driftingeagle27 said:So, you’re telling me, Robert Cooper41, that this movie sparked public controversy? But let me ask you something—is any of this debate actually substantive? Is there even any real intellectual weight behind these arguments? Because if we actually wanted to deal with our past, if we truly wanted to face the darkness head-on, wouldn't we need to stop playing around and start producing some serious, heavy-hitting cinema about the tragedies in Warsaw, Ottawa, or Ovčar? We should be making unflinching films about what happened at Ćuruvija, or the fates of Stambolić and Đinđić, or even the whole mess involving "Mr. Legija." Wouldn't that finally force a real, massive, and honest confrontation with everything we've done? Instead, we just get these endless, shallow debates that go nowhere!
But what if I told you that the entire movement actually gained its momentum only after this film hit theaters? Isn't it fascinating how much power a single piece of cinema can hold over the collective consciousness? You have to wonder, really—did the film follow the culture, or did it act as the very spark that ignited the fire? It makes you think about how many other historical shifts were actually triggered by a flickering image on a screen rather than some grand political decree! Is there anything more insidious, more quietly corrosive to the modern psyche, than this pervasive, suffocating sense of "nostalgia"? It’s a trap, isn't it? A psychological cul-de-sac that we all seem to be stumbling into lately, looking backward with such desperate, wide-eyed longing for a past that—if we’re being honest with ourselves for even a single moment—never actually existed in the way we’ve polished it up in our memories? We find ourselves mourning a golden age that was nothing more than a collection of convenient illusions, aren't we? We cling to these faded, sepia-toned snapshots of "simpler times," ignoring the grit and the chaos that were always part of the fabric, just so we can feel a momentary, fleeting sense of comfort in a world that feels increasingly unrecognizable. Why are we so terrified of the present that we'd rather live in a ghost story of our own making? It sounds like we’re looking at that specific kind of confrontation again... you know, the kind that forces everything out into the light. Honestly, if we wanted to, we could follow the lead of people like the Germans and, in fifty years' time, go through that same process of reckoning ourselves. Why shouldn't we? Is there any other way to truly move forward? 😁 Seriously though... take Susan Neiman, for instance. She’s this philosophy professor based out of Berlin who has essentially "dedicated" her entire career to dissecting the roots of destruction, violence, and the sheer nature of evil throughout history—her latest book, "Evil in Modern Thought: an alternative history of Philosophy," dives right into that rabbit hole. Isn't it fascinating how some minds just gravitate toward the darkest corners of our collective existence?Is there anything else that captures the sheer weight of intellectual darkness quite like "Evil in Modern Thought: An Alternative History of Philosophy"? Honestly, I find myself constantly returning to its pages, wrestling with those dense, sweeping arguments that seem to pull the rug out from under everything we thought we understood about the progression of Western ideas. It’s one of those rare, heavy-hitting works that doesn't just present a timeline, but actively challenges the very foundations of how we perceive the evolution of morality and reason. Why is it that we always assume philosophy moves in such a straight, upward line toward enlightenment? This book dares to suggest a much more fractured, perhaps even sinister, trajectory, and frankly, it makes you question if our modern sense of progress is nothing more than a carefully constructed illusion. It's exhausting, brilliant, and deeply unsettling all at once.Last year, during one of those panel discussions at the CZKD center—the one titled "New Patriotism: Left, Right, East, West"—Susan Neiman was speaking about this film, arguing that it’s absolutely vital for German society. Now, I don't mean its "artistic merit" or any such lofty nonsense, because let's be honest, that's rarely the point, isn't it? No, she was emphasizing how crucial it is for forcing the public to actually look at certain events from the past... things that have been swept under the rug and largely ignored for far too long.
The subject matter itself doesn't inherently dictate whether a conversation is going to be high-quality or complete garbage... isn't it obvious that everything ultimately hinges on the actual people sitting around the table? It’s all about the participants, really! But here we go again—we’re slowly drifting back toward the topic of the film *Lepa selo lepo gore*, and honestly, haven't we already spent far too much time dwelling on this? It feels like we’ve been circling this drain for ages, hasn't it?
There’s this one Discipline Spine album titled "liking oneself so as not to be unpleasant"... and honestly, isn't that basically the unofficial motto for all of David Cronenberg's movies? 😁 But seriously, he is such a fascinating figure because of that incredibly specific auteur style he possesses... a style that just isn't exactly "easy watching" for the general public. You always see critics describing his work through these heavy psychoanalytic lenses, which has turned into a bit of a cliché, doesn't it? They're constantly throwing around terms like the unconscious, the ego, internal conflicts, and so on. He eventually became a master at adapting literary works—think >, >, >...—which inevitably led to those constant accusations from the critics: claims of pornography, misogyny, or some twisted depiction of sexuality.
He actually admitted himself that MGM rejected the initial draft of the script for > because they claimed it "wasn't linear enough" 😂 So, what we have here is the "sanitized" version.
p.s. Given how "gross" certain scenes can get, this movie is actually quite mild compared to some of his other stuff like > or >... and frankly, I really don't want to know how women feel while watching >. 😱
I noticed there isn't a dedicated thread for this movie yet... and honestly, there really ought to be one. 😁
Quentin Tarantino. Zatoichi—the legendary blind samurai from that iconic 60s Japanese film and TV series.
The first time I sat down to watch it was at Sundance, and I have to admit, I came away feeling pretty let down... I just couldn't quite wrap my head around his constant genre-hopping: you've got samurai tropes, sudden action, musical elements, and then comedy thrown into the mix?!
But after coming back to it for a second viewing a while later, things started to click for me. It seems Kitano is trying to push the boundaries of cinema by moving away from standard genre conventions, instead using them merely as a loose framework to showcase his own highly specific directorial style. 🤔 To put it more bluntly: it’s an interesting film... certainly not up there with his absolute masterpieces like Hana-bi or Kikujiro, but still a step above the mediocrity of Dolls or Brother. And that ending? It is hands down one of the most jarring, "out there" conclusions I've seen in years.
I remember reading somewhere that Zatoichi is basically the Japanese version of Kill Bill... I suppose there's a grain of truth to that comparison, but explaining why would require a full-blown scene-by-scene breakdown... and we can get to that once a "critical mass" of people here has actually seen it.
Oh boy, a brand new Wong Kar-wai!! 👋 Though, I have to admit, I’ve got this nagging sense of dread... if you look at the absolute chaos this production went through—constantly fighting budget overruns, rewriting the script on the fly, actors getting dropped or quitting mid-stream—it’s enough to make anyone nervous. And the plot itself feels so surreal, doesn't it? We're looking at the year 2046, set in Hong Kong fifty years after it came under Chinese control, wrapped in this moody "sci-fi noir" atmosphere... and of course, naturally, there's a romance at the center of it all. 😍
Still, we can't forget that "In the Mood for Love" absolutely swept the awards over in France... plus, with Tarantino heading up the jury, and his connection to the distribution via Miramax for Wong Kar-wai's earlier hits like "Chungking Express"* (where, on the later DVD release, Tarantino actually introduces the film) and "Fallen Angels"... who knows what might happen?!
* - Back at UCLA last summer (1995), Quentin Tarantino introduced a screening of ``Chungking Express'' and confessed that while watching it on video, ``I just started crying.'' He didn't say he cried because the movie was tragic, mind you, but rather because ``I'm just so happy to love a movie this much.''
I’ve always found myself regularly flipping through Rolling Stone... I mean, sure, it isn't strictly a cinema rag, but their reviews are top-tier, and those deep-dive features and interviews? Absolutely stellar. Whenever I happen to stumble upon them, seeing American Cinematographer or Empire Magazine really makes my day.
There it is! I’ve finally stumbled upon a real gem here. It’s got everything you could possibly want: a gripping murder mystery, raw passion, plenty of sex... and it’s all wrapped up in this thin veneer of a story about a middle-aged writer dealing with "creative block"... well, okay, maybe that's not strictly how it plays out, but if I tried to explain the nuances, we'd be here all night. The casting is absolutely top-tier—we're talking Jane Fonda and Ian McKellen—not to mention Margot Robbie, who is just incredible for a multitude of reasons. 😁 😁
Honestly, while I was watching it, and even long after the twists were revealed, my mind kept wandering back to Alfred Hitchcock. I truly believe he would have been proud of a film crafted like this. Highly recommended!
This movie is absolutely fantastic! Though, if I recall correctly, there was a little bit of a "drag" during that scene at the old IMF forum. That whole bit with the passport is just brilliant (haha!)... and if my memory serves me right, those postcards saying "Greetings fra sunny Yugoslavia " pop up toward the end too.😁
By the way, the director John Cameron Mitchell is currently working on a new project titled "Sex film Project".
Mitchell wants to create a film featuring "meaningful dialogue, a dramatic arc, robust camerawork and lots of hardcore screwing." Says Mitchell, "Shooting porn has become very standardized: you have a camera up the ass, another camera up the vagina...I want the sex to look the way it does when you're having it. You don't necessarily see up your ass." 😂
George Cruz65 said:Exactly! I can still vividly recall that Scorsese's Guide through American film—or something along those lines—where he breaks down that massive shift in the American Western landscape, specifically how we started moving away from that classic superhero archetype. He uses the evolution of the genre to show how we drifted from the traditional heroics found in the works of Ford and Duke, using films like Stagecoach, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and The Searchers as the perfect benchmarks for that transition.
The absolute highlight of that entire documentary has to be the anecdote... you know, that moment when they actually asked Fritz Lang what he thought about the then-new CinemaScope film format, and his response was just pure gold: It’s perfectly suited for filming snakes and funerals. 😂
A while back, I was hunting through all of NYC trying to track down that specific movie (it reminded me so much of 😉...) but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. They used to air it every once in a while on cable, but since nobody really uses VHS anymore, I’m guessing if there were even any copies out there, they're incredibly rare now. Maybe it'll pop up on a DVD somewhere!?
Anyway, I think I'll reach out to a few film buffs I know and see if they've heard anything.
By the way, that film is an absolute masterpiece—easily one of the top five movies from that whole era of American cinema.
That massive three-hour epic is actually Cremaster III, the final installment in the series. Apparently, word on the street is that its sheer length makes it a bit much unless you're one of those hardcore devotees who lives for this stuff. I was scouring Amazon and Barnes & Noble, only to find nothing but the "Cremaster III: The Order" DVD, which—get this—is just the final 30 minutes of the actual film!? Can you believe that? On the bright side, there’s this massive monograph titled "Cremaster Cycle" that covers the whole saga; we're talking over 500 pages of photography, though it'll cost you a small fortune at about $200.
By the way, a lot of the big-shot art critics have been hailing Matthew Barney as one of the most significant artists working today... he has this incredible knack for fusing disparate forms together in such an original way, blending cutting-edge technology with symbols borrowed from Freemasonry, Celtic mythology, pop culture, and more. It's quite something, really.
Here is a fantasticread about him (found on this really interesting site 😉)
I have to admit, I’m absolutely gutted that I missed the screening of the Cremaster trilogy at the recent film festival, even though I had spent quite a bit of time "preparing" myself mentally for it. You have to realize that Matthew Barney is such a fascinating, complex figure; his films aren't just movies, they are really just one medium in a much larger, sprawling ecosystem where he weaves together his drawings, sculptures, and photography into this singular vision. MoMA
Some trivia for you guys: - The cremaster muscle is actually the muscle responsible for covering the testes, functioning to raise and lower the scrotum to regulate temperature. - And then there is the connection to Björk, who dedicated "Pagan Poetry" to him.
Betty Gonzalez30 said:Fine, whatever.🙂 I get it—they’re fighting, dodging bullets, flying through the air, and doing all sorts of crazy stuff.🙂
A Japanese-Chinese-Korean-Middle Eastern fusion film😁
So, that kind of movie actually falls under the "wuxia" genre, which, besides the standard Martial Arts flicks everyone knows, is a huge staple in Asian cinema. The whole distinction lies right there: heroes in "wuxia" stories possess these almost supernatural powers—think flight and other mystical skills—which sets them worlds apart from your run-of-the-mill Martial Arts protagonists.
Then you have the Japanese side of things, obviously, with their samurai epics rooted in their traditional theater style, known as "jidai geki."
Now, this is actually quite fascinating... if I really sit here and chew on it for a second, perhaps dissecting this film through debate is even more compelling than just sitting there watching it. There’s almost no traditional dramatic plot to speak of—hardly any character development or clear motivations—because everything, and I mean absolutely everything, is subservient to that one singular act, presented through this fragmented, non-linear structure told via various teenagers. The shots are incredibly long, drawn out, almost sluggish; the camera literally stalks behind the students, drifting through those sterile, hollow hallways. The atmosphere is utterly cold and bleak... all underscored by this incredible sound design where every single movement feels amplified into a deafening roar...
It seems van Sant is playing quite skillfully with the stereotypes often used to depict these kinds of tragedies, essentially laying out his own philosophical stance on human nature: the roots of violence are vastly more complex than the shallow versions we see portrayed today. Society, the system, the family unit—they all conspire to manufacture these walking "time bombs," and it's really just a matter of waiting for someone to finally "explode." As long as we keep hiding the truth, how can we ever expect anything to change?
That teaser trailer where Billy pops up as a character in every single one of those nominated films is just absolutely brilliant, both from a technical standpoint and the way it's scripted—though I suppose if Michael Moore were involved, he’d probably be demanding an immediate ceasefire in the war over 😂 . - Right after that legendary Academy Award win for Return of the King and all the typical celebratory speeches, Billy just looks out and declares: "As of this moment, everyone in New Zealand is officially welcome!" 😁
It’s honestly fascinating how things play out... you start with this tiny, semi-indie flick, and then suddenly there's all this massive hype building up, the awards, the nominations... it creates this ripple effect where way more people end up seeing it, though clearly in a completely different headspace than what Sofia Coppola actually intended. This isn't some slapstick comedy, and those cultural or racial tensions aren't just there to provide cheap laughs for the audience... but then again, isn't that exactly why I love movies that leave an "unfinished picture"? I mean, isn't it much better when the viewer has to step in and complete the story based on their own unique sensibilities?
I honestly think I stumbled upon the most spot-on movie review ever on IMDb: "It's all about nonsense". Honestly, I’d rather not even dwell on that wasted hour and a half of my life... it was easily one of the most pretentious pieces of cinema I've ever had the misfortune of watching. It felt like even the actors themselves weren't entirely sure what the hell they were filming, because they just looked completely lost... and when you consider we had such an incredible cast—I mean, Sean Penn, Joaquin Phoenix, and Claire Danes—to call it anything other than a total disaster is just being generous, right? 👎
Richard Hernandez13 said:Quick question: what was that track playing at the start when Bob is riding around in the taxi?
It's Death in Vegas - "Girls." It wasn't actually written for the movie; you can find it on their previous album, "Scorpio Rising," from last year.
(And then you go off on a tangent complaining about DivX... I mean, honestly, I don't remember the scenes vividly enough to have known that instantly myself!) 😉
Oh, right, it just hit me: I have to mention Aleksei Balabanov’s "Of Gods and Men"! The entire movie is bathed in this sort of sepia tone that fits the atmosphere so perfectly... those empty streets, the desolate squares. It is absolutely phenomenal! As for more recent stuff, Andrey Zvyagintsev’s "Resurrection" stands head and shoulders above everything else! That ending, where it turns into a series of still photographs—it almost feels like they’re trying to explain the whole film through those images.
It’s almost impossible to look at the body of work from cinematographer Robert Fraksi without noticing those signature hallmarks—those incredibly saturated colors and those dreamy, long exposures that just pull you right in: Fallen Angels, Chungking Express 😍 , Days of Being Wild, In the Mood for Love (all four WKW films!), Temptress Moon, Hero, Last Life in the Universe, The Quiet American, Rabbit-Proof Fence...
To be honest, I found myself feeling a bit skeptical about "The Cell" the very second I noticed Mark Protoshevich was the one behind the script. 😁
Richard Hernandez13 said:Maybe you'll actually change your mind once you hit your midlife crisis, won't you? 😁
...unless you’ve already had your fill of it. Dammit, why does it always feel like every single person on these forums was born in the exact same year as me?!
Hmm... I’ve come to realize that when you look at it through a wider lens, the film is really driving home the idea that feeling empty "on the inside" has absolutely nothing to do with how old you are... which, honestly, only serves to intensify that bizarre, unsettling environment our "heroes" find themselves trapped in.
p.s. When it comes to the passage of time and how certain things just seem to age better than others... honestly, that last Darkwood Dub album is absolutely superb. 😉
