Films you've seen recently and would unreservedly recommend:

Saw This Must Be the Place by Paolo Sorrentino yesterday. It was gorgeous. It's about a retired rockstar, bored as fuck, living a weird life with his wife and daughter. He's a great character, looks a bit like Ozzy Osbourne maybe? Another character though, all depressed and introvert but sometimes he explodes, there's some funny moments throughout the movie. When he hears his father passed away he goes on a hunt for some nazi criminal his father always talked about. It's crazy, there's little coherence in the movie, I bet some people are gonna hate it. BUT, best thing about this movie, apart from the crazy characters, are the fantastic shots. Great camera work in this one, the director really has an eye for nice images.

Paolo Sorrentino also directed The Consequences of Love by the way, think someone mentioned it here some time ago.

in re: araki - totally fucked up is a completely amazing film. just the most raw, unflinching, honest portrayal of gay teenage experience in america. really searing emotionally but also very clever, full of dark humor +...well this review says it much better than I can. doom generation + nowhere are pretty severe diminishing returns by comparison. I know they're cult + whatever but all the affection + kitsch violence, just, ugh (i.e. it's always a terrible sign when rose mcgowan shows up).

the arc of the teenage apocalypse trilogy is like kevin smith: first one is a flawless landmark of 90s indie cinema, following films turn that greatness into an inferior kitschy cartoon version of itself. tho, araki>>>smith. speaking of which, he should get at least as much credit for helping kickstart "indie" cinema (pre-sundance when that meant something) but of course his films are way more inaccessible + yunno, gay.

mostly I just wanted to proselytize for totally fucked up (seriously, go watch it). mysterious skin is also a masterpiece but people already know about that one.

oh + 2 quick notes:
-james duval was (+ still is) achingly beautiful, araki struck gold using him as a muse
-his taste in music is pretty choice: jamc, coil, tons of shoegaze (also nin + ministry but hey it was the 90s)

I was in London for a few days, and noticed that they were showing Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, which will probably not come to Copenhagen. If you can, you should really see it, it's incredible.

slowtrain said:

smiley face is pretty shit though

Click to expand...

That's the only one of his films I've seen. Before I watched it his reputation did precede him somewhat, so I was expecting a more light-hearted take on the kind of queer teen cinema that in my head he usually made. Needless to say when all kinds of witchcraft and supernatural shit started going down it was weirdly compelling in a curious way. But still, yeah, it's not a great film.

I caught Martha Marcy May Marlene a couple of weeks ago. I missed its run in Manchester but had heard such good things about it I went out of my way to see it when I was down in London for a couple of days. Elizabeth Olsen's performance was a revelation. I love films that occupy themselves mostly with different kinds of ambiguities, and this one is all about that. Uncertainty in people's motives and actions, uncertainty about physical environment and the potential danger of given situations - that stuff is like crack to me. Would recommend it wholeheartedly, although it is a bit of an unsettling watch in parts. I would post the trailer, but it's really not very representative of the mood or rhythm of the film at all.

Also, as a sidenote, the film it reminded me of most was a German film called Requiem from maybe 5 years ago. Its based on the same true story that 'inspired' The Exorcism of Emily Rose, but isn't really really shite. This girl, Anneliese Michel, suffered from mental illness and epilepsy and after a few years of unsuccessful treatment was convinced she was actually possessed by the devil and ended up undergoing a series of about 50 exorcism rituals which eventually ended up killing her. The trailer makes it look like some kind of hysterical supernatural coming-of-age thing, but it's a pretty keenly-observed film about the way people with mental and physical health disorders are understood by those around them, and how that affects the way they see themselves.

Gregor XIII said:

I was in London for a few days, and noticed that they were showing Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, which will probably not come to Copenhagen. If you can, you should really see it, it's incredible.

Click to expand...

It certainly lingers in the brain. Few things I found didn't quite work but overall good. It's a damning indictment of turkish police forensics though

bandshell said:

Watched Jim Jarmusch's 'Dead Man' last night. Thought it was great. Really enjoyed it. Soundtrack is superb as well. Nothing like Neil Young's tone.

Expected Jarmusch to be a complete arse after watching 'Coffee & Cigarettes' but after watching an interview with him he seems alright. Reminds me of Nick Cave.

Click to expand...

It's the only Jarmusch film I've enjoyed (Dead Man). Broken Flowers and The Limits of Control were possibly the most boring, irritating films I've ever seen, apart from maybe Three Colours: Blue.

Yeah, I reckon Dead Man is the best of JJ"s films. Also seconded on Martha Marcy May Marlene - would stand another watch I think.
I'm keen to see the Anatolia thing, should be right up my street I reckon.

amer was pretty great, very abstract, not really the giallo that was advertised. i read someone comparing it to valerie and her week of wonders and i think that's more accurate, though it's much different

I watched Ivan's Childhood last night and I must say that it's one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. Panning shots of silver birch that looked amazing in black and white, like an abstract pattern, close ups of faces. Some of the shots almost looked like still photos, beautiful but with a little menace, that reminded my of Night of the Hunter in look. Also recalled Alexander Sokurov's Alexandra a little.

Thinking of manning up and watching Adrei Rublev tonight...pretty long.

The Station Agent - nice little film, that classic American indie aesthetic

i liked that film. though it ended up a bit too much about the woman and her problems rather than the little guy.

i have been finding it hard to watch/enjoy anything remotely 'difficult' lately so i saw election recently. and 10 things i hate about you. both were awesome. rewatched raising arizona too which was equally good. early cohen bros>>>modern/recent cohen bros.

Bangpuss said:

It's the only Jarmusch film I've enjoyed (Dead Man). Broken Flowers and The Limits of Control were possibly the most boring, irritating films I've ever seen, apart from maybe Three Colours: Blue.

Click to expand...

quite enjoyed Limits of Control... may have been my mood at the time but i wished it was longer couldn't agree more on the Three Colours pretentious vacuousness.

rubberdingyrapids said:

i liked that film. though it ended up a bit too much about the woman and her problems rather than the little guy.

i have been finding it hard to watch/enjoy anything remotely 'difficult' lately so i saw election recently. and 10 things i hate about you. both were awesome. rewatched raising arizona too which was equally good. early cohen bros>>>modern/recent cohen bros.

Click to expand...

yeah, i thought it could've packed more detail in to its 90 minutes (or whatever it was), but it was very charming. Patricia Clarkson is pretty great too, so I didn't mind the focus on her, though it could've been more equal as you say

I always preferred Blood Simple to their other early stuff

finally got round to seeing Friedkin's Sorcerer. really took me by surprise as i wasn't expecting it to be this bloody good. Scheider's doom leathered face sits perfectly against the rocky roads and rickety hell bridge. up there with Cruising imo.

i did really like anatolia but thought that once it hit around the 3/4 mark, it started to get a bit inessential and lost its way. might have been more effective if it ended earlier. there were 2 times before the actual proper ending where i felt it was about to go to the credits.

ive just been watching old hollywood classics lately. the most dangerous game, bringing up baby, public enemy. PE is def one of the greatest gangster movies ever. its odd that even though its 80 years old there are parts of it that are still quite tough - even though weve seen a million loathesome characters since, cagney is still a pretty mean guy.

nochexxx said:

finally got round to seeing Friedkin's Sorcerer. really took me by surprise as i wasn't expecting it to be this bloody good. Scheider's doom leathered face sits perfectly against the rocky roads and rickety hell bridge. up there with Cruising imo.

Click to expand...

great soundtrack too

rubberdingyrapids said:

PE is def one of the greatest gangster movies ever. its odd that even though its 80 years old there are parts of it that are still quite tough - even though weve seen a million loathesome characters since, cagney is still a pretty mean guy.

Click to expand...

Have you seen this with him in? Amazing. I love his face, looks like he has eye-shadow on. In this you get all the wise crackery combined with some Busby Berkley choreographed numbers which are great.

La Grande Illusion - Jean Renoir



Out in London cinemas at the moment. New restored version.

im gonna see that renoir film at the rio with battleship potemkin.

Have you seen this with him in? Amazing. I love his face, looks like he has eye-shadow on. In this you get all the wise crackery combined with some Busby Berkley choreographed numbers which are great.

Click to expand...

not seen that but i want to see more berkley. im sure that in PE, he had eye shadow or makeup on too, as it progressed. if he did, scorsese prob decided to give ray liotta some make up in goodfellas from watching that.