2/22/09

My Week In Film (2/16 - 2/22)



Viridiana (1961)
(Directed by
Luis Buñuel)

Painfully awesome. And I don't know why but this film hit me especially hard. It's hard to say but the philosophy and outlook that this film possesses is so... It hit close to home. It's such a sad film to me in the way that it portrays these hopelessly human people. Man, Fernando Rey is seriously one of my favorite actors now and I hope to see more and more films with him (+Luis). And Pinal!!!. This thing killed me I just can't explain it. I don't really care about its attacks on religion or whatever since that sort of thing is wasted on me (because I just don't care either way) but its characters, depth of feeling, technique and just plain wonderfulness speak to me in ways I may never understand. It's disturbing and funny and kind of exhausting and ultimately heartbreaking to me. Sorry for all the gushing. It's great!

I should probably rewrite this. I'm having trouble talking about it too much.

★★★★




The Inner Scar (1972)
(Directed by Phillippe Garrel)

haha wtf was this? Just a bunch of people in costumes walking for long stretches in the metaphorical landscape of the soul. Seriously. We get Nico shrieking out of her mind ("There is no mercy! There is no justice!"), Pierre Clementi riding a horse naked with bow and arrow on hand (that means something), songs from the Desertshore, kind of awesome images, what. I honestly had no idea what the hell was happening. Nico spoke English a lot of the time... but I could barely understand her. This whole thing is kind of silly. But it's also kind of awesome. So, who knows...

★★★




Die Hard (1988)
(Directed by John McTiernan)

This is a really entertaining film. I wish it stuck more to McClane/Hans rather than these really stupid characters that I don't care about. It also has a really terrible ending. But I can toss all that aside because the rest is so well done. It's basically just two hours of McClane getting the shit beat out of him by some blond Germans which I approve of on a molecular level. And it's shot pretty well unlike a lot of the action stuff of today. Plus it's funny to boot. Add that up to the other badassness at display and it's hard not to like it. But, really, terrible, terrible ending which is why I can't say I love it.

★★★1/2




Deep Red (1975)
(Directed by Dario Argento)


Very awesome. This thing is working on all levels. It has this really fantastic score from The Goblins that ratchets up the awesomeness that the visuals are delivering with it surprising funkiness. The story isn't particularly special. It's just David Hemmings stumbling around Rome or wherever the fuck he is with some reporter chick while constantly saying "I'm not an engineer, I'm a pianist" or something while his friend makes out with dudes and gets drunk as all hell. It's really drowsy and atmospheric which I dug but kind of goes up its own ass when Hemmings just starts wondering around in this really huge house (almost as huge as roujin mansion). Probably one of my favorite things is how sudden and ridiculous the end is with not even a final reaction shot. That was kind of awesome as is the rest of this movie (if not as much as Suspiria because I wanted more ridiculous lighting and colors). But, yeah!

★★★1/2




Role Models (2008)
(Directed by David Wain)

Very funny but too much of it just falls under "little kids cursing" or "adults cursing in front of kids" type of stuff. I mean, it's funny every once in a while but that's pretty much all the little black kid is. Probably my favorite part is Paul Rudd. Dude's a fucking asshole and I loved that. Too bad we know that he has to change by film's end or whatever but still those double takes he does when someone says something idiotic are sublime. Rarely are douchebags as hilarious. Also, I am a fan of Stifler. May he continue making great work!

★★1/2



Syndromes and a Century (2006)*
(Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul)

Monks who wanted to be DJs and solar eclipses.

This got me good, people. So good. I don't know what problems I had with it before. I don't know. I'm just dumb sometimes. Takes me a while to get used to things. But this thing is so beautiful. When that one dude started talking the doctor out in the garden about how it felt to be in love I was in tears! I don't even know why these little moments are so fucking powerful and hilarious and wonderful. I think the monk and the dentist are some of two most awesome characters of all time. It's just so beautifully realized. Just the way the dentist keeps singing and something to do with the windows being open and the uneasy smile that's on the monk's face. These little moments add up to so much. When you couple up that with the shift into the modern hospital with its sterile corridors and impersonality... It's not really that simple. It's not "oh, rural, good! urban, bad!" or anything like that (it's not even remotely about that). I can't even describe why these old ladies drinking alcohol in what looks like to be a huge closet is so powerful. And that kid playing tennis against the door. Why? Why? Why? I don't know. roujin, you are a dumb man. But you know what you like. You know what you like.

★★★★

Jhon's Movie of the Week is... Syndromes and a Century

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