SCFZ

River of Steel (1951, Larkins Studio) — Extremely well-designed animation and a poetic rhyming voiceover in the service of British Iron and Steel Federation corporate propaganda. Animation historian Amid Amidi calls Larkins Studio "one of the great lost studios of animation history," and on this evidence that might be true, even if it's an outfit that appears to have specialized in advertising cartoons. A subject for further research!

Evelyn wrote: ↑Thu Mar 07, 2019 11:56 pmRiver of Steel

I'm an animation nut, so thanks for the rec!

brouillard: passage #14

well in a span of two days I have watched, along with marketa lazarova, what are quite possibly the two most visually enrapturing films I can think of. i'm in one of those states of euphoric cinephilia where it feels like every film is the best film ever. naturally my luck will run out soon and that's okay

watched stephen chow's love on delivery and dileesh pothan's maheshinte prathikaaram back-to-back, and it was one of the most unexpectedly serendipitous double features i've had. truly

*props to augusto for dat maheshinte rec

the bitter tea of general yen (capracorn) - damn. capra. yo. first of all, this ain't the movie you're supposed to make. second of all, you did. third of all, that shit was devastating

*woulda been my numero uno in the capra dir mini-poll (w/ lost horizon a solid segundo)

thoxans wrote: ↑Thu Mar 14, 2019 8:56 pm the bitter tea of general yen (capracorn) - damn. capra. yo. first of all, this ain't the movie you're supposed to make. second of all, you did. third of all, that shit was devastating

*woulda been my numero uno in the capra dir mini-poll (w/ lost horizon a solid segundo)

Ya it’s in a completely different league compared to his other movies. One of the most deliriously romantic movies of all time.

he said he once tried to make an art film. it wasn't successful and he gave it up. i especially enjoyed his pointed criticism of the missionaries

THE WEDDING MARCH -- Von Stroheim's strange love story in a new restored print, and the good stuff is still good and the not so good stuff can be blamed on the re-editing by others. A complicated series of closeups showing the establishment of a romantic triangle is really impressive, and there's plenty of good Von Stroheim grotesquerie going on. And there's Fay Wray delivering a performance for the ages here, too. She's honest and vulnerable and straight-up heartbreaking, every thought and feeling is right there on that lovely face. The film's main weakness, alas, apart from an over-reliance on extreme soft-focus in its love scenes, is von Stroheim as a romantic lead. He just can't purge enough of his wickedness for long enough to make me feel much for him. The role needs a John Gilbert, frankly, or someone who can inspire some kind of sympathy, and it just doesn't really happen with Von.

Still, a troubling and fascinating and entertaining movie. Makes me want to watch GREED again.

Journey to the west (conquering demons) is on hulu. Pretty crazy but I fell asleep :p. Will finish this afternoon maybe

rischka wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2019 12:48 pm Journey to the west (conquering demons) is on hulu. Pretty crazy but I fell asleep :p. Will finish this afternoon maybe

for all the craziness this one ends in a very strange, sad place...still haven't seen the sequel.

It was fun! Best watched not sober probably. Some of the humor is too silly but I enjoyed it. Very creative effects and the ending --

I do wanna see part two

Creed II was entertaining. I've seen the first one, and I think this one operates on pretty much the same level of craftsmanship. The two movies were directed by two different people, but you could have fooled me. Good brutal fight scenes if you're into that. The best performances here really belong not to Michael B. Jordan, but to Stallone and Dolph Lundgren, who are allowed to act for once. Interestingly I found myself totally rooting for the young Russian guy.

Khalik Allah's Black Mother was a disappointment. I really love Field Niggas, but this one felt quite flat. Too many shots that look like postcards (and what's up with all this water?), the spiritual/poetic voice-over gets tedious, lots of talk about mothers and motherhood and whispers about first and second trimesters, yawn... Felt a little like I was stuck in a new-age church during a long sermon, or maybe a baptism, which might have been fine on another evening, but not last night apparently. Lots of lovely shots (usually close-ups of faces), but the whole thing lacks focus and kind of drags on to nowhere.

the mule was pretty funny until it became quite predictable. and of course it's in no way plausible but whatever. it's based on a true story! gotta give it to clint -- i can't think of another director who has directed himself in an entertaining film at age 89. also he looks adorable. liked it better than gran torino (the last clint i watched)

also did i mention that i hate bradley cooper

Marathon screening of Chris Marker's The Owl's Legacy. So many articulate people with so such time to discuss the double-edged sword that is the heritage of anscient Greece.

Also been on a Demirkubuz run. One of the few writers who can pull off high-octane, slick dialogue without the slightest of pretensions.

Zulawski wrote: ↑Fri Mar 22, 2019 11:36 amhigh-octane, slick dialogue

does the zeki have a brother who makes stylish action flicks?

I'm sure he could do a good job on the next Bond with Daniel Craig as a now age-old, deeply depressed good-for-nothing who must convince the world of his extreme nihilism by means of smoothly delivering high-octane one-liners.

sounds like a bond movie i'd actually enjoy!

Venom. I think I liked it more than others did. It compares favorably to other marvel stuff, mainly because Tom hardy is quite funny in it. It cracked me up real good in a couple of scenes. Otherwise it’s rife with the usual big budget ‘we need to make one billion in the first two weeks’ superhero tired bullshit, but fine whatever. The one thing that saddens me is the presence of Michelle Williams, an actress that I love so much. Here she plays the generic ‘sassy sexy girlfriend’ role, a part that is flat and forgettable by design, and that even she cannot save from oblivion. Why, Michelle, why? You’re already rich (I think?). Did your agent convince you it was a good career move? Do you want in on a marvel franchise? Why do this to yourself?

.
Oh, what a shame. She's one of my favourites too, now I think of it. And unfortunately, as things still are for most women actors, she only has a few more opportunities left before she gets put out to pasture (for being over 40). So at the moment she really has to stop wasting what precious little time she's got left and concentrate on good stuff only.
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DETOUR -- streamed from the Criterion Channel, and my that restoration is a marvel. The movie is what it is, great fun especially when the sublime Ann Savage is soiling the screen as the vile Vera, the one villain in American cinema to approach the sheer cruelty of the Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West.

In the Fade, d Fatih Akin (2017). Much better than the mixed reviews led me to beleive it would be and they nailed the ending.

What is it that makes beautiful cinematography juxtaposed with dark themes and violence so seductive?

Teresa Venerdì (1941, Vittorio De Sica)

Went into this expecting early De Sica romcom; in return, I got an early De Sica romcom. But unlike his two previous efforts which, while pleasant - lacked true emotion, the characters here are a little more raw and developed, the story surges ahead with a strange momentum and pulls you in, even if you don't want it to. Actually laughed aloud at one of the recurring comedic motifs, and a few of the one-liners are subtly brilliant. Adriana Benetti (pictured above) is just about the most loveliest thing I ever did see. Enjoyed this enough to almost consider it a favorite. Think I would rec mostly to Evelyn and twodeadmagpies. It's up in the 'spot', if anyone would like to watch it.

I already have a nice copy of Teresa Venerdi but thank you, liquidnature! Mmhmm, I'm definitely its target audience. Well, obviously, its target audience was Italian Fascist subjects circa 1941... but '41 screwball that I can politically interpret falls squarely in my interests. I really enjoy the De Sica-Camerini films and Maddalena… zero in condotta, so this one is next up on my watchlist !

Boom! (Joseph Losey, 1968) - Booze! Kinda like The Night of the Iguana stuck on a runaway merry-go-round, with some added Liz Taylor off the chart camp hysterics, Richard Burton being a horndog in a samurai robe and Noël Coward in a suit playing a character named "The Witch of Capri". A hot, sun stroked mess but it drew a few laughs from me.

the film i waited six years to watch!! uchida's mad fox. an outrageously experimental work from a director who bridged the classical period with new wave. the film uses colorful stylized sets to the point of blatant stagecraft a la kabuki theater, masks, puppets and even animation!



based in a japanese folktale about a grieving madman who marries a fox spirit, the strange story gives uchida carte blanche for maximum weirdness



a sign in the heavens presages disaster. the fox aspect reminded me very much of pom poko



it's been 6 years since i first discovered it's existence while researching uchida for DC at mubi. it was finally subbed this week and it was well worth the wait ♥

l'aîné des ferchaux (melville) badasses doing bad things. four out of five. would make a great double bill with demy's model shop (heads up to curtis)

I've only seen Le Samourai and Le Cercle Rouge, but dug them both quite a bit. This one's next on my Melville list.

interestingly enough, i'd never seen any melville before (shocker, i know, n00b that i am); and apparently the flick is considered a sort of 'outlier' in his filmog, so i guess i started in an awkward place, but i gotta say, i really dug this one. it's got that wonderfully alien eurogaze of uhmurica, ala model shop (or even herzog's stroszek); a(n) (as always) lovely delerue score; and belmondo in full-on asshole mode. plus, it's just plain cool. like i felt cool while i was watching it, and feel cooler now that i've seen it

kanafani wrote: ↑Thu Mar 21, 2019 11:19 pm Creed II was entertaining. I've seen the first one, and I think this one operates on pretty much the same level of craftsmanship. The two movies were directed by two different people, but you could have fooled me. Good brutal fight scenes if you're into that. The best performances here really belong not to Michael B. Jordan, but to Stallone and Dolph Lundgren, who are allowed to act for once. Interestingly I found myself totally rooting for the young Russian guy

You haven't seen many Stallone films I take it?


Why Worry?: Not top shelf Harold LLoyd exactly, but he is such an amiable screen presence that he is almost watchable in anything, even in the mediocre talkies he made. 6/10

Joks Trois wrote: ↑Fri Mar 29, 2019 11:10 am
You haven't seen many Stallone films I take it?

Seen 23 apparently.