Tales from Cinematic Motions

[Lindsay With An A]

I just finished watching Songs for Cassavetes, which is this fantastic documentary by a guy called Justin Mitchell, about independent music and diy culture, a sort of snapshot taken right before the internet changed (and in some ways ruined) everything about those things forever. This was the second time I'd seen it. I caught it on TV about three or four years ago and was totally blown away. It focuses on Sleater-Kinney (with some amazing Dig Me Out era live footage), Tullycraft, Dub Narcotic Sound System, The Make Up, The Peechees and a few others. The whole thing's shot handheld and on 16mm, which seemed kind of gimmicky at first, but it totally works, perfect match of form and content. By the end of it, I was so moved this time around, especially since it sort of ends on this meditation about Cassavetes's quote about how "in this country people die at the age of 21" (which is the only reason for the title) and how all of these artists are kind of trying to combat that idea in everything they do. I'm turning 21 in about two weeks, so it is feeling sort of serendipitous that I ended up watching this tonight and subsequently staying up for a few extra hours because I can't stop thinking about this film.

[auto-da-fey]

I also have Revolver at home. Does anyone know, did I rent this because Whit was talking about it, or because I was adding Oliver Reed movies to my queue?

I did like it--superior 1970s Italian crime flick, IMO. It's not exactly Women in Love or The Devils, but Reed is one tough MF'er in it.

[dominic]

watched zelig before i slept last night, and ended up dreaming of woody as a member of NWA. The film's still funny. The dream was not.

[Aglaya]

I'm a little less than 10 minutes into Daywatch, and I suspect my life would be better if I just went ahead and turned it off right now. The chalk of fate?!

Lord knows Nightwatch wasn't worth it.

[Ah_Pook]

i saw no country for old men

it was ok i guess. beautiful, and tommy lee jones was good. it was all pretty pointless though.

[Courtney]

i saw no country for old men

it was ok i guess. beautiful, and tommy lee jones was good. it was all pretty pointless though.

Haha wow. That's probably the least swooning I have heard from anyone who has seen that film yet. I still anxiously await its wide release to the rest of the country.

[Ah_Pook]

wide release is today. 

it was just people getting killed for no reason and then tommy lee jones is all "heres a monologue about how the world has gone to shit and nothing means anything any more". ok whatever, great what an insightful observation. maybe you could work an interesting plot into it next time.

[lastclearchance]

it was just people getting killed for no reason

really? I mean, if you're not into the whole Cormac McCarthy thing that's cool but there was a clear reason for each death that I remember.

[girl]

Man, I totally disagree with Pook. I loved it. I saw it with my mom, who hasn't read the book (or any McCarthy) and she thought it was great, too.

I'm a little less than 10 minutes into Daywatch, and I suspect my life would be better if I just went ahead and turned it off right now. The chalk of fate?!

Lord knows Nightwatch wasn't worth it.

I liked Nightwatch well enough, actually.

I also have Revolver at home. Does anyone know, did I rent this because Whit was talking about it, or because I was adding Oliver Reed movies to my queue?

I did like it--superior 1970s Italian crime flick, IMO. It's not exactly Women in Love or The Devils, but Reed is one tough MF'er in it.

I'll agree with you on this, despite the fact that I get really distracted by bad dubbing, I enjoyed it quite a lot.

[Andrew_TSKS]

I just finished watching Songs for Cassavetes

my friend sam is a huge fan of this movie, and last time he was in town we watched it together. i don't feel like it emphasized its theme overtly enough--it seemed kind of tacked-on at the end rather than discussed throughout, so that i couldn't really see how it related to the rest of the movie when they finally got to that end section about the cassavettes quote. that said, i really liked it anyway. it was neat seeing footage of some of those bands, most of whom i loved while they were around but never got to see.

[difficult]

wide release is today. 

it was just people getting killed for no reason

Sorry Im a little shocked you find this a problem, Pook.
Not very interested in the movie or anything....

[Ah_Pook]

i like my senseless death more senseless and over the top, more played for laughs. this was all "oh the humanity, see how fucked up the world is and nothing makes sense any more blah blah blah tommy lee jones" which is just tiresome. yknow, imo.

[coldforge]

i had assumed that all of the 'breakdown of social order' dialogues were supposed to be at least a little ironic. i hoped so, anyway, having not read the book.

[jebreject]

I read it that way. In any case, you won't find me arguing that the point of No Country for Old Men has anything to do with the breakdown of social order.

[Courtney]

wide release is today. 

Oh! Oops, I should pay more attention. Maybe I will see it tomorrrow or this weekend.

[milesofsparks]

I watched mean girls tonight!! It was fantastic. So much better than I expected it to be. I never realized how attractive Lindsay Lohan was in her prime.

פֿאַנטאַסטיש

um, yeah, I guess.

[jebreject]

I watched mean girls tonight!! It was fantastic. So much better than I expected it to be. I never realized how attractive Lindsay Lohan was in her prime.

פֿאַנטאַסטיש

?אַזוי

[coldforge]

Not really, I'm afraid. This is what happens when people share a computer. Lindsay Lohan apparently had eye makeup on the inside of her eyelid.

[jebreject]

No Country for Old Men was one of the most intense movies I've ever seen. I knew what was coming, and it still creeped me the fuck out.

[elpollodiablo]

I've heard a little hate (some of it from Nora Ephron, but her opinion carries even less weight than Pook's). I still think it's going to be a nearly perfect film in my estimation.

[Andrew_TSKS]

i saw chocolat thanksgiving night with my mom. pretty damn good.

and i saw superbad last night at the $2 theater with my roommate and my friend cheryl. i laughed my ass off the whole time. i'm going to need to see it at least two more times, because i'm sure i laughed through at least a few funny lines. cheryl was of the opinion that it's funnier if you're a boy because, while she thought it was hilarious, she didn't really relate to a lot of the things that seth and evan did in the movie. i, on the other hand, saw so much of myself in evan's interactions with becca. it was hilarious but also sort of painful.

anyway, amazing movie. i'm sure you've all seen it already, but just in case you haven't, you really should. at your earliest convenience.

[hannah]

Movies seen this holiday weekend with Mother, Brother, and Boyfriend: Darjeeling Limited, Southland Tales, No Country for Old Men. Thoughts for now: The first surprised me. I'd had no intention of seeing it because I was kind of super disgusted by Hotel Chevalier, and we only went because we had free tickets due to a theater mishap, and also I was all ready to be put off by that token Anderson racism, per the Slate piece from a bit ago. I liked it, though, in spite of myself. I will agree here with Rosenbaum. Also of note: I respect Anderson for casting not one but four different people with funny noses, and for not giving a damn whether his siblings look alike. I'd like to have him have sisters who aren't also sex objects. That'd be nice. And I would very much like to consummate something with Adrien Brody. The second: a total mess, and its obsessions were better done, if still incoherent, in Kelly's first feature, but I'm still laughing at a lot of the Krysta Now stuff, and the Wood Harris/Amy Poehler bit, so there's that. I guess I agree with Hoberman/Dargis, then. The third: perfected, certainly, and in that regard the supreme opposite of the second, but to what end? Ponderousness, maybe, self-consciousness. The comic relief stuff wasn't funny, even though the film desperately needed a sense of humor. Nice to see Garret Dillahunt, though. In short: if I see the preview for Atonement one more goddamn time, I'm making Keira Knightley a new underbite under her underbite.

[auto-da-fey]

I'm sort of glad 28 Weeks Later sucked so much, because it would have been a shame to watch a worthwhile movie with my lady's family. I know my last eight posts have all been rants about these people, but if I may have one more, since I wasn't able to let it fly in real life: Hey, common-law-brother-in-law-or-whatever-you-are, I don't give a fuck what kind of guns those are! I don't care what kind of poisonous gas you think that is! No, you don't need to go look up sarin gas on the internet to tell me more about it! Yes, I've heard of George Romero! Aaaargghhhh!!!!

[andronicus]

Hey, common-law-brother-in-law-or-whatever-you-are, I don't give a fuck what kind of guns those are! I don't care what kind of poisonous gas you think that is! No, you don't need to go look up sarin gas on the internet to tell me more about it! Yes, I've heard of George Romero! Aaaargghhhh!!!!

Hahahaha, oh that dude.  My mom's husband is totally that dude.

[jebreject]

my good friend jason is really into guns, and often talks about what kinds of guns people in movies are using. i'm used to it by now.

but i mean, the difference though is that my friend jason is awesome