C'est Arrivé Près de Chez Vous, translated- Man Bites Dog. A must see...very funny, very dark, very original. The description says it all, but does not do the movie justice.

This may or may not be a foreign language film but it sure did leave me confused as all get out.

Angriest_Dragon wrote:This may or may not be a foreign language film but it sure did leave me confused as all get out.

Sorry, I don't speak ghey.

sunset_gun wrote:

Angriest_Dragon wrote:This may or may not be a foreign language film but it sure did leave me confused as all get out.

Sorry, I don't speak ghey.

Is that what language this movie was in because I understood all of none of it?

Eksvplot wrote:

run joe, run wrote:

Eksvplot wrote:also, if you liked Irreversible, you should check out Noe's I Stand Alone.

Have to disagree here. Irreversible is some kind of masterpiece, but I Stand Alone is a piece of worthless juvenile shit. I can only just accept it's the same director, to be honest.

well, i think if you can tolerate the heavily transgressive nature of Irreversible (which, understandably, not everyone can), you could find value in I Stand Alone. yeah, the guy's an asshole, he sleeps with his daughter, the storyline is terribly bleak. however, i like it for the simple fact that it allows you to get into his head and see his predicament from his perspective. to me there's a nigh infinite gulf between a film like this and something like Baise Moi which just revels in baseness for the sake of it with nothing approaching insight or pathos.

My problem with the film is not its bleakness of theme or its protagonist's supposed asshole-ness, it's the fact that it is done with such vacuous self conciousness that it comes across like a student twat trying to be shocking, whereas Irreversible was mature and accomplished. I can't get into the head of a two dimensional character that seems to be based more on the director's infantile Travis Bickle-Raskolnikov fantasy than any real life experience he may have had.

It's a weak film; its abrasiveness and wilful bad taste betray an inexperienced filmmaker's embarrassing desire to appear cutting edge by virtue of being pointedly "controversial".

I Stand Alone is a mawkish vanity project.

Looking at the list of films you've seen and liked, it's probably a pretty good bet you would like Oldboy. Zatoichi, the Takeshi Kitano remake, would probably be right up your alley. Takeshi Miike, also, has some more mainstream style fare that would ease you in.

As for just generally good films, run, joe, run has the idea. Go for directors you like. Some of my personal favorites are Bunuel, Bergman, Godard, and Wong Kar Wai (or Kar-Wai Wong depending on what Japanese name writing camp you belong to).

Since they have a ton of Bergman, I think it might be of import to point out that The Seventh Seal is a slight anomaly in his canon. It is great, no doubt, but usually his films are much more introspective and intimate. If they have it, Persona would be a great next step, or the lesser known but pretty accessible Hour of the Wolf and The Rite are both almost comparable to something like David Lynch.

i disagree.

i can see how someone might perceive it as a vanity project, what with his name big and bold at the end. but i think he was just doign that to take responsibility for it instead of being sheepish.


but i'm not too precious about that film. it doesn't irk me at all that someone might not liek it anymore than it would irk me to hear someone trash an early Frogs record. if nothing else, your viewpoint is understandable.

Eksvplot wrote:i disagree.

i can see how someone might perceive it as a vanity project, what with his name big and bold at the end. but i think he was just doign that to take responsibility for it instead of being sheepish.


but i'm not too precious about that film. it doesn't irk me at all that someone might not liek it anymore than it would irk me to hear someone trash an early Frogs record. if nothing else, your viewpoint is understandable.

My thinking of it as a vanity project has nothing to do with his name being in big letters at the beginning. It is in response to the film's mawkishness. Its showy, cringey, angsty self conciousness; like a sulky teenager slamming the Marilyn Manson postered bedroom door in his parents' house.

However, Mr E, I must commend you on a perfect use of my favourite discussion exit statement ("done here"): you fulfilled both the hellyes! and the tmidgett criteria.

Jolly good show!

*Dorky Post Ahead!*

If anyone here likes cool Scifi films, I suggest checking out Incubus, starring William Shatner. It has Conrad Hall doing Cinematography (American Beauty) and the guy from the Outer Limits.

The entire thing is in Esperanto. I know a bit of Esperanto (hangs head in shame) and the whole film gives you this really weird surreal feeling as it takes place in this timeless world with she-beasts who suck the souls out of men.

Its also in black and white.

Is it very pretentious?.......of course! Even the opening credits are in Esperanto.

The shots definitely take some artistic risks, and not all of them work.

Its pretty creepy and cool though, and I recommend it highly.

The film itself bombed when it was released, for obvious reasons, and many of the people who worked on the film experienced horrible fates after working on it, like kidnappings and death, or became very famous after its completion.

It was thought to be long lost (I guess the mastercopy burned in a fire), but this one place in France had a copy that they showed every night at midnight with French subtitles. The Sci Fi channel restored the film from that one last copy for DVD with English subtitles over the french ones.

I think this film is just awesome, and you can get this DVD for like $4 today.

So far, its one of two movies ever shot completely in Esperanto.

P.s. Hearing Shatner speak in tongues is really a sight to be seen!

I spent 12 hours on a train this weekend and watched movies on my laptop. I enjoy foreign films usually more than Hollywood or even domestic independent films, even when the foreign film isn't good. It must be because I can't understand the dialog and have to read the whole time.

Anyway...

I saw these movies over the weekend:

La Dolce Vita - directed by Fellini. It's molto bene. I watched it twice.
...And God Created Woman - starring Brigette Bardot, and features her acting wild and pouty. Not a very good movie otherwise.
Contempt - a Godard movie, also featuring Brigette Bardot. This movie was much better. I saw most of it twice. Jack Palance is très intérresant, and Fritz Lang est un sage.
Quadrophenia - meh.
A Woman is A Woman - another Godard film. This was probably my favorite of all of them. It's light-hearted on the outside, but explores some interesting topics. It's also pretty kooky, and funny.

Needless to say, I've been hearing french in my head most of the day, and I've been enjoying it. Today I was wishing that there was some super-language that was both Italian and French at the same time. I would learn it immediately and speak it all the time.