A few films recently watched.

[Guest disparaissant]

got sick of children's programming while minding a 2 year old so i decided to throw on Aguirre: der Zorn Gottes just to see how he'd react to it.

He was completely entranced for some reason, so we watched the whole thing. his head was in the way of the subtitles, but i've seen the film enough that it doesn't matter. definitely a 10/10 for me. he seemed to really like it too.

[Squee]

i need to see trash humpers

 

If you care about yourself then don't watch it.

[Chris Moss Acid]

i need to see trash humpers

 

If you care about yourself then don't watch it.

 

 

i found myself doing 'the laugh' the next day after i watched it. my love for korine is apparent.. but this wasnt my favourite 90 minutes ive spent watching his films

 

 

--

 

also i finished 2 season of bored to death, which i thought was a wonderful series, ted danson ftw!.

[eugene]

how i ended this summer - just watched it, still precessing. but on first impressions, this is some incredibly shot, tense psychological character study with some very fine acting.

[soundwave]

Tokyo Gore Police = 7.5 - crazy shit and much better than other films of this type.

 

Elite Squad 2 = 7 very well directed (a perfect choice for the new Robocop) but this I felt the film lacked a proper full on heavy gunfight at the end and I couldn't but feel a bit short changed.

 

Tron Legacy = 8 style over substance but who cares when it looks and sounds this good, I much preferred it in 2D this time round.

[Guest Iain C]

trash humpers is a great movie to watch when you're drunk out of your mind... and i normally hate movies.

[Guest Z_B_Z]

the unattractive prostitutes singing "silent night" was a highlight for me. overall an entertaining film.

[Guest futuregirlfriend]

Notre jour viendra - 8/10

[Guest Benedict Cumberbatch]

the ghost writer 4/10

had better expectations for this one after reading it get respect on here. what a steaming pile of donkey shite. kim katrell and ewan mcgregor were so so so bad (their flirting made me gag). the dialogue was terrible. it really did feel like the sort of shit you find at airport bookshops (which it is). the only worth this film could have is if the basis for the story has some truth to it or at least some speculative basis/conspiracy for tony blair but it seems to be loosely based on blair with (as far as i can tell) the whole CIA bit thrown on, i haven't heard this allegation before anyway. i actually like the idea behind the film but it didnt work in this form for me. i wanted an enjoyable thriller but got an overlong (do i really need a shot of two men putting a bike in an SUV, held right till they close the door?) badly acted mess

[cruising for burgers]

Notre jour viendra - 8/10

:sup:

[lumpenprol]

A Serious Man

Finally finished this after a couple of aborted attempts to get through it. Actually first time I turned it off after literally only two minutes or so, a personal record, but that's what the annoying "Jewish storytelling" shtick does to me. Having finally gotten through it though, it turned out to be a pretty good flick, and certainly one of the Coen's better films (I'm not a huge fan). It's sort of like Barton Fink, with more Jewy-ness. Even while part of my brain was saying the film was good, though, another part of me was constantly screaming "I'm so glad I'm not Jewish, caught in some endless prison of self-referential thought". It's basically a horror film. In films like this Jewish culture comes across as such a peculiar blend of complete self-absorption, arrogance, sensitivity, tenderness, altruism, and fatalism. Whatever. A head-scratching 8/10, with a few lols.

[dr lopez]

i agree. As a professor's kid from the midwest who grew up with mostly jewish professors' kids a lot of it hit home for me. (not the 60s bit obviously) It was horrifying because it was so lifelike. So incredibly lifelike. They were scary lols. Certainly the end was a head scratcher, it just seemed like "life sucks for all." But really brilliantly shot and incredibly great supporting cast. The slick rabbi and the lawyer being favorites.

 

Edit: also none of my jewish friends have seen this movie. Which i find weird, because usually anything "jewish" in popular media they're all over. But surely this isn't just a movie made for goys? I haven't quite figured this out yet.... it's bizarre.

[vamos scorcho]

lots of david attenborough nature documentaries on netflix to kill the time

 

 

 

but last night was a truly magnificent movie viewing experience. probably the best i've had for a month or two

 

I watched The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser. it was amazing. that's about it.

 

Herzog movies are slow, and I always feel like I may be getting into something too dull or 'artsy' for my brain capabilities... then it ends up being really entertaining.

 

 

 

edit: A Serious Man is incredible. one of their best, though I'm a big fan and could probably say 'one of their best' about half their films.

[vamos scorcho]

Wrote a review on rateyourmusic for The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser. Figured I'd share it here seeing how much an effect it had on me:

 

I connected very, very deeply with this film. Let me tell you something:

 

Kaspar Hauser is not a 'retard.' Kaspar Hauser is a poet and a dreamer. He sees the world for what it is. He is unpretentious and kind. Are these not extraordinary and positive qualities? Or are there wars that need to be won and social conquests to fulfill...

 

As we see from the film, it is the society as a whole around him that bogs down his existence. It is the social constraints and petty human drama going on around him which eventually leads to his demise.

 

I am often disgusted with the sorts of petty social bullshit going on day to day in our world. The little mind games that the insect [human] mind follows instinctually. I have found it so ironic that people feel comforted and great with their technology... then they follow these instinctual and clearly animalistic patterns without self consciousness. Are they truly human?

 

This is, in fact, a very bitter and cynical film [though of course with great beauty]. It gets its point across so perfectly, as you can see yourself in Kaspar's position. These people who are so utterly out of tune with the realities of our universe...we deal with them daily. There are so few that really deeply understand this human condition, and the beauty of it. We place no demands on others and we step delicately.

 

It makes me sad. The people around Kaspar... I see them everywhere. They are the petty, the small minded... they believe so much in their science and knowledge and greatness. These humans... with their books, movies, songs, cars, radios. They can't curve around and look at themselves from another point of view. That they are small, their moments are of no significance to anything, and that their science is pathetic at best.

 

It is actually true of all of us, that we tend to believe our own hype. And forget to look outside the box. We get sucked into the social constraints and instinctual social survival tactics...and all the while we convince ourselves that this civilized suburban life is genuinely greater and more profound/safe/loving/human that perhaps life in the wild would be for a primal ape.

 

So, life in this society can be a real drag. We can't express our base emotions without shame. Everything eventually ends up a game of social chess...being in public can become terrifying and life threatening. Kaspar expresses these emotions. When he goes from safety to... society... he sees it as his great fall.

 

The scene where Kaspar plays piano for the 'rich guy'... epitomized everything that's keeping me away from so called 'fun social gatherings' or 'parties.' And yes, it's true. That is how it is. If you are in disagreement with me here then I can only assume you are not paying close enough attention to the world around you as to notice these debasing qualities of life. 'Every Man for Himself.' Like I said, a cynical film. As for my own personal life, I do go out often. But when I do I have to apologize to my real self for putting on this animalistic mask of social 'coolness' or whatever you want to call it... it is truly inhuman and goes against everything positive and loving about the human condition.

 

This is a huge film. It remains simple and quiet in viewing, but the message is powerful. It's difficult to describe why Kaspar is such a great, wonderful character. To the average, he appears as some wild and strange beast. To the superior person, he is a beautiful and innocent example of everything truly good and human.

 

This film meant a lot to me in that respect. It is a critique of society, and an accurate one in my opinion.

[Guest disparaissant]

le samourai - 8.5/10, pretty good. fantastic score.

35 rhums - 10/10, fuuuuuuuuuuck.

[Terpentintollwut]

Has your avatar always been animated ...

[lumpenprol]

i agree. As a professor's kid from the midwest who grew up with mostly jewish professors' kids a lot of it hit home for me. (not the 60s bit obviously) It was horrifying because it was so lifelike. So incredibly lifelike. They were scary lols. Certainly the end was a head scratcher, it just seemed like "life sucks for all." But really brilliantly shot and incredibly great supporting cast. The slick rabbi and the lawyer being favorites.

 

Edit: also none of my jewish friends have seen this movie. Which i find weird, because usually anything "jewish" in popular media they're all over. But surely this isn't just a movie made for goys? I haven't quite figured this out yet.... it's bizarre.

 

yeah, completely agree. I also really liked the redheaded son, he was totally believable to me and didn't overact like a lot of "child" actors. It was brilliantly shot, probably one of the most convincing "period pieces" I've seen. A very weird, personal-seeming film for the Coens.

 

Wrote a review on rateyourmusic for The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser. Figured I'd share it here seeing how much an effect it had on me:

 

I connected very, very deeply with this film. Let me tell you something:

 

Kaspar Hauser is not a 'retard.' Kaspar Hauser is a poet and a dreamer. He sees the world for what it is. He is unpretentious and kind. Are these not extraordinary and positive qualities? Or are there wars that need to be won and social conquests to fulfill...

 

As we see from the film, it is the society as a whole around him that bogs down his existence. It is the social constraints and petty human drama going on around him which eventually leads to his demise.

 

I am often disgusted with the sorts of petty social bullshit going on day to day in our world. The little mind games that the insect [human] mind follows instinctually. I have found it so ironic that people feel comforted and great with their technology... then they follow these instinctual and clearly animalistic patterns without self consciousness. Are they truly human?

 

This is, in fact, a very bitter and cynical film [though of course with great beauty]. It gets its point across so perfectly, as you can see yourself in Kaspar's position. These people who are so utterly out of tune with the realities of our universe...we deal with them daily. There are so few that really deeply understand this human condition, and the beauty of it. We place no demands on others and we step delicately.

 

It makes me sad. The people around Kaspar... I see them everywhere. They are the petty, the small minded... they believe so much in their science and knowledge and greatness. These humans... with their books, movies, songs, cars, radios. They can't curve around and look at themselves from another point of view. That they are small, their moments are of no significance to anything, and that their science is pathetic at best.

 

It is actually true of all of us, that we tend to believe our own hype. And forget to look outside the box. We get sucked into the social constraints and instinctual social survival tactics...and all the while we convince ourselves that this civilized suburban life is genuinely greater and more profound/safe/loving/human that perhaps life in the wild would be for a primal ape.

 

So, life in this society can be a real drag. We can't express our base emotions without shame. Everything eventually ends up a game of social chess...being in public can become terrifying and life threatening. Kaspar expresses these emotions. When he goes from safety to... society... he sees it as his great fall.

 

The scene where Kaspar plays piano for the 'rich guy'... epitomized everything that's keeping me away from so called 'fun social gatherings' or 'parties.' And yes, it's true. That is how it is. If you are in disagreement with me here then I can only assume you are not paying close enough attention to the world around you as to notice these debasing qualities of life. 'Every Man for Himself.' Like I said, a cynical film. As for my own personal life, I do go out often. But when I do I have to apologize to my real self for putting on this animalistic mask of social 'coolness' or whatever you want to call it... it is truly inhuman and goes against everything positive and loving about the human condition.

 

This is a huge film. It remains simple and quiet in viewing, but the message is powerful. It's difficult to describe why Kaspar is such a great, wonderful character. To the average, he appears as some wild and strange beast. To the superior person, he is a beautiful and innocent example of everything truly good and human.

 

This film meant a lot to me in that respect. It is a critique of society, and an accurate one in my opinion.

 

hehe, "superior person." But Kaspar Hauser is one of my favorites too. It may be cynical, but like all Herzog films it has some great humor. I love some of Kaspar Hauser's lines.

[vamos scorcho]

lol. humor is central to almost every Herzog film it seems. it redeems the depths.

 

I watched also Little Dieter Needs to Fly [great] and Heart of Glass [hmm]. Now Stroszek.

 

movie bingeing this week.

[lumpenprol]

I like Heart of Glass, especially the last shot. It is Hmmmm though.

 

Strozek will make you horribly depressed.

 

I strongly recommend Even Dwarves Started Small and Signs of Life, his first couple of films

[keltoi]

tyson (documentary) - woah! in his prime he was an unstoppable killing machine but boy has he struggled wih demons ever since the death of his mentor and that rape charge. scarily unpredictable, surprisingly eloquent and sometimes very likeable.

 

favourite quote - "at thith time i wath having an athtounding amount of thexual relationth".

[Guest Benedict Cumberbatch]

fast five 5/fast

the rock vs vin diesel! it was fun. i refuse to think any more about it.

they even threw in a little avengersesque set up for the next movie after the credits

[Guest disparaissant]

it annoys me that they did not stick with the 2fast 2furious naming convention. was looking forward to 7fast 7furious

[Blir]

 

I strongly recommend Even Dwarves Started Small

 

I'm guessing that by recommending this you're implying that if somebody can enjoy this then they will love Herzog on the whole? Because I certainly wouldn't recommend that particular movie to a Herzog newcomer! (Not that it's bad of course)

[Guest Iain C]

tyson (documentary) - woah! in his prime he was an unstoppable killing machine but boy has he struggled wih demons ever since the death of his mentor and that rape charge. scarily unpredictable, surprisingly eloquent and sometimes very likeable.

 

favourite quote - "at thith time i wath having an athtounding amount of thexual relationth".

 

It wasn't a rape charge, it was a rape conviction. Mike Tyson is a rapist.

[Guest Coalbucket PI]

been doing some comfortable rewatching lately

 

Gladiator, and Inception... Hans Zimmer's music in the final scenes of both of these is fucking brilliant, I want to kiss that man's arse.

 

300; after Gladiator it felt a lot shitter than I remember. Gladiator's fight scenes are much more manageable because of the format, you know roughly what you are getting into each time, where as in 300 the story requires that they are virtually endless and it gets dull. Something about it is still satisfying though, probably the exaggeration of it all, they almost manage to make it a film of a single plot-line myth which is a nice idea in a way. The queen/politics story is just piss weak nothingness though; I read the Ebert review and he mentioned shit scenes in new Star Wars in comparison, which is depressingly accurate.