The Criterion Collection

[ultlife2013]

Nice preorder price at amazon.ca for My Darling Clementine:

http://www.amazon.ca/My-Darling-Clem...A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB

42% off! Fellow Canadians...you know what you have to do.

[Thebunk]

Originally Posted by Helikaon

Filmsnobs are the worst kind of snobs . I liked Oblivion, thought Pacific Rim was fantastic, but was disappointed in Elysium after the impressive District 9. What did you think of the latest Godzilla?




Great post! I think I have to agree with your criticism of Magnolia; even though I like it a lot, I can't watch it too many times because its emotional manipulation is so full-throttle.

Also I just want to say that this criticism of "emotional manipulation" is just so baffling to me. A film maker does a great job of pulling emotional reactions by creating characters that feel real and/or ones that the audience can somehow relate with or to, along with marrying that with other qualities (use of music, editing, story, etc) and this is a bad thing!?

So I guess if that is the case then Kubrick, Ozu and others are guilty of the same crime as well.

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Started I Married a Witch, I'm loving the special effects! Seems like a real fun film haha

Yeah really fun movie
Veronica Lake is absolutly stunning. Shes great in Sullivan's Travels as well

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Helikaon

I saw Dawn of the Dead (1978) last week and it was utter crap. What do you guys think?

I respect George A. Romero for what he did to the horror genre, specifically with popularizing the zombie concept. That being said, I don't find his films to be very interesting. In fact, most of the zombie films to be released thus far have not been very intriguing to me.

The only thing I really like, as in I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY LOVE is The Walking Dead. I think it does a great job at focusing on the survival aspect of a zombie apocalypse, rather than just the typical running and gunning.

[Thebunk]

Originally Posted by ultlife2013

Nice preorder price at amazon.ca for My Darling Clementine:

http://www.amazon.ca/My-Darling-Clem...A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB

42% off! Fellow Canadians...you know what you have to do.

Wow thanks for the headsup! I was thinking of blind buying this since I love Fonda and the story of the OK Corral (Tombstone the movie is a good movie that I need to revisit soon). That said I recently bought "The Searchers" and watched earlier this week and liked it but was not floored by it so not sure if Clementine is for me or not.

[Helikaon]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

Also I just want to say that this criticism of "emotional manipulation" is just so baffling to me. A film maker does a great job of pulling emotional reactions by creating characters that feel real and/or ones that the audience can somehow relate with or to, along with marrying that with other qualities (use of music, editing, story, etc) and this is a bad thing!?

So I guess if that is the case then Kubrick, Ozu and others are guilty of the same crime as well.

My criticism was not the "emotional manipulation" (although I suppose the word "manipulation" carries a negative connotation) but that I feel it to be overt and relentless throughout the film. I agree with you that it is not a bad thing at all.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Yes. It was yours. I do not shy away from the fact that Magnolia is not only my favorite film of all time, but the film that has actually changed my life more than any other. So, really, please, if you want to say that it is a worthless film that only appeals to the lowest common denominator, you might as well call those of us who have been greatly moved by the film ignorant and uncultured fools.

I'll probably get bashed for this, but anyway!

I prefer Magnolia to Short Cuts - I found Magnolia more emotional and powerful and stayed with me longer. Short Cuts is a great film and I don't hate it, but it didn't leave a huge impact on me, I have only watched once so I do need to revisit it but all I remember from Short Cuts is Julianne Moores bush :/ lol.

The only reason I am comparing these too, is solely for the fact that they are both films based around multiple lives and hypo they affect each other in some way or another.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

got a B&N 15% coupon that ends tomorrow. i wont use it so here it is:

Enter code WA2QX8ZJQLX6F

Thank you!

I've been wanting to pick up The Time Machine for a while now. Just for grins, I put it in my B&N cart and tried your code out. I was surprised nobody used it already ... so I thought "why not". It would have cost me more in gas to run to the store and pick it up myself. (Final cost with tax was $12.96 ... not the best, not the worst).

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

Also I just want to say that this criticism of "emotional manipulation" is just so baffling to me. A film maker does a great job of pulling emotional reactions by creating characters that feel real and/or ones that the audience can somehow relate with or to, along with marrying that with other qualities (use of music, editing, story, etc) and this is a bad thing!?

So I guess if that is the case then Kubrick, Ozu and others are guilty of the same crime as well.

All art is manipulative, because the artist uses whatever he has available to him to get his audience to respond a certain way. But some artists are more skilled at it than others.

The way I've always put it is that some artists are Oz the Great and Powerful while others are a Man Behind the Curtain pulling levers and barking into a microphone. For the most part, the former's manipulation is either imperceptible to most people or they are complicit in allowing their feelings to be manipulated while the latter's manipulation is all too obvious. For me, Kubrick is an example of Oz the Great and Powerful; Spielberg is an example of the Man Behind the Curtain.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I respect George A. Romero for what he did to the horror genre, specifically with popularizing the zombie concept. That being said, I don't find his films to be very interesting.

I'm with you there. I think Martin was the only film of Romero's that I found interesting.

In fact, most of the zombie films to be released thus far have not been very intriguing to me.

I generally don't have a great deal of interest in zombie movies, as they tend to feel like rehashes of what has come before. There are some that I have liked, though: Night of the Comet, 28 Days Later, Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake (which I liked better than Romero's original).

Just last night, I watched World War Z on Netflix. The movie was as dumb as dirt, but it was oddly exciting nonetheless.

The only thing I really like, as in I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY LOVE is The Walking Dead. I think it does a great job at focusing on the survival aspect of a zombie apocalypse, rather than just the typical running and gunning.

I couldn't get into The Walking Dead. I watched all seven episodes of the first season, and had no interest in returning for the second.

[Polaroid]

Only Zombie style film I could ever enjoy was 28 Days Later (albeit it was't exactly a Zombie film) - 28 Weeks was OK, but not where near as raw as Days.

I need to visit those original Zombie films, but I get put off, I hate cheese and Zombies can come across as a bit corny lol

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Yes. It was yours. I do not shy away from the fact that Magnolia is not only my favorite film of all time, but the film that has actually changed my life more than any other. So, really, please, if you want to say that it is a worthless film that only appeals to the lowest common denominator, you might as well call those of us who have been greatly moved by the film ignorant and uncultured fools.

Though Magnolia didn't change my life, I believe that certain directors can have more of an impact on certain generations of people. I think the younger PTA's directing style, though more manipulative, appeals to younger audiences moreso than Altman does today. I would make a bet that if you took a roomful of 16 year olds and made them watch Magnolia and then another time Nashville, their collective attention would be able to focus on Magnolia more, because its, in my opinion, a more engaging film and better suited for a younger audience with attention deficit disorder. It's a generational thing I believe.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

See Short Cuts. And hey, Altman was a fan of PTA to begin with, so he would not approve of people trying to put his name in the mud. After all, who was going to be passed directing duties if Altman would've passed away during the filming of Prairie Home Companion?

But...I thought that's what the Assistant Director does!
Y'know, "Should the director not be able to fulfill his duties..."?

[anthonyls]

Little project I've been working on... I like the standard Criterion BD case better than the digipacks...

[DaveyJoe]

Interesting to see the Altman vs. PTA comparison. Just the other night I watched 3 Women and couldn't shake the thought that Altman blatantly ripped off Bergman's Persona.

[anthonyls]

[anthonyls]

[anthonyls]

[anthonyls]

[soarinsteven]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Yes. It was yours. I do not shy away from the fact that Magnolia is not only my favorite film of all time, but the film that has actually changed my life more than any other. So, really, please, if you want to say that it is a worthless film that only appeals to the lowest common denominator, you might as well call those of us who have been greatly moved by the film ignorant and uncultured fools.

Yeah, Magnolia is not only my favorite PTA, but one of my favorite films as well. I still remember watching it for the first time years ago. Caught it on a Friday night on IFC back when it was commercial free. I was a little intimidated by the running time, but it flew by. I was captivated every second and felt deeply for every character. Profoundly moving, and told with such wondrous humanity, and really doesn't pass judgement on its characters. The John C. Reilly and Melora Walters story line gets to me in particular. Perhaps for similar reasons LOST is one of my favorite tv shows is that it centers on individuals suffering personal crises whose lives come together whether its fate or coincidence and come to see that some sort of redemption is visible or possible. The film is a tour de force of direction, writing, acting, film editing, music, etc. I ended up watching it again on IFC two nights later those many years ago to confirm what I watched really was that good.