Flipside Movie Emporium

[the night watchman]

Honestly, it did sound to me like you were criticizing Zombie purely for choosing the aesthetic of the grotesque for his movie, and for the use of nihilism in art on general principle. (I missed your comments on Oldboy.)

Anyway, I suppose I'm simply objecting to the way you reduce Zombie's intentions to the superficial. I see him playing with cinematic conventions and audience expectation, and I think he does it well (especially when taking into consideration the failure of House of 1000 Corpses). Furthermore, I recall more than a few moment when he takes his three main leads down a peg by poking fun at them purely at their own expense, which at least satisfies any question to me whether he's endorsing their lifestyle. I never meant to imply that Rejects is significant consideration of nihilism. In fact, I don't think it's a significant of a movie at all, and I when I reflect upon the number of words I spent defending it, I feel, well, nihilistic.
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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

[j miller]

1/18

Syriana (2005) - Although a little confusing, this was a pretty good film.
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My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.

--Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

[beltmann]

[Jim Harper]

15/01/06 - 22/01/06

Pom Poko (dir. Izao Takahata, 1994)*

The Double Life of Veronique (dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1991)*

Black Jack (dir. Osamu Dezaki, 1996)*

Wasabi (dir. Gerard Krawcyzk, 2001)

Tower of Evil (dir. Jim O?Connolly, 1972)*

The Street Fighter (dir. Shigehiro Ozawa, 1974)

Return of the Street Fighter (dir. Shigehero Ozawa, 1974)*

The Hound of the Baskervilles (dir. Terence Fisher, 1959)

Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse (dir. Olivier Dahan, 2004)

Castle in the Sky (dir. Hiyao Miyazaki, 1986)*

The Ghost In The Shell (dir. Mamoru Oshii, 1995)

This week I watched my first Kieslowski film, The Double Life of Veronique. I loved it. Great film. I late tried to watch both Three Colours: White and Blue, and failed to get more than about half an hour into either. As much as I loved Veronique, I really couldn't get on with the other two.

FilmFour's Studio Ghibli season continues to delight. Castle in the Sky isn't my favourite Miyazaki work, perhaps because he relies upon stock characters and images more than in his other works. I found the world unconvincing and many of his characters oddly flat. Even so, it's still fun. Takahata's Pom Poko is fantastic however. I heartily recommend it. Despite the fact that it's a film about magical racoons, it's deeply serious in places, and not always suitable for small children. It's a major achievement, nonetheless. Kiki's Delivery Service is on soon, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Tower of Evil is very silly and cheesy, but diverting enough, and better than much low-budget British horror from that period.

However, this week's entertainment prize goes to The Street Fighter, starring the mighty Sonny Chiba. All martial arts fans must see this film if they haven't already. You simply cannot beat the sight of a grimacing former gymnast and karate expert ripping the throat out of an enemy and squeezing it in his fist. Bloody marvellous, and the first sequel is immensely entertaining too.

(Avoid The Street Fighter's Last Revenge, directed by the late great Teruo Ishii. It unwisely tries to turn Sonny Chiba into a Bond-esque hero, with unfortunate results.)

[the night watchman]

I made due with Miyazaki last week too. His movies are being shown on Turner Classic Movies, and although I've seen all the films they're presenting, I tuned in anyway. Nausicca, Castle in the Sky, Whisper of the Heart, My Neighbor Totoro, and Porco Rosso was the line-up. I was pleased to discover I enjoyed Porco Rosso more the second time than I did the first, though I think I simply have a problem with Porco himself; his near lack of facial expression of anything besides apparent aloofness makes him difficult to sympathize with. A strange misstep for Miyazaki.

I agree with your assessment of the lapses of characterization and internal logic in Castle in the Sky, Jim, but I enjoyed it more that you, if only for the sake of the visuals.

Also, is Pom Poko also known as Heisei Tanuki Wars? The storyline of the latter follows a tribe of shapeshifting tanukis (raccoon-like animals) fighting to save their territory from the encroachment of Man. If it is, yeah, boy, really wild stuff.
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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

[Jim Harper]

[mfritschel]

Posting for my second week in a row - please hold the applause:

Brokeback Mountain (Lee, 2005) - I was quite amazed the movie was even playing in Birmingham, after being trashed on almost every radio station for the past 2 weeks and dismissed by many just some liberal agenda (lets just say the southern baptist don't take well to homosexuality). Despite all this the movie was sold out on both showing last week, and when I went this week the theatre was very full, maybe there is hope for Alabama afterall.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (Gidney, 2005)

2046 (Kar Wai, 2005) - I have to say something about this movie just did not work for me, maybe because I went into the movie hoping for another In the Mood for Love, but for some reason I never fell in step with the story

[beltmann]

1/16 ? 1/22/05

In preferential order:

Kings and Queen / Desplechin / France / 2004

Schultze Gets the Blues / Schorr / Germany / 2003

Unleashed / Leterrier / USA / 2005

House of Wax / Collet-Serra / USA / 2005

Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior / Pinkaew / Thailand / 2003

Shark Tale / Jensen, Bergeron and Letterman / USA / 2004

Maybe I?ll have more time for comments later. Right now I?ll just say that I?m thrilled to see mfritschel posting more frequently.

Eric
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"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[Mark Dujsik]

1/16 - 1/22

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (Hughes, 1986)

Heist (Mamet, 2001)

The Matador (Shepard, 2005)

Underworld: Evolution (Wiseman, 2006)

I have to catch up on a lot of Hughes, but Day Off is probably my favorite. I think it's probably the best movie Chicago ever had made for it.

Felt like watching Heist, still damn fine entertainment.

The Matador is entertaining and breezy--perhaps too much so the latter. I really could have used a lot more time with these characters.

The second Underworld is slightly better than the first, but that really isn't saying much.

I'm working on reviews of the last two.
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"Film lovers are sick people."

--Francois Truffaut

10 Best Films of 2006

Mark Reviews Movies

[Mark Dujsik]

Has anyone else caught Hostel yet? Or am I the only one to have to endure the soft-core snuff film?
_________________
"Film lovers are sick people."

--Francois Truffaut

10 Best Films of 2006

Mark Reviews Movies

[the night watchman]

I'll probably catch up with both Hostel and Wolf Creek on video. They both have their admirers and their detractors, but I tend to be leery of any Texas Chain Saw Massacre-style movie in general, because it was a tale that could really only be told once. Anything else is simply thematic redundancy or visceral one-upsmanship.
_________________
"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

[beltmann]

[beltmann]

[the night watchman]

[beltmann]