LMP
Blue Crack Supplier
I still need to see those two and Full Frontal. The latter of which is on its way from Netflix.
You've seen Schizopolis?
I still need to see those two and Full Frontal. The latter of which is on its way from Netflix.
Did you see The Good German? I seem to be the only person alive who loves that.
I need to Che it up.
I need to Che it up.
Maybe I need to start Criterioning things up, too, as I own just one title of theirs.
Blade Runner is, I don't even know, just mind blowing.
Yes. Now find time to watch The New World.
I will.
Did you see The Good German? I seem to be the only person alive who loves that.
May have to watch that after Welles' The Trail.
The Third Man is fucking gorgeous on my upconvert DVD player, can't imagine the Blu Ray.
Oh man, are you going to lose your shit over that film.
Did you ever post your thoughts on that one? Best final shot ever?
Blade Runner is, I don't even know, just mind blowing.
I have tried to watch this movie twice, and both times I've fallen asleep. I really need to get through it one of these days.
The Informant!
I find THE BERGH!'s films so difficult to describe. This one is very clearly an evolution of his post-DV career, and I believe just from watching it that he used the same camera he employed on The Girlfriend Experience. The effect here isn't as aesthetically stunning, but the over-saturated, high exposure DV creates a gloriously (and maybe paradoxically) retro visual ambience, complemented curiously old-fashioned mise-en-scene and self-conscious 70's sit-com/genre style. I won't dare describe the musical score, because it's such a joy to discover as the film goes on.
Tonally, I'd say this is very much a happy cross between The Girlfriend Experience, Out of Sight, and Ocean's 13. And the script is fucking brilliant. I wasn't familiar with the true story here going on, and it was an unexpected joy watching such masterful screenwriting unfold layers of lies, truths, half-truths and refreshingly subtle exposition through the minutia of performance of mise-en-scene. The film marks a break from the chronology-skewed structures of THE BERGH!'s last few films, but it's still considerably more complex than perhaps any narrative he's yet tackled (barring a few possible exceptions of films I haven't seen yet).
Matt Damon's character is one of the filmmaker's finest screen creations, and Damon's most rewarding performance to date. The film is deliberately leisurely in revealing what is truly going on within this man's head, and as the story is ostensibly told from his perspective, the layers of his delusions/manipulations/mental illnesses(?) lend to a glorious narrative construct. And it's very funny. And very timely. And very pretty. And surprisingly poignant, much in the same way the otherwise stoic and observational Che films close (comparatively brief to its length) in moments of quiet humanism.
So ultimately... I wouldn't place it in the absolute top tier of THE BERGH!'s work, as the material really only lends itself so much creative expression (that sounds way more dismissive than I mean, but I'm struggling to find the right words here, as I suggested in the beginning), but it certainly contributes to the filmmaker's excellent track record and continual growth as an artist. He hasn't failed me yet, and I absolutely can't wait for what he brings next.
Yes. Now find time to watch The New World.
I watched it.
I honestly have no words.
The final scene is a tad overwhelming for me, emotionally.
Yeah. There's really no way to discuss this film beyond slack-jawed incoherence and awe. And that's quite an understatement. The final "chapter" leaves me a complete and total wreck of a human being, and that's even when I watch it out of context. Within the full 3-hour experience, it's just... fuck.
I wonder if you have any thoughts at all on the extended cut in particular though. The most overwhelming change for me is the newly structured section 1/3-1/2 through the film with the extended Vorspiel. And how do you feel about the new title cards. Something about them and the way the film is recut around them just fucking slays me.
"And Last"
Fuck...
I think the biggest change for me, if memory serves, is the stretch from when right before Smith leaves to try to establish contact with the naturals right up to the attack on the fort. The journey down river is longer, and his stay with the naturals is much longer, and everything seems better off that it was before to me. Also, I don't recall Thewlis' speech to Plummer before Smith sets sail, so not sure if that is new, longer, or if I'm just forgetting.
nsw said:I, for whatever reason, thought that the title cards added weight to each "chapter".