Paaskynen
Happiness was apparently not everyone's cup of tea! It's a "dark comedy", considered controversial in parts .....
As I said, I found it thoroughly engrossing. Let us know what you think if you do get to see it.
Rotten Tomatoes & Happiness reviews:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1084175-happiness/
Well, I saw The Singing Detective and I guess it was not a total trainwreck as films go, but it could not impress me anywhere near as much as the series.
The weaknesses lie in the adaptation for a US setting, much of the edge is taken off the story that way. Furthermore, Robert Downey Jr. is too likable, too much of a babyface, from the beginning to make his transformation really gripping. Mel "I am not an anti-semite" Gibson also played a part, but fortunately I did not recognise him. Typically, in the interviews on the DVD the actors can't stop giving each other straight A's, but not a word about Dennis Potter or Michael Gambon.
I also saw Bin jip (3 iron, 2004) in the same sitting and it engaged me as much or more than the above.
Paaskynen
Actually, I can't understand why a film (after the mini-series) was necessary at all.
It was great!
I don't very often have this sort of a reaction to a film, but I saw The Piano Teacher on DVD this week & .... well, it made me feel rather creepy, rather like a voyeur. I felt as if I was intruding on someone's very private (& decidedly odd) territory that they would much prefer to keep to themselves. Not a good feeling! Ugh.
well dont have a good one on DVD but when Little Miss Sunshine comes out get that because it is soooo good. Best movie I have seen in awhile.
Watch two good films this week. Spellbound was about the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee from 1999. It focused on eight contestants. Funny, sad, irksome all at the same time. The other film was Capturing the Friedmans, a documentary filmed primarily by the family of a pedofile. There is nothing graphic. The father is accused of molesting young boys who came to his home for computer classes. To the end you are never quite certain if he did it or not. A fascinating look inside a family meltdown.
Bought a copy of Bertolucci's 1900, which was on sale at one of my favourite book/music/dvd shops this afternoon. I haven't seen it for years & in any case, it was far too long for one (sub-titled) sitting, as I recall. It'll be interesting to see what I make of it in 2006.
Can't remember if I told you msolga, but I recently saw Shop Girl with steve Martin (from his novella) I quite enjoyed it. It's very romantic, made me cry....
x
Thanks for recommending Capturing the Fieldmans, Swimpy.
I watched it after seeing your mention of it. Fascinating and it made me cry. Rather sad, in many ways.
Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
Christmas in Tokyo. Three homeless friends: a young girl, a transvestite, and a middle-aged bum. While foraging through some trash, they find an abandoned newborn. Hana, the transvestite with delusions of being a mother, convinces the others to keep it overnight. The next day, using a key found with the baby, they start tracking down the parents, with many adventures along the way.
a splendid animated film, great characters, scripting and top quality animation
flushd wrote:Thanks for recommending Capturing the Fieldmans, Swimpy.
I watched it after seeing your mention of it. Fascinating and it made me cry. Rather sad, in many ways.
It's a film I can't get out of my head. I still don't know if they were guilty or not.
A couple of nights ago I watched an excellent film called Brothers. Danish, I think. (I've taken it back to the video shop & don't have the details available.) Anyway, it was about 2 brothers (obviously). One was in the Danish army & was captured while on UN duty in Afghanistan. He was forced (to survive) by his captors to kill another Danish captive. A particularly horrific episode which affected him deeply. The other brother was the "irresponsible", undisciplined one. He stayed home & was changed in surprising ways by his brother's absence from his family. The gist of the film was: how can one return to a normal life after committing unspeakable acts during a brutal & desperate war situation? It was totally convincing & very moving indeed.
Thoroughly recommended, sub-titles & all!
I don't know if this film was mentioned already, but I highly recommend
City of God (2002)
about the drug kids of the slums of Rio de Janeiro. Very powerful!
A big second on "City of God." Excellent film.
On my rushed trip to get home & out of the heat this afternoon I stopped by the video shop. The plan was to sit out the worst of an oppressive day sitting in my cool, darkened lounge room watching movies. No new DVDs took my interest (the last I saw was The White Massai, which was fascinating, BTW.) So I decided to do the bargain-priced 5 oldies for a week deal & ended up with these rather obscure (to me, anyway) as yet unseen choices:
Imaginary Heroes
Human Touch
Wit
Around the Bend
Veronica Guerin.
So I watched three of them in a row!
Wit (with Emma Thompson) was really well made but damn depressing! She plays a terrifyingly exacting English professor who discovers she has serious (terminal) disease & agrees to undergo 8 months of experimental treatment. She initially approaches the situation with wit, but undergoes huge changes of attitude over the period of the treatment. Intelligent & quite elegant, but .....
Veronica Guerin.
Cate Blanchett plays the famous Irish journalist, Veronica Guerin, a determined investigative journalist in 1960s Ireland. She takes on the crime bosses fearlessly (recklessly?) at huge personal cost.
Imaginary Heroes. I really enjoyed this one! The story of how the different members of quite a dysfunctional family respond to the suicide of one of the two sons. At times their behavior bizarre, sometimes funny, other times moving & upsetting. A little like Ordinary People (Terrific film!), but not nearly so controlled grim & repressed.
.... oh & I bought a bargain-priced copy of
Ferris Beuller's Day Off, too! I've seen that so many times, have taught it in a number of Media classes. Just wanted my own copy. Funny, even though you'd think, by today's students' standards, it would be considered a boring, out of date "old" film, they
invariably love it! A terrific film!
Oh yeah, Ferris Buehler's Day Off is a classic! Well, sort of.
My favorite part is him singing "Dankeschoen" on the parade
float going through downtown Chicago. That part always
cracks me up!
I just bought the original "Casino Royale."
It's been ages since I saw it and it will be fun to revel in that
weird 60's humor!
tomasso wrote:Oh yeah, Ferris Buehler's Day Off is a classic! Well, sort of.
Yes, Ferris seems to hit some sort of "right spot" with students around years 9 & 10. After all this time it looks like many of the concerns remain the same.
I've received some very thoughtful written responses from students in their reviews of Ferris Beuller. Many became quite personal (& disarmingly honest) about their own particular concerns.
Interesting that a quite innocent & "dated" film can do that!
