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What are you watching now?

Cell, agree w/ you 100% on Crash and Monster's Ball. Some of my friends and I still make fun of Crash to this day. Hollywood somehow always manages to outdo itself in self-congratulatory preachy, pretentious dramas that try to be poignant but have zero resonance with actual human behavior.
 
If you want to see a good film named Crash, check out David Cronenberg's 1996 film, no relation to the '04 film. The critics hated it, but I think it is one of Cronenberg's best. It kinda sums up the US... cars and sex... :eek: ;) Works on several levels. :D
 
I'm not a fan of most modern horror movies, Freddie, Jason, etc. The Haunting is good, Freaks is good. But, I think some of the best modern horror is the sort of stuff GKE and I have been talking about here, Asian horror films. Put Cure and Odishon (Audition) on your Netflix list. These are thoughtful, well written, interesting, subtle, psychological films, not perverted USA gore fests. Audition is even a feminist film, in its way...

There are also great classical Japanese horror films, like Kwaidan, Onibaba, Kuroneko (The Black Cat,) and Woman In The Dunes. All of these are deep, reflective, and often stunning to look at. Also, often women play the main roles. You should check out some of them too.

It has been awhile since I had my Japanese film fix. I usually prefer the classics, but from what you say I should start with either Cure or Odishon?

And I never thought of Freaks. It's a horror film? I guess that's as good a description of it as anything. It's a cult film classic, but I suppose that's a category given after a film is made, not before. But yes, it's a strange but fascinating story.
 
I watched me the Oscars tonight. The presentation of the acting awards was cool (having winners from the past address each nominee.) But, no clips? WTF? They could do w/o a lot of the stupid filler crap and have time for it all.

Best win: Kate Winslet! It's about time, sista. Always a bridesmaid and now an uber-bride.
 
Best win: Kate Winslet! It's about time, sista. Always a bridesmaid and now an uber-bride.

I'm pretty sure she won before.

I never watch the Oscars but the Cavs game I started to watch turned out to be a blow-out so I flipped over and caught the opening number and that really weird, awkward Broadway review w/ Beyonce.

I was rooting for Mickey Rourke and Robert Downey Jr, didn't care about anything else. Haven't even seen any of the movies nominated.
 
There are also great classical Japanese horror films, like Kwaidan, Onibaba, Kuroneko (The Black Cat,) and Woman In The Dunes. All of these are deep, reflective, and often stunning to look at. Also, often women play the main roles. You should check out some of them too.

Wild timing: TCM is showing Kwaidan 1am Wednesday my time.

I guess that'll be the one I see first, then.
 
Watched Superbad last night whilst drinking a fair amount myself. It really is a perfect comedy film. Also saw Jumper, which was a bit meh...
 
The only real complaint I have is that somehow TDK beat out Wall-E for best sound editing and Slumdog beat it out for best sound mixing. Taking out how you feel about the films as a whole, in the sound department Wall-E wasn't just the best film this year, but the most revolutionary movie in terms of sound since Star Wars back in 1977, so yeah, the Academy royally screwed that one up, but they are dolts.
 
Wild timing: TCM is showing Kwaidan 1am Wednesday my time.

I guess that'll be the one I see first, then.

I thought you didn't get TCM, or I would have mentioned Kwaidan was going to be on. Yes, Put Cure, and Onibaba on your Netflix list. Then go for Audition and Woman In The Dunes.
 
I thought you didn't get TCM, or I would have mentioned Kwaidan was going to be on. Yes, Put Cure, and Onibaba on your Netflix list. Then go for Audition and Woman In The Dunes.

It may be BBC America you're thinking of, or whatever the BBC channel is over here. I wish we did get it, but that one is not offered to us. There are many more viewers of classic movies than British television offerings, perhaps.
 
Finally saw WALL-E last night. Great fun. Although... Pixar films remain extraordinarily creative, humorous, and well-executed -- but all in the same way. I was was rarely surprised by the movie, although I was routinely delighted.

(JJ, all my TV viewing is on DVD or online, so I picked up 30 Days from Netflix.)
 
I LOVED the first half of Wall-E. Sadly, it went downhill from there, for me - there's just so much of animated robots running down corridors I'm interested in. Great plot, great "characters", and WAY too much goofy action.

Meanwhile, I watched A Clockwork Orange for the first time.

I'm fucked up for life.
 
Meanwhile, I watched A Clockwork Orange for the first time.

I'm fucked up for life.

Oh, sweet! Welcome to the club!

Just let that movie swim around your brain for a while. Watch a few dozen more times. Watch it with friends, lovers, family, your church congregation- it's great fun for all!
 
LOL

My first plan is to make my sister watch the movie - she sees herself as an art connoisseur and likes to watch artsy movies, but is squeamish as hell. That'll be awesome! Though I'd imagine it would be even more fun to use the movie as a litmus test for girls you're dating - see if they can sit through it without running away from you, screaming.

Definitely need multiple viewings. Possibly with subtitles next time, to save me quite the strain I had to put into following the conversation, and figuring out all the Russian.

Wonder if I'll ever manage to watch a movie again without wondering if this or that character will be raped and/or bludgeoned to death with a marble penis.
 
LOL

Though I'd imagine it would be even more fun to use the movie as a litmus test for girls you're dating - see if they can sit through it without running away from you, screaming.

What exactly would you be testing for here? :wtf:

I am one of the female fans of this movie (I suspect there are not as many of us as there are male fans). I don't normally like gratuitous violence, and violent sex acts, or giant marble penis statue weapons in my entertainment. But a few things make that tolerable to me in this movie.

First of all, I was in college at the time that I first saw the movie. I had also been drinking. I was also in a large, primitive student theater with many other people who were in college and had been drinking at the time. I believe this helps.

Second of all, there actually was a reason, a very necessary reason, for all of that violence and sexual perversion in all of those scenes. That movie had me where it wanted me emotionally every second: I hated the protagonist when I was supposed to, I was bewildered when I was supposed to be, I felt oddly confused about what to feel for him, then I felt weird for feeling sympathy for him, then.... a kind of "what the hell am I supposed to feel about it now?!" by the end.

I have to seriously respect a film that can take me on such a roller-coaster ride.

Thirdly, as odd as it was for me at first, I loved the effect the modern slang had on the overall feel of the picture. I am not sure how to describe it. Made it feel even more "underground"? It seemed to put you into a world of gang mentality? I'm not sure.

And lastly, and not to be minimized for being last on the list... did I mention I was in college and I'd been drinking?

:)

I also saw Pink Floyd's "The Wall" that way. It didn't leave such a lasting impression on me, but it did remain a memorable film to me for years to come.
 
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