Ronnie, while I didn't actually notice the hiding of the peace symbol while I was watching, I did read about it afterwards. Very interesting stuff, I feel like maybe it was one of the few shining moments of the genius Kubrick shining through. And your'e right, I did think Animal Mother provided an interesting contrast in that his reckless actions, while trying to help his fallen comrades, really just endangered the lives of others.

And as for today . . .

Dead Man
1995/Jarmusch
An interesting and well crafted film, although some of Noboby's motivations went over my head and I didn't quite understand the ending. I felt as though the ending should have either been more rational and easy to comprehend or Jarmusch should have completely gone off the deep end and done something really radical. Instead the viewers get an unhappy medium. Really enjoyed the Neil Young soundtrack. Seeing this after Broken Flowers, I realized that the "fade to black" technique is probably a Jarmusch trademark. I'm interested in eventually seeing Ghost Dog. This film however, was slightly dissappointing.

3.5/5 Stars

Jarmusch is noted for his deadpan style. Stranger Than Paradise is completely made up of steady camera shot scenes aside one or two. Each divided by fades to black.

Dead Man, IMO is a journey towards losing fear in death. Forgetting religion or social problems, it's about embracing the spiritual side of life. Sort of the opposite of Apocalypse Now.

Is that what you strive for in cinema? Stuff that's easy to comprehend, and stuff that "completely goes off the deep end"?

No wonder you love Goodfellas so much.

To me, the more a director leaves up for interpretation, the better a film is. There needs to be room for interaction between viewer and director, I hate to be suffocated.

With that said, Dead Man's themes are fairly simple to figure out. It's about losing fear in death and accepting a new life. Apocalypse Now deals with similar themes. I suggest you re-watch Dead Man.

God damnit Vercetti. Why do you gotta steal my shit? :p

Because I've been describing it as that on both of these boards since I first saw the film a year and a half ago.

When I say I wanted the film to go off the deep end, that's including discarding any definite meaning and doing a lot of interperative shit. 2001, for example, is a film that I would say, "goes off the deep end," and its ending is known as one of the most mysterious in all of cinema. I'm not looking for anything easily comprehendable and clear cut, if that's not what the director is going for.

I just felt as though Blake's "spiritual journey" could have been better visualized to the viewers.

No need to put Goodfellas down. That was an excellent film. It didn't really leave anything open for interpretation because it didn't need to.

You talk as if it's in the same ilk of a mindless action movie.

If loving Goodfellas is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

I need to re-watch Dead Man.

"I will do anything for Scorsese, but I won't do that." :p

For A Few Dollars More ** 1/2

Not as enjoyable as A Fist of Dollars but I was glad to see Gian Maria Volontè back as the villian. Eastwood and Van Cleef worked well together.

48 Hrs. **
(First Time)

A decent 80s film but was expecting more humor. Nolte and Murphy worked decent enough together.

The Apartment
1960/Wilder

Enjoyed this film, especially for the aura of being drenched in early 60's style. Jack Lemmon and Billy Wilder's work together, which I first saw in Some Like it Hot, was brilliant here as well. Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray were both decent. Really liked the beginning of the film, with the introduction to C.C. Baxter, but sadly, Wilder chose not to continue Baxter's narration past the opening 10 minutes or so. I also wasn't sure about the seemingly sharp turn the film took away from comedy in the mid-section, although this part of the film did provide some interesting matierial as I was surprised to see how lightly and openly suicide was referenced considering the time and subject matter of this film.

And the final romance between Lemmon and MacLaine, while it could be seen coming from a mile away, wasn't quite adequately formulated in my mind. Overall, a decent picture, made great by the Lemmon-Wilder combination. I'm looking forward to seeing Double Indemnity at some point.

4/5 Stars

Yeah I loved The Apartment too Mista

Another 48 Hrs. **
(First time)

At least this movie had some more humor in it but same old sh*t. Nolte and Murphy I didn't think worked as well this time around and these movies were somewhat of a disappointment.

Hellraiser
My second horror movie in recent times. And disappointing for the second time. As I observed with EvilDead, this movie too achieves shock by constantly showing slime, rotting flesh, blood, worms etc. There is also a sex=sin background plot. Avoid watching this, a total waste of time.

quite the opposite for me. I hate it when you got to fill in the blank spaces. I want a story with a plot. I may like it or not, but that's the way it works for me. At least when I go out of the theatre I know what the hell the movie was about. If I have to use imagination to guess how the movie ends, then I'd write it myself.

sure, especially the part that reads "Audience holds no real emotional connection or sympathy for the main character. Story is a bit boring. Emotionally, it seemed to be a one-note symphony"..... :rolleyes: You know, in those terrible post WWII days, having a bicycle (hence a job) could make the difference. Could decide if you and your family were going to eat or not. One note symphony, sure. The empty stomach's one! No real emotional connection or sympathy. ...OMG!!!!!

Good. I hate it when some questionable criticism makes you biased. "The Bicycle Thief" is not only the greatest Italian Neorealism film (along with "Rome, open city"), it indeed is one of the greatest masterpieces in movie history. Not only IMO, thanks God.

Just what you don't seem to get. The realistic depiction of real people's every day life. Life as it really was in those post-war times. People fighting for survival without giving up their dignity. Starving and still be honest. But if you don't get it......

MONTY PYTHON'S THE MEANING OF LIFE (1983) - ***1/2

After mocking the King Arthurian myth into a widespread cult picture, and for having the gaul to actually question religion in LIFE OF BRIAN, the Bad Boys of Britain went for one last cinematic ride before they split for their own different paths, with the idea of more movies nixed with Graham Chapman's death in 1989.

After being unable to come up with a plot, plus dozens of humorous if unconnected sketches, Monty Python decided instead to go back to their FLYING CIRCUS television roots and make for a sketch picture, though one with a very flimsy theme being that of life itself, and maybe a half-ass meaning of it as well.

I do agree this is the worst of their films, but that isn't a criticism. Fuck, the worst of Monty Python is still better than the career best of most comedy teams. In fact, at its strongest moments, THE MEANING OF LIFE is arguably among the squad's best comedy work. This would include Terry Gilliam's-helmed short movie where elderly workers revolt against their corporate masters and proceed to raid Wall Street as pirates, young Catholic boys and girls singing about how every sperm is sacred, the wonders of live organ transplants, and of course, find the fish!

While Python toyed with the conventions of musical segments previously, they decided to go full-fledged this time. My personal favorite has to be Eric Idle's song about the universe. Learn true facts of your reality, and laugh before you realize how insignificant you really are.

However, the movie is hampered by the fact that without an actual "story" to connect all the tales (perhaps they could have had the movie be simply the quite lousy life of one limey chump?), the cinematic narrative loses some of its energy, even as we still swim through Python's anarchy of humor.

Still, its quite interesting how the movie ends with a brief replaying of the old MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS television theme on a floating television set in space, with Gilliam's iconic animation going on. Did the guys somehow know this was to be their swain song?

sure, especially the part that reads "Audience holds no real emotional connection or sympathy for the main character. Story is a bit boring. Emotionally, it seemed to be a one-note symphony"..... :rolleyes: You know, in those terrible post WWII days, having a bicycle (hence a job) could make the difference. Could decide if you and your family were going to eat or not. One note symphony, sure. The empty stomach's one! No real emotional connection or sympathy. ...OMG!!!!!

Good. I hate it when some questionable criticism makes you biased. "The Bicycle Thief" is not only the greatest Italian Neorealism film (along with "Rome, open city"), it indeed is one of the greatest masterpieces in movie history. Not only IMO, thanks God. [/b][/quote]Now you're really making me want to see it. :p

I think every film should be as short and as clear as it can be without detracting from its author's intentions.

Down to the audience again, then.

Capo, I'm curious as to what your definition of "clear" is? Don't Look Now is one of your favorite films, and I don't find anything really "clear" about it.

I'll answer on behalf of Capo - Clear like Mulholland Drive :p

North by Northwest
1959/Hitchcock

While this was clearly the most commercial, superficial, action-packed Hitchcock movie I've seen to date, it was also the most enjoyable, at least after a first viewing. None of the acting felt stiff, Hitch's direction was fairly conventional but with occasional glimpses of risk-taking, and the script was complicated but not overwhelming. A very good picture, and James Mason is the fucking man.

4.5/5

Patton ***
This is not a war movie as I had beleived. This is the story of a General called Patton who was the key US person in the world war-2 fought by allies. He believes in the glory of war, bravery, leadership etc and often refers to literature in the context of historical battles. He gets unpopular with his soldiers because of his strictness and the bosses are not happy with him because he lacks diplomacy(he is brutally honest). He almost gets sacked once. The movie is about his quest for glory and it ends in a great irony. The last scene is really great.

While Patton was undoubtedly A key U.S. force in the war (he generalled his army splendidly) he was by no means THE key U.S. force. (IMHO that honor goes to Ike).

That aside, "Patton" was one of the best biographies I've ever seen. George C. Scott was absolutely wonderful as the egomaniacal general and truly deserved the Academy Award he won for this role.

Clear as in you get the feeling the director knows exactly what they're doing. Knowing you're in the hands of a master puppeteer is an encouraging thing.

Not once, for example, do I question whether Lynch, or Roeg, has any idea of what he's trying to say.

I think that Mulholland Dr.'s premise alone, a woman getting confused by the invasion of her own fantasies into her real life, begs for some kind of narrative abstraction. It would have been antithetical to the premise had it been any clearer than it is.

Some people might prefer a documentary on the nature of dreams, but I think Lynch's film is as short and as clear as it needs to be, and very convincing because of that.

Clear as in you get the feeling the director knows exactly what they're doing. Knowing you're in the hands of a master puppeteer is an encouraging thing.

Not once, for example, do I question whether Lynch, or Roeg, has any idea of what he's trying to say.

I think that Mulholland Dr.'s premise alone, a woman getting confused by the invasion of her own fantasies into her real life, begs for some kind of narrative abstraction. It would have been antithetical to the premise had it been any clearer than it is.

Some people might prefer a documentary on the nature of dreams, but I think Lynch's film is as short and as clear as it needs to be, and very convincing because of that. [/b][/quote]Cool, thanks for explaining. I understand completely.

United 93
Paul Greengrass 2006 France/UK/US (1st time; big screen)
September 11, 2001: while air control tries to get hold of a major hijack situation, passengers on the hijacked United 93 decide to overhaul the terrorists.
There is a moment here where we see, for a brief shot, the World Trade Centre through the window of the to-be-hijacked plane - the attacks haven't happened yet, but the foreboding is implicit enough; effective storytelling of a plot most of us know the ending to. The sound is key, here: a rich, deep texture of diegetic ambience which, combined with grainy images, photographed almost entirely in hand-held close-up, lends a sense of unsettling, subdued and claustrophobic immediacy throughout.