Thought I'd share reviews of a couple of
Criterion films I watched recently.
La Jetée - 9.5/10
[Show spoiler]Having seen 12 Monkeys, I had an idea of what to expect story wise but visually, oh man was I was floored. I knew it was told through stills but I wouldn't have imagined they could carry an entire narrative structure the way this does. The narration is amongst the best I've ever heard for any film. The lines and tone in which they're read is pitch perfect in relation to the atmosphere it creates. The one motion scene in it was almost jarring as it's almost telling the audience to open they're eyes and take in what's around them as if we are our main character and if we miss a beat, we could be doomed along with the rest. Wonderful!
Did anyone watch the supplement on Marker's influence from Hitchcock's Vertigo? It's an interesting examination to say the least but I couldn't shake the feeling that the analyzer was reading way too much into it.
The Pornographers - 8/10
[Show spoiler]Got around to this last night. I'm not going to pretend to have any knowledge of Japanese society or politics of the time but as far as going in with nothing but the synopsis on the back of the case, I have to say I was kind of mesmerized t...hrough the whole thing. I read a review in terms of the voyeurism being in the framing. I disagree. There's definitely an aspect to it,not in the framing, but with the patience that's involved with watching. Nothing happens immediately as anyone knows, but it takes time, leading up to that one point where an action is going to occur. The slow burn through the first half of the film makes this perfectly clear. The second half once Haru is hospitalized and Keiko starts acting out is when more of the dark humor sets in with its play on anything taboo in a less than negative fashion. The satire in this is really dry and it's hard to fathom anyone without that particular sense of humor grasping it. As far as the carp scenes, not only are they humorous in the context of the film (especially when Subu claims to have thrown it out), but for me as the audience as knowing what it was supposed to represent, was always drawn to it even in the background of the main characters actions. I wouldn't say delightful or warmhearted or even innocent, but as dark as the subject matter can be taken in any other way, I have to say this film carries it much in a very unique light. The ending is so oddball and is pretty much the epitomy of the obsession males have about sex. To give up such a large amount of money to have that one thing, person or not, that can satisfy the sexual urges is the kind of selfish representation of having only what WE can have and no one else possesses.
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
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Finland
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there's more hype about fincher than Boyle, thus less hate directed at Boyle. I think most people on this forum who dislike certain directors do it because it's cool to hate them outright. 
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