Criterion Film Club: Suggestions and General Discussion

[knives]

I’ll be voting for The Two of Us because I think it’s reception here misunderstands the film which to me has a great deal of savvy on interpersonal connections and is incredibly relevant to our moment of hating the other while not knowing our kin.

[therewillbeblus]

Good point and I like that film too, but I'm leaning towards The Learning Tree which I saw recently and was surprised by how intricately it seemed to be utilizing the specific formula of melodrama from 50s white America to tailor generational trauma of black experience. I'm curious if anyone else caught this, and I think there are probably many examples within the film of sincerely playing with and cheekily inverting this genre (including its picturesque stamp) that are gold mines for evaluation.

[knives]

That’s a good one and your description makes me want a comparison between it and Rory’s Sounder.

[Mr Sausage]

I've been watching and posting about HK films a lot these days. The above is literally just a list of HK films I want to see and haven't yet.

[Finch]

I have only seen Prodigal Son and Running out of Time. Both are very fine films, but if forced to choose, I'd absolutely go with Prodigal Son.

[domino harvey]

I have never heard of any of these, but I know approximately nothing about this particular world cinema so that’s not too surprising! Obv I abstain, but my vote could be bought

[therewillbeblus]

I know DarkImbecile usually comes in as the voice of reason here, but what's the availability of these five films for disc/streaming? I feel like The Prodigal Son might garner the most discussion due to many probably having the Eureka disc, though I haven't seen it either so I'm not sure how much there is to 'say' about it. I happened to have just rented the R1 DVD of Pedicab Driver from my local library last night, so I'm planning to watch that this week.

I'm also down to continue the Michelle Yeoh momentum with Butterfly & Sword, or take the action into the incarcerated milieu of Prison on Fire, or explore more Johnnie To with Running Out of Time... maybe these would spark more fruitful discussions than the Sammo martial arts vehicles? I'll probably just do them all, so may the best film win!

[DarkImbecile]

I know DarkImbecile usually comes in as the voice of reason here

That’s the first time those words have ever been written in that order.

I’m in a similar boat to domino here, and my vote is probably cheaper, so…

[feihong]

I voted for Pedicab Driver because I like it so much, but I'm mildly interested in seeing Butterfly and Sword, which I've never watched, but which I have close at hand. I never thought there was much to say about Prodigal Son, but I did see it a long, long time ago, and I might have missed something.

[therewillbeblus]

I just watched Pedicab Driver today and while I found it entertaining enough- especially a few of the comic bits- I don't have much to say about that one either. Granted, I understand this might be Sammo's most class-conscious film in some respects, so I don't doubt others could write a book on it, but those elements didn't move me. I voted for Prison on Fire, because after revisiting Hard Boiled for the nth time this afternoon, I really need to see a prison try to hold Chow Yun-fat down and, presumably, fail

[Mr Sausage]

Have at it, everyone.

[swo17]

Scratch your voting itch here!

Of all the things going on in the world right now, this is the one where you can actually impact the outcome!

[ando]

Mira Nair's take of Pixote on the Criterion Channel sold me on an overdue viewing. Thanks for the nom, in any event!

[Mr Sausage]

Knives has been generous enough to curate a selection of Roger Corman films for this voting round.

[DarkImbecile]

Have you seen all these, knives? Any thoughts on those you haven’t already written up?

[knives]

I have. All of these are great films in their respective way. Originally I wanted a film a decade, but I found myself not literate enough in the post New World films to choose films from those decades.

The other idea I had was to take on films that don’t meet the expectations of a Corman production. None of these are the low grade horror and sci-fi he is known for. Rather there is a mix of melodramas and films of political activism.

I don’t want to bias the choices to my tastes, but I believe that all five will find their fans here.

We’ve already had some discussion on Sorority Girl which is a great psychological presentation of the female mind in our society. Less talked about is The Intruder which is a devastating attempt by Corman to make a great anti-racist creed, for years afterward he was attacked as a communist, which is vital to understanding his future decisions.

The last three are great examples of Corman the producer. The Final Comedown is perhaps the most radical example of an angry black artist from the era wiped clean of the stylization and metaphor that kept other examples cool and fashionable. It’s an American Battle of Algiers.

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden is perhaps Corman’s most explicit Bergman film taking his objective view of characters to go through the slow process of psychological healing. It’s like a Fade to Face for teens.

Love Letters, by the same director as Slumber Party Massacre, is a warm take on many of the same themes as the two other female centered films staring Jamie Lee Curtis in her first major non-horror role.

I actually think watching all five shows how consistent in theme Corman has been across decades and in his many hats.

Also, all of these films are streaming for free in the US on Tubi and Pluto.

[swo17]

I'm most interested in seeing Sorority Girl but The Intruder is also essential viewing for this month's 1962 list

[therewillbeblus]

I'm most interested in seeing Sorority Girl but The Intruder is also essential viewing for this month's 1962 list

I'll probably vote for The Intruder for that reason (plus I haven't seen it yet), but Sorority Girl really is terrific and I hope more people see it and are able to contribute to the conversation knives and I had back in the Corman said. It's a lot more psychologically complex than its exploitation exteriors suggest, appropriately conflating social alienation and neglectful nurture with noir fatalism in a very effective way.

[knives]

Guess I was good at keeping my preferences downlow as the two ‘70s films were what I was most greatly rooting for with I Never Promised You a Rose Garden being the best film I’ve seen for my little project so far.

[Mr Sausage]

Five random Criterions.

[therewillbeblus]

Never seen Koko or Flunky, Work Hard!, the former being somewhat of a classic I should get to and the latter far more intriguing and short- it'll probably get my vote between the blind spots. Can anyone sell me on either?

I remember next to nothing about Documenteur but LB tells me I liked it. La piscine might be the best bet for participation via accessible analysis, especially if we compare it to Swimming Pool, but I'm honestly inclined to vote for Jellyfish Eyes, which I didn't like but somehow feel magnetically compelled to re-evaluate it for 'fun'

[Mr Sausage]

Five random Criterions.

[Michael Kerpan]

I am almost becoming allergic to voting. When I vote, I seem to wind up helping pick things (almost) no one else seems to want to talk about....

[Mr Sausage]

I think by and large people don't vote for things they want to discuss, they vote for things they want to see other people discuss. Which is fair enough, really. But it doesn't help that discussion they want to read actually happen.

[therewillbeblus]

Of the listed films, I haven't seen A Ship to India, but in the spirit of ushering in the strongest chance of mass participation, I may vote for Diabolique, though Quadrophenia would probably be the most interesting. Decisions, decisions