to be just a year in the life and suddenly Darniella came along? Also I have seen the ending like 4 times now, all told, and every time I get all choked up.   

[Greg Nog]

i me worry aouut your typng, nonotyet

i was talking aouut prooun

the anrchst authr

gi back me up

[Good Intentions]

Of course, Indrek Prooun, the Estonian autonomist-syndicalist, offered a insightful but largely neglected critique of the Solidarność saga. That book is called Kas te räägite inglise keelt?

[Greg Nog]

Kas te räägite inglise keelt?

nt mch, kas te räägite wit u?

[nonotyet]

We are talking about Film now, Greg. Keep up.
Seriously I will not rest until I convince more than one person from the internet to see this

[Lindsay With An A]

Watched Little Children tonight. Yeah, I know I'm usually 3-6 months behind the curve, but it's only so I can get movies for free from my school library after everyone is done watching and talking about them. I really liked this though. The first 45 minutes really sucked me in and promised a little more than the conclusion could deliver, I think. The ending was a little problematic for me (esp. with the Kate Winslet/Patrick Wilson storyline) but all in all, good stuff.

[jebreject]

Totally disappointing.  Few of the performances were particularly compelling, not a single one of the interviews with anyone but LC himself were at all insightful, and it was chocked full of annoying production choices.  Like it getting all slow motion as the artists walk off the stage, or bow their heads, etc.  Or adding delay to LC's "sound bytes" so that his statements echo, I don't know, I guess to emphasize how profound they were.  But it only succeeded in being annoying.  Also randomly transposing LC's head over performances.  God.  The only good thing were the bits with the man himself, and even those were nearly ruined every single time Bono or the Edge talked.  And they talked A LOT.  Bono especially.  My god I wanted to punch his face off.

On the plus side, I think I really like Martha Wainwright's voice

[girl]

Wow, jeb, I hate to disagree with you, but. . . with the exception of the weird U2 stuff, I thought all of the performances were really great.  I see what you're saying, though.  If you look at it as a movie, there were a lot of odd choices made.  I would've preferred just a straight concert film.

[elpollodiablo]

Leonard Cohen, sacred cow of the sad bastard music establishment, died today from sudden heart failure after witnessing a large hairy man punch Bono's face straight off

The face was later recovered

[maggiego]

Jeb, I have to agree on this one. Martha totally owned that. Bono and the Edge always make me wanna puke, and they did not let me down.

In the documentary category, I just watched Deliver Us from Evil. I will now shudder for an hour or two more.

[Maaik]

I think Bono can afford facial reattachment surgery and the cosmetic surgery required to cover up the extensive scar tissue.

[hannah]

Leonard Cohen, sacred cow of the sad bastard music establishment, died today from sudden heart failure after witnessing a large hairy man punch Bono's face straight off

The face was later recovered

I'd pay to see this, plus Nic Cage and/or John Travolta

[hannah]

Bono and the Edge always make me wanna puke, and they did not let me down.

 

[girl]

What I really want to talk about here, though, is Steve McQueen.  I saw The Getaway (again), and I really, really tried to see what others see in Steve McQueen, but I still don't get it.  To me, sometimes he looks pissed off, sometimes he looks confused, but I'm never scared of him.  He doesn't do the stare--like where you wouldn't even dream of fucking with him, because you know he can kill you in any of a thousand different ways without even breaking a sweat.  In conclusion, Steve McQueen is not my type.

[YojimboMonkey]

Here's the deal, girl:  Steve McQueen doesn't have to do the stare.

[girl]

Here's the deal, girl:  Steve McQueen doesn't have to do the stare.

He just doesn't do anything for me.  He's not what I want in my tough guys--I don't find him to be scary or sexy, and he's not interesting enough to be a regular guy.  I was really hoping something would click for me with this movie, but it just doesn't. 

[dormiens vigila]

Totally disappointing.  Few of the performances were particularly compelling, not a single one of the interviews with anyone but LC himself were at all insightful, and it was chocked full of annoying production choices.  Like it getting all slow motion as the artists walk off the stage, or bow their heads, etc.  Or adding delay to LC's "sound bytes" so that his statements echo, I don't know, I guess to emphasize how profound they were.  But it only succeeded in being annoying.  Also randomly transposing LC's head over performances.  God.  The only good thing were the bits with the man himself, and even those were nearly ruined every single time Bono or the Edge talked.  And they talked A LOT.  Bono especially.  My god I wanted to punch his face off.

On the plus side, I think I really like Martha Wainwright's voice

I hadn't see it yet.  This is all very disappointing to hear.

As far as Martha Wainwright, I mean... consider her family.  If she was totally untalented I'd be pretty shocked.  But anyhow, I agree, she has a nice voice.

[auto-da-fey]

I'm not that invested in Steve McQueen, but I do think his laconic tough-guy schtick is at least somewhat complex--his eyes project both a barely-concealed vulnerability and a sharp intelligence, which makes him closer to Alain Delon with a human soul than the one-liner-ready invincible action dudes of the 80s. You almost get the sense that he wants you to recognize the tough-guy stuff as performative.

[girl]

I'm not that invested in Steve McQueen, but I do think his laconic tough-guy schtick is at least somewhat complex--his eyes project both a barely-concealed vulnerability and a sharp intelligence, which makes him closer to Alain Delon with a human soul than the one-liner-ready invincible action dudes of the 80s. You almost get the sense that he wants you to recognize the tough-guy stuff as performative.

I don't get anything that complex out of him, actually.  I'm willing to believe that it's me, since he's an icon to so many, but I don't get him.  Thanks for your help, though, adf! 

[jebreject]

Is Martha Wainwright's stuff worth getting ahold of?

The Wainwrights were definitely the stars of the show, that's for sure.

[auto-da-fey]

I'm not that invested in Steve McQueen, but I do think his laconic tough-guy schtick is at least somewhat complex--his eyes project both a barely-concealed vulnerability and a sharp intelligence, which makes him closer to Alain Delon with a human soul than the one-liner-ready invincible action dudes of the 80s. You almost get the sense that he wants you to recognize the tough-guy stuff as performative.

I don't get anything that complex out of him, actually.  I'm willing to believe that it's me, since he's an icon to so many, but I don't get him.  Thanks for your help, though, adf! 

Hell, I don't know, I probably sound sub-Denbyian there. I don't really have a persuasive reason why McQueen deserves to be an icon, but it's so easy to just pontificate about these things and project significance into them. I mean, I did mean what I said, but I can see how "that's complete bullshit" would be an entirely appropriate response.

[auto-da-fey]

I take it that also means you didn't like The Getaway?

[girl]

I take it that also means you didn't like The Getaway?

No, I did.  It's not a favorite, but Al Lettieri, Ali McGraw, a heist. . . I mean, how could it be all bad?  Honestly, there are tons of 70s movies that are among the best movies ever made, and when you take the decade as a whole, it rates pretty high, but this particular movie doesn't rate that highly for me, and that's probably because I didn't really care what happened to Steve McQueen, so it's my fault, not the movie's.