Depraved and trashy "A Serbian Film" earns first 0 star rating since grades were instituted at site.
by Sam Juliano
Allan Fish’s Top 3,000 films of all-time presentation has (as expected) attracted spectacular attention from the blogging community, with the lion’s share of the respondants engaging in a thorough discussion of the individual components. It’s the kind of venture that has defined the mission of this site, though for a chosen few it has been an intimidating endeavor that instigated some harsh words. But this labor of love will provide those willing to click on their ‘copy’ icon, an invaluable reference point for a comprehensive study of the form. In any case, it’s a proud moment for Allan on a professional note, as it serves to introduce his soon-to-be-published book, and showcases the unGodly time he’s spent during his 37 years watching, watching and watching more.
Elsewhere, our pal filmmaker Jeffrey Goodman has sent out a press release announcing the upcoming encore release of his film noir smash The Last Lullaby, which is expected to include a number of new extras. Goodman is excitedly anticipating a fall 2011 release, and further envisons the film becoming available in other venues. Wonders in the Dark is thrilled for Jeffrey and will keep watch for the official release of the revamped DVD.
Those with seasonal allergies (Yours Truly included) are doubtless having a rough time the past two weeks, but if the usual pattern hold up we are nearing the end to the chronic sneezing, watery eyes and congestion. Otherwise, graduations, proms and summer vacations are being discussed by many, and the blistering heat will soon be making an unwelcome appearance.
Playing catch-up after the Tribeca Film Festival I managed to see five films in theatres this week, though I missed out Sunday on seeing Kon Ichikawa’s beautiful 1963 film The Makioka Sisters, having to settle on an afternoon showing that day of the harrowing Chinese film City of Life and Death. But luckily, Ichikawa’s film will run through Tuesday, so I am hoping to see it Monday night.
I saw the following, all except for one with Lucille:
Incendies **** 1/2 (Thursday night) Lincoln Plaza Cinemas
Hey Boo: Harper Lee and ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ **** 1/2 (Sat.) Quad Cinemas
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff **** 1/2 (Sat.) Quad Cinemas
A Serbian Film 0 stars (Saturday night) Cinema Village
City of Life and Death **** (Sunday) Film Forum
The Canadian film INCENDIES received an Oscar nod for Best Foreign Film. It’s frustrating for sure, but it still manages to bring together it’s divergent elements of mystery, love story and melodrama, yielding one of the year’s most electrifying final revelations. At times it seems to lost it’s focus, but it’s maintains it’s grip, calling urgently for a second viewing. It’s the kind of film that needs to be ‘experienced’ rather than seen.
Although I was warned about A SERBIAN FILM I still thought I’d give this ultra-controversial film the benefit of a doubt. With an obscure “allegorical” excuse, the director Srdjan Spasojevic goes headfirst into necrophila, pedaphelia and depraved child defilement with a veracity that defies the very essence of human civility and decency. A SERBIAN FILM is sickening beyond comprehension, but when it moves away from the sensationalism it’s a downright bore. It’s shabbily filmed (purposely of course) on unattractive film stock by a director with little knowledge of how to use a camera, and it leaves one questioning a fellow human being’s sanity. Comparing it with Pasolini’s near-masterwork SALO (1975) is a affront to cinematic art, but this awful film is truthfully an affront to the human race.
One of literature’s greatest mysteries is why southern author Harper Lee never followed up her 1960 masterpiece “To Kill A Mockingbird” with an encore and furthermore has steadfastly refused to grant interviews since 1964. This one-hit wonder has endlessly intrigued those who see her book as the greatest American novel of the 20th Century, one that has been taught in school for decades, and a work that has stood as a centerpiece for the civil rights movement since’s it’s timely publication. The documentary’s director Mary McDonagh Murphy examines the continuing role of the character “Scout”, and of the book’s universality. It’s a sure labor of love for the book’s admirers and it tries in modest ways to crack Lee’s enigmatic spectre. (A full review is planned for today).
Another notable documentary is also running at the Quad in Manhattan, and Lucille and I saw it as part of the double-feature on Saturday with the Harper Lee film. CAMERAMAN: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JACK CARDIFF takes an affectionate look at the greatest color cinematographer of all-time, examining his ascendency to artistic prominence, his celebrated work with Michael Powell and Emeric Pressberger, and his later years as a director on his own account. While some of the clips are familiar, they help to paint this indellible portrait of a man whose work has eclipsed his persona, and has served as a reminder of the exceeding artistry that highlights his distinguished a long-lived life span. Jack Cardiff was a larger than life figure, yet director Craig McCall lovingly traces all the human connections and personal validations along the way.
A disturbing film based on one of history’s most deplorable episodes, THE CITY OF LIFE AND DEATH chronicles the Rape of Nanking, the infamous aftermath of the capture of Chinese city of Nanking and the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of unarmed civilians by the Japanese Imperial Army. Over 20,000 women were raped by Japanese soldiers during a six-week period. Precise statistics are not known, as the Japanese destroyed or hid records. The film is extremely difficult to watch, but never dehumanizes its subjects, and in the end is utterly wrenching. I would only take issue with the inability or unwillingness of the filmmakers to examine why or how the Japanese soldiers chose to perpetrate such unconscionable evil. I am unsure if I will ultimately go with a 4 or a 4 1/2 star rating with this, but I will think further.
I offer up 35 links this week to some splendid work in the blogosphere:
At Movie Classics Judy Geater takes a perceptive look at another Wellman film, 1937′s Nothing Sacred: http://movieclassics.wordpress.com/2011/05/14/nothing-sacred-william-a-wellman-1937/
Samuel Wilson offers up a superlative analysis of Volker Schlondorff’s Coup de Grace, a kind of homage to Melcille, at Mondo 70: http://mondo70.blogspot.com/2011/05/coup-de-grace-der-fangschuss-1976.html
John Greco has made a fantastic contribution to a 1939 blogothon, examining Paul Leni’s The Cat and the Canary: http://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/the-cat-and-the-canary-1939-elliot-nugent/
At the always-inspiring Creativepotager’s blogsite, artist and nature-lover Terrill Welch offers up two ravishing oil paintings by Sue Wiebe: “Autumn Bounty” and “Courtenay in the Moonlight”: http://creativepotager.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/autumn-bounty-and-courtney-in-the-moonlight-by-sue-wiebe/#comments
All kinds of film noir news, posts, posters and information is on display at the incomparable Darkness Into Light, courtesy of it’s tireless proprietor, Dee Dee: http://noirishcity.blogspot.com/
Wonders in the Dark readers by now have surely seen and accessed Tony d’Ambra’s collection of poems and prose, Cinematic Poetica, a new volume available at areasonable price, featured on the sidebar. For those who have been ravished by the works as they appeared over the past two years, here’s the chance to own the entire sensory collection in a beautifully ornate booklet: https://www.lulu.com/commerce/index.php?fBuyContent=10534204
At Speaking From The Heart Laurie Buchanan is featuring an egg’s nest, and a wooden backyard structure built by Len, but as always it’s a lead-in to a pertinent world view: http://holessence.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/eggstra-eggstra-read-all-about-it/
Jaime Grijalba is featuring an intricate play station post at Exodus: 8:02 that should fascinate fans: http://exodus8-2.blogspot.com/2011/05/ps-3-gokujou-parodius-deluxe-pack.html
Just Another Film Buff (Srikanth Scrivasson) has another exceptional capsule review up at The Seventh Art, this time on Pedro Costa’s 2009 Change Nothing: http://theseventhart.info/2011/05/07/ellipsis-40/#comments
Great news has just been announced at The Schleicher Spin where crack Garden State writer David Schleicher, great friend and supporter of WitD, has announced the recent publication of his newest short story in a collection: http://theschleicherspin.com/2011/05/14/scratch-anthology-volume-3-is-here/
Bayou Filmmaker and Beastie Boys fan Jeffrey Goodman makes glowing mention of his recent viewing of Adam Yauch’s Fight For Your Right Revisited at The Last Lullaby. Of course as mentioned in the lead-in of this thread Jeffrey has some great news for fans of his first film: http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011.html
Stephen Russell-Gebbett asserts that Scream 4 “isn’t very scary nor funny, but imminently likeable and engrossing.” The typically insighful essay is leading the way at Checking on my Sausages: http://checkingonmysausages.blogspot.com/2011/05/scream-4.html
At the home of the delightful fellow known as the “Coffee Messiah,” the erstwhile proprietor Michael Harford offers up an altered playing card in his most recent post: http://coffeemessiah.blogspot.com/2011/05/another-day.html
At The Blue Vial, it’s Trees/Scream/Curtains to celebrate “Friday the 13th” and Drew is there with his typically impeccable taste in screen caps: http://thebluevial.blogspot.com/2011/05/treesscreamcurtains.html
Jake Cole has penned a magnificent review of Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins at Not Just Movies: http://armchairc.blogspot.com/2011/05/13-assassins-takashi-miike-2011.html
Craig Kennedy has little good to say about the controversial A Serbian Film, giving it slight acknowledgement for some vague political connections. It’s really a terrific piece by an exceptional scribe, and it’s up at Living in Cinema: http://livingincinema.com/2011/05/14/review-a-serbian-film-2011/
Meanwhile, Slant writer extraordinaire John Lanthier likens the film to a “transgressive” experience, awarding it 3 out of 4 stars at Aspiring Sellout: http://livingincinema.com/2011/05/14/review-a-serbian-film-2011/
As part of his extraordinary ‘Postwar Kurosawa” series, our good friend the ever-resilient Murderous Ink has penned a splendid examination of 1948′s Drunken Angel at Vermilion and One Nights: http://vermillionandonenights.blogspot.com/2011/05/postwar-kurosawa-drunken-angel.html#more
Shubhajit is leading up at Cinemascope with a terrific capsule on Woody Allen’s Husbands and Wives: http://cliched-monologues.blogspot.com/2011/05/husbands-and-wives-1992.html
At Ferdy-on-Films Roderick Heath has again raised the bar with an exhaustive and beautifully-penned piece on Alberto Cavalcanti’s 1942 Brtish classic Went the Day Well?, which incidentally is scheduled to run two weeks at the Film Forum starting on May 20th: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?p=9900
Meanwhile at his solo site, Heath imparts his magical prose to a sprawling essay on Otto Preminger’s final film, The Human Factor (1979): http://thisislandrod.blogspot.com/2011/05/human-factor-1979.html
Jason Marshall has penned a wonderful essay for his #8 choice for 1940 at Movies Over Matter: W.C. Fields’s The Bank Dick: http://moviesovermatter.com/2011/05/13/the-bank-dick-best-pictures-of-1940-8/
Ed Howard’s superb review of Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers leads the way at Only the Cinema: http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com/2011/05/dreamers.html
R.D. Finch has posted the second part of his wonderful ‘The Films of Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn” feature at The Movie Projector: http://themovieprojector.blogspot.com/2011/05/films-of-spencer-tracy-and-katharine_09.html
Pat Perry at Doodad Kind of Town hasn’t updated for a while, but the Chicago native and very good friend, will be playing a vital role in the musical countdown that is tentatively scheduled to commence sometime in mid to late summer if everything falls into place. Here’s Pat’s long-running blogsite: http://doodadkindoftown.blogspot.com/
The Film Doctor has a most unique prentation at his place on the new multiplex vehicle, Bridesmaids. (and this film is sitting pretty at RT with 92%!): http://filmdr.blogspot.com/2011/05/humor-from-womans-point-of-view-9-notes.html
At Icebox Movies the ever-enterprising Adam Zanzie takes an “alternate” look at the 1952 western classic High Noon: http://iceboxmovies.blogspot.com/2011/05/high-noon-1952-fred-zinnemann-and.html
Dave Van Poppel has some great documentary capsules from the Toronto Film Festivals posting at his place: http://visionsofnonfiction.blogspot.com/2011/05/hot-docs-2011-we-were-here.html
At Scribbles and Ramblings, Sachin has penned a fantastic examination of the cinema of Brazilian filmmaker Jose Mojica Marins: http://likhna.blogspot.com/2011/05/spotlight-on-jose-mojica-marins.html
Troy Olson has an assortment of posts leading up at his place on live basketball blogging, a new record club and the most recent Bresson reviews: http://troyolson.blogspot.com/
J.D. has quite an exhaustive essay up at Radiator Heaven on Tony Scott’s Domino that is a must-read: http://rheaven.blogspot.com/2011/05/domino.html
Jean at Velvety Blackness has a superlative lead review up on Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank: http://velvetyblackness.blogspot.com/2011/04/fish-tank.html
Peter Lenihan has some striking screen caps up on “the films of Clair Denis” at The Long Voyage Home: http://thelongvoyagehome.blogspot.com/2011/05/your-worst-enemies-are-hiding-inside.html
Longman Oz is on a brief break at his place, but his very fine piece on Route Irish is still leading the way: http://smiledyawnednodded.com/2011/03/28/routeirish/
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I actually agree with you that A SERBIAN FILM is an affront, of sorts, to the human race, Sam, but perverted and cynical as I am I kind of appreciated where it took me (that is, to some very dark places within myself). I think it’s an interesting companion to a film like ANTICHRIST, which similarly fails as coherent allegory but succeeds on a much more complicated cosmic level. I respect, however, that the film is not at all for everyone, and sympathize with the vitriol it has been provoking. My review at Slant is the only positive one I’ve seen so far (aside from…GULP…Harry Knowles’). I applaud those who are giving it a chance at all, really, and are allowing the film to appall them…I think that’s what the film wants at some level.
Jon, I always thought the allegorical implications in ANTI CHRIST were at least in some fair measure successful. But I very much like your cosmic application quite a bit. I saw Von Trier’s film as art, vile, sickening, disturbing but a numbing expression of nihilist thought, from the drop-dead Handel opening to the horrifying scenes in the forest. While I buy Von trier’s aesthetic, I saw the Serbian film as the product of an attention-seeking hack, whose “talent” is beyond questionable, and whose own code of ethics and civility are couched in a concept of just how far one can go. The film was frankly a bore, enlivened by the barf bag scenes. But as always your humble and polite response leaves me floored. You are as always a gentleman and a scholar, and we are after all allowed to disagree once in a while.
Thanks for stopping by my very good friend!
Now you guys have both got me intrigued to check out A Serbian Film… I hope it comes to STL!
That Harper Lee doc sounds like a must-see. I actually got to meet Mary Badham at my college two weeks ago; she still refers to Gregory Peck as “Atticus” to this day.
Good luck to Jeffrey and the Last Lullaby release!
I turn around and – BOOM – WitD has been Zanzie’d.
Thanks so much, Adam! I really, really appreciate it.
Adam: You comment here about A SERBIAN FILM illustrates what I conveyed in a staff e mail earlier today–that being that everyone should make their own judgements and not be undult influenced by opinions one way or the other. You have thus made my day so to speak with that resolve, not that I ever thought of you as anything but fiercely independent.
The Harper Lee documentary is a must for you, and I must say that is fantastic that you met Mary Badham (who was a major talking head in the documentary–how did I forget to mention that?). I remember that extraordinary review you wrote months back on the film version of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, and know well your great love for this material. And yep, as asserted in the documentary, after Peck took the role in TO KILL A MOCHINGBIRD his career was forever defined!
Many thanks as always Adam!
If “A Serbian Film” recieved a 0 star rating, then it should be represented as a star that has collapsed upon itself, a black hole from which not even the light of a projector can escape. A true cinematic singularity.
This is all conjecture on my part, though. I haven’t seen the movie myself (nor do I plan to). But it’s an interesting thoguht experiment.
That sure is an interesting thought experiment… LOL!!!
hahahahaha Bob!!! Good one!!!
Thanks for the mention Sam. I am impressed by your courage to see A Serbian Film in a theater. I have been dared by a friend to see it and I will take him on that offer but will only see it on DVD. That way, I can have some sort of distance from it. I will get the chance to see City of Life and Death in a few weeks, so I will let you know what I think of that.
I am big fan of Incendies so glad to see you liked it. I enjoyed watching it in a packed theater of 450 people last fall and it was nice to see the varied reactions. Some people figured things out before others going by the pockets of chatter that took place at certain key moments but there was still plenty of loud gasps when most people realized what was up.
Many thanks to you Sachin for stopping by as always.
Well, I guess you can say I was first alerted to A SERBIAN FILM almost a year ago at this site by Allan and Jamie. I had long forgotten about it until it was announced it would be granted a theatrical run in Manhattan. I will never ‘shirk my duties’ so to speak, so I ventured out. That I have rejected this film as a dire excuse for art shouldn’t deter anyone from checking it out. Seeing it on DVD is certainly fair enough. I’d be most interested in knowing your reaction to the Chinese film, especially as this too has turned some peopel off, including a mutual friend.
Thanks for that theatrical anecdote on INCENDIES, a film we agree on. It’s rather a complex film narratively, but it builds to some shattering moments later on. Quite unforgettable.
Thanks as always my friend!
Sam – WOW BOB WOW re: “A Serbian Film” – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a reaction like this from you. I like Bob Clark’s “black hole” theory. I just don’t even know what to say. It almost makes me want to see it – but I think I’ll take your word for it!
Anyone else see BLACK DEATH? It was interesting – but not quite sure what to make of it. Rather sensationalistic, also rather boring in parts, but it tried really hard to be thoughtful, too. Not sure what the point of it was – other than to state fighting over religion if futile because mother nature will kill you anyhow?
Also watched Dassin’ THIEVES HIGHWAY for the first time, and naturally loved it.
Thanks for the superlative laden shout out
Take his word for it. Not because it’s right, but because I cannot recommend it to anyone I like as I said in my own piece a few months ago.
Hey, if you two are on the same page with A SERBIAN FILM – I will definitely avoid it like the plague (pun intended). Thanks for steering me clear!
Oh, wait, further down the thread it seems to me you are not on the same page as Sam perhaps in terms of the film’s merits or lack thereof – but are on the same page in that you can’t recommend it to anyone you like.
Whatever the case, I’ve heard enough about it here and in the reviews I read to know it is not a piece of art (or a piece of trash depending on your take) I care to see!\
Yes David, today has been a rare day at WitD, as I have been as forceful as I’ve ever in a public forum. But I felt this reaction was warranted, as the film stirred my emotions adversely.
I have seen BLACK DEATH and kinda liked it! Sure it was uneven and sometimes over-the-top, but it was set in a time period that will always fascinate. Ha! Good point about the religion/mother nature meaning. The widescreen canvas was eye-filling.
Dassin’s THIEVES HIGHWAY is a gem.
Many thanks my friend!
I think BLACK DEATH’s director, Christopher Smith I think is his name, showed a lot of promise with that and also TRIANGLE.
Well Sam, I can see why you finally gave out a zero. Good for you taking a risk and finding the bottom of the barrel. Thank you as always for sharing Creative Potager with readers here at Wonders in the Dark.
INCENDIES is already on my watch list because of the trailer but your review confirms that is a film I shall await with pleasure.
This week we saw the documentary INSIDE JOB (2010) which I thought lacked real substance and analytical depth. It was more of a pot-stirring of old information and media coverage than investigative journalism. That might be a bit harsh for a movie that was so well received but it is just my thoughts.
VENUS (2006) Directed by Roger Michell was an amazingly powerful film about the complexity of desire, aging and youth. Not a new take on this subject but handled with a frankness, humour, sensitivity and fire which we seldom get to see or consider. The actors were this film – talent and seasoned skill combine with the freshness of beginnings with promise.
But the real highlight of my day Sam was reading about a film that won’t be released until late 2012. It is a film directed by Deepa Mehta – Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children. Here is a link to an article in Canada’s Globe and Mail by Stephanie Nolen http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/movies/deepa-mehta-films-rushdies-midnights-children/article2021293
Always nice to have something to look forward too!
Terrill: That Deepa Mehta film really sounds like a winner! This is the first I have heard of it, and much appreciate the link to that feature. Rushdie’s past of course is well-known, and he has a fervant fan base. Mehta too is a distinguished artist.
I liked INSIDE JOB, but found it somewhat distancing, and (like you say) a rehash of so much that everyone well knows. It’s takes the right mood and frame of mind to sit through this, and I’m sure I won’t return to it. Yeah it’s somewhat infuriating, but no surprises.
INCENDIES is a real shot in the gut, and after some narrative confusion it all comes together in a wrenching conclusion. It’s a film I’ve thought about all week, and one that surely will reward and enrich on repeat viewings.
I fondly remember VENUS too, as the film where Peter O’Toole gave a tour de force late-career performance. You frame its themes beautifully.
Many thanks my excellent friend, and have a productive week!
For some reason I have not written in the diary section for some time Sam. I can’t believe you actually went to see A Serbian Film in the theater. Kudos to you for braving through such a venture and watching that highly controversial picture. I’ll probably see it on DVD (whenever the motivation manifests itself, if ever) where I can shut it off at any time if I become bored with any forced exploitation. I know our dark little self loathing prince of WITD Chicago will eventually invade this thread, annoyed you lambasted one of his treasured extreme films lol. I’m sure your retorts to his barbs will be sincere and factual. Cry Of Life And Death also looks interesting. What I saw the last few weeks….
First Snow ***
The Endurance ****
Eros+Massacre ***1/2
The Hired Hand **
Atlantic City ***
A Simple Plan ***
Straight Time ***
The Silent Partner **
Open Range **1/2
Feast Of Death: James Ellroy ****
Cutter’s Way *****
Cinema Verite ***
Mildred Pierce (Mini Series) ****
Rififi *****
Cat Ballou **
Well, you got Mildred pierce right.
Nah Maurizio, I’ll stay away. But from glancing through this thread Sam has done what he set out to do: get people to NOT see a film, which I sort of thought was NEVER the intent of this place. Oh well a shame that some among us will take that path and have their opinions decided by others. Meanwhile, A SERBIAN FILM has myself, Allan, and Jon as admirers. Three people more measured or assured in their opinions then you’ll ever meet.
thanks for the put downs though, glad you think a merely ‘lol’ at the end will make it go over easier.
Jamie, I’m afraid you misread my intent here and have confused my strong condemnation with some kind of mind-bending attempt. It didn’t take too much creativity on my part to dismiss a film that was already dismissed by the vast majority of critics and audiences. I am all for people making their own judgements and following their own sense of aesthetic. But like you, I will never be bashful to voice my own sentiments, even in the rare instance of complete repudiation.
As you’ll see here several readers have already indicated there was a slim chance they’d see this, but it really didn’t take my framing to tell them anything they didn’t know. Besides I don’t think so much of myself that a personal opinion should ever be a prime factor in leading anyone to avoid seeing a film.
You have (gratefully) your own sense of aesthetic, and I applaud you for beating your own drum. In this singular instance for reasons I have elaborated on, I have come away with a truly sickened reaction. This is not in the spirit of intended censorship, but rather in the vein of violated personal reaction.
My purpose on these pages has always been to voice my personal views, not to propose that anyone plan their itinerary around my findings. People have agreed with me here, and people have disagreed. Everyone needs to look through their own prism. My blunt reaction here should not be seen as ‘unmeasured’ but rather as a real expression of my estimation, unadorned with false confessions.
But again, fair enough, everyone sees things their own way.
In any case Jamie, I’ll add that ‘staying away’ would be counterproductive, especially if I ultimately want people to understand and possibly embrace my point of view. The ONLY way to arrive at some mutual understanding is for people to see the film.
Hey, look at that, Jamie, you’re royalty! I’m honored that you fraternize with commoners such as myself.
I for one will probably still look at it at some point. Is there really a need to show such horrors to get some allegorical point about the ills of Serbia to the viewers though? It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the filmmaker is using that excuse to exploit the medium and dwell on horrific images to titillate a majority of viewers, who enjoy explicit content over any supposed noble intent by the filmmaker.
I really must reject the notion that the the film will be either embraced as allegorical torture porn by the “debased” masses or simply dismissed as profane. The director may think he’s launched a salvo on the socio-political turmoil of his nation, but the movie’s (in)human(e) themes are far better, and far more nuanced than that. I don’t read the film’s political content in my review for Slant, nor do I salivate debauchedly over the most aggressive material. As I’ve said before, I have to respect differences of opinion on a piece of art this divisive–it’s central to its charm, really–but it’s pretty pompous to project a faulty hermeneutic model on those who are taking something worthwhile away from the experience. Whatever. I suspect your approach is all about “getting off” on “forsaking subtleness,” yes?
Sam, this all may be true, but it’s a stance you now take that is quite a bit more peaceful and accepting (and measured) then the one you had about 24 hours ago. Then you wanted to ‘destroy the film’, which would obviously result in nobody being able to see it no?
While you can point to your acceptance of something like SALO, that’s quite easy as it’s critical and artistic place has been cemented over the decades since its release. It was also lambasted upon initial release though, which makes me openly wonder if you would have also hated that film too in 1975. SALO immediately deserves respect for it’s political subject matter, where it uses depravity to make point on politics, whereas A SERBIAN FILM is more difficult to asses as its depravity is largely a point on depravity.
But it has a greater significance that that: it can be taken as a kind of manifesto of modern art and literature, an incitement to break through empty abstractions of whatever kind, to destroy sentimentality even if the real feelings exposed should appear humble and impoverished– the names of places and dates; and even if in stripping himself naked the artist seems to be left with Nothing. Modern art thus begins, and sometimes ends, as a confession of spiritual poverty. That is its greatness and it’s triumph, but also the needle it jabs into the Philistine’s sore spot, for the last thing he wants to be reminded of is his spiritual poverty. In fact, his greatest poverty is not to know how impoverished he is, so long as he as he mouths the empty ideals or religious phrases of the past he is but as tinkling brass. In matters of the spirit, poverty and riches are sometimes closer than identical twins: the man who struts with borrowed feathers may be poor as a church mouse within, while a work that seems stark, and bleak can, if genuine, speak will all the inexhaustible richness of the world. -William Barrett (on modern art)
Agree to disagree in the end, you do deserve credit for venturing out and seeing it though. That seems to be more then most are willing to do, and yet still have the audacity to call themselves cineastes!
Maurizio, it’s a greater disservice that what you say here essentially shows you’ve more then made your mind up on the film. By all means cry foul, why you prop up films like SE7EN, ones that are made every bit as gruesome and sick, but go further because they’re made (more or less) as quick disposable entertainment (with no larger points on anything). Those are exploitative, but those are the ones you like.
And yes, everyone should read Jon’s (brilliant) take on A SERBIAN FILM, it’s not the correct link above. Which offers a reading on the film that quite succinct:
http://slantmagazine.com/film/review/a-serbian-film/5515
Very feeble attempt to try some “gotcha blogging” by using Seven as an example. I have stated countless times that the 1995 Fincher film was one I loved as a teenager, and still rate highly more for nostalgia than anything else. Also saying there is no larger point to Seven makes me think you have not watched it closely enough. A very moral center resides in the heart of that movie, which argues we should never give up on a hopelessly grim world and turn into nihilists. The theme is well conveyed throughout until the gimmick ending which is a clear flaw I admit.
Remind me, there’s no kids that are targetted in “Se7en”, right? That seems to be the major objection in “A Serbian Film”.
It’s hardly ‘gotcha blogging’ as much as it just shows how hypocritical your stance is on an entire genre of filmmaking (the extreme genre), one with a complete diverse history and respect. It also shows that you are unable, or unwilling to see past anything graphic, or extreme in viewing said genre. Which is fine if you don’t like it, but your tired and incorrect assessments of it aren’t.
Imagine for one second if I continually incorrectly derided you and anyone else for liking the Noir genre? At what point would you be like “WTF?” Then, on top of that, what if I callously mocked a mental state you’ve painstakingly attempted to describe to others to assist in debasing your favorite Noir genre? At that point would you maybe see my side?
What I liked about Seven all those years ago was the fact that within me resided a future film noir lover. I loved the dark nameless city with two detectives who became obsessed with solving a series of crimes. I enjoyed the resourcefulness of Morgan Freeman’s character, and could also see the beauty in his quandary of wanting to give up on a society that had become so sick and filled with unsolvable problems. His voiceover at the end, which stated to never become apathetic and always strive for a better world was moving (a plus from the whole head in the box contrivance). Even as a teenager, I found some of the gruesome elements unnecessary and wished they were toned down. Like John Carpenter’s The Thing, I can overlook some goriness if the narrative is compelling enough to my particular concerns. I am not so much skeptical of A Serbian Film’s disturbing imagery as I am about the fact that almost everyone who has seen it describes it as being pointless and just out to shock and sicken.
Which says more about the friends you associate with then anything else. As I said to start I respect maybe 5 friends takes on film… of the 3/5 of these that have actually seen the film 2 (Allan and Jon) like the film (as do I) and just Sam did not.
Films, and filmmakers create worlds of all different tones, you’re foolish to write off gruesome imagery from the very start. Add some flavor to that vanilla sundae.
Oh and if you think SE7EN is about nihilism, or a condemnation of anything nihilistic you should read up on the complexity of actual nihilistic belief. Nietzsche’s THE WILL TO POWER (specifically its Book One) is a great place to start. My Bible if you will, and a book I’m actually rereading at this very moment.
Some of the things I wrote, especially towards you, was meant as sarcasm and not even remotely serious. I don’t have a problem with extreme films existing or people liking them. My only contention is the idea that they get elevated to some great genre of purpose and cinematic truth. In reality they are just the opposite side of the same coin that is Pixar and Jennifer Aniston Rom Coms. One is sickeningly sweet and wholesome, the other appalling and gruesome. Both are meaningless and worth nothing to me…. similar to super right wing evangelical neo cons and ultra left wing conspiracy theorist tree hugging marxists. I generally find fault with such things.
“Both are meaningless and worth nothing to me…. similar to super right wing evangelical neo cons and ultra left wing conspiracy theorist tree hugging marxists. I generally find fault with such things.”
You see though you should find fault with your incredibly faulty over-generalizations. Extreme cinema is as broad as ‘Un Chien Andalou’, ‘I Will Walk Like a Crazy Horse’, ‘Angst’, ‘Irreversible’, ‘Aftermath/Genesis’, ‘Anatomy of Hell’, and even something like Godard’s ‘Every Man For Himself’ I’d put in there. Extreme to you is ONLY extreme imagery (and even then you almost always are speaking on the violent), but you don’t count the films of extreme emotional intensity, or sexual. Oshima (‘In the Realm of Senses’), Pinter (‘The Homecoming’), Solondz (‘Happiness’), Denis (‘Vendredi Soir’) etc. These, with your generic broad strokes, are all shit?
Your political terms are extremely laughable too, ‘ultra left wing conspiracy theorist tree hugging marxists’ uses so many generic terms as to render itself meaningless (it’s the sort of hodge-podge that the Fox News crowd utters). Damn it where’s Joel? He HATES this sort of think (rightfully so).
My political terms were also not meant to be taken serious. You are on temporary life tilt and are not thinking clearly anymore Mr Uhler. I was exaggerating a point which I no longer feel like debating anymore.
Your definition of extreme film is not the same as mine it seems.
Well damn, let me know when you plan on making ONE serious comment that I can take at face value. Yeah, my life’s ‘on tilt’.
I’d assume our definitions aren’t the same because I’ve seriously attempted to define the genre by actually seeing the films.
btw, this comment shouldn’t be taken as ironic or as a misrepresentation of what I think.
“I no longer feel like debating anymore.” One thing it appears you do know is when to cut your losses, accept defeat, and get out.
My only contention is the idea that they get elevated to some great genre of purpose and cinematic truth. In reality they are just the opposite side of the same coin that is Pixar and Jennifer Aniston Rom Coms. (((SERIOUS)))
One is sickeningly sweet and wholesome, the other appalling and gruesome. (((SERIOUS)))
Both are meaningless and worth nothing to me…. similar to super right wing evangelical neo cons and ultra left wing conspiracy theorist tree hugging marxists. (((EXAGGERATION)))
How exactly have I been defeated?!?! What have you written that has so profoundly moved me to see the error of my ways?
If you need to feel like you’ve warranted some hallow victory over me to get through the day then congratulations. I do admire your spunk.
Not that it matters at all – but I am with Maurizio on this one – extremes on either side (in art or politics or religion) are nothing but sound and fury. Sometimes it’s fun to “observe” and take notes or study, or in terms of film – just “experience” it – so you know the true extremes of your own tolerance or tastes as well as the extremes others will go to – but for the most part I don’t need to see or hear it, thanks. In other words, its good to be aware, and it’s okay that it exists (it always will) – but it’s also necessary sometimes to avoid.
confuse the extremes at your own peril. Yes in politics and religion you end up with more accurate ideas (when you avoid the extremes I mean), but you should never, ever lump art in this as some sort of applicable comparison (it’s just one part of Maurizio’s thought here that is troubling in its generic-ness) . Consider the transgressives, the movers and shakers in all the arts over the years; consider where you’d be if you ‘avoided them’ at their cusp: you reject Pollack and de Kooning in 1949, and Rauschenberg in 1955. You reject Rimbaud in 1895, and Baudelaire just a few years before that. You reject John Cage, and Martha Graham. Dechamp is foolish, and overly intellectual. Nietzsche, to you, is a raving lunatic in the mid-1800s. Iggy pop is a clowning fool in 1968 to you, as Lou Reed was just a few year earlier (and then Jon Lydon will be years after that).
It just gets clearer and clearer the more we go.
However, to me, you guys (and what you argue here) are merely people that I cross the street to avoid.
Your last sentence really hurt my feelings Jamie. My opinion of your impeccable taste in film was cemented with the declaration of This Gun For Hire as a pinnacle noir in that genre’s canon.
Your first paragraph is so ridiculous that I won’t even bother with a response…. Ok I will…… I guess anything that pushes boundaries regardless of artistic worth is automatically Dechamp to you (such a shallow belief). Please don’t use Lou Reed or Iggy Pop as they are not remotely applicable. A better example would be G.G. Allin, a completely untalented punk rock singer who has faded into obscurity since his death. Other than shock value this “artist” offered nothing of aesthetic quality that would last and endure through the decades. Just because someone is brave enough to be smeared by shit at a gig doesn’t make them some beacons of artistic moving and shaking. While I have still not seen A Serbian Film, being aware of the contents of what is included, it most likely will never be The Velvet Underground. The corpse of G.G. Allin in a forgotten pile of piss and vomit is more likely. I will make it my business to see this film as soon as possible, but spare me the pompous run down on the history of art.
I’m actually more scared of how sure Jamie sounds about his convictions and thoughts as pure and absolute truth than anything that I’d see on the moment I get to see “A Serbian film”.
Jamie U – no, that is not true. I would not have avoided those “extreme” artists you mention in their moment.
What I would avoid at all times is when people (whose opinions I value – like Sam or like anyone on here who I have engaged in conversations with) tell me that a work of art depicts the senseless rape and or torture and or murder of children. I’d like to avoid that no matter what the artistic intention. And don’t go on with…what about holocaust films or any number of films where children are murdered or abused? If it’s to depict something historical or is in service of a story that ultimately has a point of “uplift” or condemns or comments (which some might argue A SERBIAN FILM is commenting on something – though nothing I have read about it tells me that it makes any kind of meaningful comment that I couldn’t get from just reading the reviews)…then, well, you know that’s a different story.
But there’s a line. And a slippery slope. And that’s why it’s always good to be “aware” of what is going on out there…but that doesn’t mean I need to suffer through watching it.
But to celebrate something extreme merely for the fact that it is extreme…well, I don’t personally buy that argument. But that’s okay and you can buy it – I “get” your stance, and there’s nothing wrong with it. I still don’t have to watch what I don’t want to watch. We can all make our own decisions about what we subject ourselves to.
“But to celebrate something extreme merely for the fact that it is extreme…well, I don’t personally buy that argument. But that’s okay and you can buy it – I “get” your stance, and there’s nothing wrong with it. I still don’t have to watch what I don’t want to watch. We can all make our own decisions about what we subject ourselves to.”
David, this is fair enough, but nowhere do I, nor have I ever, celebrated something that is extreme merely because it’s extreme. I sight countless examples in all art forms and about 10 films above. I think I’ve said enough, as you have that we can shake hands and see common ground.
As for Maurizio and Jaime’s ‘responses’ I’ll let them descend to the troll wasteland where they belong. My impassioned response in celebration of art is scary? Yes Jaime, it’s the natural outcome of unabashed THOR love you’re experiencing. The real stuff will freak ya out.
I haven’t seen “A Serbian Film”, and judging from the descriptions I don’t plan to anytime soon. I like to consider myself an open minded person, but I kinda draw the line at watching live-action on-screen cruelty towards children. That short scene in ROTS of Anakin igniting his lightsaber in front of a room full of younglings, or the drawn out scene at the end of “Crimes of the Future” where Adrian Tripod takes off his shirt in front of a young girl and “senses the presence of Antoine Rouge” is really about as much as I’m willing to stomach. Even in implied form, molestation and infanticide are horrid things to behold, and I can’t imagine any reason why any rational person would choose watch films about either– the murders of children in various Holocaust movies are kept offscreen for a reason, and I’m all the more thankful for it.
At any rate, it would seem disingenuous to try and join a conversation on a film that I haven’t, and probably will not see. I recall when Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ” came out, I made it a point to see it on the opening day, just so I could take an honest part in the debate about it (my conclusions– the guy playing Judas looked like a young Roman Polanski, and during the last shot of Jim Caviezel sitting up in the cave and walking away I had the music from “The Terminator” playing in my head; he might as well have said “I’ll be back” in Latin). So I’m not going to make a statement on whether or not “A Serbian Film” can be art, or whatnot. I will say that it sounds as though it’d make an interesting double-feature with Uwe Boll’s “Holocaust” (another movie I have no intentions of seeing), though I’m willing to bet most fans of this film will want nothing to do with anything associated with the name of Uwe Boll. For the most part, with all that’s being described in the film and the manner in which it’s intended to be recieved, I can’t decide whether it reminds me more of all the tasteless dead-baby jokes or if it’s some cinematic equivalent of a routine of “The Aristocrats”.
Yes Jamie, you are so right! As always man! Congratulations on winning an internet fight you must feel so proud of yourself!
I haven’t commented once against ‘A Serbian Film’, au contraire, I’ve defended its right to be shown and to do whatever it wants, I’ll watch it someday and I see if it has any value to me.
What I’ve been adressing here is how you beat everyone on the basis of ‘They’re not ready’ or ‘Cowardice’ of seeing this images. Just as if you held the total truth of what this movie means to the future of cinema, which I’d say feels way to pretencious.
I think Maurizio nailed it and you called him a troll, so useful as a real argument as painting a cow red to predict if it will rain, because there is a moment in art in which it diverges, and maybe A Serbian Film will be the new branch that will follow, and emphasis on the ‘maybe’, because you assure it with such strenght that I think you may come from the future.
You’ve mentioned Nietzsche a few times, a hack as there ever will be, but have you read Lipoversky or Serroy? They did a book together called ‘The World Culture’, and here I am adressing your hate towards ‘Thor’ and my love for it, even if you haven’t seen it (and you don’t want to because ‘you don’t want to give them any more money’).
In one of the chapters of the book, this mentions how it’s silly for anyone to disregard commercial art just because its commercial, because the elitist model of art is dead, and while commercial art needs an education from those who see it massified (an education I kinda feel I have) it’s good to think that there’s as much value in the latest painting from a Swedish painter as well as a masterpiece from the XVIIIth century, the same goes to ‘Thor’, ‘Die Hard’, ‘Au hassard Balthazar’ or any film for that matter.
Perhaps I’m a troll when I talk in front of you, but that’s because I’m a mirror.
Jaime, thanks for showing up and calling me a troll, while calling Nietzsche a ‘hack’. I’ll let the irony of this speak for itself.
Btw, if you search this thread for ‘cowardice’ and ‘They’re not ready’ you’ll find I haven’t said anything remotely resembling this. But the attempt to put those words in my mouth are appreciated. Best of luck.
Jaime, great point about the necessity to give commercial art the same benefit of the doubt as any other kind, and the altogether obsolete model of elitism as far as definitions of “high” and “low” art go. If we were to disregard commercial art, btw, we’d have to disregard most of the surviving work from periods like the Renaissance, with patronage and works for hire. Is the Sistene Chappel worth any less to the world because Michelangelo was hired by the Church to paint it? Should a modern blockbuster be written off when it makes a studio millions upon millions of dollars?
Well Bob, it is a good point… but another huge strawman. Bob, you’ve know me long enough around here to know how much of that sort of thing I enjoy. I’ll, again leave it at that.
Jaime acts like the first person to realize low art can also be high art. I’ve read books like ‘The Immediate Experience’, and Kael’s elevations therein. The problem though is that even amongst the ‘trash’ their should be designations… Jaime mentions THOR, whereas intellectual trash aficionados are talking about stuff like DRESSED TO KILL, John Waters, et al. So already the bar has been lowered (unfortunately).
Jaime, you should settle down though, and please stop asserting things I’ve never said. If you think I don’t like trash perhaps you should read a few of my/our Horror countdown entries…
Also, Jaime… just so your attack is seen as the petty one it most certainly is consider these two points:
“here I am adressing your hate towards ‘Thor’ and my love for it, even if you haven’t seen it (and you don’t want to because ‘you don’t want to give them any more money’).”
Before you latch onto Maurizio’s arguments, remember that this take on THOR was HIS, not mine (and that quote you pull was his verbatim). I’m eventually came to his side as yes, I think it’s more in line with how I feel.
And secondly, you should probably realize that I work as a commercial artist professionally, which would be a weird thing for such a ‘hater’ of the commercial realities/possibilities of art no?
Jamie, I’m not making a strawman here, just responding to your almost-namesake’s point on a broad context. I know you’ve got your own favorite pieces of trash here and there, like so many diamonds in the rough (a metaphor that really should signifiy buried treasure, instead of merely the unpolished kind).
What bothers me about Kael’s points on “trash art” aren’t just how calling it “trash” disparages it even while giving it recognition– if a work is going out of its way to position itself that way like John Waters’ stuff, that’s one thing, but even her beloved De Palma deserves better half the time– but also how they betray a larger double-standard for what works can be dignified with that definition and which can’t. If you’re going to draw a distinction between your own favorite pieces of “trash art” and “high art”, the least you can do is make the allowance of respect for others to do the same. But in a way, I think the very mentality of classifying things into high-and-low by any name is the very thing that encourages that kind of selfish hoarding of what can or can’t be defined as art. If you’ve made the right choices for your personal canon, then you get to decide what ought to be on everybody else’s.
Again, that’s not you I’m accusing here, Jamie, but the larger thought movement that the likes of Kael represent.
Bob, and Jaime just to ease the tension (and maybe Maurizio can dive in too), what are some of your favorite ‘trash’ films (and I agree with Bob that even calling them ‘trash’ is slightly demeaning, but hell, some of this stuff DOES deserve it), and or trash auteurs?
For me the two directors I think of immediately are Sergio Martino (COLORS OF THE DARK and TORSO are but two), and Stuart Gordon (FROM BEYOND, RE-ANIMATOR series, and CASTLE FREAK).
Wow just logged in. I see it has been a busy morning. I don’t know what trash cinema means or how I could define it. For me there are certain genres where I can tolerate less than great films. In neo noir I enjoy stuff like Mulholland Falls or The Black Dahlia, even though I know they are not really great films. I feel the same way about some horror films like 30 Days Of Night, Halloween 2, or The Wraith. Old 30′s horror stuff like Maniac, Murders In The Rue Morgue, The Mask Of Fu Manchu or Murders In The Zoo which are all flawed, but fun to watch for me. I also love sitting down with The Perfect Storm… a cliched, soul sucking, vapid Hollywood production that is admittedly weak. Yet I am fascinated by the real life story and the location. I even traveled to Gloucester Mass last summer for a day (I like nearby Rockport better) and had a great dinner at a restaurant right on the actual fishing port. Other bad films I enjoy… Clue, Alligator, The Monster Squad, etc….
I don’t know if any of these are technically trashy or just plain mediocre genre exercises. While I am not a huge fan of De Palma I feel like he is too good of a director to get designated into such a label. Blow Out is in actuality a very good film that just looks like a lesser work due to its similarity to The Conversation (better than that dated relic Blow Up though). Still even Dressed To Kill seems like it should not be denigrated to such a backhanded term.
Your original comment wasn’t “skeptical,” Maurizio. It was both vindictive and boorish – rather ironic for someone who’s criticizing the alleged vapidity of provocation. But by all means, continue to cannibalize fellow cinephiles on the basis of conjecture. (I never listen to anyone who tells me a film, even a poor one, is “pointless” btw; such reductive assessments are barely opinions.)
I actually enjoy provocation. What exactly did I write that was boorish?
“I actually enjoy provocation.”
Unless, of course, it’s projected onto a movie screen.
Provocation with a bigger point or some meaning.
Ha Maurizio! Well at this point I think this particular matter has been considered and argued all day, so I won’t stoke the embers anymore. You have argued youur position quite impressively.
As to the films you’ve seen my absolute favorites (I believe I’ve seen them all) are RIFIFI and ATLANTIC CITY. But I haven’t seen Haynes’s MILDRED PIERCE yet and greatly look forward to it. I also have a very high regard for EROS + MASSACRE, though Allan stands alone in this regard. The rest are fair to good films, perfectly sized up by you with the ratings.
Your contribution to this thread is always cherished. many thanks.
And Sam got City of Life and Death right, too.
Many thanks, oh esteemed leader and mystic ruler.
Sam, thanks a lot for the mention.
I was really stunned to see your reaction of A Serbian Film. I’ve never seen you using such strong language while reviewing a film. I guess, if some major catastrophe doesn’t occur, one must stay clear of that one – and so will I
As for Harper Lee, it does remain a mystery why she never followed up To Kill A Mocking Bird with another book. It ranks as a great publishing success as well as one of the most critically acclaimed books. What really could have been the reason for making herself such a recluse after its publication & refusing to write another book?
I saw 3 movies this weekend:
George Romero’s Martin, which I found quite interesting;
Force of Evil, yet another great film noir; and
Thor, a ludicrous and brainless movie.
I’ve taken a day off from internship work today. So planning to rest, and watch at least 1, and optimally 2 movies
Shubhajit, I have indeed rarely spewed out such vitrol, and probably won’t have occasion to again. But as I felt this presentation was devoid of taste reason or direction I took it’s extremities as a affront to civility. The film was way over the top, and it implied that going as far as one can, it validated it’s existence. As I asserted elsewhere I am not adverse to depairing subject matter, but I have no use for depravity for it’s own sake.
In the documentary it is suggested that Lee felt there was no where to go but “down” and she opted to withdraw and sit on her great work. Of course Lee wasn’t willing to say that herself, and the speculation was posed by her elder sister and others.
FORCE OF EVIL is undoubtably a masterwork, and I also found MARTIN an interesting horror film that yielded allegorical underpinnings.
I liked THOR more than you did, but respect your position. I have some friends who agree with you.
I am at an internet cafe around the corner from the Film Forum, and have some time to attend to this thread.
Thanks as always my very good friend!
A Serbian Film wasn’t high on my to see list before reading this and your reaction has officially pushed it to the I-don’t-care list.
I took this week off from new releases, though I am tempted to take in “Love Exposure” which is getting a week run at the Silent Movie Theater here in Los Angeles. I know it has many fierce admirers (including Allan Fish) and I think I should find the time to see it on a big(ish) screen.
Like Maurizio I haven’t written here as regularly as I would like. I don’t feel compelled to bore people with the mundane details of my life. Suffice it to say it consists of writing, tutoring, writing, movie watching with the occasional few minutes squeezed in to play with my cat or talk to Everett.
You have an admirably vibrant life there Jason, and I assure you that nothing you talk about is boring.
I guess I’ve taken the discussion of A SERBIAN FILM to the limit, so I’ll only add here that in a short time it will thankfully be a footnote in the movie year. It’s certainly the very last film I’d ever want to see a second time. I don’t say that you shouldn’t give it a go at some point, and would like to hear about it no matter how you stand.
That’s fabulous that you have LOVE EXPOSURE set for a big-screen viewing. I like the film too, though not nearly as passionately as Allan, who named it as the best of the decade. Again I’d love to hear your reaction.
Thanks as always my very good friend and have a great week!
I see you are already back to 35 links, Sam!! Hope you didn’t spend too many hours on it, but many thanks for putting all this together and for kindly plugging my blog.
I made it to the cinema this week and saw Les Aventures Extraordinaires d’Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010), a sort of French answer to Indiana Jones, but must say I didn’t enjoy it at all. Too much CGI for my taste and I didn’t really get the humour – but everyone else in the cinema seemed to love it, though, so maybe it was just me.
At home, I watched:
Wild Rose (1932): One you put me on to, Sam – a silent Chinese film which draws powerful contrasts between the countryside and poor and rich Shanghai.
Shanghai Express (1932): Dietrich is great in this von Sternberg pre-Code and the cinematography is wonderful, but must say I found Clive Brook very stilted as the male lead.
Beau Geste (1939): I was excited to notice a Wellman I hadn’t seen yet turning up on TV, and loved this one – a strange mixture of swashbuckling, period drama and gritty war scenes. Gary Cooper is great as the noble hero, even if he was too old and didn’t bother to do an English accent. I now need to see the earlier silent version!
The Sea Hawk (1940): Last one in the Errol Flynn box set I’ve been watching – I enjoyed this epic swashbuckler but can’t think of much to say about it.
Judy, I am incorrigible with this link business I know! Ha! The way I see it is that I’ll take it one week at a time and see what happens. Next week it may be 20 or 25, or it may be the same total as this week.
I actually like THE SEA HAWK quite a bit. It’s a rousing adventure yarn, one of the best of the swashbucklers, and a dashing Flynn in one of his best roles. (for me it is part of the famous trio-with teh others being ROBIN HOOD and CAPTAIN BLOOD) Of course the spirited score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold (one hour and forty-six minutes in length) is one of the glories of the cinema.
Aye, I agree that Cooper is marvelous in BEAU GESTE, a quality Wellman, but haven’t watched the silent yet.
Well, I can’y say Clive Brook was terribly memorable either in SHANGHAI EXPRESS, but (again as you note) the film is gorgeous to look at, and Dietrich is towering.
WILD ROSE always reminds me of another Chinese film I love, THE PEACH GIRL, but they stand apart too, especially in that WILD ROSE looks at both side of the tracks, so to speak, in Shanghai. But yeah, it’s a terrific silent work.
Thanks again my great friend for the stupendous wrap!
The comment above about A Serbian Film being the bottom of the barrel sounds quite apt. I know enough about the film to never want to see it. If we are so depraved that only a film like this can jolt us into horror about real-life barbaric acts, than we are simply doomed as a civilisation.
I went into City of Life & Death last year armoured with a healthy dose of scepticism. For a start, I had seen the awful John Rabe biopic a few months beforehand and I was generally concerned that this would be some jingoistic rabble-rouser of a war flick. Instead, it was a work of great power, restraint & realism. Very impressed by it.
On your point re the Japanese, I felt that this film was more a work of historical record than psychological inquiry. However, there is a Japanese work called Caterpillar (2010) that I would like to see that does look to get into the whole area of 20th century Japanese right-wing militarist nationalism. I don’t think its a black comedy piece by any means, but there are echoes of Dr. Strangelove to the protagonist’s contrasting physical incapacity and ravenous sexual appetite.
Longman, when you say that CITY is “more a record of historical record, than psychological inquiry” I think you rightly interpreted what I felt about the film, despite my mild disclaimer asking for some deeper revelations. But the filmmakers obviously operated on the level you attest to here. Nice point there bringing in Kubrick’s film in the protagonist’s actions. I felt the film had great power and realism as well, and leaves a lasting impression. Yet it’s harrowing and deeply disturbing, and as a result I know a few fiends we mutually respect who found it deplorable.
That’s a most interesting assertion in regards to A SERBIAN FILM, when you say that we are really doomed as a civilization to resort to these jolting cinematic tactics. If I thought the film was being honest I may have backed off with the harsh language. But I saw everything here as a premeditated attempt to imply art by posing little more than shock value.
Thanks as always my very good friend! I know you are busy, but I’ve been closely watching your place as a caretaker! Ha!
Sam Makioka was 1983 not 1963. Hence the God awful alectronic score.
the date error was a typo Allan.
Sam,
Thanks again for the mention. The Classic Movie Blog Association’s (CMBA) 1939 Movie Blogathon is now in its second day and there are many fine entries that are worth reading for those interested in classic American cinema. For those interested here a link.
Allan’s 3000 film countdown is a massive feat that I cannot even contemplate attempting near it. I have a hard enough time deciding on a top 25! The list is also a great reference keeper. The Harper Lee documentary sounds fascinating. Financially, I can imagine Ms. Lee has made enough money over the years not to worry, and her literary reputation has remained stainless. Imagine if she wrote two more novels, both stinkers, would she be as revered as she is today or thought of as a one shot wonder? I look forward to seeing this and the Jack Cardiff doc. most likely having to wait for DVD releases. I am also looking forward to finally seeing our buddy Jeffrey Goodman’s first film, so the news of a DVD release is grand.
On my own front, it has been a busy week with little time for film watching (unfortunately). In the upcoming few weeks I will have an announcement that will at least partially explain the reason. This coming Friday, my wife and I are on our way to Vermont for a few days, so 24 Frames may be a little slow though I expect to post a review of Altman’s MASH by Thursday.
The one film I did watch was Jonathan Demme’s Something Wild (****), a wildly erotic, offbeat mix of comedy and thrills. Demme is a master at pairing odd couples in offbeat situations smoothly moving from comedy to dark farce and finally to an uncomfortable menacing violent atmosphere. Melanie Griffith has the right look and mix of wild child and innocent who gets in too deep. A great soundtrack from beginning to end.
Thanks so much, John! I truly appreciate it.
Also, you make me want to catch this new Criterion release of SOMETHING WILD, one of my favorite films of the eighties.
John: I haven’t yet visited that blogothon, but I will very soon. Yes, Allan’s list is the mother of references, and I agree it’s afeat to include that many films, in numerical order no less! I see Jeffrey has thanked you under this comment; I join with you in welcoming this revised appearance!
I think you sized up Harper Lee’s situation to a tee, and like you I can only speculate what readers and literary critics would have thought if she followed MOCKINGBIRD with two duds. Heck she reminds me of the Great One, Jackie Gleson, who shocked everyone by bailing out after the 39 classic episodes of The Honeymooners, telling everyone he didn’t want to dilute quality. And of course it’s possible Lee had nothing further to say. But by any account the novel left her finantially secure and to this day she continues to collect sizable royalties.
John, it was bound to happen–one week where you saw very little. You absolutely need a break, and the trip to Vermont sounds like true wonderment. And it’s a bit more than around teh corner for you! Ha! Hope you and Dorothy have a great time there! I’ll be looking for your review of MASH at 24 FRAMES!
I also love teh soundtrack to SOMETHING WILD and appreciate the superb capsule analysis!
Again have a great trip John! Many thanks as always my friend!
Sam, you are incredibly kind to bring such attention to the upcoming DVD release of THE LAST LULLABY. I am really excited about the news and can’t tell you how much I appreciate your unbelievable support.
I really enjoyed hearing about the Lee and Cardiff documentaries. Those both seem right up my alley, and I look forward to tracking them down.
This week, I got a few more titles in than previous weeks. I saw: THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, THE HOUSE IS BLACK, FAMILY PLOT, GUY AND MADELINE ON A PARK BENCH, FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT REVISITED, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?, LOVES OF A BLONDE, and Wise’s THE HAUNTING. I was very glad to catch them all, and I hate to say it, but I was probably most struck by the short Beastie Boys film. For any lifelong fan, I think it’s a great reminder of their career and their ability to remain un-pc and always humorous. Not for everyone but recommended for anyone who ever really got into Paul’s Boutique, or one of their other albums.
Thanks so much, Sam, for all the incredible support, and all that you do!
Jeffrey, I was thrilled to pass on the word! I’m sure this new release will bring to film to many new fans!
Yes, the Cardiff and Lee documentaries are definitely up your alley. I knew you were a big fan of the cinematographer.
Tou have managed another incredible lot of films here, several of which are among my all-time favorites. Obviously TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is especially timely, but a few others too are masterpieces: Forman’s LOVES OF A BLONDE, Wise’s THE HAUNTING and most especially, the Iranian THE HOUSE IS BLACK. Aldrich’s WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? is a lifelong favorite, and the Hitchcock is fun, if not among his better films. But your choice here again shows how much you love the Beastie Boys. I applaud you for that!
Thanks again for the great submission and best of luck at this exciting time for you my friend!
It’s a sad stste of affairs when some moviemaker wannabes have to resort to such filth to grab the headlines. I’ve read about this exploitation flick (A Serbian Film) and wouldn’t attend it even with a sizable stipend. If ever a “0″ rating is brought in, I’d say this would probably be the instance. Anyway, what a bummer you blew a Saturday night (of all nights) on this. Ouch.
I enjoyed your excellent review on the Harper Lee documentary.
I see you have resisted mentioning the Yankees these days. I see they got swept by the Red Sox in Yankee Stadium. Things aren’t looking too good for them.
Ha Frank! Yes, I’ll agree a rather bizarre choice for a Saturday night. Originally the pick was slated to be that Joseph Gordon-Levitt film at the Angelika, but when Bob countered with A SERBIAN FILM I bit. The O star rating was a knee jerk reaction, but I couldn’t honestly rate it higher.
Thanks for the kind words on the Harper Lee piece.
I haven’t mentioned baseball at all since the season is young, but it’s true the Yankees have some serious problems, mainly centering around the pitching.
Many thanks my friend!
Sam I love Jack Cardiff’s work and glad to see he got mentioned here and I know you love the Powell and Pressburger films that he was part of. He’s certainly one of the main reasons why those films are so memorable. I will have to check out that doc. I think I’ll stay away from A Serbian Film and thanks for the warning!
Ha Jon! You may change your mind on A SERBIAN FILM down the road if it becomes easy to take in. I would keep all my options open, but appreciate your confidence in my opinion. Yes I adore Cardiff’s work, and what a celebration this documentary was. A true labor of love.
Thanks as always my friend!
Sam – As I shared with you earlier, “To Kill a Mockingbird” has staying power with me as I’ve read it on New Year’s Eve/Day every year since I was 18.
WHY was Mockingbird Lee Harper’s only book?
WHY does she refuse to speak publicly about it?
These unknowns are as intriguing to me as her page-turning courtroom thriller. A mystery, to be sure!
Laurie, your achievement there is truly one for the ages, but as I stated on the other thread I am hardly surprised. I’ve used this book four times over the years, with the first instance the most memorable. I have a number of colleagues in my school who have said flat out it’s their favorite novel of all-time.
But those two questions you pose have still not been answered with any kind of certainty. The documentary offers some ideas though. And I quite agree with that courtroom thriller analogy!
Thanks as always my very good friend!
Thanks for the mention Sam! I am glad you got out to see Incendies. I think a lot of people were turned off by the twist at the end and the whole circumstance the mother puts the children in after her death, but overall it’s really a powerful film that is very well-made. You said that it requires a second viewing, but I found it a little too harrowing for me to pursue another screening.
Hope your weekend was great. It’s been awful weather here in Toronto.
David
Very good point there about INCENDIES Dave. It requires some serious emotional investment, and it’s draining. I certainly won’t be looking at it again anytime soon, but it’s powerfully etched in my mind. I liked the twist ending myself, but again could understand who others felt it didn’t work.
The weather around these parts has been mid 60′s to 70′s but with some rain. Sorry you’ve had a tough go up there.
Thanks as always my very good friend!
Good morning Sam and thanks for the shoutout. I am looking eagerly forward to the musicals series.
Sounds like you saw some great stuff. I’m intrigued by INCENDIES, which is playing the arthouse circuit here. Based on your comments, I think I will have to check it out.
It was all mainstream viewing here this weekend – “Bridesmaids” and “The Beaver” in theatres and “Country Strong” on DVD. I found “Bridesmaids” to be one of the funniest films I have seen in ages, not nearly as vulgar as its rumored to be, and with just the right amount of heart to balance the outrageous humor. “The Beaver” was just plain disturbing. It’s impossible to put Mel Gibson’s own self-destructive trajectory out of mind when watching his character’s painful descent into depression and self-hatred. Gibson is admittedly brilliant, but the film left a very bad taste in my mouth – despite Jodie Foster’s oft-stated good intentions, it felft more to me like she was exploiting her longtime friend’s problems than giving him a break. Just very painful and sad to watch.
Finally, “Country Strong” is nothing special, so I was surprised to find myself mentally comparing it to Robert Altman’s “Nashville” at various times. The music in “Country Strong” is MUCH better – and much more authentically country – than in Altman’s film, but Gwyneth Paltrow’s onstage breakdown scene can’t hold a flickering candle to Ronnee Blakely’s meltdown moment in the 1975 classic.
Hey Pat!
I’ll soon be sending on some ideas in regards to the musical poll. I’m thrilled to have your involvement and expertise!
INCENDIES was a huge critical hit, and it nabbed a nomination for Best Foreign Film this past year. Initially it’s a difficult film to navigate due to seeming narrative convolutions, but it morphes into a harrowing emotional experience. I’m planning to see it a second time, perhaps as early as this week.
I’m afraid I have teh same view of Gibson Pat. I don’t think I could ever watch another film with him as actor or director without thinking of his dire headlines of the past year. I never was a big fan of his films, though APOCALYTO and BRAVEHEART have their moments. But THE BEAVER would surely leave that same bad taste in my mouth.
While I was busy in Manhattan on Sunday Lucille and the two girls saw BRIDESMAIDS and came back with a glowing assessment, pretty much in line with yours. The reviews were rather astounding for this kind of film, and I’m amazed and delighted to hear it’s as funny as you claim it to be. I’ll have to see it soon, while it’s still playing in my local multiplex.
Ms. Blakely in NASHVILLE brings a smile to my face Pat! Ha! As far as COUNTRY STRONG I am not at all surprised by anything you say here, though I haven’t seen it. The authentic and apealing country music though is a significant mitigating factor I would think. I just the other day was listening to some Hank Williams.
Thanks as always my very good friend for the marvelous wrap. Have a great week!
Sam,
Thank you for the plug.
I am glad you find time to see “City of Life and Death”. I find it quite fascinating that you mentioned “Precise statistics are not known, as the Japanese destroyed or hid records”. Actually, large part of documents survived and (Japanese) historians reviewed them to conclude that it was inconceivably gruesome and inhumane. But many right-wing political activists question about the validity of data and writings. Anyway, these activists are also trying to block the release of this film in Japan. What a shame. Your comment “the inability or unwillingness of the filmmakers to examine why or how the Japanese soldiers chose to perpetrate such unconscionable evil” is thought provoking, really. Is a modern filmmaker able to examine these aggressors’ psyche? Depiction of gruesome details can be done technically, I believe, but Why such a level of destruction in the first place?
“The Serbian Film” has been a center of controversy for last year. I will not see the film, judging from the details I heard so far. I salute you on having such courage and determination to see the film for better judgment by yourself.
I will be waiting for your comments on Makioka Sisters. I hope they have a pristine print for this showing.
MI
Well my friend this is truthfully a Hall of Fame level comment. I love the way you always get to the vital issues in any review or brief assessment and as a Japanese man, you are unwilling to tow the ‘national’ line. Looks like you have your own right wing element over there, comparable to our own Moral Majority! Ha! I’m not surprised these individuals have tried to block the release of the Chinese film. Hopefully at some point you’ll have an opportunity to see it. In any case, as I’m sure you are fully aware, the film has been released on a Region 2 DVD, and is available from amazon.uk quite cheaply. And again you broach a fascinating concern when you follow-up the issue of the difficulty in penetrating beneath the surface in trying to establish some motive in these attrocities. It’s unlikely we’ll ever get a satisfactory answer, much like some vagueries connected to the Holocaust.
A SERBIAN FILM may eventually become tempting for you, but yeah I wouldn’t go above and beyond to see it.
I am actually heading in to see THE MAKIOKA SISTERS right now. I’ve seen it before, but never on the big screen. I know I’m in for a treat.
Hope things are moving along in your country my friend. Many thanks for the cherished response!
Sam, I’ve heard of A Serbian Film but must admit that I know little about it apart from its darkening reputation. I’m all for transgressive cinema but every critic is entitled to draw the line dividing provocation from exploitation where they please. I still haven’t seen Salo, for instance, but won’t back down in defense of Goodbye Uncle Tom or Cannibal Holocaust. The Pasolini is probably the objectively superior film of the three, but there’s stuff in it I just don’t want to see. I can’t make any plans about the Serbian film until i know more about the filmmaker’s intentions and see other critical opinions. But if I do see it, I can’t say I wasn’t warned.
Funny that you also saw a Jack Cardiff doc while I was showing a friend Black Narcissus this weekend. He was rightly bowled over, and seeing it on an HD set for the first time, so was I all over again. Otherwise I was all across the board. My review of Coup de Grace has been followed by one of Orzai e Curiazi, aka Duel of the Champions, an Italo-British sword-&-sandal drama with Alan Ladd near the end of his rope as a Roman general. I also took a look at Kenji Misumi’s Shinsengumi Chronicles from 1963, the second film on that subject I’ve seen this year and one I like a little better than the Mifune vehicle from 1969. The Misumi has a finale illustrating a sell-out of principle for power and the shutting-out of a sympathetic female that’s almost preminiscent of The Godfather.
Finally, as my own follow-up to the noir countdown I’ve just finished reading Ira Wolfert’s Tucker’s People, the source novel for Abraham Polonsky’s Force of Evil. It’s a fascinating story and a definite departure from “hard boiled” crime fiction in its compassionate emphasis on everyone’s vulnerability. If anything, it’s much more political than the movie, even going off the rails late in the game to explicitly equate Leo Morse’s (nee Minch) cowardly bookkeeper with the Germans who embraced Hitler and even equate the sleazebag who sets up Leo’s kidnapping with Hitler himself! And if you thought the movie was heavyhanded about business being the root of all evil, the novel will crush you. It was also interesting to see how John Garfield’s character was an amalgam of two characters from the novel, and how that decision by Polonsky and Wolfert improved the story. Local libraries may have this book, since it’s part of an Illinois University Press series on the “radical novel” published about a dozen years ago. If anyone’s interested in socially-conscious American fiction or the relationships between fiction and film, I’d recommend Tucker’s People warts and all.
Samuel, I do beliece that you have come up with the very best framing of this entire controversy, which should settle the dispute from future tremors:
“I’m all for transgressive cinema but every critic is entitled to draw the line dividing provocation from exploitation where they please.”
Precisely. In a nutshell. Bravo.
I exercised my right to be angry, to feel violated and exploited. To feel as if I was deceived, and worse made to see depravity that was meant to seduce just on the level of it’s extremity. Shame on the director.
Divine also ate the brown stuff (in PINK FLAMINGOS) but that campy flick was never seen to be disturbing at least not in a serious vein. SALO is certainly greater than either UNCLE TOM or CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (I felt cheated in the case of the latter Samuel) but it’s never been an easy film to watch. What Pasolini was doing or attempting to do here was never in doubt, and the film is a near-masterpiece. When you feel you are ready, I’m sure A SERBIAN FILM won’t leave you at a loss to talk. I hope at some point you review it (again, if you even see it).
You have provided an extraordinary extended capsule assessment of “Tucker’s People.” Really remarkable. And seemingly essential for anyone who rightly considers FORCE OF EVIL a masterwork. I would think libraries have it. Great to take it on after Maurizio’s countdown.
That’s a coincidence that you were screening BLACK NARCISSUS for a friend this weekend, while in selected theatres the exceptional documentary on Jack Cardiff opened. It’s certainly not an overeach to assert that there wasn’t anyone to match this master lensman in color, and his work on NARCISSUS and THE RED SHOES in particular has been venerated by film scholars and audiences alike.
I’m intrigued by your latest review Samuel, and will soon be heading over to MONDO 70. Great job on Schlondorff’s COUP DE GRACE. I haven’t seen that Mizumi, I wonder if Allan has.
As always a magnificent discssion and round-up my very good friend!
Bob Clark’s ‘black hole’ comment sounds kinda dirty. And what have you got against necrophilia anyway, Sam? Some of my best friends…never mind. That’s some buxom lass in the screen grab! Yoicks!
Started some films I couldn’t finish – ‘Platoon,’ ‘The Shooting Party’ (I remember Ms. Bowker from ‘Brother Sun, Sister Moon,’ not a memory I cherish).
Have I missed anything here? (after ‘The Thin Red Line’ and ‘Hamburger Hill,’ ‘Platoon’ felt weightless).
And a disappointment from a director I greatly admire.
NOTRE MUSIQUE — Godard, who is now 80 (time flies when you’re not having fun) meditates on man’s inhumanity to man at a conference of litterateurs in Sarajevo. But the images of war and bodies and suffering and genocide have lost their shock value after ‘Les Carabinieres’ and in our benumbed post-9/11 world of suicide bombers and militarily imposed U.S. ‘democratization.’ And the cinematic ground-scorcher of the 1960s is in an elegiac mood here. ‘Notre Musique’ is like ‘Weekend’ or ‘La Chinoise’ with all the life drained away.
In French, English, Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic and Serbo-Croatian, which gives you some idea of the babel of multicultural utopianism Godard is calling for.
Bought the new restoration of ‘Red Desert,’ pricey but priceless.
Do neurotics see colors differently than healthy, non-neurotic people? Could be, Antonioni seems to say. This is the most apposite use of color I’ve ever seen in a film, not just a case of impasted gorgeousness as in, say, a Douglas Sirk soap, a Bertolucci-Storaro epic or even Bergman’s ‘Cries and Whispers.’
Patterns, shapes and colors that are analogues to Guiliana’s and Corrado’s (Harris suffers from nervous malaise, too) states of mind.
Patterns and shapes that soothe –the Brancusi rock formations in the idyll by the sea Guiliana relates to her son — or shock — the repeated use of squares and rectangles of Rothko reds and oranges, the naked light bulb that hangs in Guiliana’s shop from a Francis Bacon triptych, elements of the environment that flay the nerve endings of Guiliana, who is possibly an agoraphobic also, as she forces herself to resume her life after a suicide attempt in a world of modernity that harrows her. Antonioni’s finest film, which means it’s one of the best ever made.
#7 on my list of All-Time Favorite Films.
Tonight it’s Bunuel and ‘Simon of the Desert,’ his short, unfinished fable from 1965. Saw this one many moons ago and was mightily impressed, so we’ll see.
Cosmic holes in the fabric of time and space are dirty, now? I guess it depends on which side of the event horizon you’re on.
No, ‘black’ holes sound dirty in the context of what must surely be an X-rated film. Like Prince, I have a dirty mind and I thought maybe you were making a pun.
Is ‘A Serbian Film’ playing nationwide or just in the jaded purlieus of lower Manhattan? As I’m pretty much unshockable, I’d like to see a film that gets raves from Allan and Jamie.
Mark S, if you need a copy I can hook ya up
Jamie,
Sure I’d love a copy. I guess Sam can give you my address or e-mail or I can, whatever, Let me know.
Thanks, my friend
Email Sam, and get my email address and you can send me your home address. This way I can also figure out which format works best for you by asking first via email.
Hello Sam and everyone who goes around these realms. Thanks so much for featuring my videogame post once more, but don’t worry that something completely different is coming up for next week so you can read it and comment on how akward it is, and that’s besides tomorrow’s Sam Flick Pick, which I should be seeing in a moment.
You had a week of certain activity, you had your revenge after all the Tribeca showings so it’s fine, about ‘A Serbian Film’ I’ll just have to say that it’s nice to see that you got your calmer side when writing the abstract for this, not the lamentably bad behaviour you had on email. All my opinions on the film itself were made in that medium as well.
I had one of the hardest weeks in a long time, and I didn’t even had classes in two of them. Monday, I worked all day on the things I had to do for the rest of the week. Tuesday was the same, but I also had the chance to see my girlfriend. I had two written works for the thursday, and I spent quite some time making both during these two days. Wednesday I presented my TV show, and the teacher liked it! We’re moving on to doing the pilot in a few weeks, so more work ahead. Thursday was the big day, but I wasn’t going to go to classes: first, I delivered one of the works via email and the second was cancelled until next (this) week, because I marched with over 15,000 students of Santiago (going over the 40,000 mark all over the country) for our rights to a public and free education, as always the represion got the best of us, as the police beated with no reason and shot many blanks to the peaceful crowd as well as stink bombs and such, one of my girl companions almost got stomped on after a crows was escaping the police. This is a troubling situation and our government hasn’t done a thing to solve neither the education nor the oppresion we suffer every time. Friday I had a test, so imagine myself with all the experiences and taking the bloody test. That same day there was another march, which I did not assist, to stop the creation of a hidroelectric plant in the region of Aysén, which shall destroy and damage many nature spots that will never be the same when it comes down. It was accepted, so we’re trying to catch it before it comes. Saturday I spent the evening with my girlfriend, and Sunday for HidroAysén (the name of the damaging project) we made a ‘cacerolazo’ with spoons and pans we tried to make the biggest sound possible so this could catch on the government.
Anyway, my movie seeing was damaged due to this, but still this is what I saw:
- The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001, Woody Allen) ***1/2 Also known as the worst movie Woody Allen ever made… and I disagree. It’s not his best, nor his funniest, but it’s well made and it has some clever jokes and a good period representation that looks nice on the screen.
- The Lost Bladesman (2011, Felix Chong, Alan Mak) *** Period chinese film with some usual tropes and characterizations that bore with the time, maybe the best scenes are from the character of Cao Cao. It all feels as if we’ve seen it in other wuxia or not period films. Still, the battles were good.
- Hanna (2011, Joe Wright) ***1/2 Good acting and some good scenes. A fascinating and impressive score from the Chemical Brothers, some guys I don’t really like. The thing that brings this down is how formulaic it feels until its last 10 minutes, which feel like a totally different and better film.
- Godzilla vs. Monster Zero (1965, Ishiro Honda) ***1/2 Aliens try to take over the world using Godzilla, Ghidorah and Rodan!!!! It can’t get any more ridiculous, but still this one is entertaining as hell. Some scenes get weird, like with the romantic subplots and the petty humans trying to defeat the monsters.
- The Last Flight (1931, William Dieterle) ***1/2 This one was my Sam Flick Pick, check it there people!
- Small Time Crooks (2000, Woody Allen) **** Funny Woody Allen film, full of intelligent jokes and some good acting showcased. I liked how it tried to combine the profane with the mundane, and succeed (unlike in Mighty Aphrodite), with Woody playing an ordinaire man (maybe too ordinaire) perfectly-
Take care Sam, have a good week!
Have to chime in here and say I’m happy to see some love for “Small Time Crooks” – I think it’s a very underrated Allen film, and Elaine May is wonderful.
Well Jaimie, I say what I did in regards to A SERBIAN FILM because I meant it. As Samuel Wilson rightly points out in his comment above anyone has the right to come away from an experience in the cinema, in the theatre, in a concert hall with an impassioned opinion one way or the other. Heck, even the renowned veteran film Andrew Sarris stormed out of a screening of Todd Solandz’s STORYTELLING, muttering loudly “I hate it! It’s sadistic!” A strong condemnation is not an “incorrect” or mean-spirited response. The fact that I rarely feel this way about any films, should raise one’s antenae. To practice shameless extrmism in the guise of art, without the requisite cinematic skills to to revulse with the worst images one could ever imagine, well, I felt it was the time to lower the boom. Still Jamie, the row is over and everyone has indeed moved on. Or I think they have? Ha!!!
God, Jamie those two active demonstration dwarfed everything else you did or attempted to do, and even eclipsed your success with that TV show, sad to say! But oh boy! Police firing blanks into the crowd, and the size of the crowd! I’d say it would be difficult to rebound from that, at least not for weeks. The issue with the hudoelectric plant is one that any true envioronmentalist would protest, and if I were there I’d be right at your side! It seems similar issues exists in just about all countries. I do hope the Chinean government will take heed of the strong public condemnation of their plans! It was good that you at least got to see your girlfriend on Tuesday, but my sympathies are with you for the hectic week you had to endure, demonstrations included.
The Chemical Brothers score was the thing I liked best about HANNA (which I had very mixed feelings about) though Ms. Ronan particularly was quite good. Your assessment is more than fair enough. I see you have been working your way through the e ntire Woody Allen catalogue over the past weeks! Nice! I am close to you on both JADE SCORPION and SMALL TOWN CROOKS, maybe a half star less, but concur with your well-reasoned capsules. Any Honda Japanese monster flick is also dead-on in assessment as far as I’m concerned. I already read your great piece on THE LAST FLIGHT at EXODUS 8:2. I like it even more, but I have no problem at all with the way you see it. I haven’t seen THE LOST BLADESMAN, but your review doesn’t aim to reverse that! Ha!
Again, my friend a spectacular wrap, though the episodes on the streets were more than a little daunting.
My apologies for not getting to a good number of these submissions tonight, but I am leaving the house now to head over to Manhattan for a screening at the Film Forum of Ichikawa’s THE MAKIOKA SISTERS. I see Samuel, Terrill, Jaime, Mark, John, Murderous Ink, Pat, Maurizio, Judy, Shubhajit and Longman have agin made yeoman contributions, and I will make good on Tuesday’s great flexibility to respond to every last one during teh day.
Thanks again, everyone!
Much thanks for the link, Sam, and thanks for warning me about A Serbian Film. I’m quite happy to stay away.
Ha Film Dr! Well, at some point it may cross your path and you’ll have to decide if you are willing to take the plunge.
The only other time I remember being this “angry” after seeing a film in the theatre was back in 1989, when I viewed HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER.
Thanks as always my friend!
Well, Samuel Juliano, here’s my weird take on Mike Leigh’s ‘Naked,’ which I think depicts John Osborne’s Angry Young Man, his Jimmy Porter of ‘Look Back in Anger’ some half a century down the pike, after hope against hopelessness, after the collapse of Marxist ideals, after decades of the depredations of reactionary politics and phony religion have shriveled the psyches and spirits of the Angries’ descendants.
Paradoxically, as the human race evolves technologically at an exponential rate, relationships between men and women, men and men, women and women have been devolving to an almost primal state. This is the ugly truth of the contemporary world ‘Naked’ evokes — the descent into drugs and hedonism, thuggery, the clash of bodies, life reduced to basic biological urges and tropisms — the old fall down the evolutionary ladder. Johnny often refers to himself as a ‘cheeky young monkey’, the missing link, and at the film’s close, crippled, he’s seen loping down the street simian-like to – where? His face, now bruised and swollen, is the battle map of a life that will always be marginal because Johnny’s outsider-ness, his anti-romantic romanticism, is irresistible to him.
‘Naked’ is blackly pessimistic, without any redeeming social value, without any sop to life affirmation. The ad hoc family of Sophie, Louise and Johnny disperses to the four winds after all the ferocity, the sadism, the emotional brutality, the vicious banter has flared white-hot and finally burned itself out. This film is everything its detractors say it is — misogynistic, misanthropic, anarchic, the social realism of the Angries turned into anti-social pathology, yet strangely it’s also exhilarating because Johnny remains undeluded to the end.
As the compulsive talker/jester/fornicator David Thewlis could not be improved upon. He won a slew of awards for this, including Best Actor at Cannes, but failed to grab even an Oscar nomination, and if that omission doesn’t sicken you against Hollywood’s ‘Academy’ nothing will.
One last whirl — ‘Naked’s momentous opening, the hand-held camera rushing towards the copulating couple, the rough sex in the alley, the uncoupling with the man and woman running in opposite directions hurling the story forward with Godardian velocity. It’s a brilliant demonstration of centrifugal filmmaking technique.
Got repeatedly interrupted watching ‘Simon of the Desert’ last night, but caught the dwarf and the ants (Lynchians take note) and the jump from the medieval Mexican desert to 60s NYC a-go-go. Which reminded me of Allan’s countdown pick of Hathaway’s adaptation of George du Maurier’s ‘Peter Ibbetson’ and how time travel fascinated Bunuel and the surrealists, so here’s a novel and a film I’ll have to dig up.
Until tomorrow
‘Naked’ is blackly pessimistic, without any redeeming social value, without any sop to life affirmation. The ad hoc family of Sophie, Louise and Johnny disperses to the four winds after all the ferocity, the sadism, the emotional brutality, the vicious banter has flared white-hot and finally burned itself out. This film is everything its detractors say it is — misogynistic, misanthropic, anarchic, the social realism of the Angries turned into anti-social pathology, yet strangely it’s also exhilarating because Johnny remains undeluded to the end.
Well Mark, you have again hit the jackpot with this brilliant comment. You may be surprised to know that I always had the same major issue (s) with NAKED (one of the few Mike Leigh films I don’t absolutely adoore!) and long thought it misogynistic and misanthropic. Still I thought Thewlis was brilliant in bringing on this frustrating vision, and there were some single powerful moments (you rightly bring up the opening). And yes his failure to snare at least a nod was pathetic that year. This is so unlike anything Leigh has ever done; geez even VERA DRAKE is a walk in the park next to this.
The business with the ants in SIMON was a followup to what Bunuel did in the belfrey scene in his EL, a film which bares more than a few parallels to the later film. And who indeed could forget that “re-location” from the desert to the Manhattan go-go! Ha!
I’d like to hear a follow-up when you finish SIMON. Thanks again for the fascinating comment! The fact that I completely agree makes it even better.
Sam, I didn’t know you approached NAKED with any apprehension. Hmm.
IMHO NAKED is one of the great films of the last 25 years. Just brilliant.
Jamie, I have some issues with NAKED, but I know so many think it’s Leigh’s masterpiece. I am not at all surprised that you are one who apparently shares those sentiments. I know the upcoming Criterion blu-ray begs for a re-viewing.
Yep, I think ‘Naked’ is a Darwinian social comedy — dark comedy. Ha.
Still haven’t gotten back to ‘Simon’ but I’ve loved everything seen so far. Then it’s on to ‘El.’
Thanks for championing The Makioka Sisters, a beautiful film I’d actually forgotten about ( memory like a sieve ). Isn’t the great ‘Fires on the Plain’ an Ichikawa picture, too? There’s another to revisit.
Later, my friend.
Mark, my absolute favorite Ichikawa is THE BURMESE HARP. Have you seen that one by any chance? If not, I’ll certainly facilitate that situation later this week. But I definitely agree with you on FIRES, which is one of his two acknowledges masterpieces with HARP. THE MAKIOKA SISTERS is coming out on a beautiful Criterion blu-ray next month, and it’s as visually sumptuous a film as has ever been crafted. Love those ravishing pink cherry blossoms!
EL is truly masterful too–an often hysterical satirical piece. That bellfry tower scene is a standout. Great too what you say about SIMON, my friend! I think I’ll given NAKED another go, very soon.
0 Stars by Sam? It’s the rapture alright!
Thank you Sam for yet another excellent MMD entry.
My internet has been intermittent, so haven’t been checking sites. But I’m sure reading them all when I do connect.
Haven’t seen any film off late either. Will have to get back to business soon. Been catching up with Cannes buzz. 2011 is just gonna be hectic for film buffs.
Sam, mark my words: THE ARTIST will end up in your top 10 films of the year.
Many thanks Srikanth!
Yes, I can’t even remember the last time I issued such condemnation for a film. But as you can see on this thread, I have ben taken to task for it by a few in no uncertain terms. Ha! I fully understand the situation with the internet. I must admit that over the past two weeks I just have not had any desire to read any blogs, make any comments or even add posts here. I know everyone admits going through those stages, but for me it was more like blogger burnout at its height. But since yesterday I seem to be on the upswing.
That is very exciting news you relate there about THE ARTIST!!!
I while ago I saw A Serbian film simply because everyone told me that I should not. It is as disturbing, vile and sick as sane people say but what I don’t understand is why a movie like A Serbian Film is considered absolute trash while SALO is lifted to the skies like some sort of masterpiece by critics. The plot in SALO stinks, the cinematography is shacky, and it too contains deviant perversities like Pedophelia, Coprophilia and Erotophonophilia. What then makes this movie so fantastic and different from A Serbian film? You either like them both or hate them both, both ways of reasoning I can accept but to say that one of them is terrible while the other is great, well that it is a logic beyond my understanding.