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I love that film! I actually changed the way I made ratatouille after I first watched it
Last film you watched
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brianvds
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Went on a nostalgia trip and watched the 1979 Star Trek film.
When it first hit the theaters, I was in primary school and completely obsessed with space. We didn't have a TV at the time, and I was unaware of the TV series, and in fact knew nothing at all about it. But the film was space-related, so I had to see it.
At the time my English was, er, rather imperfect, and thus most of the quite subtle and intellectual plot was lost on me, but I was completely entranced anyway.
The film is actually still quite watchable, despite very dated visual effects.
When it first hit the theaters, I was in primary school and completely obsessed with space. We didn't have a TV at the time, and I was unaware of the TV series, and in fact knew nothing at all about it. But the film was space-related, so I had to see it.
At the time my English was, er, rather imperfect, and thus most of the quite subtle and intellectual plot was lost on me, but I was completely entranced anyway.
The film is actually still quite watchable, despite very dated visual effects.
Artyczar
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I watch a lot of movies and then quickly forget what ones I saw. I suck at remembering the titles. I saw Glass recently and didn't realize it was about superheroes until I was a half-hour in. The Netflix preview didn't make that obvious. I wouldn't have watched it if I knew that because that's not my kind of movie. But upon the opening credit, when I saw who was in it, I made the investment. And in the end, I only thought it was okay because of the psychological aspects.
Yesterday, I finished a French doc series, Raël: The Alien Prophet. I found that more interesting. I know a lot of cults and had never known about this one. They were at the heart of the conspiracy of cloning the first human, which turned out to be a hoax. The group is still going strong in Africa. Cult leaders are interesting--how they get large groups to believe them.
Oh yeah, I also saw Zone of Interest. I really liked that one. The directing was pretty amazing. Glazer also wrote the screenplay. This was based on the life (or the partial life) of Rudolf Höss and revolved around his work and family life while he was the commandant of Auschwitz, living on the other side of its wall. It's partially how he and members of his family would psychologically endure it as "normal," yet perhaps how it affected them psychically, too, and how he was the key player in the Final Solution. Damn interesting! Maybe I loved this movie. It says with you.
Yesterday, I finished a French doc series, Raël: The Alien Prophet. I found that more interesting. I know a lot of cults and had never known about this one. They were at the heart of the conspiracy of cloning the first human, which turned out to be a hoax. The group is still going strong in Africa. Cult leaders are interesting--how they get large groups to believe them.
Oh yeah, I also saw Zone of Interest. I really liked that one. The directing was pretty amazing. Glazer also wrote the screenplay. This was based on the life (or the partial life) of Rudolf Höss and revolved around his work and family life while he was the commandant of Auschwitz, living on the other side of its wall. It's partially how he and members of his family would psychologically endure it as "normal," yet perhaps how it affected them psychically, too, and how he was the key player in the Final Solution. Damn interesting! Maybe I loved this movie. It says with you.
brianvds
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Had occasion to watch Wyrm (2019). I really liked it not so much because it is inherently particularly brilliant, but simply because it is really weird. How delightful to see that in this age of script writing by committee, someone still has the guts to make something that's a bit out of the ordinary. Also, thank ye heavens, the film is actually colorful. Nowadays the vogue is to film absolutely everything through a grey filter.
Wyrm is in middle school, but with a twist: the film is set in a weird, parallel 1990s that's pretty much like the one we had, except kids are expected to go through a normal psychosexual development, with specific milestones they all have to reach. For middle school, you gotta have your first kiss. Everyone wears an electronic monitoring collar, that will only detach once you have kissed.
And Wyrm is the last one in his grade who has not yet completed this assignment, which puts him in danger of failing the entire grade. As you can imagine, he goes to some lengths to get this irksome duty done...
Here's a trailer:
Wyrm is in middle school, but with a twist: the film is set in a weird, parallel 1990s that's pretty much like the one we had, except kids are expected to go through a normal psychosexual development, with specific milestones they all have to reach. For middle school, you gotta have your first kiss. Everyone wears an electronic monitoring collar, that will only detach once you have kissed.
And Wyrm is the last one in his grade who has not yet completed this assignment, which puts him in danger of failing the entire grade. As you can imagine, he goes to some lengths to get this irksome duty done...
Here's a trailer:
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Not a movie but a series: We Are Lady Parts - follows the stories of the members of an all-female Muslim punk band, living in/around London.
So far there are only 2 seasons, and only 6 30-minute episodes in each. It's hilarious, with fantastic music. We're trying very hard not to rush through it.
So far there are only 2 seasons, and only 6 30-minute episodes in each. It's hilarious, with fantastic music. We're trying very hard not to rush through it.
stlukesguild
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Brian, what is the music? Of course it could be one of Bach's simpler works (his organ pieces are usually far more complex) but he wasn't the only composer for organ. I wouldn't be surprised if it were Buxtehude or Handel or an Italian composer.
What I really like about Garzoni's still life is that they are not "perfect". Many of the fruit and flowers are blemished, withering, rotting... dying. In this way they are something of Memento more... a reminder of the fleeting nature of life. I think immediately of Caravaggio's still life:
There was a Dutch still life that I saw in Chicago many years ago in which the artist varnished an actual fly onto the surface of the canvas... further preserving what might be deemed an imperfection.
What I really like about Garzoni's still life is that they are not "perfect". Many of the fruit and flowers are blemished, withering, rotting... dying. In this way they are something of Memento more... a reminder of the fleeting nature of life. I think immediately of Caravaggio's still life:
There was a Dutch still life that I saw in Chicago many years ago in which the artist varnished an actual fly onto the surface of the canvas... further preserving what might be deemed an imperfection.
stlukesguild
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Also, thank ye heavens, the film is actually colorful. Nowadays the vogue is to film absolutely everything through a grey filter.
I mentioned this elsewhere, but recently I read an article in which the author asked whether or not it seems like the world has become increasingly drab. He then continued suggesting that if you believe so you just might be right. It is something I have noticed. Looking about while driving I just cannot help but notice that the vast majority of cars on the road are muted tones: black, white, silver, greys, or muted colors. A true red or yellow or blue really stand out. I have noticed the same is true of clothing... especially men's clothing. Whenever I shop for pants all I can find are black, grey, tan, olive, dar Navy Blue, etc,..
I remember reading an interview with Howard Hodgkin some years back...
He was inspired by the brilliant Modern colorists such as Degas, Bonnard, and Matisse... but also Indian (India) painting. He noted that Indian painting was long dismissed by Western artists and critics as being garish or vulgar because of the brilliant color. He pointed out that many Modernist critics/theorists leaned toward Picasso over Matisse (and certainly Bonnard) for the same reason. Muted tonal paintings were deemed more intelligent... even more "masculine" as opposed to the "emotional" and "feminine" paintings of Matisse, Bonnard, and other brilliant colorists.
Hodgkin went on to suggest that many artists/critics today would likely dismiss Rubens and Veronese if they weren't such damn good draftsmen. Of course, I did have professors who far preferred the tonalists, Rembrandt and Velazquez. Hmmm... 
I mentioned this elsewhere, but recently I read an article in which the author asked whether or not it seems like the world has become increasingly drab. He then continued suggesting that if you believe so you just might be right. It is something I have noticed. Looking about while driving I just cannot help but notice that the vast majority of cars on the road are muted tones: black, white, silver, greys, or muted colors. A true red or yellow or blue really stand out. I have noticed the same is true of clothing... especially men's clothing. Whenever I shop for pants all I can find are black, grey, tan, olive, dar Navy Blue, etc,..
I remember reading an interview with Howard Hodgkin some years back...
He was inspired by the brilliant Modern colorists such as Degas, Bonnard, and Matisse... but also Indian (India) painting. He noted that Indian painting was long dismissed by Western artists and critics as being garish or vulgar because of the brilliant color. He pointed out that many Modernist critics/theorists leaned toward Picasso over Matisse (and certainly Bonnard) for the same reason. Muted tonal paintings were deemed more intelligent... even more "masculine" as opposed to the "emotional" and "feminine" paintings of Matisse, Bonnard, and other brilliant colorists.
Hodgkin went on to suggest that many artists/critics today would likely dismiss Rubens and Veronese if they weren't such damn good draftsmen. Of course, I did have professors who far preferred the tonalists, Rembrandt and Velazquez. Hmmm... 
brianvds
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Alas, I don't know. It is indeed rather nice.
Apart from the symbolic meaning, I like it in a general sort of way when still life objects have a "lived-in" appearance, and seem to have been almost randomly grabbed rather than carefully chosen for perfect appearance. Supermarkets have accustomed us to unblemished fruit, but that isn't what life is actually like, not even still life.
Not sure I have any deep philosophical opinions about it. I'm not really fond of brightly colored clothing, at least not for myself, whereas I would have loved to see more colorful cars on the road.
But films should be in technicolor. Or at least look just a little bit like David Lean did them right after he did Lawrence of Arabia. Nowadays, if the film is set in desert, or anywhere in Mexico: yellow filter. If set in the Middle Ages: grey filter (as if no film maker has ever paged through a medieval illuminated book, or seen a picture by the Limbourg brothers).
I remember reading an interview with Howard Hodgkin some years back...
View attachment 41108
He was inspired by the brilliant Modern colorists such as Degas, Bonnard, and Matisse... but also Indian (India) painting. He noted that Indian painting was long dismissed by Western artists and critics as being garish or vulgar because of the brilliant color. He pointed out that many Modernist critics/theorists leaned toward Picasso over Matisse (and certainly Bonnard) for the same reason. Muted tonal paintings were deemed more intelligent... even more "masculine" as opposed to the "emotional" and "feminine" paintings of Matisse, Bonnard, and other brilliant colorists.
Again, I have no very strong opinions, and certainly not deeply philosophical ones about this. Of late, my preference has increasingly been for muted tones in paintings, and indeed even for monochrome drawing over painting, but it depends to some extent on the subject matter, and even the genre: children's book illustrations have permission to be wildly colorful.
Artyczar
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I recently saw the 3-part series called Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult, which was interesting. All cults work the same in how they keep their members cemented in and cut off from their loved ones. It never matters what their beliefs are or what their premise is. And there's nothing the US government can legally do about it unless they break the law (and you have evidence!). Coercive tactics, brainwashing, cutting off from your family, believing the founder of the cult is God or godlike, or giving all your money and worldly possessions to them is not against the law.
stlukesguild
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With Summer Break here I finally have time for watching films... as well as reading, listening to music, and painting. Over the weekend I watched Batman vs Superman, Dune & Dune pt. 2, and a couple of episodes from the old Twilight Zone. All were enjoyable... if not cinematic masterworks. The Dune films were definitely better than the David Lynch film... which was something of a cult classic... so bad it was good.
brianvds
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I found the new version of Dune enjoyable but bland and forgettable - unlike the Lynch film, which is one for the ages.
But I confess, it's been a while since I have seen any new film that did much of anything for me. I don't know if it's just me getting old, or whether films really have become bland and forgettable.
stlukesguild
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I quite like many of David Lynch's films... but Dune was not one of them. In part, no doubt, this is due to how disappointing it was after having read the books.
brianvds
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Personally I love the film, and I cannot quite decide whether I "really" love it or love it in the way we all love Plan 9 from Outer Space.
Gotta say, if I had first read the novel, I'd probably also have hated the film.
I do share the general liking of Lynch's films.
Personal anecdote: a friend and I went to see Mulholland Dr when it first came out. It was in one of those artsy theaters, and we were lucky in that we had seen it reviewed on TV, in which the reviewer explicitly warned audiences not to try to immediately "understand" everything - it was simply not that kind of film. For a first viewing, he suggested, just go with the flow. Immerse yourself into a pretty weird universe, and think about it later.
As you no doubt know, "weird' is an understatement. Also, perhaps surprisingly, some of the most deeply funny bits of of film in there that I have ever seen, despite the overall dark tone.
Anyway, when the film ended, the entire audience just sat there for a while, in a kind of daze. And then something happened which we haven't seen in film theaters since the 1950s or thereabouts: the entire audience broke into spontaneous applause. Blown away.
They somehow just don't seem to make films like that anymore.
As I recall, it was the film that put Naomi Watts on the map: her acting was a tour de force, so brilliant that apparently, many people did not initially realize that the two different versions of the character that she played in the two halves of the film were in fact played by the same actress.
stlukesguild
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...the reviewer explicitly warned audiences not to try to immediately "understand" everything - it was simply not that kind of film.
This was even more true of Peter Greenaway's films which almost wholly eliminate the traditional linear narrative. My first exposure to David Lynch was just after art school and my wife-to-be and several friends sat around watching Eraserhead.
This was even more true of Peter Greenaway's films which almost wholly eliminate the traditional linear narrative. My first exposure to David Lynch was just after art school and my wife-to-be and several friends sat around watching Eraserhead.
stlukesguild
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I just watched Fritz Lang's The Woman in the Window. Lang is best known for his films Metropolis and M... two masterpieces of German Expressionist film and precursors to film noir. The Woman in the Window was filmed in 1944 after Lang had moved to Hollywood. While it might not be on the level of Metropolis and M it was a good movie with a surprise ending.
