The Modernist wrote:I began watching Birdman. Really boring...gave up.
Yeah, wildly overrated although it's nice to see keaton doing things again.
The Modernist wrote:I began watching Birdman. Really boring...gave up.
Griff wrote:The notion that Jeremy Corbyn, a lifelong vocal proponent of antisemitism, would stand in front of an antisemitic mural and commend it is utterly preposterous.
Copehead wrote:a right wing cretin like Berger....bleating about racism
Griff wrote:The notion that Jeremy Corbyn, a lifelong vocal proponent of antisemitism, would stand in front of an antisemitic mural and commend it is utterly preposterous.
Copehead wrote:a right wing cretin like Berger....bleating about racism
The Modernist wrote:I began watching Birdman. Really boring...gave up.
Drama Queenie wrote:You are a chauvinist of the quaintest kind. About as threatening as Jack Duckworth, you are a harmless relic of that cherished era when things were 'different'. Now get back to drawing a moustache on that page three model
The Great Defector wrote:The Modernist wrote:I began watching Birdman. Really boring...gave up.
Ah naw, don't say that. I have it recorded and was looking forward to it.
Griff wrote:The notion that Jeremy Corbyn, a lifelong vocal proponent of antisemitism, would stand in front of an antisemitic mural and commend it is utterly preposterous.
Copehead wrote:a right wing cretin like Berger....bleating about racism
Goat Boy wrote:
The Cremator
This is billed as a “comedy horror drama” on Wikipedia but I have to say I didn’t laugh but then maybe Czech humour is an acquired taste. The “humour” is very black anyway which is hardly surprising considering the films subject matter. I felt certain things were slightly over my head in relation to the films context. It took me a wee while to figure out for example that it was actually set prior to WW2 although I was aware that there was a German community living in the Sudetenland at the time (cheers Higher history!) who were favourable towards the Reich. Sometimes you get that when you are watching movies from countries you are largely ignorant about.
Karel Kopfrkingl is a cremator, devoted to his work and family and living a comfortable, middle class life in Prague. He’s an odd fella though who has an air of sociopathic calm about him and an interest in Tibetan Buddhism. In fact he believes in reincarnation and sees himself as some kind of noble figure liberating people from the drudgery and suffering of the mortal realm and thereby enabling samsara through cremation. An encounter with a Czech Nazi convinces him that he has German blood and that his wife and kids are part Jewish as Karel increasingly loses touch with reality and begins to hatch some kind of grand scheme to liberate thousands of suffering souls. Eventually and tragically the Nazis racial ideology combines with his Buddhist beliefs leading him to his own “final solution”.
There’s lots of odd angles and expressionistic touches throughout and it’s stylishly done with a very good performance from the main actor whose measured personality contrasts perfectly with the increasing madness on display. Apparently it’s highly rated in the Czech Republic and is something of a cult film and it’s easy to see why. It still felt fresh to me and alien too. Different, you know.
If this is what the Czech new wave was producing then I should really check out more.
Matt Wilson wrote:
Force of Evil
Before Brando, before Clift even, there was John Garfield - a Jewish kid from NYC streets who shot to fame in the '40s in a number of noirs which hold up fairly well today. Force of Evil is one of the better ones, and at less than 80 minutes, never overstays its welcome. A big influence on Scorcese, you can see its plot devices in Mean Streets and even On the Waterfront.
Nonsense to the aggressiveness, I've seen more aggression on the my little pony message board......I mean I was told.
Griff wrote:The notion that Jeremy Corbyn, a lifelong vocal proponent of antisemitism, would stand in front of an antisemitic mural and commend it is utterly preposterous.
Copehead wrote:a right wing cretin like Berger....bleating about racism
Matt Wilson wrote:
Husbands and Wives
Allen's best '90s movie checks off all the boxes you'd expect from him at this point in his career. It's funny, but more profound, entertaining, yet thought-provoking. For me, it's up there with Crimes & Misdemeanors, Hannah & Her Sisters, Manhattan, and Annie Hall. Filmed while his life with Mia Farrow was unraveling. I don't think he's been this good since.