Track the Films You Watch (2006) - Page 7

camilo_m · 01-23-2006, 12:25 PM

of

All Souls Day

I got the dvd which was released on 01/17 and then watched it. Well, it's worth of watchig. Horror movie that tells a horror story, when a young couple stays at a hotel after crashing their car and nearly running over a woman with her tongue cut out, they learn that something’s wrong with it after interfering with a sacred ritual on Mexico’s Day of the Dead ...

There are some gore scenes, some zombies, some blood and everything else

There are some clips to watch here:
http://www.hyfntrak.com/allsoulsday/AFF22091

Mario Gauci · 01-23-2006, 03:06 PM

Mike,

While I will agree that Pierre Clementi's character in BELLE DE JOUR (1967) is somewhat irritating, I guess I "warmed" up to him with subsequent viewings. It's funny that you mention Jean-Pierre Leaud's character in LAST TANGO IN PARIS (1972) - who, as you may know, was intended by Bertolucci to be a parody of Jean-Luc Godard - since Clementi also worked with Bertolucci on PARTNER (1968), a very rarely seen (and, by all accounts, very Godardian) film which has, thankfully, been released as a 2-Disc Set by No Shame late last year; I've been toying with the idea of picking it up while I'm still over here in the U.S. but, since I've purchased over 30 DVDs since I've been here (including Warners' second "Film Noir" Box Set just last night

), I certainly don't have any more storage space in my luggage

!

Anyway, to get back to BELLE DE JOUR: I have to admit that I was rather underwhelmed by it on first viewing myself - at around 02:00 on Italian TV! - but, of course, my estimation of the film rose with each viewing; the subject matter is certainly intriguing and fascinating and Bunuel's treatment of the material, while impeccably tasteful, is still sharp enough to belie the fact that the director was in his late 60s when he made the film; if anything, Bunuel's last film, THAT OBSCURE OBJECT OF DESIRE (1977), is even more sexually charged, with two hotties for the price of one

! By the way, BELLE DE JOUR's famously open-ended finale is obviously intentional; at first I really wanted to know whether the events depicted in the second half of the film actually happened or not but now I think that the way it is (where the audience pretty much has to make its own mind up) is pretty cool...

With regards to Deneuve's performance, I obviously agree 100% - her role in BELLE DE JOUR is certainly her most famous; I've got to admit that I've had a big crush on her for the best part of 20 years thanks to some stills from this film I've found in one of my father's many old film magazines; in fact, I even went to the Beverly Hilton hotel last Monday (where the Golden Globes ceremony was being held) in the hope that I might catch a glimpse of the French diva (she was there merely to introduce one of the clips from the Best Picture nominees) but, alas, not only was it too dark to see shit when I finally got there but, the security guards/police officers wouldn't let anyone not having any legitimate business there cross the street!! Incidentally, just yesterday I managed to watch Deneuve in a film directed by Bunuel's son, Juan (and co-written by frequent Bunuel collaborator, Jean-Claude Carriere) - THE WOMAN WITH RED BOOTS (1974) - a weird, whimsical surrealist fable which, while I can't say I fully understood it, was quite enjoyable as it unfolded; Deneuve was also fully unclothed for an unforgettable split second so that certainly helped

! The film also reunited Deneuve with VIRIDIANA's Fernando Rey - they had previously starred together in Luis Bunuel's last Spanish film, TRISTANA (1970).

David Jay · 01-23-2006, 04:35 PM

Some more random thoughts...

Finally watched my copy of Le Samourai that I bought on release. What a fantastic film, I couldn't be happier on this blind buy. I've loved the previous Melvilles that Criterion has released, so it's not surprising. I just love the tone and the atmosphere of the film.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room is a solid documentary. It's fascinating for its entire running time, and makes you pretty mad, as any good documentary of this sort should. Highly recommended.

I got The Devil's Rejects for Christmas, and finally got around to watching it. Definitely one hell of an experience. It's one of those films that grips you and leaves you staring at the screen in disbelief. Not exactly a feel-good movie, but definitely, like I said, one memorable experience.

Brook K · 01-23-2006, 05:36 PM

Check out Pola-X & 8 Women for some latter day Catherine Deneuve.

Some difficult films to rate in this batch. I'm thinking about switching to a simpler star system.

Lord of War (2005) - Nic Cage stars as an international arms dealer without a conscience in Andrew Niccol's uneven film. The parts of the film that deal with the arms trade and politics are very strong. Portions of the film work as effective and entertaining dark comedy. Lord of War gets its message and commentary across in a clearer, more succinct, and powerful manner than either Syriana or Munich. Yet the portions of the film that deal with Cage's family read like a bad mafia movie. Ethan Hawke picks up a paycheck in a paper thin role as an Interpol investigator. I have no idea whether to recommend the film or not. - C+

Junebug (2005) - Embeth Davidtz plays a Chicago art dealer who comes to small town North Carolina to acquire the work of a local artist and to meet her new husband's family in this mostly delightful 1st film from director Phil Morrison. While the film starts you out thinking this is an art house excersize asking city movie watchers to laugh at small town rubes, the genuine honesty with which the material is presented quickly changed my mind. The film includes a number of warmly enjoyable characters with fine performances by the supporting cast, especially Amy Adams as the exuberant sister-in law, who steals virtually all her scenes and Scott Wilson as the father who has almost shut himself down. It is very good at presenting the small dramas of life, because unlike a lot of films, these characters know far more about each other than we get to learn about them.

The film effectively balances humor and more serious material, only faltering in its latter stages. While I like that the film does not offer easy answers or resolutions, I don't think it did as much as it could have with some of the characters. The last line of the film bothers me quite a bit too. It seems to invalidate a good deal of what we have seen. Another film I struggled to rate - B

The Perfect Crime (2004) - In Spanish director Alex de la Igleisia's latest comedy, a womanizing manager in a department store, Rafael, has his hip bachelor lifestyle jeopardized when an argument with a rival manager over a promotion leads to murder. Used to bedding a harem of gorgeous saleswomen, he finds himself blackmailed into a relationship with the only unattractive saleswoman he had hired.

This is a zany, at times surreal film as laughs stack upon laughs until it spins wildly out of control. The dead manager showing up as a bleeding apparition to give Rafael advice may have worked on the page, but just doesn't work at all onscreen and the film stumbles down the stretch before recovering nicely at the end when Rafael executes his plan to try and escape the tightening noose. Despite some problems, The Perfect Crime ranks as one of the year's funnier comedies. - B+

A Hole in My Heart (2005) - A misfire from Swedish director Lukas Moodysson involving 4 lost souls sitting and screwing in a dingy apartment, seeking any sort of meaning in their lives. A porn actor, the masochistic actress, the director/cameraman/2nd dick, and his son, a shy moody type who mostly stays in his room listening to industrial music. The film could be seen as an attempt to punish the audience with provocative, somewhat repulsive sexual imagery and sadistic human behavior interspersed with quiet moments of reflection or shame. The whole thing comes off as more dull than anything. Anytime the film seems on the verge of providing empathy for a character it immediately pushes one away. - D-

Joe Karlosi · 01-23-2006, 05:58 PM

First Blood (1982)

Sylvester Stallone is really good here, and the character of Rambo was one of his best. I saw this film in the theatre in 1982 and liked it then, so I decided to revisit it now and I'm glad I did. It's a good movie, almost great -- but I feel the second half doesn't quite match the tension and intrigue of the first half (love that picturesque scenery early on, too). Brian Dennehey makes a fine 'bad cop' (he reminded me of Charles Durning's character in THE STING). Lots of action and sympathy for Sly's tormented war hero, and you can put me in the camp who appreciates his emotional speech at the end of the film. It's often been blasted as being too difficult to comprehend, but I think that's part of what makes it so heartfelt and effective.

Onto the sequels!

george kaplan · 01-23-2006, 06:11 PM

Safe

Horribly vapid film about a woman with a meaningless existence, and her toxicity to her life and the world, and her Freudian hysteria about it. Watching this film is more toxic than sitting in a landfill for two hours.

If you must watch something with Safe in it, might I suggest the Brady Bunch episode where they were in a commericial for Safe laundry detergent. It's one of the weakest Brady Bunch episodes, but looks like Citizen Kane compared to this tripe.

Julianne Moore puts up a good fight, but she's still number 2 on my list of most unwatchable actresses in the modern era, behind Renee Zellweger. But she narrowed the gap with this film.

Ted Lee · 01-23-2006, 07:09 PM

added:

itle: my neighbor totoro
rating: a
comments: first viewing. another wonderful miyazaki anime. since i like just about everything he does, this one held water just fine. liked it even better then some of his other works (naussica, porco, etc.).

Rick Spruill · 01-23-2006, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Night of the Skull (1973)

Spanish giallo has a family brought together for the reading of a will only soon a maniac wearing a skull mask shows up and starts knocking them off. This is from Jess Franco and this certainly ranks as one of his better made films, technically speaking. Franco creates a very thick atmosphere that helps the film move quite nicely and the mystery is well written and plays out very well. The performances are a lot better than normal especially Lina Romay who’s given the chance to act here. The first murder sequence is very well done and the look of the killer is nice. Not your typical Franco film but a good one.

I'm not sure I enjoyed this as much as you seem to have, Michael. I always find it difficult to know how to rate a Franco film. Do you compare his films with all other films, or do you just compare Franco’s films with his other films? Compared with the entire population of movies, Night of the Skull probably isn’t that good. But for a Franco film, it’s not too bad. And when you consider that this is only one of ten films Franco is credited with directing in 1976, it’s amazing that Night of the Skull is at all comprehensible.

Sandro · 01-23-2006, 09:12 PM

Personally I think Safe is fantastic....

Nothing

out of

. Has anybody else seen this Canadian movie? It's a slightly absurd comedy which also plays around with a few serious ideas. Two friends discover they have the power to make things disappear and the film chronicles their adventures as more and more of their world vanishes. I quite enjoyed this film from the director of "Cube" and starring two of the same actors.

War of the Worlds (1953)

out of

. Straight ahead, no-nonsense story of Martian invasion is notable for its effects, the pessimism of the story (the humans are helpless against the invaders) and the abrupt ending. This is a direct ancestor of modern sci-fi blockbusters in its emphasis on effects over depth. I put this in the second rank of 50s sci-fi.

War of the Worlds (2005)

out of

. Speilberg's update is a solid sci-fi thriller with excellent effects, simple story and some incredibly annoying family dynamics. I did not like some of the 9/11 overtones as they felt exploitative and the film wears out its welcome but the whole film wasn't as overblown as I expected.

Michael Elliott · 01-23-2006, 10:49 PM

Steve, I got KONGO from an alternate source but it did come from a TCM airing.

Rick, I try not to compare films because, for example, it's really not fair to compare PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE next to Spielberg's WAR OF THE WORLDS. Just for starters Spielberg has more talent so... Not to mention he had $200 million while Wood only had $25,000. With Franco, he made upwards of ten movies a year with a total budget of under $100,000, which is something I'm sure Spielberg couldn't do.

I rate films on their own and give them a rating on their own. I'd give PLAN 9 a higher star rating than THE SEA HAWK and TRIUMPH OF THE WILL but that's not to say it's the better movie. There's clearly talent behind SEA and WILL but for what PLAN 9 is, I find it the better, more entertaining movie. I'd be beaten for this before but I think it's clear to what a great film is and what a poor film is. I'd never take my enjoyment of PLAN 9 as anything other than my love for bad films. That's why you'll never see me say PLAN 9 is a better movie than THE SEA HAWK.

I know many people who think PLAN 9 really is the "better movie" but I'd question their knowledge when it comes to film. I know that comment usually starts a