Directors Why Does George Kaplan Hate This Movie Tournament? (2 Viewers)

[Agee Bassett]

Barry Lyndon
Abstain

 

[Rain]

1. Tough, but Belle du Jour. Vote would be different if based solely on cinematography.

2. I have to abstain as I haven't seen that Fassbinder.

Comments: George is off his rocker hating any of the films I've seen in this round. As for the Fassbinder...I tend to like his films, so George is probably off his rocker on that one too.

 

[Bill McA]

Barry Lyndon - simply magnifique!!! I could watch this film endlessly...

Dawn of the Dead - tough choice

 

[Rain]

I'm not sure Blow Up is a film that a slightly neurotic photographer should be watching.

 

[george kaplan]

Did you say slightly???

 

[JohnRice]

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Besides, I'm not quite as neurotic as I used to be. It beats narcissism any day.

 

[Lew Crippen]

The zombies shut out the Fassbinder 2–0 and the English beat the French 3–1.

Barry Lyndon and The Marriage of Maria Braun advance to the second round.


Today’s matches:

Round 1: Bracket 10:

All About Eve, has Bette Davis in one of her greatest roles as Margo Channing, an older actress who is completely taken in by the seemingly naive Eve (Anne Baxter). This made the AFI ‘Best Movies’ list (#16) and was also included on the ‘Villains’ list.

vs.

Safe, a story that not only questions the world we have made and must now live (perhaps) in, but also corporate America getting fat from that result. I’ll be really interested to learn why George hates this one.


Round 1: Bracket 14:

Alphaville, a sort of Sci-Fi movie by Jean-Luc Godard (probably enough in itself to be on George’s hate list), critical opinions vary as to where this movie falls in the Godard canon. While, I’d not put this at the top of my Godard list, I’m not sure why it would be thoroughly disliked.

vs.

The Piano, Jane Campion’s dreary, obvious movie of an alienated woman in New Zealand. To be sure this movie is the darling of many critics, some of whom placed it on the S&S list. I may not hate this movie, but I expect that I’m going to agree with George.


Why does George hate these movies? His comments:

“Alphaville

“Lots to dislike about this, but my chief complaint would be the pathetic laziness of setting a science fiction film in another world far in the future (I don't recall when exactly it was supposed to take place), and then filming it clearly in contemporary France, with the current crop of cars being prominently displayed. Cheap, cheesy and contemptible.

“ The Piano

“ Gawd. What a pile of crap. Not much more to say beyond this is about as bad as any such film with melodramatic boring psychotic meaningless fucked-up unlikeable unbearable ignorant ignoble stupid asinine demented unbalanced hysterical irrational absurd senseless grotesque boring disgusting characters ever made.


“ All About Eve

“ She's not as bad as Vivien Leigh (who could be?) but Bette Davis (along with Joan Crawford) is right up there on my most-hated actress list. Any film with Bette Davis is bad enough, but one that makes daytime soap operas seem well-written and literate and realistic is particularly bad. Indulgent melodramatic crap of the lowest degree.

“ Safe

“ Jesus. Another stinking pile of shit. I'm running out of adjectives for how much I hate this films. Typical indie "let's be wierd for the sake of weirdness sake", and some people will think it's art. Plus it has the second most annoying modern actress in it (I HATE her), second only to the excruciatingly nauseatingly atrocious Zellwegger.”

 

[SteveGon]

Safe - AAE is one of those acclaimed films that doesn't do much for me - I don't hate it, but Safe is much more interesting.

Abstain - No Alphaville, but I really like The Piano.

 

[Bill McA]

[Safe] - but All About Eve is good too


Alphaville

 

[Walter Kittel]

abstain - But I love All About Eve. Guess George isn't picking up Bette Davis Collection: Vol 2.

The Piano - Close, with Stuart Dryburgh's cinematography being the deciding factor.

- Walter.

 

[JohnRice]

Funny how so many people take this movie literally. Even the trailer presents it literally. Either you guys are completely missing the point, or I am. And yes, there are people manipulating and profiteering, but not corporations. As a person who was married to someone who went down a remarkably similar path to what is shown in the movie, this movie hits the damn bullseye. That final scene it incredible.


{Safe}

Abstain - haven't seen The Piano since it was in theaters (Saw it at the Little Theater during a trip to Rochester NY with said former spouse.) and never seen Alphaville.

 

[Lew Crippen]

Probably you are John —actually my plan is to comment differently (or at least on different aspects) on the movies that advance.

Don’t consider that a sentence or two is my total view of any of these movies.

Or a paragraph or two…

 

[JohnRice]

Am I the only one who doesn't think Safe is actually about environmental toxants? I see it as very similar story to The Rapture, not about a woman who's nose bleeds around dry cleaning chemicals.

 

[Lew Crippen]

The isolation caused by environmental conditions is (only) the physical manifestation of her spiritual alienation.

 

[JohnRice]

OK, I'm not alone. It's just that everyone seems to talk about it being about environmental sensitivity. Toss in the radical pursuit of easy cures (read, changing my environment, not myself) and that is pretty much the idea for me. Just like The Rapture. May have to give both of these a spin.

 

[Rich Malloy]

SAFE!!!

One of the best American films of the 90s; one of the only films I've ever seen that deals with the uniquely American strain of psychological malaise, the so-called "modern malady" and our particular brand of populist, individualist "cures". Even the best Antonioni or 60s-era Bergman films on similar themes seem clouded by arthouse pretension, mere aesthetic brooding, by comparison.

Environmental sensitivity? Well, sure. It's sorta about that, but only to the extent that Carol seizes upon that concept as being the cause of her spiritual/psychological crisis. IMO, it's merely a handy concept, something tangible, graspable, explainable. She's still peering into the same abyss that informs Sartre, Camus, Bergman, Antonioni... but I'm only listing my personal touchstones. It's not only a modern/postmodern theme.

I think "Safe" is most interesting in how the "cure" for Carol's malaise still points toward self-absorption, the near solipsism of her privileged suburban world where all desires have been commodified, where delivery of a wrong-colored couch will engender existential crisis. Finding that all has been emptied of meaning, why not regress to the fetal stage? Why not retreat into your porcelain egg, the only face you see a reflection of your own, endlessly repeating "I love you", hoping that one day you may believe it? Outside, nothing but the abyss.

 

[JohnRice]

I have a broader vocabulary than probably 99.99% of people, but I still have never heard of the word solipsism and can't imagine what it is derived from.

Like I said, what a great final scene.

 

[Rich Malloy]

Definitely a great final scene! (And the first time I saw the film, I didn't realize that it harkened back to Carol's first night in the compound, and the conversation she has with - forget her name - the coordinator-type woman. Such a bizarre scene that one: Carol breaking down in her cabin, and that woman sorta "materializing" at her door, garbed in deep red.)

I was using "solipsism" in a broader sense than its precise meaning (and probably incorrectly). It's a philosophical term for a varient of metaphysical idealism, and is probably an offshoot of Descartes' meditations (cogitos ergo sum and all that). It basically holds that only the self exists, all perception being a projection of our own mind (solus alone + ipse self). I was using the term in a more generic way, representing Carol's regression from her life, family, environment, until she is essentially alone with herself. Really no need for $20 word there, I guess.

 

[JohnRice]

I will say this for you Rich. You are one of only three people on earth who is able to correctly spell "definitely".

 

[Rich Malloy]

You should see me go to town on "disappoint" - never an extraneous "s"; always the requisite number of "p"s!

And this post? A definite disappointment.