Posts by Sophia Williams

Polanski can take even the most grounded, realistic scene and turn it into pure fantasy—just by tweaking the camera angle ever so slightly...

It runs about three hours and ten minutes. There’s always someone in the audience grumbling—like, "Okay, we're leaving now"—even though the theatrical cuts are usually a bit tighter. I honestly can't remember how long the cinema version lasted.

The real question is—should she have confessed?

Didn't Polanski essentially "tell" the audience—much like how John Ford used to say, "When I have something to say, I send a telegram!"—through that scene where Tessin can't find the letter from Leigh Lawson, while Tess is bathed in sunlight... suggesting it was all a blessing?!

You really can't fault Tom for "betraying the premise"—every bit of tension is captured perfectly...
More coming soon. I have to run now.🙄

Yes, that was back in 1973... during the production of The Godfather... I remember seeing this photo in a newspaper once—it was Marlon Brando with an arrow through his head... Apparently, he was actually auditioning for the part at the time (!!?)... And they say he used to chew on orange peels just to get those signature Corleone cheeks... or maybe it was cotton wool... 😕 Just those little little quirks from the greats...

Marlon Brando was certainly a star, but he had this incredible ability to completely transform himself—going far beyond what any typical "Star" could manage...

He played everything from the aggressive, queer persona in A Streetcar Named Desire, to the suburban rebel in The Wild One, a German officer in Young Lions, a jealous and sexually frustrated husband in Reflections in a Golden Eye, and even a dangerous tough guy in Apocalypse... he wasn't just limited to those intense, eccentric types like Orson Welles (who, let's be honest, was primarily a director anyway...🙄..).
🙏

Man, if global administrations were even half as efficient and lightning-fast as film moderators, we probably wouldn't have to deal with the headache of—well, bureaucracy...
🙄

I should also mention that casting Sarah Miles and Veruschka von Lehndorff—it really shows how much thought Antonioni put into intentionally stirring up a scandal...

Fair enough—I can definitely get behind that. (Though I wouldn't go so far as to say Coppola had this specific film in mind when he made "The Conversation"... To me, his focus was more on the paranoia sweeping through American society at the time—that sarcastic lesson where the hunter becomes the hunted... And while De Palma certainly paid tribute, it feels ironic—almost like he's playing with his own profession and the very essence of cinema...)

I’ll add a few thoughts of my own—without just repeating what’s already been said about the movie. Just some of my own theories...

First, I don't think Antonioni was actually trying to replicate Cortázar's text.
It felt more like a desperate attempt to grasp a younger generation—one he was already losing touch with back then.
And I can't help but see a parallel with modern-day Bertolucci, who—from "To Steal Beauty" all the way to "The Dreamers"—seems to suggest that you can't truly understand the "soul of a generation" just by filming beautiful actresses...

Second, it wasn't just Hemings—Jane Birkin also made her big breakthrough during that era.
We saw her naked... and honestly, that scandal mattered much more to everyone than debating how "accurate" the adaptation was. Which, I suppose, is a bit unfair to the author—likely the only Latin American writer I actually respect...

Peter Morris58 said:Which movies left you feeling absolutely nothing—not even in a bad way? I wouldn't even call them boring, because being boring at least leaves an impression... but these were just completely soulless. You watch them and then instantly forget they ever existed—just totally indifferent...

I would love to list some examples, truly—but I've already forgotten them...
😁 😍

Right now, all I can think of are "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Armageddon"... though I'll add more to the list as they come back to me.

So, you haven't completely forgotten them after all, have you? 🙂

Well, I suppose I wasn't exaggerating quite as much as I thought...🙄

Lisa Ramos28 said:Mentioned it, by the way...

Eraserhead is twisted—and I loved it—but it doesn't haunt your thoughts quite like those other two films. I just adore Lynch because his atmosphere is unmatched; once you watch one of his movies, you never feel quite the same. You might be preoccupied with a thousand real-world things, but after a Lynch film, you're transported to this entirely different realm where everything feels beautifully strange. His worlds are so distant, yet somehow so close to our own that they pull you right in. But hey, that's just me—I know some people find them totally depressing.

Twin Peaks is also incredible. Everyone trashed Dune, but I thought it was great, obviously. Maybe it's because I was obsessed with that Dune strategy game back in middle school—the characters felt like they were pulled straight from a Lynch movie. Rabbits is legendary; Lynch is clearly getting more and more psychotic! Wild at Heart is absolutely brilliant, though it's one of my slightly less favorites. God, Lynch 😍 he needs to film something new immediately! 👍

My apologies. Lisa... so...
Well, there are a hundred people here, or 115 if you count the outliers...
It was actually Eraserhead that got me thinking (though, if that’s even a recommendation—and seeing as you seem to agree! 😁 —it's certainly "twisted"...😍 ), specifically regarding the existence of heaven and hell, and whether we might already be living through some kind of earthly hell... The meaning and possibility of happiness in this life—I think it challenges you to decide whether you're truly meant for an "eternal spirit/soul" existence, or not...
The film causes such turmoil, simply because the question is so delicate...
I suspect a more sensitive viewer—someone prone to questioning everything—might actually feel a sting during the screening, wondering if they are truly alive, or heaven forbid, in... hell...😍...

Lisa Ramos28 said:Every single Lynch film is worth a watch! Though—of course—not everyone will see eye to eye on that. Blue Velvet was probably his most accessible work for the general public, so... there's a better chance you won't be cursing the universe once the credits roll. Personally, I lean toward his more complex, cryptic pieces (like Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive)—the ones that leave people feeling completely bewildered (especially when they head to a theater near the Mississippi, expecting something mainstream like American pie... 😠 It’s honestly exhausting! Lynch is a genuine glimmer of hope in this bland, hollow world! 🙏

I'm actually surprised you didn't bring up "Eraserhead"...😁
It's true that this particular film was a hit—giving him enough producer money to eventually blow his entire reputation on that "Twin Peaks" sequel... even though the series actually deals with what happened "before."

Blue Velvet represents such a beautiful moment of inspiration for Lynch...

As for those two you mentioned—Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive—I'd say they feel a bit like pure mannerism...

Is Lynch really a glimmer of hope?! The man is such a pessimist..!
😁

I get the feeling people actually cheer more for Toše than they do for the American representative...😉 But honestly, all I can picture in my head is some backup dancer...🙂 I don't even remember who was singing alongside her...👋

zabic said:What if it was actually Sandra who?!?

It is. Her!👍

Christian Lopez said:Today marks the anniversary of ABBA's big win.

Thirty years ago...

In honor of that moment—rock on!👍 🙂

I remember watching—Martin’s secret agent was actually Matt Helm, and in the film Ambushers, he was hunting down some government flying saucer that had been kidnapped by someone else... there were quite a few comedies just like that.

In the next movie, *in like Flint*, the girl from *Flintica* was played by Jean hala—she played Lisa... though back then, the top leading lady in Hollywood was actually Stella Stevens... She appeared in a few spy and agent parodies, but alongside Dean Martin, who was also filming spy comedies at the same time—running parallel to Coburn...

zhabotinsky said:The secret agent Flint—there are a few movies there. A parody of a parody, really. Major inspiration for Austin Powers.

Actually, let me correct you there—the primary inspiration for Austin Powers was actually the film Casino Royale starring Peter Selerese...

As for Flint, yes, that was James Coburn... I’ve revisited a couple of those old parodies, like Our Man Flint and In Like Flint from '66 and '67.
The character actor Lee J. Cobb playing his boss was just superb; the director was the talented Daniel Mann... and Gila Golan was absolutely stunning...
Man, those sixties were something else...!

bipolar2000 said:It’s honestly unbelievable.
You always seem to show up right when I—well, when I don't actually need you...

If only I could smash this keyboard hard enough to actually draw a smiley face...

But seriously, where even are you?😕 👋 👋 👋

Gary Kelly8 said:This really just shows how little people actually know about certain actors' careers—it’s a bit of a stretch. Someone remembers a single movie with a young actor, forgets seeing them later on, and suddenly they’re on this "failed wunderkind" list... People say things like that about Frankie Potente, Kirsten Dunst, even Michelle Pfeiffer... That's exactly why IMDb exists—so you can actually do a little homework first.
In my view, the only ones who truly fit this category are those who walked away from their careers entirely, like Joaquin Phoenix...
Though I'd also throw in someone like Andrew Dice Clay—you know, from Ford Fairlane. He was almost more entertaining than the usual Ace Ventura type, yet he seems to have vanished—even if he is still filming something somewhere...

I was called out here regarding the hopes placed on Potente's career.
Look, we all know what IMDb is... But my point remains—she was young, and she shouldn't have waited so long to jump into American roles after spending so much time working in small European productions that barely make it into US theaters.

She still hasn't had a massive breakout hit—but then again, what even counts as success? At the end of the day, maybe only Nicolas Cage finds it worthwhile to give great performances in low-budget flicks...
😁 😉 😎
And obviously, Pfeiffer is older now, but she succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams—she's a total STAR... 😉

I can't recall any of them—just like always.
All I remember is that 1984 win!!—some 18-year-old German woman with a guitar and ABBA, and that’s really about it...
Oh, and Riva, of course...