11/30/08

My Week In Film (11/24 - 11/30)



Masculin Feminin (1966)*
(Directed by Jean-Luc Godard)

"We control our thoughts which mean nothing, and not our emotions which mean everything."

"Give us a TV and a car, but deliver us from liberty."

"I love what's false."

"You hate what bores you."

"We'd often go to the movies. We'd shiver as the screen lit up. But more often, Madeline and I would be disappointed. More often we'd be disappointed. The images flickered. Marilyn Monroe looked terribly old. It saddened us. It wasn't the film we had dreamed, the film we all carried in our hearts, the film we wanted to make... and secretly wanted to live."

"I don't know why I'm laughing actually. I'm really down."

"Man's conscience doesn't determine his existence. His social being determines his conscience."

"I'm no concern of yours."

"To have a conscience is to be open to the world."
"To be faithful is to act as if time didn't exist."
"Wisdom would be to see life, truly see it. That would be wisdom."

This film should be called "The Children of Marx and Coca-Cola."

★★★1/2




Encounters At The End of the World (2008)
(Directed by Werner Herzog)

At first, it's not very interesting but once you start getting into the rhythm of hearing these people's stories, it becomes really odd and refreshing. The spirit of these people is what gets to me the most. Their adventures, their pasts and all that crap and how all they kind of share this impulse to be at the end of the world... It's all highlighted by Herzog's delightfully off-center narration, sometimes quizzical, sometimes pondering about god knows what (and I just watched this shit). It's helped by really great underwater footage (plus having a really photogenic continent ready to be shot). Good stuff.

★★★




Beau Travail (1999)
(Directed by Claire Denis)

uh, people moved and it was beautiful. After seeing the ending like a million times before watching the movie (which is both ridiculous and amazing), I finally watched the entire film. It's nothing like it. Lots of shots of men working out and being legionnaires or working out or dancing or working out or staring at each other in silence... or working out. It's kinda boring sometimes but also kinda ridiculously watchable. The cinematography is pretty, pretty excellent (although I think Friday Night is more impressive with its silent film style bullshit). Anyway, Lavant imbues his character with the same kind of sheer physicality that he brought to Les Amants while also suggesting a completely repressed inner state. Michael Subor acts like a creep. Gregoire Colin is a hunk. Oh, there's probably a queer reading to this (you've seen this, skjerva, right?) Anyway, plz give moar Claire Denis to me. I have Trouble Every Day coming up. And, well, I think it will be great. Why?



★★★★



Morvern Callar (2002)
(Directed by Lynne Ramsay)

um, at first, this is not awesome. Then it becomes awesome. Just lots of great internal stuff being suggested without little to no dialogue (or none that matters, anyway) (I'm bad with English/Scottish/Irish accents and I watched this without subs and could not understand pretty much anything that was being said... and yet it didn't matter). Of course, fantastic cinematography (plus a great soundtrack... uh... must get...) with lots of great strobe lights shit. I don't know why but it really does get increasingly more fascinating as it goes along and by the end I don't even understand why it has the impact that it has on me. Seriously. Shit's great.

★★★★


Really tough this week... I'll give it to...

Jhon's Movie of the Week... Morvern Callar



This is the best thing I saw all week though.

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