Saturday, July 22, 2017

Weekend Open Thread

It is the weekend.

Hey, everyone. Sound off below.

36 comments:

  1. I haven't had a lot of time to watch stuff in the past few weeks. I did revisit Fudoh a couple days ago because Chaybee had mentioned many months back that it's his favorite Takashi Miike movie. It had been a while since I watched it, and yeah there are a lot of things to love about it. I think Gozu is still my personal favorite Miike film though.

    Aside from that, it's mostly been stuff from the 1930's this week. Specifically I watched Drums of Jeopardy, A Free Soul, Love Me Tonight, and in a little bit I'll be watching Flying Down to Rio. I've been writing stuff about them as just a bit of a personal exercise, but my most important takeaway so far has been that Norma Shearer is fantastic in A Free Soul and just in general as well.

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    1. Tell me what you think of the airplane wing sequence from Flying Down to Rio, Ross. Sheer craziness.

      Norma Shearer was a tremendous actress. A FREE SOUL benefits greatly from being a pre-code movie. The sensuality of her performance in the film that early 1930s Hollywood allowed is still striking today. Despite being a big fan of THE WOMEN (1939), Shearer does not really get a chance to shine in that film. Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford, and Paulette Goddard are the ones I think of from that.

      Have you seen NIGHT NURSE (1931) OR RED-HEADED WOMAN (1932)? Those are some memorable pre-code films. The Busby Berkeley musicals at Warner Brothers are favorites from the era as well. The musical numbers of 42ND STREET and GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 are still amazing to watch.

      I caught the 1935 adaptation of A TALE OF TWO CITIES on television this week. While not appreciating the melodrama much, I was extremely impressed by the production. In this era of CGI spectacles, the images of hundreds of real people in period dress moving around massive sets is even more dazzling than it probably was back when the film came out. The 1954 version of WAR AND PEACE, although a mess of a film, is a delight to watch for the same reason.

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    2. Nice Ross! I wonder if Fudoh is my favorite because it was the first Miike I saw followed by Ichi and City of Lost Souls. I think Gozu is my second favorite. It's definitely the most "Lynchian" (I know, I hate that too) and it rivals the Xtro birth :)

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    3. Casual, I've seen Red-Headed Woman (which is great), and my dad fairly recently got me into watching Busby Berkeley's stuff after hanging out with him one day and watching Hail Caesar! which has some Berkeley homages in it. I'll check out Night Nurse when I get a chance though.

      And yes, the airplane wing sequence in Flying Down to Rio is amazing. I suppose that's just the kind of thing you get when you bring someone like Linwood Dunn on to do effects for your musical romantic comedy.

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    4. Nothing Rivals the Xtro Birth!

      Just kidding. 😉

      Maybe not...

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  2. Bon weekend à tous. Good weekend to all of you.

    Another week of life. Another week of politics. And another week of many things depending on the individual.

    Another week of watching movies as well. It was a busy one this time.

    CAREFUL (1992)- There is no denying that Guy Maddin's vision is unique. He is a Canadian filmmaker who makes modern films using the visual aesthetics and storytelling techniques of silent cinema. His technical capacity to replicate the look of the movies of the silent era is astounding. CAREFUL is a superbly twisted take on silent melodramas with images that make you wonder how they were achieved. It is bizarre, mesmerizing, and disturbing. Highly recommended.

    ELLE (2016)- At nearly 80, Paul Verhoeven continues to be provocative, but this French production did not work for me. Isabelle Huppert plays a career-minded woman who is raped in her house. The attacker hovers around her throughout the film, but she remains unwilling to go the police. All the subplots that are then added only dilute the strength of the mystery of the main story, making the film a little too unfocused.

    I DISMEMBER MAMA (1972)- A terrifically chilling performance by Zooey Hall anchors this low-budget production about an escaped psychopath who desires to kill his mother. Although the title - most likely a reference to the 1948 film I Remember Mama- is more lurid than the actual film, I Dismember Mama is generally creepy and contains moments that are genuinely unsettling. Recommended for fans of 1970's exploitation.

    CRY OF A PROSTITUTE (1974)- This Italian cross-pollination between mafia film and spaghetti western is as rough in style and content as I have watched in a long time. The fact that Andrea Bianchi was the director might account for that. Henry Silva plays a mobster who intervenes in a conflict between two family clans in Sicily on the orders of his boss. Even with two watches I cannot completely explain the plot, but that does not detract from the entertainment value. The visuals and sound effects of the gun battles are at times so reminiscent of spaghetti westerns that, beyond the modern clothes, the scenes would not seem out of place in an actual western.

    One troubling aspect of Cry of a Prostitute to note is the misogyny directed at Barbara Bouchet's character, the prostitute referred to in the title. The misogyny is contained not only in the tremendous contempt shown toward her by the male characters but also in her characterization. While misogyny is not uncommon in Italian genre cinema, the level it is at in this film is more than a little uncomfortable to watch.

    MIFUNE: THE LAST SAMURAI- Being a great admirer of Japanese cinema, I was immediately drawn to this documentary. It analyzes the career and films of the great Japanese actor in detail. Consequently, it would likely only hold the interest of fans of Toshiro Mifune's films. The parts that I enjoyed most were the interviews with the people who worked with him.

    Hope all you have have some good watches this weekend.



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    1. MIFUNE came out in 2016. It is currently streaming on Netflix.

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    2. Really wanting to check out Cry of a Prostitute now that Code Red put it out on Blu and your review has done nothing to dissuade me.

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    3. If you are in the mood for a rough genre film, Patrick, Cry of a Prostitute will not disappoint.

      I would not have watched it twice if I did not like it. It moves at a brisk pace, and it has Henry Silva, one of the greatest tough-guy actors in cinema history. His face can communicate all you need to know about how he feels and what he is going to do about it.



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  3. Man, Casual, you are killing it! I'm not an Elle fan either; it felt like the work of an old man who was trying to be provocative to me. I'm a big fan of I Dismember Mama, so your rec to '70s exploitation fans is on point.

    Kuso (Japanese for "Shit"), Flying Lotus' first movie, finally came out this week as a Shudder exclusive, and it was exactly what I'd expected it to be. This was easily one of my most anticipated movies of the year, but just out of curiosity. He gives special thanks to Adult Swim and Quentin Dupieux, which is appropriate because he steals as much from both of them as possible. David Firth, who created Salad Fingers way back when, did a lot of work on this too, unfortunately, even co-writing some of the segments, and Jimmy Screamerclauz, director of Where the Dead Go to Die, did a lot of animation for it. It's exciting to finally start to see movies that are genuinely of the internet generation, and can claim as formative influences people like Chris Cunningham, the Brothers Quay, and David Lynch (more people who are directly ripped off here; even Goatse makes a brief cameo of sorts). The movie looks amazing, But FL doesn't say anything interesting, and seems mostly concerned with trying to be cool, confrontational, or funny, and fails consistently at all three. It's a much more disgusting, much less rewarding American take on Funky Forest.

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    1. Oh yeah, and there's a number of pornstars in it, most notably Lexington Steele, who is actually pretty good here! More directors should be making use of pornstars, who are right there in L.A., often are not bad actors (how awesome was Belladonna in Inherent Vice?), and are willing to do pretty much anything.

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    2. Sure, some porn actors/actresses can actually act. Marilyn Chambers was good in Rabid, but unfortunately, her brief career didn't go much further than that (I don't count Lusty Busty Fantasies as a movie).

      I'd be curious to see Kuso. Flying Lotus is a very talented musician, but not sure if that would translate to the screen. It's his first time directing and writing, and coming from music, I'm not sure how well he knows his way around a movie set.

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    3. Yeah, Kuso was freakin' painful to get through. I was dying. It took me four hours cause I keep stopping it to do more interesting things like watch New Edition music videos on YouTube.

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    4. Kuso was a turd. Wore out its welcome about a half hour in for me. Then it's constantly weirdness for weirdness sake and to be provocative. The humor is flat, probably because I was out it.

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    5. After listening to The Rialto Report podcast for a long time, I am no longer surprised by how many adult film careers have their beginnings in the theater world. When they had the chance, some actors and actresses showed they could act. A film like WATER POWER is almost totally carried by Jamie Gillis' performance. Eric Edwards is excellent in it, as well. Ron Jeremy has gotten many roles outside of adult films.

      I do not think adult actresses have gotten the same opportunities, either in the past or present, to show off acting skills. The poise many have shown in front of a camera, though, is hard to accomplish without possessing the ability to perform a role.

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    6. While I was watching the Planet of the Apes tv series last week, every time John Naughton was on screen, all I could think about was how much he looked like Jamie Gillis, ha ha.

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  4. I re-watched Bon Cop Bad Cop (2006) which which is a pretty good Canadian buddy cop movie. A lot of the humour is related to Ontario/Quebec stereotypes, so I don't know if this would be as enjoyable for someone not familiar with the region. Also, the movie is bilingual, with the characters switching between French and English mid-sentence sometimes. I understand both, but for everyone else there are subtitles. It's kind of refreshing, because it's so similar to the kind of conversations I'm having with my in-laws and friends from Quebec, where we'll easy switch back and forth.

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    1. I love all of the Canadian hockey humour in BCBC (Lindros, Pocklington references etc) but Harry Buttman was all aces for me. I was hoping the main villain was going to be Patrick Roy. Familiarity with recent NHL history adds a ton of enjoyment to this, but it's not a viewing prerequisite.

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    2. For a second, I thought you were talking about Roy Dupuis, who is a fine actor. I really loved him in Manners of Dying, and The Rocket, (and another, but can't recall the name). Although I haven't seen anything recent of his, I'm glad to see he's still working. I met him at a film festival in Abitibi (the only film festival I've ever been to). It was mostly a mix of Quebec or Ontario films, many bilingual, and he was in several of them. He's a native of Abitibi, so it was kind of a big deal for everyone there!

      When I looked up Patrick Roy on IMDB, there are dozen's of them! It's such a common name in Quebec! The goalie, of course, being the first to come to mind.

      It wouldn't be a Canadian movie without lots of hockey humour! (spelled with a u)

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    3. Sorry, Patrick Roy was a legendary, hall of fame goalie for the Montreal Canadiens, who was traded to the Colorado Avalanche after a very messy, public spat with team management. As soon as he got to Colorado, he won two Stanley Cups with the Avalanche and Montreal hasn't even made the finals since he was traded, disappointing their rabid fanbase. It's just another crime against Canadian hockey that I thought fit the theme of the movie.

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    4. This was all back in 1995 btw.

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  5. Also worked through the original Planet of the Apes series.

    Planet of the Apes - Did he just kiss that ape?

    Beneath the Planet of the Apes - Mostly a rehash of the original, with some telepathic weirdness thrown in near the end. Linda Harrison is so dumb, but so very hot in that "primitive" attire.

    Escape from The Planet of the Apes - Very strong entry that flips the original premise with the apes coming to modern day earth. There's a little twist at the end, that I didn't realize at first. Lesson, some people are dickheads.

    Conquest of the Planet of the Apes - Lesson, all humans are dickheads. Except black people. Because slavery. Hmmm, not sure how I feel about that, but it was made in a different era (era). The character arc of Caesar, going from an innocent child, to a vengeful leader, is brilliantly done. The apes have become pets/slaves to the humans. The colour coded overalls helps to tell the chimps and gorillas apart.

    Battle for the Planet of the Apes - Just about to watch this one now. I kind of want to stay in this world longer. I might try to get my hands on the TV series (only 1 season, but still 14 more hours of POTA). There are a handful of for-TV movies, but from what I gather, there were made from editing bits from the TV series.

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    1. I watched the TV series as well over the last week, and it isn't that much fun. It's cool and kitschy, so it's worth it if you're into that aesthetic, but it's very repetitive; it's clear it's only a season long because people must have lost interest in the same type of story getting told every episode. The most interesting thing about it is that it takes place on the franchise timeline before the original and after Battle, closing the time loop established in the third film, and cancelling out the supposed "ambiguity" of the last movie's ending, confirming that men and apes were not able to maintain peace with each other. That time loop element was the most interesting piece of the original franchise to me.

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    2. Fudge! It just hit me that you were still watching part 5. Don't read the above comment until after, sorry!!!

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    3. I liked how Battle for the POTA connected the irradiated people from Beneath but otherwise wasn't very good. Although the ape costumes and makeup were well done as usual, they seemed to be working with a low budget. The human "army" consisted of about 20 guys and a school bus. The subtext in this one was less interesting (lets all get along!)

      I don't normally think of this series when thinking of time travel, but it does have a pretty cool time loop paradox.

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  6. Watched "Sleight" and it's definitely the most frustrated I've been with a film in a long time. The love story part of it really bothered me. It's completely unreal and unbelievable how these people like each other. The characters also make such unrealistic decisions based on their situations that I was pulled out of the movie about forty minutes in. lastly, the magic aspect just doesn't work. They would have been better off making this a super hero origin story (which maybe it is?) cause then I would have been more forgiving of the lack of script and development. I didn't hate it, It's fine, but I wanted to love it.

    Also watched a small, indie Horror "The Sublet". While not that good (it's ugly and the acting is really flat) I enjoyed it enough due to it's puzzle-like story which kept me interested and I think (?) it made sense in the end.

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  7. Will there be a Dunkirk podcast coming this week?

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    1. Don't think so. Working on a review now.

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    2. And after Interstellar, I don't think anyone wants me podcasting on this movie.

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    3. Super happy to read that Patrick. The internet's reaction to Dunkirk has me feeling like I've gone crazy.

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    4. It's all because of Interstellar that I want a podcast but I'm guessing you didn't enjoy Dunkirk. I'm excited for the review!

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  8. Valerian is Bonkers with a capital B. It's above good/bad criticism, really. I liked it. It's just crazy. Beautiful of course, mostly. 3D is insanely good. Exceeds Avatar in some moments. Two leads are surprisingly very likable. It's forgettable probably, but fun while you're watching. Fantasy aspects lead you around and you don't know where you're headed next is probably the film's best quality. And then some of it is very very dumb lol

    The best way I could describe it is, I would say think of 80s fantasy movies with cool ideas now with the technology to go anywhere.

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    1. Yeah, I really liked it. I kept thinking it would run out of steam, but it somehow kept finding a crazy new thing to show every ten or so minutes for all of its two hour run time.

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  9. By chance, and because I go into movies blind, I watched two back to back FF films tonight. "The Gracefield Icidient" is an awfully acted and typically shot, run of the mill found footager but it's got some goof suspense and the last fifteen minutes are really entertaining.

    "Phoenix Forgotten" is a technically well done film about those mysterious lights over Phoenix back in the 90's but, damn, it's as boring as it gets for this genre.

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  10. I watched Don Mckay (2009) starring Elizabeth Shue and the perpetually morose Thomas Haden Church. It's a nice little thriller/mystery that gets a lot of mileage from its stinginess with information and a strong cast. It also features Melissa Leo, Keith David, M. Emmet Walsh, James Rebhorn and Pruitt Taylor Vince. It's sort of like a character actors' Pro Bowl. Chubby Checker should get a screenwriting credit on this one, because by the time the third act kicks in, the plot keeps twisting the night away right up until the end. There's also a fair amount of dark humour along the way. With reasonable expectations, there's a lot to like here.

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  11. I watched Logan. It's unquestionably a really solid film. It's pretty meditative and takes risks for sure. A high energy action movie with a brain. It's also really interesting to think Jackman played Wolverine for about 17 years. It was a rough story but it was nice to see it all come together with style. Overall, the basis leads directly into what comes next and that is what makes this memorable. Highly recommended for action movie fans, comic fans, and thinkers.

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