Flipside Movie Emporium

[beltmann]

[beltmann]

[Danny Baldwin]

Well, this was my second viewing, and I did experience it in theatres. And, I think on full-frame televisions that aren't big enough, full frame can enhance certain things, because they're not particularly good small, and the bigger the better. With stupid comedies like this one, it really doesn't matter, but I would prefer full-frame, without a gigantic TV screen.
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Danny Baldwin

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[the night watchman]

8/10 - 8/17



Irreversible

Sasquatch

Spider

Dead & Buried

Godmoney

Motel Hell

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter

Boggy Creek 2 (via MST3K, thank providence)

Freddy vs Jason
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"If you're talking about censorship, and what things should be shown and what things shouldn't be shown, I've said that as an artist you have no social responsibility whatsoever."

-David Cronenberg

[JoeE]

8/10-8/17

If... (Anderson)

XX/XY (Austin Chick)

The Jimmy Show (Whaley)

Holy Smoke (Campion)

Kind of a slow week...

[beltmann]

8/10 - 8/17

Several are second viewings (indicated):

Bartleby (Parker, 2002) (2)

May (McKee, 2003)

Irreversible (Noe, 2002) (2)

Zatoichi's Cane Sword (Kimiyoshi, 1967)

Desistfilm (Brakhage, 1954) (2)

Wedlock House: An Intercourse (Brakhage, 1959) (2)

Freddy vs. Jason (Yu, 2003)

Dog Star Man (Brakhage, 1961-1964) (2)

Open Range (Costner, 2003)

Maryam (Serry, 2002)

Till Human Voices Wake Us (Petroni, 2003)

Swimming Pool (Ozon, 2003)

Northfork (Polish, 2003)

Of those, I'd highly recommend Bartleby, Open Range and the Brakhage shorts. Despite its clumsy direction and familiar melodramatics, I was fascinated by Maryam (one of the only pictures I can think of that deals with the subtleties of the Iranian-American experience), and I preferred the haunting romantic grandeur of Till Human Voices Wake Us to the vaunted atmospherics of Northfork. As a cross between Lynch, the Coens, and Dali, Northfork is a singular achievement, simultaneously elegant, hypnotic, and insufferable. As much as I adored looking at this peach fuzz, I found it entirely misjudged, from its stonedead comedy to its precious, cringe-inducing idiosyncrasies. Still, I can grasp why it might resonate with others.

Eric

[matt header]

I just watched "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" last night - I found it really exciting stuff, even more so in the fond remembrances of the Funk Brothers of Motown (most of them now about 60+) than in the concert footage. I would compare it to last year's "Scratch," another excellent movie (I love turntablism, though, so I'm a bit biased). I've seen very few music documentaries, but I liked both of these.

[Danny Baldwin]

Yeah, Standing in the Shadows of Motown is good and interesting stuff.

This week I saw:

S.W.A.T.

The Lizzie McGuire Movie (Don't ask...I suppose I had an awful overwhelming curiosity)

Open Range

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

Freddy vs. Jason

Out of those I'd highly recommend Open Range and He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not. S.W.A.T. was good. Freddy vs. Jason was okay and entertaining. The Lizzie McGuire Movie was, as expected, horrifically terrible.
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Danny Baldwin

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[beltmann]

I like both Scratch and Standing in the Shadows of Motown, too. I can't say I knew much about turntablism prior to viewing Scratch, but I enjoyed the way the director, Doug Pray, made the artistic decision to use some of the same "zap" techniques that his subjects do, meaning that the film sometimes skips and samples, in a bizarre but effective visual representation of the music. It employs a rather tedious format, of non-insightful interviews (these guys aren't exactly trained in music, theory, history, or the English language), but I learned a great deal and loved the passages that featured the artists scavenging for gold: long-forgotten but sample-worthy material.

Part discursive, anecdotal conversation, and part reunion concert, Standing... is an entertaining tribute. I question whether it qualifies as insightful documentation, but I imagine it's a must for fans of Motown.

Eric

[beltmann]

Speaking of music documentaries...

Here are a few of my favorites:

Woodstock

Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock n' Roll

A Great Day in Harlem

Say Amen, Somebody

Biggie & Tupac

Kurt & Courtney

U2: Rattle and Hum

The Last Waltz

Stop Making Sense

That's Entertainment!

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey

Wild Man Blues

Bittersweet Motel

I Am Trying to Break Your Heart

Many others seem to deeply admire Buena Vista Social Club, The Filth and the Fury, and Tie-Died: Rock n' Roll's Most Deadicated Fans, but I am not among them. I should perhaps add Style Wars, Tony Silver's marvelous 1983 examination of several NYC underground movements. It focuses on graffiti artists, but briefly includes insights about early hip-hop, especially rap and breakdancing.

Any other recommendations out there?

Eric

[matt header]

I love Radiohead's concert/tour film "Meeting People is Easy," but once again I'm a bit biased. I would agree on "Stop Making Sense," too - I saw that movie more than three years ago, and there are still moments when I can't get it out of my head.

[the night watchman]

I probably won't be watching any movies this weekend, so here's my list for 7/18 - 7/24

Basic (McTeirnan,2003) I enjoyed this movie, but *SPOILER* it's a little frustrating that the end of the movie makes the mystery completely pointless. Still, it was nice to see McTeirnan back in form after Rollerball.

Gift Interesting movie by Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro that mixes autobiography with fiction.

Open Range (Costner ,2003) Wow, much better than I expected. Prolly one of the best this year.

About Schmidt (Payne, 2002) Great, unexpected performance by Nicholson. Funny and poignent; the final moment was quietly wonderful.

Solyaris (Tarkovsky, 1972) I liked this movie quite a bit, but -- and I realize it's churlish to ask -- did it have to be so long?

Bowling for Columbine (Moore, 2002) I don't necessarily agree with some of Moore's conclusions, but his questions were brilliant. I wish more conservatives would watch this with an open mind. I do think Moore was a tad unfair to Heston, but, as my friend pointed out, the president of the NRA ought to be able to answer questions like those posed rather than just be a figurehead.
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"If you're talking about censorship, and what things should be shown and what things shouldn't be shown, I've said that as an artist you have no social responsibility whatsoever."

-David Cronenberg

[xxxchloexxx]

This week I have watched:

Signs

Pirates of the caribbean

the lord of the rings (bought the DVD its just come out 2day)

notting hill

and the patriot (unfortunatly)

[Danny Baldwin]

The last eight days. From my screening log.

(All Ratings out of four)

August 18, 2003

Blue Streak - 2 Buckets - [Definitely conventional, and pretty awful--but Martin Lawrence and Luke Wilson completely save it. They make it watchable, and occasionally fun. It's worth an afternoon cable-watch, but not much more. Blue Streak is funny some of the time, but misses the bar, for most of its duration.]

August 19, 2003

Jackass: The Movie[/i] - Zero Buckets - [Capsule Review]

August 20, 2003

Cradle 2 the Grave - 2 Buckets - [This is probably the lowest two bucket rating I'll ever give, but I suppose this movie deserves such. It's preposterous and ridiculous, but entertaining, regardless. The end really makes the movie feel a bit more reasonable, and was what I was waiting for. At times I struggled to get into it, but at other times I had fun. Cool concept, awful execution.]

Monster's Ball - 4 Buckets - [Seriously amazing, packed with emotion, and touching. The director's style is unique, and fits the work; the entire movie flows like none other. Billy Bob Thorton and Halle Berry give fabulous performances. Words cannot describe how tremendous this work is--see it if you haven't.

August 21, 2003

2nd Viewing of: Chicago - Original Rating: 4 Buckets - [Original Review] - [When I saw this one on the big screen, I loved it, just loved it. On the small screen, it's not as magical, but still pretty damn great. I was just as entertained as the first time, but to experience the same film I saw back on the 5th of January, I'll need to watch it on a bigger TV with a better sound system. My thoughts haven't changed about it, but I cannot deny that I really needed to watch it, under circumstances as close to a movie theatre as possible. When you rent or buy it, definitely watch it on as big a screen as you can.]

2nd Viewing of: Old School - Original Rating: 3 Buckets - [Original Review] - [Still very funny the second time around, but not quite as entertaining. Definitely a good add to any DVD collection, because it's always fun to watch. A solid good time.]

August 22, 2003

No New Films Seen - :'(

August 23, 2003

Roger & Me - 2 ? Buckets - [Capsule Review]

August 24, 2003

The Medallion - 2 Buckets - [Review]

August 25, 2003

All the Real Girls - 2 ? Buckets - [Definitely very atmospheric, and respectable in that area, but the pretentiousness of it all is too great, for the giant amounts of emotion to actually touch us (aside from what's in the ending scene, which does get to us). It's hard to just "fast-forward" over the dull points in the movie though, because if you miss a speck of it, much of the meaning will be lost. Director David Gordon Green uses a very odd approach, and I'm not really sure if I like it. This one is hard to recommend; if you're a film buff, try it. I don't think that the average moviegoer will like it much, though. Strictly art-house.]

Just about to head out to see My Boss's Daughter. Wish me luck surviving.
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Danny Baldwin

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[Michael Scrutchin]

I haven't seen any movies in the past few days, but from August 10 to 20: