2000s List Discussion and Suggestions (Lists Project Vol. 2)

[GringoTex]

Park can't maintain even the slightest dramatic thread. All the actors give schizo performances. It looks like he shoots a lot of coverage on the set and tries to paper it together in the editing room.

And how is this different from WKW?

{ducking}

I wouldn't call the performances in Wong's films "schizo." And I don't think Wong maintaining a dramatic thread is all that important to his films - save ITMFL and As Tears Go By - while Oldboy relies entirely on the weight of its subject so its failure to create a dramatic arc is damaging to the overall film. I've seen a few Park films now and find the same problems in all of them that Gringo spoke of.

Didn't mean to put words in your mouth, Gringo, but I had the same reaction to the film as you.

I agree completely with your take. From reading Doyle's account of Happy Together, I was under the impression that WKW can't stop shooting scenes, while it appears to me that Park can't stop shooting within scenes. WKW has a clear vision of his scenes (executed perfectly in his 90s work) while Park seemingly only has a vision of an idea which usually exceeds his grasp.

[GringoTex]

L'enfant - I look exactly like the protagonist (I mean exactly) and I have an 11-month-old baby so I couldn't help but watch in horror at much of this, which certainly colored my viewing. The Dardennes are very much literalists, so when they invite me to a transcendental ending grafted right out of Pickpocket's book, I'm going to balk. Bresson's protagonist is a moral rebel while Dardennes' is a sociopath. I couldn't make the connection.

I loved the underbelly Belgium scenery (which the Dardennes excel at) and especially the joy the young couple invent for themselves in the first 30 minutes of the film (which as far as I can tell, is the only joy outside of a scooter or go-cart the Dardennes have ever expressed).

[domino harvey]

(which as far as I can tell, is the only joy outside of a scooter or go-cart the Dardennes have ever expressed).

Buying commercial real estate in the Silence of Lorna

[LQ]

Finally watched The Gleaners and I, which I'd been holding off for a while to be in the right mood. I'm no Varda fan, but this was a pleasant surprise. A beautiful portrait of French "gleaners" - a term I was unaware of until I saw this - and its methods in showcasing its subjects and of Varda herself were unique, Varda is really lovely in the film. I don't know if this will make my list, but it did convince me to see more Varda and reminded me of the very dire need I am in of seeing more documentaries.

I'm glad to hear you liked it, Murdoch. Even happier to hear that it convinced you to watch more of her films! She'll win you over completely yet

(I mentioned this doc in passing pages back, but I'll again put in my plug for What Remains: The Life and Work of Sally Mann.)

[domino harvey]

Question for zedz: Is a TV commercial eligible?

[puxzkkx]

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints is excellent, and will make my list - it is so hard for a director to make an autobiographical film without avoiding a sense of thematic reality and simply falling back onto a mood of idealized nostalgia... but here he manages to be both heartfelt and surprisingly objective. Great ensemble acting all around, and really interesting use of sound. Remarkably assured for a directorial debut!

[carax09]

Okay. Azazel Jacob's The GoodTimesKid, was just released, amid negligible fanfare, by Benten Films. Despite their track record, this little gem has nothing to do with Mumblecore, and is much more in the spirit of early Jarmusch. Interestingly, the film was co-written and stars Gerardo Naranjo, the director of Drama/Mex and I'm Gonna Explode (both of which are being screened at the Walter Reade theatre this week). A trailer for IGE can be viewed here.

Zedz, I'd like to make The GoodTimesKid my region 1 swapsie.

Gringo, your Naranjo advocacy helped me put 2+2 together, so thanks!

[zedz]

Question for zedz: Is a TV commercial eligible?

I don't see why not.

Don't keep us all in suspense now.

Gringo, I also balk at the grafted ending to L'Enfant - not only is it a bad idea to co-opt such a famous film, but it doesn't work in context. I think The Son is a much better film, and it will probably make my list. If you haven't seen it, check it out.

I watched Rivette's Histoire de Marie et Julien over the weekend. Although I think Va savoir will remain my Rivette pick for this decade (mainly because Emmanuelle Beart is always just dead space on screen for me, but also because Va savoir is so much fun), this is a great film, even with its spoilers ruined by just about every mention of the film I've ever read. Even a five word descriptor can give it away, if two of those words are

Spoiler

"ghost story."

[Michael Kerpan]

Rivette himself has routinely talked about Marie and Julien using thr two words you regard as spoilers. I never got any sense that he felt any need to keep this aspect of the film secret.

[zedz]

Rivette himself has routinely talked about Marie and Julien using thr two words you regard as spoilers. I never got any sense that he felt any need to keep this aspect of the film secret.

Obviously I couldn't see the film without that knowledge, but trying to think past it, I could imagine all sorts of intriguing possibilities during the first half of the film. It seemed like there would have been a very rewarding tension about exactly what kind of film you were watching: a romantic comedy? a romantic tragedy? a screwball comedy? a crime film (centring on the blackmail thread)? a thriller or mystery? a patented Rivettian esoteric conspiracy story? Knowing what 'genre' (in a very loose sense) it would ultimately fall into made this sense of play basically academic. With the knowledge, the ambiguity was still there, but it was limited to wondering "how is this going to turn into x", which was quite reductive.

[swo17]

Caught up with several more swapsies, and found them all to be quite good. 50 is seeming like a smaller and smaller number each day. I'll have to sit with these films a bit longer before I know if they'll make my list.

Under the Sand
As others have said, Rampling's performance here is heartbreaking, and the levels of denial that her character sinks to were bold and fascinating. That final shot is perfect, especially after all that has come before it. I think before that point I was just mildly impressed with the film but the ending definitely shot it up a few notches.

Time Out
One of several pretend screenplay abstracts that I have written in my mind deals with a man who lives something like 5-10 secret lives at once, so I was right with the premise of this film from the start, even if it was decidedly less ambitious. Probably for the best, it was much more grounded in reality than my version would have been, but still satisfactorily played the angle of the lies taking up more time and energy than they would seem to be worth.

Prometheus's Garden
God bless weird little films like this. There's not much else I can really say about it other than it has to be seen to be believed. Granted, I do have a somewhat high tolerance for this sort of thing--I can see many normal people losing their lunch over it. I'm also not quite sure whether it all adds up to much more than the pure visceral experience of watching it. I'll have to think on that some more.

Linda Linda Linda
This is probably the most likely of the bunch to make my list. Is it possible to not like this movie? Four cute Asian girls (and I'm not necessarily one of those people predisposed to that sort of thing, if that's what you're thinking) playing catchy garage tunes and having bizarre dreams about their success? Count me in. Is this how teenage girls felt about the Fab Four back in the day? What are these feelings brewing up inside of me? I especially liked Son, with her endearing facial expressions, and how she would do those little fist punches while singing. And those songs! It's been a few days, and I still can't get them to stop playing again and again in my head...and I don't know if I want them to!

[puxzkkx]

Chopper is fantastic and will make my list. More thoughts later...

[Michael Kerpan]

The first 3 (re)releases on this page contain most of the canonical Blue Hearts songs (including al three used in Linda Linda Linda):

http://www.yesasia.com/us/the-blue-hear ... /list.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My wife, my three children and I are all dedicated Blue Hearts fans, thanks to LLL. And, when visiting Japan, we discovered that revealing that one was a Blue Hearts fan got one instant credibility with 30-something guys (and younger).

Apparently Yamashita and his producers were quite surprised at how costly it was to obtain BAE Doo-na's services as Son -- but when all was said and done, everyone agreed she was essential. She has continued to make use of the Japanese she started learning in this film. She later made a TV series in which she played a Japanese Korean -- though much of the time she was visiting Korea (for the first time). And, of course, she has now made Air Doll with Kore'eda (not sure how uch she talks in this).

[GringoTex]

I watched Rivette's Histoire de Marie et Julien over the weekend. Although I think Va savoir will remain my Rivette pick for this decade (mainly because Emmanuelle Beart is always just dead space on screen for me, but also because Va savoir is so much fun), this is a great film, even with its spoilers ruined by just about every mention of the film I've ever read. Even a five word descriptor can give it away, if two of those words are

Spoiler

"ghost story."

I found both leads to be dead space for me, which is why I failed to engage. Rivette actually strongly objected that this not about

Spoiler

ghosts

but about

Spoiler

revenants

although the importance of the distinction completely escapes me.

[GringoTex]

Silent Light - There are so many things wrong with this film - the ridiculously acclaimed opening shot, the symbolism hanging on the frame like so many turds, the ending - but then there are so many things right. The way in which Reygadas takes an alien, hermetic subculture and makes us deal with their psychology on their terms is breathtaking. This director's cinematic empathy knows no bounds, which is why after seeing his three features to date, he's my favorite director of the decade. (though that could change quickly, as I still have sixty 2000s films in my netflix queue!)

[Michael Kerpan]

I forgot about the distinction by Rivette that you mention GringoTex. As I now recall, having been prompted:

Spoiler

it had something to do with Rivette's notion that the term ghost involved "haunting" -- and that there was nothing of the sort intended here.

[puxzkkx]

Silent Light - There are so many things wrong with this film - the ridiculously acclaimed opening shot, the symbolism hanging on the frame like so many turds, the ending - but then there are so many things right. The way in which Reygadas takes an alien, hermetic subculture and makes us deal with their psychology on their terms is breathtaking. This director's cinematic empathy knows no bounds, which is why after seeing his three features to date, he's my favorite director of the decade. (though that could change quickly, as I still have sixty 2000s films in my netflix queue!)

Have you seen Parque Via? Seems like it'd be up your alley.

Also, a notice for everyone - the best American animated family film of the decade was not made by Pixar, but rather by Disney - Lilo & Stitch

[Michael]

In the City of Sylvia - Definitely worth a look. Nearly free of dialogues. It's really hard to describe why I love it. The mood contained in this film is so breathtakingly felt - you're an artist sitting outside a cafe observing all kinds of women around you. An hour of the film is pretty much that. It sounds awfully bland and boring but it's truly magical in how it keeps you riveted by just watching people. If you're familiar with Vertigo, Sylvia is like the Scottie following Madeleine sequence stretched to a feature film. With a lovely homage to Sunrise and Cleo From 5 to 7 - the train trailing through the city. Gorgeous slice of cinema - while watching the film, I felt like that woman in the night club, staring out into the void, hypnotized, unaware of the world spinning around her.

[LQ]

..Gorgeous slice of cinema

I just finished watching it, and it is a sensual summer breeze of a film. I agree with Michael totally on this one. Exquisitely shot, thoughtful yet air-light, romantic and purely beautiful. Effortlessly and at once, you are involved in the young artist's preoccupations... casual, curious observation of the sun-drenched crowd, meandering around the streets trailing his presumed love, soaking up the sights & sounds of a lovely foreign town. I will say, it makes you immediately want to pick up and settle in shimmering Strasbourg! Also, I'm sure that many people can relate to the notion of entering into a city heavily and intrinsically connected with a single person- you see them everywhere, even if you don't at all.
It'll find a nice little niche in my list.

(And finally I now know the origin of franco's avatar, one that's intrigued me for a while now)

[zedz]

Michael and LQ, I'm sure you can imagine how the experience of Sylvia was in a cinema, and, better still, walking back out into the city afterwards. Now you're ready to graduate to Some Photos in the City of Sylvia (La Jetee to In the City's Vertigo).

As for me:

Suzhou River – I’d wanted to see this film for a long time, and now that I have I’m mystified as to how it attained its international reputation. It’s basically a very obvious Wong Kar-wai knock-off, with Shanghai subbing for Hong Kong (or Buenos Aires), but with hardly any of Wong’s virtues (or Chris Doyle’s, or William Chang’s) - as far as I know nobody goes to Wong’s films for the stories. Instead of Doyle’s neon impressionism we get handheld am-cam; instead of Chang and Wong’s sly, elliptical editing rhythms we get dull, literal choppiness (or, for variety, dull, literal slo-mo). It’s actually an interesting case of plagiarism that gets almost all of the essentials wrong without, however, stumbling into new territory in so doing.

The Heart of the World – I’d enjoyed Careful and couldn’t stand Twilight of the Ice Nymphs, so this flurry of madness was like a shot in the arm - for me, for Maddin and for a new century of cinema. This film is probably still Maddin’s best, and if not that, it’s his most. It’s like Eisenstein and Vertov were given 24 hours to remake Metropolis, but all they were given were (very) short ends (but an unlimited amount of cardboard, poster paint, coffee and amphetamines). And they succeed, even though the film only runs six minutes. If you’re a Maddin virgin, this is definitely the place to start, and possibly stop. If you don’t crack a smile somewhere in the middle of this, stay well away from him in less concentrated doses. For me, Maddin’s subsequent work succeeds to the extent that it recaptures the giddiness and intensity of this film (which he does quite well in Cowards Bend the Knee, Brand Upon the Brain! and My Winnipeg, even at feature length).

Watch it here.

[swo17]

The Heart of the World

In case there is anyone who has not already learned to do everything zedz says by now, allow me to be second witness to the majesty of this wonderful little film.

And cue domino's dissent in 3...2...

[domino harvey]

The Heart of the World

In case there is anyone who has not already learned to do everything zedz says by now, allow me to be second witness to the majesty of this wonderful little film.

And cue domino's dissent in 3...2...

I was all ready with the quippy putdown until I saw I was cued.

































But seriously, the Heart of the World is the opposite of cinema

[Murdoch]

I thought the (brief) phallic imagery was funny in HotW. I'm only a fan of Maddin when you can't hear the actors speak, I loved Brand Upon the Brain! and Heart of the World but couldn't get through five minutes of Twilight of the Ice Nymphs or Archangel. The dracula film he did was good fun though.

[Michael]

I thought the (brief) phallic imagery was funny in HotW. I'm only a fan of Maddin when you can't hear the actors speak, I loved Brand Upon the Brain! and Heart of the World but couldn't get through five minutes of Twilight of the Ice Nymphs or Archangel. The dracula film he did was good fun though.

Having seen all Maddin films, Brand Upon the Brain! is the only one that works for me and I love it. Perfect Halloween treat.

[GringoTex]

Linda Linda Linda - What a gorgeous film, though I had huge trouble following the plot points. I have no idea what was happening with the band break-up at the beginning and which kept on lingering. So I just treated it as typical teenage girl angst catfighting and thus ignored it as unimportant. Worked for me, sexist it may be. It also took me awhile to figure out one girl was speaking Korean while the others were speaking Japanese, but I'm just slow that way. I think this was one will definitely make my list. It integrates Linklater with Rivette: Linklater's culture-emptied, culture-inspired settings with Rivette's obsession with females creating art. Great stuff.

A couple of questions:

Is the red-headed, husky-voiced juice seller a known music icon?

Is Du-na Bae the 2000s Asian Molly Ringwald? She's been in four of the Asian movies you guys have recommended. I'm not complaining- she's amazing.

Do Japanese women have thicker legs than Korean women?