Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club - Page 117

Adam_S · 10-14-2007, 08:10 PM

pretty much agreed, George, the improvement made by Potemkin is remarkable, imo.

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Martin Teller · 10-27-2007, 05:06 AM

#267 - Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles

I don't think I've ever had such mixed feelings about a film. Let me get the negatives out of the way first: this is tremendously tedious. I say this from the perspective of someone who adores Ming-liang Tsai and has been known to enjoy the work of Kiarostami on occasion. But Dielman was quite a trial. In the simplest terms, it's 200 minutes of Delphine Seyrig doing housework. Let me describe one sequence: she sits down at the kitchen table, pours a cup of coffee with some milk. She tastes it, finds it unpleasant, and dumps it out. She pours a glass of milk, smells it, tastes it, and finds it satisfactory. She pours another cup of coffee, but it still doesn't agree with her. She prepares a fresh pot of coffee. How long do you think you could take this? 2 minutes? 5 minutes? Try TEN.

And yet... it's also quite genius. Akerman shows Dielman slowly falling apart in the most minute ways, but because of the monotonous attention to detail, it becomes glaringly obvious, even upsetting. You wouldn't believe the tension that can be evoked simply because a woman puts plates away slightly different than she did the day before. You wouldn't believe how fascinating it is to watch her knead ground beef for five minutes (and kudos to Seyrig for a brilliantly subtle performance).

It all builds up to a climax which is simultaneously predictable as hell, quite thought-provoking, annoyingly cheap, and daringly executed. The whole thing is madness... frustrating, but in some ways wonderful, madness. Akerman may be female, but she's got a hell of a set of balls on her. I have to give points for boldness and originality, and paving the way for Tsai and the like. On the other hand, I doubt I would ever sit through it again. Rating: 7

I think there's a strong possibility that when george kaplan (is he still pretending to have me on ignore?) sees this film, it will knock Cries and Whispers out of the "worst movie ever" position.

rich_d · 10-27-2007, 09:04 AM

Martin,

Your comments somehow reminded me of the old Saturday Night Live routine of 'Master Thespian' ...

Tedious, boring, I didn't believe you for a minute.

I was ACTING!

GENIUS!

george kaplan · 10-30-2007, 03:15 PM

Aparajito

OK film, but nothing special. The obsessive mother (she seems to literally die of a broken heart cause her son grew up and went to college instead of staying with her, and he doesn't visit or write often enough) seems over the top, and if that's what passes for emotional depth, I'll pass.

george kaplan · 11-12-2007, 05:22 PM

Lacombe Lucien

There's probably something realistic about having a Gestapo collaborator be a not very bright sadist, who joins them on a lark, and whose id leads him haphazardly from one scene to the next. All the rest of the characters are poorly drawn and unmotivated, and as a result, it doesn't make for a very engaging or illuminating film. The topic is fascinating, but as realized in this case, I had a hard time not nodding off. A great film about a Vichy collaborator belongs on the S&S list. This film doesn't.

Martin Teller · 11-22-2007, 04:26 AM

#268 - The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - I decided to do more catching up on the S&S list, unfortunately sometimes that means watching stuff like this. I suppose if you like Westerns, this is a good one for you. It's got all the hackneyed staples: the saloon with the swinging doors (from which people get ejected by the seat of their pants), hootin' and hollerin', the lovable town drunk (played horribly by Edmond O'Brien), the completely useless sherriff, the helpful but generally unimportant black guy, et cetera. I found something to get annoyed about roughly every three minutes. Of course, the main thorn in my side is John Wayne, again portraying an absolute prick. A petulant bully, a misogynist, a swaggering jackass. Also, the film climaxes with what must be one of the most predictable twists in Hollywood history. Not even Jimmy Stewart saves this mess, although he was pretty much the best thing about it. There is some decent photography and a rather clever reveal, and I can't honestly say I was bored by it, so it's not a total loss. But still... not my kind of movie at all. Rating: 4

#269 - Rio Bravo - A double-dose of the Duke today. Much better this time around, though. More charming, less bravado... although he's still undoubtedly the alpha male. It would seem that I can only tolerate him when Howard Hawks is directing him. Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson make a fine pair of sidekicks, especially Martin as a struggling alcoholic. And Angie Dickinson bristles with raw sexuality, and is a far more complete female character than you see in most Westerns. I could have done without Walter Brennan, one of the most irritating character actors ever (one of my favorite moments is when Martin tells him to shut up). The story is very well-plotted, thoroughly engaging and entertaining. Nice Technicolor and great use of music, including some lovely songs from Martin & Nelson. And of course, that superb snappy dialogue that Hawks excels at. Besides Brennan (who, despite being annoying, has a few good moments), the only thing I can complain about is that the final gunfight may be a bit too chummy and light... even so, I didn't mind it that much, it was fun. Quite an enjoyable film. Rating: 9

Joe Karlosi · 11-22-2007, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Teller

#268 - The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - I decided to do more catching up on the S&S list, unfortunately sometimes that means watching stuff like this. I suppose if you like Westerns, this is a good one for you. [/b]

Strange. I generally don't think much of westerns, but I loved this one.

Adam_S · 11-23-2007, 11:52 PM

I think you're the first person in the history of this thread or the 1992 era list thread that has disliked Man Who Shot Liberty Valence.

Martin Teller · 11-24-2007, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam_S

I think you're the first person in the history of this thread or the 1992 era list thread that has disliked Man Who Shot Liberty Valence.

Yeah, I noticed in the John Ford thread in Polls that no one gave it less than 4 out of 5 stars (or the equivalent, depending on their rating scale). What can I say? It annoyed me, I thought it was a pretty ho-hum movie with unlikeable characters and no particularly strong elements.

Rio Bravo, however, I might add to my HD-DVD collection. (And as far as Ford goes, I'll happily purchase My Darling Clementine if it ever comes out in HD).

Martin Teller · 11-25-2007, 09:43 PM

#270 - I Vitelloni

A solid, no-frills early Fellini that I liked. It doesn't do much to distinguish itself, but it's well-crafted, enjoyable to watch, and has some good characters. A little longer and slower than it needs to be, perhaps. Rating: 7

#271 - McCabe and Mrs. Miller

Again, I liked it but didn't think it was that special. The matter-of-fact, fatalistic tone reminded me a lot of another Altman film, Thieves Like Us. As an "anti-Western" it succeeds, I just didn't care that much about the story. All the performances were good... I would have liked more Shelley Duvall, but you take what you can get. Like The Graduate and Harold & Maude, this movie relies solely on one folk-rock act for a few repeated songs. However, I much prefer Simon & Garfunkel and Cat Stevens to Leonard Cohen. Oh, the songs were pretty, but the lyrics relied a lot on terrible metaphors (the poker song was especially groan-worthy). Rating: 7

Martin Teller · 11-30-2007, 12:12 AM

#272 - Satyricon - Boy, was I ready to trash this film. Mercilessly, savagely rip it to shreds. First of all, the acting is awful. Never seen so much ludicrous leering and fake, lusty laughter. And the dubbing job is the worst I've ever heard. The story fluttered around from one pointless, decadent event to another, with a dash of poorly-delivered poetry or philosophy here and there to remind you that it's Art. And the UGLINESS on display is dreadful. Yes, it's done with an impressive sense of style -- incredible sets and dazzling colors. But what good are dazzling colors when they're smeared together so brutally on the screen? Who cares about sets when they're draped with such grotesque people? It's really hideous. It was torturous to sit through.

But then, around the halfway point, things got interesting. Starting with the slave ship, the random bits of story started to draw me in and I wanted to see what would happen next. The narrative thread is thin, but it's there. By the end, I was somewhat attached to Encolpio and pleased to see some growth in his character. Also, the imagery settles down from the massive assault of the early scenes, and there are some truly striking visions on display (but still, quite a bit of ugliness). The movie reminded me a LOT of Jodorowsky, and my reaction is similar... mixed. I really hated some aspects of it, but there were enough redeeming qualities to make it worthwhile, and I'm sure it will be a long time before I forget it. Rating: 6

Martin Teller · 12-01-2007, 02:43 AM

#273 - A Star Is Born - As a drama, it's not bad at all. The story and characters are compelling, and Judy Garland does a good job acting. And of course, singing; there's no denying she's got a great set of pipes. Too bad the songs she has to work with are so bland, hacky and forgettable (not to mention the occasional mild racism). Sometimes they're interminable... the "Born in the Trunk" medley lasts a torturous 14 minutes. And I hate to harp on the superficial, but the drugs and the fame and the lifestyle had not been kind to Miss Garland. Despite being in her early 30's at