Last Film You Watched

[Dahls]

Speaking of torturing oneself, gave Antichrist by Lars von Trier a go last night.
Not for the faint heart, like mine I guess

As unpleasent and grotesque as it gets, but allthough I wanted to look away or turn it off multiple times, I'm glad I got through it (If for nothing eles but the bragging rights to have seen it ).
Sometimes it felt like it went way too far, and also a bit too "artsy" , but all in all it was a damn good film.

a damn good film I won't be seeing again anytime soon...

[DMt.]

Brave Dahls! I'm still too chicken. He messed me right up with Dancer in the Dark, I've been cautious since...but then there's Melancholia...hmmm

[Dahls]

Melancholia is an excellent film. Both the lead ladies did a great job portraying pure depression and fear, a fine collaboration between the whole cast.
It was quite dark and depressing, but I did'nt find it at all unpleasent or unwatchable, like antichrist.
Haven't seen Dancer In The Dark yet, need to do that I supose.

Saw The Hunger Games this evening. Not bad, but somewhat disappointing considering all the hype.
Maybe I should have read the book first!?

[fish]

I watched "Melancholia" a couple of days ago and I agree with your summation Dahls.
Not exactly what you'd call "enjoyable", but a good film with excellent performances from the whole cast.


However, the last film I watched was "Tomboy", by Céline Sciamma.
A sensitively told story with superb performances from the young cast.
Just a wonderfully beautiful film.
I downloaded and watched the version I found on YT, http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=88A4CMWBF5Y, a couple of days ago.
(And it's still there. )
In French, no subtitles, (they disappeared when I downloaded it), but that didn't matter. They're on the YT version if you want them.

Special praise to Malonn Lévana who played Laure/Mikeal's young sister Jeanne.
I've never seen a five year old, or whatever she is, more comfortable and in control of her character.
For me at least she almost stole the show.
(especially the "haircut" scene.)



For anyone interested here's the review from "The Movie Show", ABC TV Australia.
http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s3461276.htm

It isn't often I download movies as I'm a firm believer in supporting the industry, and as this is a film I'll want to see again, I've already ordered the DVD.

[DMt.]

Three times as good as I'd hoped...and I was pretty hopeful!

I knew it was Crystel Fournier as DP again before I checked the credits, it had that vivid, clean, almost hyper-real thing she did so well for NdP. The little sister was indeed adorable, and very talented; and the scenes between the sisters were some of the most touching, funny and effortlessly realistic in a film crammed with such moments.

[I think it possible that Lisa lets our tomboy 'hero' off the hook, eventually, from Laure's hopeful little smile at the end, and from Lisa's hanging around outside waiting for her. Hopefully the rest of the gang would take their lead from Lisa.]

I'm not sure I have ever seen a film about children that was so truthful, so well and warmly felt, and yet so utterly unsentimental and devoid of all icky cutesinesses.

Hats off to all involved [and perhaps especially Mlle's Sciamma and Fournier].

Nice one, Fish.

[fish]

... it had that vivid, clean, almost hyper-real thing she did so well for NdP...

There were a few scenes in the forest that had the same crisp scenic beauty as "The Fox And The Child".
I checked and it was a different DP but it had me wondering for a while.

Think I'll watch Tomboy again.
Haven't seen it for a couple of days.

[DMt.]

Blimey! Check the camera the NYTimes reviewer says Crystel Fournier used for the film...

http://shop.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10051_10051_230851_-1

[fish]

All I get is the Canon page of ads.
Is the review there or on some other page?

[DMt.]

I went to the NYT from the Rotten Tomatoes 'Tomboy' review quotes page...

It's the fact that Crystel used that Canon EOS D7 to film 'Tomboy' that has my eyebrows somewhere near the back of my neck.

[DMt.]

More on this and related subjects...seems she used some specialist Zeiss lenses, but still - whoa!;

http://jonathan-cinema.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/prime-lenses-tell-story-more-powerfully.html

[DMt.]

But, hey, even Crystel Fournier couldn't save a shit script/director/actors...so hooray that there weren't any!

It seems that Céline is working on a third film as we type, but it also appears that it's still most severely under wraps...one mention in an interview, no further details...I very strongly look forward to it, after these two, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that; she is definitely a director to watch.

It's a little confusing, because I'd gathered that her next project would be a TV series, for the luxury of having nine hours to develop a character rather than 90m; but that's OK...a TV series would probably only get French distrib anyway...



...so I'll take whatever's going.

I just hope Crystel is DP again, it seems to be a marriage made in Heaven.

[fish]

...It seems that Céline is working on a third film as we type...

I just hope we'll be able to get it.
Though I do have trust in the wonders of Ebay.

[Ian]

Saw The Cabin in the Woods last night. Now that was a nice surprise! I'd heard it was good, but didn't really know what to expect. Funny, spooky and genuinely different - The Evil Dead meets The Truman Show. Sort of. Not really. Joss Whedon does like reusing his actors, doesn't he, with Topher from Dollhouse and Amy Acker from Angel in prominent roles, and even a cameo from Andrew from Buffy lol! Still, it is rare for a film to come along where I genuinely have no idea where the hell it's going even halfway through, but this did just that. Great fun.

[Ian]

I for some reason quite randomly decided to whack on For Your Eyes Only last night, first time I've seen it in about 11 years. Great fun. I thoroughly enjoyed it, I have to say. To say it's over 30 years old most of the action and stunts still look good, it's got one of the hottest Bond girls ever in Carole Bouquet (dab hand with a crossbow too) and Roger Moore at his charming, loveably campy best. The infamous Mrs Thatcher ending is so dumb and so out of sync with the generally more serious tone of the film that it enters the realm of kitsch delight.

Very amusing to see the ever laviscious Bond having to awkwardly and embarassedly fend off the amorous advances of a teenage ice skater, and am also quite fond of Bouquet's justification for being such a bloodthirsty avenger of her parents. "I'm Greek." Fair enough.

I really enjoyed that.

[Ian]

Office Space. Cult comedy classic.