At 2/2/14 08:06 AM, darkjam wrote: Aww crap, I missed the first two weeks. Sorry guys, I'll start watching this time, what is the motw this time?

I think the plan is to decide on the next motw later today or tomorrow. Dr-Worm will announce who gets to pick.

Just got done with Frankenstein (1931) and it was a fair bit better than Dracula, which I watched yesterday. While it was still lacking in terms of horror, Frankenstein's monster was definitely more unsettling than Count Dracula. By the end of the films I couldn't help comparing the monster with how I remember Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw. Both big, strong and with childlike minds. I also couldn't help comparing Frankenstein and Dracula, but unlike Dracula, Frankenstein left less to the imagination. It wasn't afraid to show you Fritz hanging in the background or (to some extent) the drowning of the young girl. I think that definitely helped give it more of a classic horror vibe, even if by today's standards it's still pretty tame. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone with a spare hour to fill.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-26009575

BBC reporting that Philip Seymour Hoffman has died.

At 2/2/14 02:03 PM, TheMaster wrote: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-26009575

BBC reporting that Philip Seymour Hoffman has died.

Already made a post in the General thread but this is pretty sad. He was a great actor. I wonder how the Hunger Games movie will be since they are filming the next one now and he just died.

Not a huge fan of Dracula. Lugosi and Dwight Frye are really good in it, but it gets pretty boring after the opening scenes in Transylvania.

Frankenstein is a much better film.

At 2/1/14 10:21 PM, Natick wrote: one thing i read on imdb a few days before watching it was that it had one of the shortest average length shots of any modern production at that time of 1.8 seconds and a cut every 2 seconds.

Huh, interesting. It certainly didn't feel like an especially fast-cutting film to me (when I'm talking about the brisk pace I mostly mean in terms of narrative). I think the film's impeccable shot composition and production design probably compensate for the fast cutting; no constantly cutting between disorienting shaky-cam closeups here.

the ending battle between john and the head stranger was hilarious, gotta love how underdeveloped cgi effects were back in the 90's

Aside from that scene though I think the special effects hold up incredibly well, the shots of the city transforming are amazing. I'd be curious to see what was practical and what was CGI.

At 2/2/14 05:54 AM, Sense-Offender wrote: Piggler mentioned wanting to know about the when and how. I think it's best left ambiguous as it is.

Agreed. Current sci-fi stories seem to be obsessed with mythology for its own sake, but this movie is economical enough to only give us what's necessary for the story and themes.

Also, notice how elaborate the scenery is in this movie, sometimes noticably more than necessary. The sets are fantastic. I really enjoy very visual movies like this.

Yes yes yes. The production design might be the best part of the movie, there's nothing else quite like it.

At 2/2/14 02:03 PM, TheMaster wrote: BBC reporting that Philip Seymour Hoffman has died.

So incredibly sad. The list of great Hoffman performances is enormous, whether it's his major roles in Capote and Synecdoche, New York and The Master, his small parts in Almost Famous and The Big Lebowski, or his single scene in Hard Eight.

Watched The Way, Way Back.

I don't know, I feel like there are too many of these type of films around lately. In the last year, this is already the fourth film I've seen about troubled teenagers trying to find happiness and comfort.

The scenes with Sam Rockwell are enjoyable, but the rest of the film is so-so in my opinion. It's nothing too memorable.

At 2/2/14 09:22 AM, Dean wrote: Just got done with Frankenstein (1931) and it was a fair bit better than Dracula, which I watched yesterday. While it was still lacking in terms of horror, Frankenstein's monster was definitely more unsettling than Count Dracula. By the end of the films I couldn't help comparing the monster with how I remember Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw. Both big, strong and with childlike minds. I also couldn't help comparing Frankenstein and Dracula, but unlike Dracula, Frankenstein left less to the imagination. It wasn't afraid to show you Fritz hanging in the background or (to some extent) the drowning of the young girl. I think that definitely helped give it more of a classic horror vibe, even if by today's standards it's still pretty tame. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone with a spare hour to fill.

I remember disliking it, but that was because I loved the book and didn't know the film was actually based on some silly play that was only loosely inspired by the book.

At 2/2/14 02:03 PM, TheMaster wrote: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-26009575

BBC reporting that Philip Seymour Hoffman has died.

I was just reading about it.

Such a shame. He was a great actor in my opinion.

Fuck, man. Phillip Seymour Hoffman was a good actor.

Regarding Dark City, I'm surprised nobody brought up the spiral motif. One way it could be seen is referring to how they're all trapped and attempts to escape are futile. They're lab rats in a maze, which is kinda hit over your head with the scene with Schreber's spiral shaped rat maze. Some people see it different ways. They went kinda overboard with the spirals, though, at least with the shot of Bumstead's coffee that pans over to the finger print.

Also, there are some scenes, like outside the automat or outside the barber shop that seem reminiscent of that painting, Nighthawks, what with the lights shining through the window on a dark street.

And I agree with Dr-Worm that most of the effects hold up. Plus, the effect of the buildings forming is so surreal that it doesn't really have to "look real".

At 2/2/14 05:29 PM, EclecticEnnui wrote: Saw Captain Phillips. It's definitely thrilling, believable, mostly unpredictable, and well-acted, particularly from the actors who portray the Somali pirates. I was quite invested in the story. The director, Paul Greengrass, is known for hand-held shooting and if he used it for this film (he probably did), I didn't find it distracting. The film looks very good. Greengrass certainly didn't disappoint.

just finished watching captain phillips 20 minutes ago and i agree with everything you said. greengrass is the indispensible master when it comes to the contemporary cinematographic double-edged sword that is shaky cam.

The Randomizer has spoken, and it has selected @Auz to pick this week's film!

Try to announce your pick sometime tomorrow, and remember, you'll want to pick something that's conducive to discussion, that all or most of us haven't seen, that branches out from our comfort zones, and that comes from a different decade and genre (and maybe country) from the previous week's film.

Anyway, a couple last-minute thoughts on Dark City:

Watching the film for the second time a couple nights ago, the first thing that stuck out to me, which I hadn't remembered from the first time I watched the film, was how incredibly brisk the film's pace is and how confident it is in revealing its secrets early on; how (in the director's cut at least) we're thrown right into Murdoch's story, how early we see the Strangers' underground lair and learn about their experiments, how quickly it becomes apparent that Shell Beach probably doesn't exist. Proyas, unlike, say, J.J. Abrams, understands that head-scratching intrigue alone isn't enough to sustain an entire feature-length narrative. Instead, he lets us in on those details early to allow the film to get to the real meaty stuff, exploring the narrative possibilities and thematic consequences laid out by its premise.

And what a premise it is. Whether or not we're more than just the sum of our memories is a pretty fascinating and kind of horrifying question, especially since our memories can be so fragile and faulty and easily influenced by outside forces. This must have been a particularly pressing concern in the late '90s because there's a whole little microgenre from that era of films paranoid about our individual realities and memories lying to us in the service of some outside collective (this movie, The Truman Show, The Matrix, arguably The Game or eXistenZ, etc).

Actually, it's not a fully coherent theory or anything but now that I think of it it's hard not to see Dark City as being in some way a metaphor for cinema itself, with the same "actors" constantly taking on new personalities and life stories, as well as in the constantly shifting "sets" where all those little stories take place. At one point Schreber says that the city is a mix of memories from different eras, but of course nobody's memories look anything like that. The city is really a mix of cinematic eras: '40s film noir and '70s sci-fi dystopia and '20s German Expressionism (the Strangers and their lair look like something right out of a Fritz Lang film). And then of course all these variables are being manipulated at the behest of behind-the-scenes "directors" hoping to use these stories to get at some deeper truth about human life. I dunno, just something I noticed that I think is cool to think about.

Looking forward to seeing this week's pick, hopefully it'll be something uncool.

At 2/3/14 04:09 AM, Dr-Worm wrote: The Randomizer has spoken, and it has selected @Auz to pick this week's film!

Oh damn!

After digging through this thread and through you guys' letterboxd accounts, the best pick I could come up with is...

Pink Floyd's The Wall (1982)

I know TheMaster has seen it, but at least four of you haven't and nobody has ever posted about it in this thread before except for me. Furthermore, it's a rock opera which is a fairly small genre, so I figure it must be something new and different for most of you.

A few notes on the film beforehand:
I don't think you need to like Pink Floyd's music or the album to be able to appreciate this film. It's an interesting watch regardless I think. The story is told almost entirely through the music so pay attention to the lyrics. You should also know that the film is highly metaphorical with lots of symbolism, so I can imagine it's a little confusing but you can always read up on it afterwards.

I am fairly certain that the whole film is uploaded on Youtube so it should be easily accessible for everyone.

By the way: I have one alternative ready in case too many of you have already seen this film after all or in case this is a bad choice for whatever reason.

@TheMaster
@Sense-Offender
@Natick
@Slint
@Sekhem
@Jolly
@Atlas
@NuScarab
@EclecticEnnui
@Makeshift
@HeavenDuff
@ZJ
@Darthdenim
@Oolaph
@Jackho
@darkjam
@Nebula
@Jester
@SapphireLight
@SG3
@Dean
@Piggler

sure, i'm down for the wall
seen bits and pieces of it but never the whole thing

At 2/3/14 02:27 PM, Auz wrote:

Pink Floyd's The Wall (1982)

I know TheMaster has seen it, but at least four of you haven't and nobody has ever posted about it in this thread before except for me. Furthermore, it's a rock opera which is a fairly small genre, so I figure it must be something new and different for most of you.

Sounds interesting.

At 2/3/14 02:27 PM, Auz wrote: Pink Floyd's The Wall (1982)

I've actually been meaning to rewatch this for a while. Think I might have still been in school when I last saw it, so it's not exactly fresh in my mind. Will have to dig out the DVD.

At 2/3/14 02:27 PM, Auz wrote:

Pink Floyd's The Wall (1982)

Been digging the shit out of the album about since I discovered music, and seen most of the movie. It's a great thing. I really need to get into more rock operas; right now my collection is basically The Wall, The Doomstar Requiem, and Jesus Christ Superstar.

I haven't seen The Wall in forever. This shall be the perfect opportunity to watch it. I will 100% percent watch this MotW.

At 2/1/14 03:59 PM, Dean wrote: I'm not really familiar with this era of cinema so I wasn't sure what to expect but given that it's a Dracula film I expected a creepy and gruesome film. It was neither.

If you're looking for a more 'gruesome' Dracula, you should definitely check out the Hammer films. Make sure you get the 2012 Blu-ray version for the 1958 one, though. It has extra scenes that were cut from other versions including one of the most memorable shots in the entire "Hammer Horror" collection.

Also, time to catch up on this whole MotW thing. I'll be having a triple feature of 400 Blows, Dark City, and The Wall tonight.

I just finished Undercover Brother. It's an okay comedy. I would watch it again just for the soundtrack and one of the greatest death scenes I've seen in awhile.

I get the feeling that I'm going to end up watching these movies a week after we're meant to be discussing them. Still, not so bad really because even if I am a bit behind, I'm still introducing myself to stuff that I wouldn't have otherwise watched.

My copy of Dark City arrived today but it seems pretty unlikely that I'll watch it before the weekend. I'm generally someone who prefers to watch movies during the weekend or at night which, I struggle to do now that I have to be up earlier in the mornings.

I've never seen the Wall, even though I downloaded it quite a while ago. I've actually never heard the entire album. I really like Animals and Wish You Were Here, though.

I watched Elysium last night. Pretty cool, but could have been a lot better. Something was just missing. I really liked Sharlto Copley as the bad guy.

At 2/3/14 04:09 AM, Dr-Worm wrote: Actually, it's not a fully coherent theory or anything but now that I think of it it's hard not to see Dark City as being in some way a metaphor for cinema itself

I know I've heard someone talking about something along those lines. There's a buttload of theories about this movie, which is kinda neat.

German Expressionism (the Strangers and their lair look like something right out of a Fritz Lang film).

Yeah, I had heard that was a big influence. I'm not very familiar, though. But I've seen Metropolis and the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (perhaps the first twist ending like that in a movie?).

And speaking of Dracula, I believe Nosferatu was also an influence.

At 2/4/14 05:06 PM, Sense-Offender wrote: I've never seen the Wall, even though I downloaded it quite a while ago. I've actually never heard the entire album. I really like Animals and Wish You Were Here, though.

Give it a listen if you've got time. My favourite track from the album doesn't actually make it into the film, it's replaced by a very different version with Bob Geldof doing the vocals instead of Roger Waters.

just finished the wire season 5 finale

well, i guess i have to eat my words on great shows that should never go past 5-6 seasons

i can't go into detail about everything i loved about this series right now because i just woke up

I'm gonna watch The Wall this weekend after I get back from a camping trip. Not sure if the trip is until Saturday or Sunday though.

So, The Lego Movie is getting pretty amazing reviews.

Didn't expect that. I'm curious now.

At 2/6/14 10:48 PM, Darthdenim wrote: So, The Lego Movie is getting pretty amazing reviews.

Yeah, was going to see it after The Monuments Men, but I got stuck in the separated theater so I couldn't go sneak in... The Monuments Man was incredibly mediocre.

I recently watched Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love and Yasujiro Ozu's I Was Born, But.... Both were great, though the latter in particular has quickly become one of my all-time favorite films.

With Punch-Drunk Love Anderson does the seemingly impossible and gets a great performance out of Adam Sandler, with the film's glaring light and color, loud, percussive soundtrack, and constant sudden movements and crashes working to reflect and enhance his character's extreme social anxiety and frustration. Also, like most of P.T. Anderson's films, and the reason why I decided to watch this a couple days ago in the first place, the movie contains a fantastic, memorable performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman, creating an indelible and hilarious sleazeball of a character in only a couple brief scenes.

I Was Born, But... is an early silent film from Ozu (Tokyo Story, Late Spring) that out of nowhere absolutely floored me. For most of its running time the film is innocuous enough (the opening intertitle reads "A Picture Book for Grown-Ups") and content to chug along as an incredibly charming, well-observed and surprisingly universal slice-of-life comedy about childhood in the suburbs, telling the story of two elementary school-aged brothers moving to a new neighborhood and dealing with bullies (not to mention doing a little bullying themselves) while their dad tries to suck up to his boss at work. There's also some light social satire, dealing as many Ozu films do with the parallels and conflicts between the social values and rituals of the old and the young (see: the matching tracking shots depicting bored students in class and yawning businessmen at work).

Then later on in the film, within a single shot, the movie turns on a dime and leaps to another level entirely, as the boys are bluntly made aware of social class distinctions and their family's non-ideal place within them. The film transforms into a story about children becoming aware of the unfairness of the world and realizing that their parents are human beings and not superheroes, and about parents struggling to teach their children hard truths without crushing their spirits. And then the movie ends on a note of both weary resignation for the present and sweet, cautious optimism for the future. Like I said, floored.

If nothing else, I Was Born, But... is far and away the most low-key, naturalistic silent film I've ever seen (I didn't even know films of this genre existed in the silent era, let alone that one could be done so well). Other than the obvious occasional intrusion of intertitles (which are impressively few and far between), the movie pretty much just plays out with the rhythms of real life. I was kind of blown away by it.

At 2/6/14 09:24 AM, Natick wrote: just finished the wire season 5 finale

The fifth season has its problems, but sheeeeeeeiiit, does that finale deliver. What an amazing ending to an amazing show.

I'm just about done with the second (and second-to-last) season of Deadwood now. It's actually nearly as good, though very different obviously.

At 2/6/14 10:48 PM, Darthdenim wrote: Didn't expect that. I'm curious now.

Yeah I actually really want to see that now. It's got a stacked voice cast and I've always loved Legos so even if the critics are being overly generous (since it's February, when the theaters are mostly a dumping ground for the studios' various embarrassments and failures) how bad could it be.

At 2/6/14 11:37 PM, Dr-Worm wrote:

At 2/6/14 09:24 AM, Natick wrote: just finished the wire season 5 finale

The fifth season has its problems, but sheeeeeeeiiit, does that finale deliver. What an amazing ending to an amazing show.

I'm just about done with the second (and second-to-last) season of Deadwood now. It's actually nearly as good, though very different obviously.

SPOILERS AHEAD

i was confused about marlo's final scene with those two hoppers but recently read to equally valid interpretations. some people say the fact that the hoppers don't know who he is and nearly kill him proves that marlo lost the game as his name will never live on while omar will remain a legend of the baltimore streets while others have said that the fact hat he survives goes to show that he still has the mind-set of a hardened street-urchin rather than the next stringer bell.

astonishing that mcnulty and lester were only shitcanned and not thrown in prison. i was scared midway through the season that their fraudulent case with the homeless serial killer would lead them to a real one but a copycat's just as bad.

i was extremely frustrated that clay davis and maurice levy walked away scot-free. several months of seeing those guys being completely untouchable was enough to give me dreams about fantasizing their prison lives. i also started cheering like a sports fan during that final shot of kenard being escorted in handcuffs.

i've heard great things about deadwood but am going onto six feet under next for something a little more light and then onto the sopranos and oz.

At 2/7/14 12:09 AM, Natick wrote: i was confused about marlo's final scene with those two hoppers but recently read to equally valid interpretations. some people say the fact that the hoppers don't know who he is and nearly kill him proves that marlo lost the game as his name will never live on while omar will remain a legend of the baltimore streets while others have said that the fact hat he survives goes to show that he still has the mind-set of a hardened street-urchin rather than the next stringer bell.

Well it's both isn't it? And that's why that ending is so great; for Marlo "my name is my name" Stanfield, this is a punishment way worse than going to prison, where he'd still be right in his comfort zone and where he'd still control his little fiefdom from the inside the way Avon Barksdale does. Instead, the only world he's ever known and cared about and defined himself by has been ripped out from under him.

He lost the game and he still has the street mentality, so no matter how successful he ends up being in the Stringer role he's still going to be totally miserable for the rest of his life, just like he deserves.

astonishing that mcnulty and lester were only shitcanned and not thrown in prison. i was scared midway through the season that their fraudulent case with the homeless serial killer would lead them to a real one but a copycat's just as bad.

Well the whole point of not arresting them is to cover up the fraudulent case, right? Though in Lester's case unless I'm remembering it wrong he's not even fired right? Just kinda forced into retirement, with full benefits and everything. He pretty much gets away scot-free. And really McNulty is probably better off not being a cop, no matter how good he may be at it, and now he has a chance to actually have a real life with Beadie.

i was extremely frustrated that clay davis and maurice levy walked away scot-free. several months of seeing those guys being completely untouchable was enough to give me dreams about fantasizing their prison lives.

Yup, but that's realistic isn't it. They're the ones who wield the power in the legitimate upper class sphere, so they're the ones who get away with everything. But at least Levy gets the tables turned on him for once, plus Rhonda's still got that shit on him so who knows if he'll really be able to just carry on like before.

i also started cheering like a sports fan during that final shot of kenard being escorted in handcuffs.

But he's just a little kid!

i've heard great things about deadwood but am going onto six feet under next for something a little more light

You realize it's a show about a funeral home right...

Though it can get very dark Deadwood actually has a lot of moments of levity. It's certainly lighter than The Wire, but then again pretty much everything is.

Um, sorry if this is coming too late but DON'T READ THE TWO POSTS ABOVE IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE WIRE YET.

SPOILERS AHEAD, DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE WIRE

At 2/7/14 01:15 AM, Dr-Worm wrote: Well the whole point of not arresting them is to cover up the fraudulent case, right? Though in Lester's case unless I'm remembering it wrong he's not even fired right? Just kinda forced into retirement, with full benefits and everything. He pretty much gets away scot-free. And really McNulty is probably better off not being a cop, no matter how good he may be at it, and now he has a chance to actually have a real life with Beadie.

oh right, carcetti knew better than to take it public, i forgot.

Yup, but that's realistic isn't it. They're the ones who wield the power in the legitimate upper class sphere, so they're the ones who get away with everything. But at least Levy gets the tables turned on him for once, plus Rhonda's still got that shit on him so who knows if he'll really be able to just carry on like before.

well as depressing as that reality is, i can't forget how much my respect for daniels shot right through the roof when he refused to juke the stats even for an election season and resigned to become a lawyer. one of the most ethical acts i've ever seen in a television series or film.

But he's just a little kid!

he shot omar, let him rot >:(

You realize it's a show about a funeral home right...

well yes, but at least it's marked as a dark comedy most places i look.

Though it can get very dark Deadwood actually has a lot of moments of levity. It's certainly lighter than The Wire, but then again pretty much everything is.

i've seen clips of deadwood and it looks intriguing even for such a short-lived series. coloful use of language, if i say so myself. another hbo series i'm on the fence about is boardwalk empire which at least as michael k. williams and steve buscemi (finally in a leading role) but i've had a few important moments spoiled for me by a few friends over the past few months.