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Re: Re: I'm a bit (Reply to this comment)
by katmar
Yes, you are. Because the "why" of the killing is really heartbreaking. This isn't a violent "young man kills autistic boy for the thrill of it". In fact, your heart will probably break for Leland as much as for anyone else. Please see it, I don't think you'll be sorry you did.
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Feb 26 '05
10:26 am PST
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Re: Re: & (Reply to this comment)
by trust12345
Now I'm even more intrigued
Well-- you've seen my old review of GDI, so I won't intrigue you further here... I couldn't send you to any screening without warning you as emphatically as I can. Caveat emptor.
-JS
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Feb 25 '05
7:02 am PST
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Re: & (Reply to this comment)
by omophagia
John,
Still Subject to Revision Pending:[...] Goodbye Dragon Inn...
Ha! If that makes it onto your list, I'd be mighty surprised. Then again-- some folks obviously enjoyed the film, and I hardly know your tastes. By the looks of it, pretty square with mine. For the full effect of awfulness, best to see GDI in the theater...
Interesting! I'll say that I haven't really read much about GDI, but that, based on what I had read, I thought it sounded like it "could" be a good film. Not quite the "must see" that Notre Musique or Vera Drake are, but something it seemed like it would be good to have an opinion on, one way or the other.
But "in theater" awful? Now I'm even more intrigued...
Thanks for checking in,
Jonathan
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Feb 24 '05
7:39 pm PST
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Re: Hero (Reply to this comment)
by omophagia
Stephen,
was actually a 2002 film and its belated US theatrical release was of a cut version.
Yes, as I said in a comment below, I'm aware of the film's "technical" release date, but I was using its "Oscar eligibility" U.S. release when I included it on my list.
And, in all honesty, I've owned a bootleg dvd of the original cut of the film since well before the theatrical release of the altered version.
I have not read any review of "Hero" criticizing or praising it as an anti-war movie. There has been discussion of it as pro-imperialist, and it pleased the current Chinese autocracy with its get out of the way message (though my interpretation is that one can cease opposition and will still be killed anyway).
There weren't many "serious" film critics who so horribly mis-read Hero, but there were quit a few "local newspaper" film writers who I think did Hero a real disservice with their p1ss-poor attempts at interpretation. And, for the record, I agree with your take.
I think Zhang's 2004 film (House of Flying Daggers/10-Faced Ambush) is better, even more visually striking and without any message pleasing to the rulers of the current Chinese or American empires.
While I don't recant on how strong I think Hero is, I will say that I was fully with Flying Daggers right up until its final 15 minutes or so, at which point it turns into Moulin Rouge! for no discernible reason and suddenly becomes far more difficult to take at face value.
Is it more visually striking than Hero? Probably, but that's an issue of splitting hairs, I'd say, as they're both incomparably gorgeous.
Thanks for a great comment. Quite a bit to think about here.
Best,
Jonathan.
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Feb 24 '05
7:36 pm PST
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Re: I'm a bit (Reply to this comment)
by omophagia
Marsha,
I am most interested in "Mean Creek". I just saw this film on display at Hollywood Video, but passed it by. I really want to see it now, though.
Absolutely. It's just this gorgeous little film, and no one so much as blinked when it was released.
Did you happen to see "The United States Of Leland"? Just curious. I thought it was one of the most "unHollywood" films I've seen in a long time, and it has stayed with me like no other film I've seen in the last few years. Quite provocative, and heartbreaking.
Since I work with children with autism, I was turned off by the idea that one of the characters in Leland kills his younger brother with autism, so I haven't actually seen that one. It's a personal bias that I'm not sure I'd be able to get past, and I don't like to see films when I know I can't be fair to them. But I'm maybe missing out on something good with that one?
Best,
Jonathan
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Feb 24 '05
7:27 pm PST
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& (Reply to this comment)
by trust12345
Still Subject to Revision Pending:[...] Goodbye Dragon Inn...
Ha! If that makes it onto your list, I'd be mighty surprised. Then again-- some folks obviously enjoyed the film, and I hardly know your tastes. By the looks of it, pretty square with mine. For the full effect of awfulness, best to see GDI in the theater...
Cheers-
John
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Feb 24 '05
7:24 pm PST
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Hero (Reply to this comment)
by Stephen_Murray,  in Movies
was actually a 2002 film and its belated US theatrical release was of a cut version. I have not read any review of "Hero" criticizing or praising it as an anti-war movie. There has been discussion of it as pro-imperialist, and it pleased the current Chinese autocracy with its get out of the way message (though my interpretation is that one can cease opposition and will still be killed anyway). I think Zhang's 2004 film (House of Flying Daggers/10-Faced Ambush) is better, even more visually striking and without any message pleasing to the rulers of the current Chinese or American empires.
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Feb 22 '05
10:15 am PST
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I'm a bit (Reply to this comment)
by katmar
embarrassed to say that I've seen not one of these films. Do I intend to? Absolutely. Especially now that I've read your insightful takes on them.
I am most interested in "Mean Creek". I just saw this film on display at Hollywood Video, but passed it by. I really want to see it now, though.
Your skill as a writer amazes me, as does your passion for both films and music.
Did you happen to see "The United States Of Leland"? Just curious. I thought it was one of the most "unHollywood" films I've seen in a long time, and it has stayed with me like no other film I've seen in the last few years. Quite provocative, and heartbreaking.
Anyway, great job, but that's a given.
My best,
Marsha
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Feb 20 '05
8:43 pm PST
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Re: noi and moi (Reply to this comment)
by omophagia
Thea,
I like your choices, but I was especially glad to see that you mentioned "Noi Albinoi", which was it's title in France. I feel like no one else has ever heard of it, until you. I also listed it in a top ten category, but it was a top ten of foreign movies. It was a really exceptional story I thought, so I'm glad it's here on your list.
I will say that I did feel a little bit guilty about bumping Noi out of my top 10 after seeing The Aviator-- if only because, of the two, Noi is in greater need of the exposure. It's absolutely deserving of Napoleon Dynamite's cult following.
Best,
Jonathan
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Feb 20 '05
5:59 pm PST
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noi and moi (Reply to this comment)
by Theabee
I like your choices, but I was especially glad to see that you mentioned "Noi Albinoi", which was it's title in France. I feel like no one else has ever heard of it, until you. I also listed it in a top ten category, but it was a top ten of foreign movies. It was a really exceptional story I thought, so I'm glad it's here on your list.
Cheers,
thea
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Feb 20 '05
6:56 am PST
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Re: Numbers one and ten (Reply to this comment)
by omophagia
Sue,
are the films I'm most looking forward to from your list.
And Huckabees is out on dvd on this coming Tuesday-- so you don't even have to wait that long.
I'm intrigued by Mean Creek as well. I liked neither Elephant nor George Washington yet am curiously fascinated by a film that hits somewhere between the two. I'll have to queue it.
I think it's a more accessible film than either George Washington or, in particular, Elephant. Doesn't mean it's an "easier" film-- it's just a more conventionally structured and paced narrative.
Thanks for checking in. Glad you enjoyed the list.
Best,
Jonathan
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Feb 19 '05
8:30 pm PST
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Numbers one and ten (Reply to this comment)
by millinocket,  in Movies
are the films I'm most looking forward to from your list. I'm intrigued by Mean Creek as well. I liked neither Elephant nor George Washington yet am curiously fascinated by a film that hits somewhere between the two. I'll have to queue it.
Great list.
Sue
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Feb 18 '05
1:51 pm PST
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Re: -- (Reply to this comment)
by omophagia
Tyler,
Someone else saw Mean Creek at all-- excellent!
Best,
Jonathan
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Feb 18 '05
11:18 am PST
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Re: Comment Title (Reply to this comment)
by omophagia
Brian,
I already knew Daniel Handler could write for grown-ups - go seek his novel Watch Your Mouth, which is Lemony Snicket by way of opera, R. Crumb comics, Jewish mythology, and the self-help section - but i did not know he'd written a movie.
And I had no idea that he'd written this Watch Your Mouth, though it goes immediately to the top of my books-to-buy list, displacing the two Sarah Vowell books I've yet to track down. Interesting that you mention "Lemony Snicket by way of opera," since Rick is actually an adaptation of Rigoletto.
I also did not know that anyone saw much intelligence in Dodgeball
Not many did, which is a shame. It's a fascinating mix of both highbrow with lowbrow humor-- and I have no qualms about admitting that I laughed at both. But the sharper material is in its images-- two scenes involving Ben Stiller's character, in particular-- and in its throwaway jokes.
that Mfunk's "ten obstructions writeoff" was a homage to a weirdo collaboration movie
Indeed. I'm not a fan of write-offs, but that one was remarkably well-executed.
or that Code 46 was worth a look.
As far as I'm concerned, the presence of Samantha Morton gets at least one viewing. Of her 2004 films, Code 46 absolutely trumps Enduring Love-- which is also worth seeing for its exhilirating opening sequence.
The queue grows larger again, especially since i appreciated your takes on Eternal Sunshine and Huckabees.
Excellent. It kills me how few people seemed to "get" Huckabees.
As for Mean Creek, though: you're comparing it to George Washington, whose director next made All the Real Girls, which is the most boring film i've ever watched on purpose, a movie whose "realistic" characters had back-stories we were supposed to take on faith without ever seeing evidence of, and who thanked each other for "fascinating conversation" while being duller than any random Wednesdsay night stone-cold sober at a hick bar. Is there any reason i shouldn't use your comparison as a reason to stay far away from Mean Creek? Just curious. If i wasn't enjoying your write-up so much, i wouldn't even bother to ask.
Responding to this in full would likely require writing an actual review of All the Real Girls, which is one of just a handful of films that I'd describe as a successful "tone poem." I'm not sure what part of "lothario has exhausted all of the available women in his tiny, rural town except for his best friend's younger sister" really requires suspension of disbelief, honestly, but that's not the kind of point on which a person can offer convincing evidence to someone who just doesn't agree.
As for Mean Creek... I'm not sure what else to add beyond what I put in my review, even independent of the comparison to Green's work-- though Mean Creek's pacing is far less "leisurely" than that of Gordon's first two films (I've not seen this year's Undertow to comment). To balance the skepticism, I also compared Mean Creek to Gus Van Sant's Elephant, and I'd actually describe his Gerry as "the most boring film I've ever watched on purpose."
Reasons not to stay away... Um, I didn't steer you wrong on Carina Round, and Mean Creek is another of my "You have to hear/see this!" pets that's at a 100% success rate? That's the best I can offer, I guess, though I admittedly feel as though I have less of a handle on your tastes in film than in music.
Always a pleasure. Glad, independent of the Green reference, that you enjoyed the write-up.
-Jonathan-
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Feb 18 '05
11:17 am PST
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Re: Technically speaking.... (Reply to this comment)
by omophagia
cripper,
....Hero was a 2003 film (ok, I'll stop nitpicking).
I know, I know... But I didn't write up a list for 2003, and it didn't see its US release until 2004. So, by "Oscar Eligibility" rules, it could go either way.
But I definitely agree that The Incredibles is a top 10 film from 2004.
Always nice to see someone else who doesn't disregard films just because they're animated.
Thanks for checking in.
Best,
Jonathan
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Feb 18 '05
10:59 am PST
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-- (Reply to this comment)
by tigger500
Mean Creek!!!
Excellent choice
tyler
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Feb 18 '05
8:22 am PST
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Comment Title (Reply to this comment)
by voxpoptart
I already knew Daniel Handler could write for grown-ups - go seek his novel Watch Your Mouth, which is Lemony Snicket by way of opera, R. Crumb comics, Jewish mythology, and the self-help section - but i did not know he'd written a movie. I also did not know that anyone saw much intelligence in Dodgeball, that Mfunk's "ten obstructions writeoff" was a homage to a weirdo collaboration movie, or that Code 46 was worth a look. The queue grows larger again, especially since i appreciated your takes on Eternal Sunshine and Huckabees.
As for Mean Creek, though: you're comparing it to George Washington, whose director next made All the Real Girls, which is the most boring film i've ever watched on purpose, a movie whose "realistic" characters had back-stories we were supposed to take on faith without ever seeing evidence of, and who thanked each other for "fascinating conversation" while being duller than any random Wednesdsay night stone-cold sober at a hick bar. Is there any reason i shouldn't use your comparison as a reason to stay far away from Mean Creek? Just curious. If i wasn't enjoying your write-up so much, i wouldn't even bother to ask.
cheers,
- Brian
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Feb 18 '05
6:23 am PST
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Technically speaking.... (Reply to this comment)
by cripper
....Hero was a 2003 film (ok, I'll stop nitpicking). Anyhow, I enjoyed reading your list even though I do not necessarily agree with some of the choices you have there. But I definitely agree that The Incredibles is a top 10 film from 2004.
Thanks for the great review.
cripper
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Feb 18 '05
5:13 am PST
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