bride of best movie thread ever

[diesel_powered]

David Lynch was on Talk of the Nation this afternoon, talking about his meditation techniques for getting new ideas and shit.  He sounds like the nicest guy ever...which isn't what I'd have expected (I guess a pretentious art fuck) 

He's just an eagle scout from Montana.

I finished reading his book last night. I'd probably recommend getting it from the library if anyone's that interested. There's some interesting tidbits about his creative process in it, but it's mostly just him singing the praises of TM for quite some time. I guess I'd be more interested in exploring the whole TM thing if it didn't smack of a cult that costs $2500 for a basic membership...

All in all, interesting but not nearly worth $20.

[Trousers and Pat]

The meditation talk gets a bit old when he brings along his asshole "doctor" friend from What the BLEEP do we Know? and speaks at Yale. But I've talked about that before.

[elpollodiablo]

Motherfuckin Lynch associates with those people?

Like I needed another reason to dislike that guy

[Trousers and Pat]

The Host - Uhm... yeah. This is the highest-grossing S. Korean film ever made. I don't get it. I couldn't tell if I was supposed to be laughing or frightened most of the time. I was mostly bored. Mostly.

you were supposed to be laughing a lot.  there's a bit of a translation gap though because it's filled with social satire that only south koreans are privy to (if you have a korean friend, ask 'em about it, they've almost definitely seen it at least once)

The first time I saw it, I laughed my ass of in the theater, but afterwards had this nagging sadness that stuck around for like three days.

[Trousers and Pat]

Motherfuckin Lynch associates with those people?

Like I needed another reason to dislike that guy

It's unfortunate, because when Lynch speaks, you can tell he's coming from this good (?) or at least honest place, but those other guys are fuckups for sure.

[elpollodiablo]

Well if he's coming from a place where a bored housewife leads a cult of devotees who each believe that she is channeling a millennia-old Atlantean mystic, I'll forego 'good' and 'honest' in favor of a few other choice adjectives.

[diesel_powered]

//

Nevermind, I totally read that wrong.

[elpollodiablo]

The meditation talk gets a bit old when he brings along his asshole "doctor" friend from What the BLEEP do we Know? and speaks at Yale. 

According to Physics Today Online, the film invokes quantum physics to promote pseudoscience.[11] The article also states that the movie does this by starting with recognized concepts from quantum physics, but then "gradually moves to quantum 'insights' that lead a woman to toss away her antidepressant medication, to the quantum channeling of Ramtha, the 35,000-year-old Atlantis god, and on to even greater nonsense."

John Gorenfeld reports that three directors are devotees of Ramtha's School of Enlightenment and JZ Knight/Ramtha.[12]

[lastclearchance]

4. IT HAS CHAPTER STOPS. WHY DOES IT HAVE CHAPTER STOPS, DAVID? I THOUGHT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO SEE THIS AS A COHESIVE WORK OF ART!

I for one was happy for this because while I bought it immediately, I wasn't prepared to watch it all again, but I had to revisit the closing credits.

[girl]

(about Inland Empire)

1. It's got probably the best calibration routine I've seen because not only does it have a bunch of excessively useful test patterns on it, but it tells you exactly why you should calibrate your monitor and how every setting works.

I just did the calibration thing. My television was already correctly calibrated. (Do I win a prize? I hope so. I love prizes!)

I'm waiting to watch the movie until I'm done here, because I suspect I'll have to pay attention to it.

[auto-da-fey]

I didn't even want to watch a movie today, but I had to in order to insure that the next fucking House DVD arrives this weekend. So I saw Jim Brown: All-American, which I believe means I've seen all of Spike Lee's feature-length films now. This isn't one of the best--some stunning football footage and an interesting take on JB's role in film history (the first black actor to bring a non-raping-the-white-women sexual presence to the screen, as opposed to the Sidney Poitier school of asexual dignity, to oversimplify a bit), but a really meandering final third and a definite half-assedness in exploring his ugly sides, especially the repeated allegations of domestic abuse. Brown's wife looks like she's got some serious Stockholm Syndrome the way she denies it, but Lee is too awed by the man to pursue the topic doggedly enough. Where's Nick Broomfield when you need him?

[jebreject]

I watched Straw Dogs just now. I have a lot of thoughts, but I'm not sure how to articulate them. I thought there was some delicious irony abound--particularly Henry Niles as the sort of symbol of sexual impropriety when he was essentially an innocent and a monster only by accident--and one of the blackest lines in film history, David's "Venner and Scutt struck it to me." The rape scene was absolutely horrifying, and I have a hard time seeing how the film's detractors can say it was glorifying rape--though there definitely were misogynistic undertones in the way Amy was portrayed in that scene, and, really, throughout the entire rest of the movie afterwards. Hoffman's David was  completely unlikeable; in fact, none of the characters were the least bit sympathetic. Even in the final act, you're not completely sure who to root for, except maybe Henry Niles, but even he is a murderer (even if by accident) and possible pedophile--and any hope of rooting for him went out the window when he want after Amy. I felt like the most important lines in the film were David's bit about Christianity, and then, when the mob is arguing about being accessories, "That's the law," followed by a shot of the Major dead on the ground. The whole thing is rife with good guys who are actually bad guys and bad guys who you can't quite tell, most of them good, God-fearing Christians, when they're not raping women and forming mobs. All in all, it was an intense film, brilliant in its ways, but utterly nihilistic and emotionally draining. It was a true exploration of violence and ugliness, and for that, it's important. But whoever said it's not something I'd want to keep around for re-viewing, they were absolutely right. I didn't even bother with the commentary track, because another viewing of the film would have been altogether too much for me.

[jebreject]

I would like to know what really happened with Niles in the past, and Tom Hedden's Emma (is this his other daughter? I was confused)

[Maaik]

I interviewed a veteran movie projectionist today at work.  Dude works at the last drive-in in Atlanta.  I asked him what kind of program he'd put together if it was up to him and he named Smokey & the Bandit, Walking Tall (the original Joe Don Baker one) and Thunder Road.

Goddamn, I'd drop mad change to see that bill at the drive-in.

[diesel_powered]

4. IT HAS CHAPTER STOPS. WHY DOES IT HAVE CHAPTER STOPS, DAVID? I THOUGHT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO SEE THIS AS A COHESIVE WORK OF ART!

I for one was happy for this because while I bought it immediately, I wasn't prepared to watch it all again, but I had to revisit the closing credits.

Yeah, it seems like he's become less of a hardliner since Mulholland Drive. In the "stories" section of the second disc (which fulfills the need for a commentary without distracting from the film) he concedes that in the real world, people have to pee, etc. and watching movies at home is never an ideal thing.

[girl]

But whoever said it's not something I'd want to keep around for re-viewing, they were absolutely right. I didn't even bother with the commentary track, because another viewing of the film would have been altogether too much for me.

Ooh! That was me! (Do I win a prize? I hope so! I love prizes!)
I honestly don't remember the movie well enough to answer your question.

I finished Inland Empire.  Netflix usually mentions that there's a bonus feature disc when you're adding a movie to your queue, but somehow they failed to mention it about this. I'm a little pissed about that, because now I have to wait until I send something back to get it. Any movie with Harry Dean Stanton can't be all bad. My own corollary to that:  Any movie with Nina Simone on the soundtrack can't be all bad. It was really long, and I have to watch it again, but I can't watch it twice in a row, so I'll be keeping it for a while.

[girl]

I just finished All the Colors of the Dark. Edwige Fenech looking beautiful again. She gets involved with this cult and lots of people die. It's pretty awesome.

[G.C.R]

Got up at seven to make an important phone call, Then curled back into bed with coffee, and the cat, and watched "Gold Diggers of 1933". A Grand morning, and I have been singing "Remember my forgotten man" at volume all day. My flatmates are starting to get peeved.

[hannah]

Before I go, I will say this: the best movie I've seen this year is Our Daily Bread, which happens also to be better than any movie released in the United States in 2006, too.

And, in conclusion, I have wondered for days and weeks and, oh, months now: might the ending of Syndromes and a Century crush that of Before Sunset in its loud and bright paws? It is good!

[das kranke Tier]

I was mostly bored. Mostly.

Is that an Aliens reference by any chance, Miles?

[das kranke Tier]

I interviewed a veteran movie projectionist today at work.  Dude works at the last drive-in in Atlanta.  I asked him what kind of program he'd put together if it was up to him and he named Smokey & the Bandit, Walking Tall (the original Joe Don Baker one) and Thunder Road.

Goddamn, I'd drop mad change to see that bill at the drive-in.

I've seen a couple of movies @ that place!!  It's awesome!

[Andrew_TSKS]

i finally saw "network" last night. incredible movie. if anything, it seems more relevant now than it was when it was made. i'm surprised i haven't encountered more samples from howard beale's monologues on hardcore records over the years. though, i have to say one thing--all the "i'm mad as hell and i'm not gonna take it anymore" stuff was kind of depressing, as it seems like the perfect gesture to spoonfeed all the somewhat frustrated (but secretly desiring of a clear conscience so that they could return to blissful apathy) americans in the world. hey, check it out: it's loud and it makes headlines. but guess what? it has no real effect on the machinery of the world. if a million people scream that phrase out their window every night, business as usual still carries on apace.

definitely an accurate commentary on modern society and its fascination with media representations of life as a substitute for actual life, but not one that really gave me any hope or optimism.

[nonotyet]

Black Snake Moan was actually pretty terrible and I went into it having really low expectations while still being really curious about it. Except Justin Timberlake cried or barfed in every scene he was in and that was awesome.

[elpollodiablo]

I actually put those in the "made movie suck" column, along with the rest of his performance. Movie was not very good, no sir.

[cool banana]

DIE THE FUCK HARD FOUR POINT OH OR LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD OR WHATEVER
HOHOHOOOOOOLY SHIHIHIT WHAT AN ABSOLUTE RIPPER OF A MOVIE. MY GOD.

Seriously though. It had more movie references that Hot Fuzz :]