What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

[Chienfantome]

I haven't seen Gosford Park since I saw it in theaters back then I think, but I really loved it.

[Buscemi2]

I went to see Nea, a Young Emmanuelle at the Quad Cinema's Nelly Kaplan retrospective. When I looked up this event, this was the most intriguing title due to being once popular on the rep circuit and the title suggesting something much like the classier erotica of the era. Instead, I got a terminally boring film about a Swiss teenager who in an attempt to avoid boarding school (she's a terrible student and is about to be held back), writes a erotic novel anonymously and soon finds her publisher, whom she has a thing for, is trying to take the credit (doesn't this sound a lot like a recent film?). Hardly anything happens and I even fell asleep at one point.

The Quad Cinema experience was more interesting. The screens are small but the seats are comfy, the concessions are reasonably priced, and you can bring your luggage with you.

[Screen203]

Supposed to see a preview showing of Booksmart on Wednesday - hopefully it lives up to the hype

[Buscemi2]

Steve Martin's filmography in which he both starred and worked on the script could be seen as a master class in how to do comedy. Films such as this one are excellent examples of his genius and fountain of ideas at work. Not many people could make a movie like this (which is basically Seven Samurai if it had The Three Stooges) and succeed the way it does here. Martin's brand of humor is often satirical and silly but he does it with a lot of heart. Not many comedy writers can pull that off.

This also might have Chevy Chase's best performance (ironically, Chase hated the film), as it might be the closest to his own persona: a buffoonish egoist living on past glories.

[Buscemi2]

The local arthouse showed this one in cooperation with one of the theatre companies (they're staging the musical right now and a few scenes were acted out as a pre-show). And I'd forgotten how good of an adaptation this was. Yes, it does change some things from the book but the message remains and the talent behind the scenes (Agnieszka Holland directed, Caroline Thompson wrote the screenplay, Roger Deakins lensed the film, Francis Ford Coppola served as executive producer) is impressive. It's also a much classier family film than you see nowadays (not sure how that bodes for the new one STX is releasing for the holidays), as it trusts the audience and doesn't resort to cheap tactics to interest the viewer.

A good comparison to this one would be Alfonso Cuaron's A Little Princess but I like this one much more.

Up next: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

[Ron Burgundy]

Sorry, havent been keeping up Boosh, give me time.

What i will say, is in the last 3 nights i watched:

Aladdin
9.5/10
Robin Williams, actually the whole cast including Jafar are close to perfect. IMO better than the Lion King...by far

Ninja Scroll
8/10
How is this not more well known? Tranny u better say you have seen this or ill ninja jump to u and slice your head off

Tango & Cash
7.5/10
I actauly watched this twice, admittedly drunk- for the max viewing times of about half a dozen now. At first you dont care that plot has holes nearly everywhere cause the chemistry and one liners of the two leads are as good as it gets. Then u notice the plot holes, but then u realize, its supposed to be so over the top, so it all makes sense. Seriously, if u think Terminator or Predator has better one liners, go see this ASAP. im looking at you shryke

Everybody Wants Some!
7/10
Talk about a movie taking you to a time and a place, and then kinda stereotyping but almost accurate enough- bout early 80s young manhood. Is it sexist just coz no female leads? Nah dont think so, its a character drive movie, just about i guess, "Jocks" (we dont have Jocks in straya btw)

[Buscemi2]

Everybody Wants Some!! was based on Linklater's days playing college baseball. I'd say there's more truth than you're led to believe.

[Buscemi2]

A mixed bag, really. One hand, you have some strong musical numbers (though I can't see Russ Tamblyn without thinking of Dr. Jacoby from Twin Peaks) and incredible dance sequences (even if you hate musicals, you have to appreciate the work that went into the footwork). On the other hand, it's a rather misogynistic film. Yes, I get that it's Gold Rush-era Oregon but the way it depicts women is quite uncomfortable at times (especially in the scene where the brothers kidnap the women after hearing the Bible story and they develop a precursor to Stockholm Syndrome). But unlike some other mixed bags (such as The Public, which I reviewed last week), this one could be rather likeable with enough positives for me to acknowledge its importance in the musical genre. And pre-Catwoman Julie Newmar.

Up next: 8 Mile.

[Buscemi2]

The cinematic example of Pyrrhic victory. I think this is a much better film about the old South than Gone with the Wind, as it doesn't glamorize the era. Rather, the film seems to condemn their old ways as a lot of what happens in 1850-51 New Orleans is of their own doing. But the film is truly about Miss Julie (Bette Davis) and how she'll do anything to get her man (Henry Fonda). This is the kind of story that was seemingly done best in the Golden Age, where Hollywood truly knew to do movies with meaning. The film also really knows how to do character development, as Davis and Fonda's characters are allowed to stand out and become more than just character archetypes. Maybe it was the result of having John Huston (three years before his directorial debut of The Maltese Falcon) co-write it.

Up next: 8 Mile.

[Buscemi2]

8 Mile is the case of a film that could have been absolutely terrible (see Get Rich or Die Tryin' for the same idea done badly) but managed to succeed thanks to the decision to surround Eminem with talented people and to focus on the world of rap battles instead of making Slim Shady into something he's not. The film is unglamorous, which would make a studio turn their nose on it today, and director Curtis Hanson does not shy away from the grungy and depressing world that is Detroit. The plot may seem Hollywood but everything around it is not. Maybe it's a rap version of Dennis Potter's Pennies from Heaven. Also, this film made me realize that we lost Brittany Murphy too soon.

It's also interesting to note that Papa Doc (the film's antagonist) grew up to be Falcon. And General Zod is Kim Basinger's boyfriend. And Xzibit appears as a factory worker.

Up next: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

[Buscemi2]

The first time that George Lucas flirted with the concept of prequels. This darker follow-up to Raiders of the Lost Ark is not as good as the first film and there are some problems (a lot of it being due to issues in both Lucas and Spielberg's lives at the time) but it's still an enjoyable ride with perhaps the most underrated character in the series (Short Round) and that mine cart chase might be the best action sequence Spielberg ever directed. And as for the more graphic elements that get criticized, why not? We can't have everything be the same, as if the MCU existed in 1984.

Up next: Some Like it Hot.

[Chienfantome]

When we were kids, with my sister, we used to love watching Temple of Doom, hidding our eyes behind our hands when the sacrifice sequences appeared onscreen.

[Buscemi2]

Criterion goal: met. 50/50 seen in a theatre or with an public or paying audience.

Would it be wrong to say this was the first LGBT film made in Hollywood (or at least the first since the Code was established)? A fast paced and charming comedy about two Chicago musicians hiding out in Miami after the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Billy Wilder focuses equally on story and humor and the end result is one of the best comedies ever made. Nowadays, a film like this would get bogged down in raunch and they would certainly cast Ryan Reynolds and Chris Pratt in the leads and it would be terrible and possibly offensive to anything with a pulse. But here, it's a timeless comedy with excellent performances and a whip-smart screenplay. They sure knew how to do comedy then.

Up next: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.

[Buscemi2]

Bette Davis's ugly duckling saga is kind of overrated but it's certainly more entertaining and less superficial than many newer films that have used the same story. The film is at its best when Bette gets to break out of her shell and be a modern woman who goes against the wishes of her overbearing mother (and pretty much every scene between her and Paul Henreid is a high point). It loses some steam later on and it gets a bit melodramatic in the last third but it's not hard to see why this is such a beloved film of hers. Had it been a bit shorter, I'd agree with it being an all-time masterpiece.

Up next: Nausicaa.

[Buscemi2]

Miyazaki's breakout film. A sci-fi epic with a pro-environment message, it might in a way a better version of David Lynch's Dune. It is also a sign of things to come with many of Miyazaki's trademarks (flight, cute side characters, strong female leads, using the animation medium to tell ambitious stories as well as show off the incredible visuals) included with the post-apocalyptic story of the ills of humanity and those who fight to change it. In 1984, Nausicaa had to have been the apex of animation and it still looks amazing today on a big screen.

I know that the original US release of this (titled Warriors of the Wind) cut over 20 minutes, made the Ohms (those giant armadillo-like insects) villains, and deleted the message almost entirely. I have to wonder how anyone was satisfied with this version. Without the message, you're left with just another simple anime. No wonder why Miyazaki hated this version and wouldn't allow a major domestic release of his work for a while afterwards.

Meanwhile, there was a short film shown before the movie and I couldn't make much sense of it. It involved humans having a second identity as different animals in a future where animals cease to exist. I didn't get much from it and I'm convinced it was made for the furry crowd.

Up next: 9 to 5.