Talk About Movies: Part 4
Somehow threads merged, so here's part 4 of our ongoing movie discussion.
No, seeing it tomorrow. But you said she didn't have screen presence. I gave you films where I think she does.
Add The Witch and The Northman to that.
But I'll let you know what I think about Furiosa soon.
I ask my friend if she wouldn't mind taking me somewhere, and she replied, "As you wish."
Hey, are you quoting The Princess Bride at me.
"Nope. Never seen it."
"Inconceivable."
How the hell has anyone over 50 not seen The Princess Bride?
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It's never sounded at all interesting to me, even when described by someone who loves it.
Don't feel bad, its no Die Hard.
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chillrob isn’t like other moviegoers.
Ok, ok, we get it.
You're not cool.
Hey, I've seen and loved La Region Central and Satantango, but also enjoyed Diehard and The Princess Bride although I wish Buttercup were more like the one in the novel.
Yesterday I watched About Dry Grasses, another over three hours epic from Nuri Bilge Ceylon. Two middle school teachers are accused, wrongly, of inappropriate behavior with female students. Both men are attracted to a teacher at a school in a nearby town who had her leg amputated while at a protest. The town where they teach is covered in snow, and we only see the dry grass at the end of the film.
One of the characters says at the beginning of the film that everybody lies, even, it seems, to themselves.
It's a great film, but it does require patience. There's also one astonishing scene near the end of the film that is totally unexpected. Filmmakers lie too.
Available on Criterion.
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There is plenty of dialogue in Furiosa though, just not coming out of Furiosa's mouth. Maybe ATJ doesn't have the screen presence to make that work.
You think George Miller limited ATJ's dialogue because she can't act? That's a take. There wasn't much dialogue from Hardy in Fury Road - does the same take apply?
I thought ATJ was great and did a hell of a job with the role as Theron did in Fury. Excellent movie.
I think Theron did a much better job, but also that Fury Road gave her more to work with on the character than Furiosa did.
ATJ seems very one-note-y to me.
Love Lies Bleeding was great. Gritty and absorbing. Kristen Stewart has had such an interesting, diverse career post-Twilight. I wonder if she'll ever return to mainstream cinema?
One minor quibble:
Spoiler
once events started heating up, I was choking on the idea that these two out of control, sloppy idiots were going to get away with it. How dumb would law enforcement have to be to not catch them? Yeesh.
Love Lies Bleeding was great. Gritty and absorbing. Kristen Stewart has had such an interesting, diverse career post-Twilight. I wonder if she'll ever return to mainstream cinema?
One minor quibble:
Spoiler
once events started heating up, I was choking on the idea that these two out of control, sloppy idiots were going to get away with it. How dumb would law enforcement have to be to not catch them? Yeesh.
Kristen Stewart is great in Personal Shopper and The Clouds of Sils Maria, both directed by Olivier Assayas.
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Just got back from Furiosa.
In a word: spectacular. I'm dumbfounded by people saying it's not worthy of Fury Road. It's bigger, more epic, and with even more stunning action.
Loved the cast, loved everything about it, really. This a dark fairy tale, like a modern day Grimms.
George Miller, at 79, is making the best action films ever made. It's incredible.
Sean Baker's Anora wins top prize at Cannes. Baker seems to specialize in outcasts as in Tangerine and The Florida Project. Anora's plot concerns a stripper who marries the son of a Russian oligarch.
What I love about Baker's films is the respect he has for those whose lives are lived at the boundaries. He captures the humorous and the poignant convincingly.
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Hey, I've seen and loved La Region Central and Satantango, but also enjoyed Diehard and The Princess Bride although I wish Buttercup were more like the one in the novel.
Yesterday I watched About Dry Grasses, another over three hours epic from Nuri Bilge Ceylon. Two middle school teachers are accused, wrongly, of inappropriate behavior with female students. Both men are attracted to a teacher at a school in a nearby town who had her leg amputated while at a protest. The town where they teach i
I watched it too, on Criterion. I loved Ceylon's earlier film Once upon a time in Anatolia about searching for a dead body. This new one is really artsy. I think it is supposed to be like a Chekhov play, a philosphical and psychological study of 3 main characters. The protagonist, Samet, seems at first to be charming and admirable with his teaching career. As events occur in the movie , I found him more and more unlikeable. He seems cynical and narcissistic at heart and ends up hurting people. I think Samet was thinking of the village people as "dry grasses", not of much value. There is a long conversation between him, Samet and Nuray, the woman, in her apartment that reveals his beliefs and anchors the movie. By the way, I think Samet went to take a Viagra pill in that special scene In an interview Ceylon said he put it in to remind people that it was a movie to ease the tension. I didn't think it was a good idea. The movie reminded me of Santantango that you mentioned because of the long walks in the snow and the grass. I can't say that I liked this movie because it was slow and, ultimately, was a downer.
yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing that one, John. His movies are unique.
I couldn't quite see what was going on in that scene, but it seemed a Brechtian fourth wall thing. Somehow I think it made sense.
I was caught up in the long scene with Samet and Nuri.
I also liked the inclusion of the still photographs that seem to reveal the true character of the subjects.
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Donkey Skin A dying queen makes her king promise to only get married to someone more beautiful as her. The king is presented with pictures of possible wives and is unimpressed until he sees one that fits the bill. Turns out it's his daughter.
I would highly recommend you watch this while on hallucinogenics because everyone involved with this was obviously on them.
There's red horses, and blue horses, and red people and blue people and some that look like oomp loompas and some that are dressed up as pilgrims. Royalty, it seems like to wear really big clothes.
I'll put the rest in spoilers
Spoiler
He insists on marrying his daughter but she isn't sold on the idea so she goes to see her fairy godmother who tells her to request a series of dresses she's sure the king can't come up with - one that looks like the weather, one that looks like the moon, and one that looks like the sun. The king's tailor somehow gets this done so the fairy godmother tells her to ask for a donkey skin. Oh, yeah, forgot to mention the donkey. The king's donkey poops gold coins and jewels. Nevertheless, he skins the donkey and gives it to his daughter. The fairy godmother tells her to put the donkey skin on and run away, which she does. But not before the fairy godmother gives donkey skin (the princess's new name) a magic wand. She comes to a town where everyone seems to be in suspended animation except for the horses. She meets an old woman that is actually moving. The old woman tells the princess to call her old woman. Oh, yeah, the old woman spits out frogs every once in a while. The townspeople make fun of donkey skin. Then a lonely prince shows up and walks around in the woods until a rose tells him to go down the path to where donkey skin lives. I forgot to mention that donkey skin brought her dresses with her so while she isn't wearing the donkey skin, she's all dolled up since she can wave her magic wand and get all kinds of stuff. The prince goes to the cabin but is stopped by an invisible barrier that apparently doesn't surround the entire cabin because he can stand on some stuff and peek into the window. He falls in love with the dolled up princess, then goes home and begins to die of love. He tells his mother he wants a cake baked by donkey skin so she makes him one but puts her ring in it. He scarfs down the cake and pulls the ring out of his mouth then tells his mother he will marry the woman that can put the ring on. The king announces this, but says only a woman with a slender finger can wear this ring so all of the maidens in the village try to make their ring fingers smaller. The day comes and they all line up to try the ring on but, of course, none of them can. Then the prince requests donkey skin to try it on and she does and becomes a beautiful princess. They get married and during the ceremony a helicopter (not making this up) lands with the king and the fairy godmother who tell the princess they are going to get married.
The end.
Minari is a small and slow movie thats largely subtitled. Id recommend it if that hasn’t already turned you off. It’s about a family of Korean immigrants trying to make it as farmers in the Midwest. The best thing I can say is that it will make you feel grateful and that’s no small feat for a movie or anything really. It will make you appreciate your life by comparison but also shines a spotlight on the things that really matter. I was surprised to see Brad Pitt was an EP and have to give him props for helping movies like this to still get made.
Donkey Skin is a Jacques Demy film and well worth watching. Available on Criterion.
I loved Minari.
And speaking of epic films, Lawrence of Arabia is back in theaters on August 11 and 12. This will make the third time I will get to see it in a theater.
The first in 1962, and the second in 2012. I only wish I could see it in 70mm.
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Furiosa was fantastic, thanks for the rec Dom
Unbelievable movies both of them
