Yeah…I did enjoy it. I was hoping to catch Depardieu’s version of Maigret too, but the times just didn’t work.
1 Like
Maigret’s definitely worth a watch. It captures the feel of Maigret, although plotwise it strays a fair way from the book.
1 Like
Watch Official Competition (Competencia Oficial) this morning. I don’t think i’ve ever seen a better movie about making a movie before, and there should be awards, if not nominations, for the Oscars. Essentially a movie for three stars, Penélope Cruz as the director, Lola, Antonio Banderas as Félix and Oscar Martínez as Iván, playing the two brothers.
Irene Escolar, the star of the SBS series, Tell Me Who I Am, plays the female lead in the (made) movie and her scene where the two guys are practising kissing her is hilarious.
Some very funny, but subtle, moments and most of the film is in the rehearsals.
Looks like it was eligible for last year’s Oscars, just proving what cretins they are.
And for those owning a Mitsubishi Pajero, you’ll get to see what the word means.
3 Likes
Saw Full Time this afternoon…and I reckon I’ve had two beauties this week.
Laure Calamy plays Julie, a harried single mother of two young kids who’s working as the head chambermaid in a swish Paris hotel. Problem is that there are massive strikes affecting transport all over France, she lives quite a way out of town, and she’s trying to get to a job interview in her real profession, market research.
The sort of film the Europeans do so much better, and in a more subtle fashion. Calamy would have wanted a long bath and a fortnight off after this one.
2 Likes
I went and saw " Splice Here" at the Acmi premiere . It’s quite niche - a documentary notionally looking at the craft of projectionists , but in reality a nostalgic love letter to the art of real film in a digital era. It’s a bit long , and the pace shifts a little bit - you could get quite a good show/short film from the Hateful8 preparations - but I quite liked it overall. A few others found it a slog, so it’s very dependent on whether the subject appeals to you or not. The production is very good though, it was shot on various equipment over the course of a decade and the colour grading etc has been done extremely well.
The director mentioned after the showing that the first cut was a 4 hour runtime! Now that would have been heavy going! As it is, at just over two hours it could probably do with a little more trimming.
1 Like
When l did my teacher training in 1978 l had to get a licence for an 8mm projector, including how to splice film pieces together. This was in the days before VCRs. Films for classes were ordered from somewhere in the city, sent out by train, and had to be returned straight after viewing.
1 Like
I did a 16mm Projectionist course at RMIT in the late 70s for work (had to show the odd film now and again as part of my job in the CES Training Unit)
We had to learn to splice as well and also had to be able to use about 10-12 different projectors in order to pass the course.
It was great fun.
2 Likes
All the offices in the Western Zone between 1984-88
Footscray
Moonee Ponds
Newport
Niddrie
St Albans
Sunshine
Werribee
Yarraville
I was at Niddrie 84, Sunshine 85, St Albans 86, and Niddrie 87-90.
Any of these names familiar?
Jex
JP
Dooga
Hendo
1 Like
Elsewhere in this thread l have posted links to movies to be found in the Russian Movie Hub. l have not watched a movie on there since the war began and will not give them any more views until the war is over.
Finally caught up with Power of the Dog. Reminded me a lot of Brokeback Mountain … some similar themes, same austere feel, similar setting/time period.
Given the hype expectations were very high and it mostly delivered. It’s quite slow but delivers quite a punch by the end. It looks gorgeous and the performances are all first class. An impressive piece of work.
1 Like
Some Blitzers may have read in the last couple of days that the British film magazine Sight and Sound has just conducted a poll of its readers and announced that the greatest movie of all time is Jeanne Dielman, 23 rue du Commerce, Bruxelles 1080. I’d heard of it and read about it and even begun to watch it on Criterion, but stopped almost immediately when I realised it was 3½ hours long. However last night, because of this poll, I decided I would watch it.
Suffice it to say that I do not agree that it’s the greatest movie of all time. Nowhere near it, not even the top 100. Sort of interesting at first, but ridiculously overlong and with a “shock” ending so predictable and ridiculous that I nearly laughed.
I can see why Sight and Sound readers, many of whom are professional critics, would love it. The film was made in 1975 by a woman, Chantal Akerman, who made what she described as feminist films and was much loved by critics – less so by the moviegoing public. This film is simply an observation in minute detail of the life of a single mother with a late adolescent son, who makes ends meet by meeting a different man each afternoon who pays her for sex. There is very little dialogue in the film at all, and virtually none between Jeanne and her clients; they say “Bonjour” when they arrive and “Au revoir” when they leave. The sex, what little we see of it, appears to be totally devoid of joy, or indeed any human interaction at all. The film is described as an exercise in realism, but in fact in this respect it seems to be utterly unrealistic; why would a man return week after week for sex with a woman who never talks, never smiles and has all the reaction of a starfish to the sexual act? And the passages with the clients are the highpoints of the film’s action; otherwise we see Jeanne cooking, cleaning, shopping and sitting doing nothing.
I’ve seen the film described as a portrayal of a life of quiet desperation, or some such expression. You do get a sense that Jeanne is at the end of her tether. But why? Why choose to live like that when she could do something else? 1975 was at the end of the “trente glorieuses” in France and Belgium, the 30 golden years after the war when the economy was expanding, there was work for everyone, wages were good. So if she hated her life so desperately, why didn’t she do something about it – something other than the “shock” at the end. I don’t even think it’s really a feminist film. Surely a feminist film would explore to some extent the reasons why she lived life as she did, and why she didn’t at least try to change it if she hated it so much. There is no sense of Jeanne Dielman as a person.
My suggestion would be very strongly to avoid wasting 3½ hours of your life watching this boring film. I guess at least I can say that I’ve seen it.
6 Likes
This review may well have more merit than the film itself. Def won’t be on my summer watch list.
1 Like
Haven’t watched many films lately but found myself enjoying the indie Shithouse (called Freshman Year also I think) by young director Cooper Raiff who co-wrote, directed, played lead.
Look, it’s imperfect and won’t go down as a remarkable piece of cinema but it was genuine, earnest and honest to itself. The cinematography was nice, clean and simple, a pleasurably minimalist type of budget cinematography (close shots and less extras). Nice balance of humour complementing the drama to stop it resembling anything syrupy. One of those easily watchable films you just pick up and run with. Some of the tension in the pathos escalated perhaps a little too quickly and missed that cause-and-effect element but largely this was enjoyable and deals with adolescence and vulnerability with some sensitivity and realism. The main character’s roommate is the classic portrait of a typical jaded, farting manchild, early twenty something, everyone knew, was or still is mates with one of these dudes. Must admit I felt some nostalgia for a different time in my life but am in some ways glad to have left those cringeworthy youthful anxieties behind.
2 Likes
I’ve found over the years that a lot of movies that get highly rated by critics don’t really measure up for the average movie fan.
2 Likes
This is exactly why I don’t read anything about a film before seeing it, then revert back for reviews and discussion afterwards if I see fit to do so. I prefer to go in with as close to a blank slate as possible; no words, no scores as little as possible which isn’t easy today, to be rid of any prejudice that might preoccupy me on first viewing. It’s easier to do this with music I find.
Sight & Sound’s list probably has about as much merit and Mike Sheahan’s awful top 50 AFL players lists.
3 Likes
A few on my list for January:
- that Banshees one
- Tar
- White Noise (Netflix) … I’m a big Delillo fan!
- Triangle of Sadness
Anyone seen any of these?
Notable films I watched in 2022, along with my very pithy reviews:
- Decision to Leave … stunning!
- The Quiet Girl … ok, but a bit dull
- Everything Everywhere all at Once … my fave of 2022
- Drive My Car … a slow burn, but a masterpiece
- Three Thousand Years of Longing … simply didn’t work as a movie
- Emily the Criminal … anything with Aubrey Plaza is going to be good
- Nope … yep
- Where the Crawdads Sing … nope
- The Stranger … absolutely cracking Aussie suspense film
What have I missed?
EDIT: oh, and I started watching RRR and after about 10 minutes thought it was the stupidest film I’d ever seen. Did anyone like it?
1 Like
I watched white noise the other night looked interesting to begin with, slow start. Was building, middle was good then really dragged. Ended up turning it off with about 10 minutes to go. Just couldn’t bare it any longer.
I’d recommend not watching it.
2/10
Not totally surprised. That’s a book I wouldn’t have thought they’d turn into a film.