Flipside Movie Emporium

matt header · Posted: 10.09.2003 9:07 pm Post subject:

We actually had to watch "The Mermaid" for my Film Studies class; they also have a copy at the library here at UWM. Yeah, I'm not sure where you could find a version available for sale, but I'd guess that a state or college library would be a good possibility.

the night watchman · Posted: 10.09.2003 9:49 pm Post subject:

That's not a bad idea. Thanks. Smile

_________________
"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

Danny Baldwin · Posted: 10.09.2003 10:47 pm Post subject:

beltmann · Posted: 10.11.2003 4:05 am Post subject:

beltmann · Posted: 10.11.2003 4:12 am Post subject:

beltmann · Posted: 10.11.2003 4:21 am Post subject:

Mark Dujsik · Posted: 10.11.2003 5:42 am Post subject:

the night watchman · Posted: 10.11.2003 6:20 am Post subject:

Thanks, Eric. Smile

_________________
"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

the night watchman · Posted: 10.11.2003 7:38 pm Post subject:

10/6-10/12

Mad Love (Freund, 1935) Pretty silly movie, but entertaining nonetheless, although probably not for the reasons the filmmakers intended. (There is one very funny insert, however, that occurs during the climax while Peter Lorre is menacing the heroin, Frances Drake, which I won?t spoil.) I liked the semi-Expressionist sets; and the scene in which Lorre tries to drive Colin Clive insane is actually quite good and is capped off by genuinely great reveal.

The Mystery of the Max Museum (Curtiz, 1933) Not much of a mystery here, despite the title, but I quite enjoyed the movie. AMC presented a faded two-color version (apparently degraded from a vibrant Technicolor print after the movie was temporarily ?lost?) which tints skin-tones magenta and backgrounds cyan, resulting in a picture with a wholly unique look. William K. Everson, in Classics of the Horror Film, complains that ?it would have looked better in straight black and white,? but I disagree. I also liked the rainy, bustling New York milieu and the smart-aleck, perpetually inebriated female reporter with the snappy dialogue.

The Phantom of the Opera (Julian, 1925) There are some nice sets and nice shots in this movie, and Lon Chaney?s make-up is a wonder, but the storyline has always seemed strained to me, regardless of the version presented. I haven?t read Gaston Leroux?s novel yet; maybe I should. Anyone who has care to compare and contrast?

Ripley?s Games (Cavani, 2002) A highly engaging thriller. It?s interesting to see how the character of Tom Ripley developed from The Talented Mr. Ripley to this one. Has anybody read the series; how do these movies compare to the books? While this one is more concerned with plot than character, I still enjoyed it. Granted, it?s got more than a few plot holes, is not as pretty to look at as Minghella?s, and is blunter, it does have a quick pace and some funny lines. (And some pretty banal ones.) And, hey, who?da thought it?d be so easy to spot Russian mob bosses? Just look for the dour-faced guy flanked by two other dour-faced guys in black.

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (Tarantino, 2003) The most flat-out entertaining movie of the year, in a year surprisingly full of flat-out entertaining movies. Here a chunk of my review:

It?s primarily a celebration of low-budget kung-fu movies, but also seamlessly incorporates animation, along with elements of Italian-style murder mysteries and spaghetti-westerns.

Uma Thurman plays a character known only as ?The Bride.? Her real name when spoken aloud is mysteriously buzzed out, like a dirty word spoken on TV in the 70s. She was once a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, headed by Bill (an unseen David Carradine). When she tried to leave the organization the Vipers tracked her down on her wedding day to small church in the southwest. ?They killed nine innocent people that day,? The Bride informs us through voice-over. But they made one mistake: ?They should have killed ten.?

The bullet in The Bride?s skull doesn?t kill her; it sends her into a coma for four years. She wakes with vengeance on her mind, and creates a death list with all her former colleagues numbered from one to four, and Bill in the number five slot. In this volume, she confronts Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox), who is now a mother and wife living in suburbia, and O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu), who heads a feared Japanese crime organization.

So the story, a revenge melodrama, is almost simple to the point of non-existent. The simplicity leaves room for the development of scenes of pure heightened, larger-than-life emotion and exuberance. Since the characters are types and the situation is stock (to the point of absurd), it?s amazing how intense and utterly engaging this all is. Tarantino knows that an action movie is more than just flash-and-dazzle; it?s also the pauses in between, and the quiet, pregnant moments that bustle with soon-to-burst potential energy.

I was also amazed at how deftly Tarantino juggles all the tropes and styles. For instance, the history of O-Ren Ishii is told via an extended animation sequence. The first half of the interlude looks to be done in the style of a Ralph Bakshi movie, rotoscoping and all, while the second half takes up the more modern and more detailed style of a Japanese anime. When you think about it, it makes sense, since the earlier portions would have taken place at a date when the ?Bakshi style? was in use, while the later portion would have taken place in an era when anime was popular. It?s like the world of ?Kill Bill? is informed and energized by other movies. And movies of a different decade and different type mold the world into its own individual and unique shape.

?Kill Bill: Vol. 1? is like nothing you?ve seen; at least, not all at once.
_________________
"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

arsladky · Grip Joined: 12 Oct 2003 Posts: 2

Anyone see "Confidence" with Ed Burns? What did you think?

Mark Dujsik · Posted: 10.13.2003 1:29 am Post subject:

10/6 - 10/12

Intolerable Cruelty (Coen, 2003)

Out of Time (Franklin, 2003)

Yojimbo (Kurosawa, 1961)

And of course, an hour and 35 minutes of Kill Bill: Volume 1, thanks to a shitty projector. I'll get/have to see the film in its entirety (is that ironic?) on Tuesday, and I already have a bunch of notes on what I did see.

Just got finished watching Yojimbo, and I'm greatly looking forward to checking out Sanjuro soon.

And since I don't have a review up yet, I might as well say here that I was severely disappointed with Intolerable Cruelty, which is easily the worst of the Coen canon for me.

EDIT: Added link to review of Intolerable Cruelty.
_________________
"Film lovers are sick people."

--Francois Truffaut

10 Best Films of 2006

Mark Reviews Movies

arsladky · Grip Joined: 12 Oct 2003 Posts: 2

Just saw "Identity." Absolutely incredible, ala "Mullholland Drive." Every word, action, and backdrop is a clue and a part of the essence of the movie. Once you finally "get it", (ok I'm slow, I had to watch it twice- I was only half paying attention the first time), you realize every single sentence uttered by every character is prophetic and integral to the point of the movie. This is a keeper. I would go in depth, but I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't seen it. It's worth it to be surprised.

beltmann · Posted: 10.13.2003 3:37 am Post subject:

10/6 ? 10/12

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (Tarantino, 2003)

The Core (Amiel, 2003)

Dreamcatcher (Kasdan, 2003)

Willard (Morgan, 2003)

Samaritan Zatoichi (Misumi, 1968)

Of those, I?d highly recommend Kill Bill (thoughts sprinkled here) and Willard, which is a wonderful, horrifying tone poem about loneliness and a boy?s love for a white rat. Although I enjoyed every minute, I'm skeptical that it?s really anything more than just a weird, oddball story, well-played by the committed Crispin Glover.

Samaritan Zatoichi is a rote entry in the series, and The Core is well-acted but still just standard-issue disaster stuff. Dreamcatcher has a great first 40 minutes, right through the ?bathroom? scene (which, to my mind, ranks with the finest of Cronenberg?s body horror notions), but it nosedives almost immediately thereafter. The lame sci-fi alien invasion stuff is truly awful, complete with hysterical military types that ought to have retired with Sen. McCarthy. Long ago I was a Kasdan devotee (Accidental Tourist, Body Heat, Grand Canyon, Big Chill, Silverado), but it?s been more than a decade since he gave us something that wasn?t total hackwork.

Eric

the night watchman · Posted: 10.13.2003 4:40 am Post subject:

Most viewers either love or hate Willard with absolutely no inbetweens. I hope I'm one who'll love it.

The Core was really, really dumb, but I have to admit I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish. It might very well become a guilty pleasure of mine.

Same with Dreamcatcher; King's novel wasn't the best of his career, but, damn, did they eff up the movie. But what can I say, I'm a sucker for them shit weasles.
_________________
"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

Mark Dujsik · Posted: 10.13.2003 6:45 am Post subject: