Terrific films on DVD & video ... Any suggestions?

I saw Garden State the other day with Zach Braff (JD from Scrubs) and Natalie Portman. Very impressed, as I was was with The Last Kiss also starring Zach Braff. It's interesting watching Braff's two characters in these films compared with JD from Scrubs. In Garden State he plays a 26 year old who's been medicated for the best part of his life, the drugs have dulled his emotions, he doesn't really know who he is, the film is about him and Natalie Portman's character, a spark which pushes him in a new direction I guess. Quite opposed to the JD character from Scrubs who, with all his insecurities on display, still seems to have a strong sense of self to fall back on, in Garden State he's still looking for his I guess. Natalie Portman's character is great too, it's a nice meeting between two people.

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msolga et al, some of you might be interested in my film reminiscence thread, Film Reminiscence Here. Or not. I'll not always be choosing italian films, and whatever films I send for won't always be reminiscences. (I snuck a few newies in the queue..) but, mostly so, to start with. Maybe japanese films next..

Feel free to join in with your re-take on a film you liked some time before.

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I'll definitely be interested to follow the progress of this thread, osso - as much to learn as to comment. An expert in this field (or any, really) I'm definitely not. But an enthusiast for the many Italian films I've loved ... absolutely! Very Happy

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I finally saw De Tweeling (a.k.a. Twin Sisters) last weekend and I was not disappointed. It is a story about twin girls separated after their parents die and growing up under very different circumstances one in Germany and the other in the Netherlands and to make matters worse the Second World War affects them tragically. Can they be reunited and reconciled before they die?

I do not cry over films, but let me put is this way: I was closer to tears than laughter watching this story unfold.

It is a totally different film about the war and I rate it higher than that other recent Dutch war film, Zwartboek (Black Book), which in itself was quite good.

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I just saw American Dreamz and added it to my worst movies list. Not very good, in my opinion.

On another note I also just watched The Holiday and Dreamgirls and LOVED both of them. I definitely recommend.

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I haven't posted to this thread in ages!

Anyway, here goes .... I picked up this (French) film, Intimate Strangers, at my movie rental place, knowing nothing about it. It turned out to be quite an engrossing viewing experience.

The plot goes like this: a troubled woman accidentally walks into a tax consultant's office, thinking he is a shrink (who resides a couple of doors down in the same building) for her first "consultation". She precedes to talk of very serious problems in her marriage.
The tax consultant (a very passive fellow) is somewhat taken aback, but intrigued, & somehow this mistaken identity situation continues for a few sessions ...
Eventually, it it absolutely clear to both of them that a mistake has been made. But she continues to return to his office & talk & talk ... & he remains completely absorbed.
.. with all sorts of ensuing "complications", issues about both their (rather empty) lives coming to the fore at the same time. Though she discusses her "issues", he doesn't ....

And so on & so on. A rather lovely story (and no -sorry to disappoint Wink

- the situation does not lead to a convenient, torrid sexual liaison between the two at any stage during the "talks") ... it leads to a lot of questioning about about the quality of lives they are both living. In a very interesting & thoughtful way ... with "complicating factors" which keep you on the edge of your seat!

Anyway, I am not about to do the spoiler thing & tell you the ending. Let's just say it was a very interesting & thought provoking journey, with tense, funny & worrying moments along the way.

I really enjoyed this film. Intelligent & compelling. A delight.

Rotten Tomatoes reviews & trailers:

http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/custom/23/10004023.jpg

Reviews & tailers:
http://au.rottentomatoes.com/m/1132500-intimate_strangers/

Quote:

Intimate Strangers (2004)
NYT Critics' Pick This movie has been designated a Critic's Pick by the film reviewers of The Times.
July 30, 2004
FILM REVIEW; Erotic Suspense After Mistaken Identity
By STEPHEN HOLDEN
Published: July 30, 2004

In Patrice Leconte's sardonic psychological thriller, ''Intimate Strangers,'' Sandrine Bonnaire portrays a Gallic answer to one of Alfred Hitchcock's sleek blond women of mystery. Imagine the Grace Kelly of ''Rear Window'' or the Kim Novak of ''Vertigo'' sprawled seductively on an analyst's couch, smoking cigarettes and confiding her sexual frustration to a repressed, wide-eyed shrink who is obsessed with her.

''Intimate Strangers,'' directed by Mr. Leconte from a screenplay by Jérôme Tonnerre, establishes its mood of playful erotic suspense in the first 10 minutes and sustains its cat-and-mouse game between therapist and patient through variations that are by turns amusing, titillating and mildly scary.

The film's running joke is its revelation at the outset that the shrink, William Faber (Fabrice Luchini), is not really a therapist but a repressed, lonely tax accountant whose good friend and recent romantic partner, Jeanne (Anne Brochet), has left him for a gym rat (Laurent Gamelon). Ms. Bonnaire's troubled character, Anna, has accidentally strayed into the wrong office, on the same dark floor where the psychoanalyst she intended to consult, Dr. Monnier (Michel Duchaussoy), practices a few doors away. .... <cont>

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=2&res=9C00E7D6103DF933A05754C0A9629C8B63

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@msolga,

While I was at the DVD/video shop the other day, I noticed they were having a throw out sale of old videos. (My player can play both - DVD & cassette videos) Going cheap, at $1 each. So I figured that was a reasonable enough cost for a one-off watch & pass it on deal. These are a few I bought:

Aunt Julia & the Scriptwriter (read the book years ago. No idea about whether the film is any good or not.)
Ordinary People. (Last seen I don't know how long ago. Thought is was good then, so maybe another look was warranted.
A Chinese film called Shower, which I know nothing about but looks interesting.
Rhapsody In August (Akira Hurosawa) Totally unknown quantity.
A German film called The Nasty Girl. (Michael Verhoeven) Never heard of the director, never heard of the film.
Olivier Olivier.
Far East. (Old Oz film)
Everyone Says I Love You.
The Last of The High Kings. (Set In Dublin. About the rest: I know nothing.)
The Anniversary Party. (unknown quantity)

So I'm in for some fascinating/pretty good/so-so/throw-it-out junk viewing.

We'll see. .

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msolga, thank you for reviving this thread. I am a movie-on-DVD addict, as well as a movie-in-theater freak. I always have 3 Netflix films at home but let them sit unwatched if there are good movies out currently, because it is a different experience to watch in a dark room with a huge screen and surround sound. One might ask How is that different from your own dedicated media room? One big difference...no one can pause the film. When Pause is available, someone always finds a reason to use it...and suddenly the thread is broken, that frail atmosphere necessary to allow suspended disbelief. I have needed a restroom desperately during the last part of a film in a cinema, but somehow I wait.

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@Kara,

We started collecting DVDs a few years ago and now we're running out of room to store them LOL. One thing I just love about watching a film on DVD is the special features. Sometimes they're as long as the movie and include interviews with the stars, director, producers; not to mention featurettes and background stories on how the film came to be.

I try to browse the DVD forums now and then, as they're a good way to learn of little known gems (movies and documentaries) that are highly rated, but get little publicity. Also love Netflix!

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@msolga,

msolga wrote:

A Chinese film called Shower, which I know nothing about but looks interesting.

It's a cute film about a family running a bathhouse.

Rhapsody In August: Akira Kurosawa is one of the greatest film directors of all time. In fact, his film The Hidden Fortress is one of biggest inspirations for George Lucas and Star Wars. The director is mostly known for his historical samurai epic films. I prefer his non-samurai film such as this one starring Richard Gere. A very intimate portrait of a family and their grandmother who survived the bombing of Hiroshima.

Everyone Says I Love You.
I love this Woody Allen musical. Quite charming.

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@tsarstepan,

tsar,

Thanks for the recs. Shower, Rhapsody in August, and the Woody Allen musical are now on my list.

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@Irishk,

Irishk, we have dozens and dozens of DVDs, too, and it is fun to remember one you have and watch it again. I did that the other night with Bagdad Cafe. And the other week, I was up in the wee hours and pulled The Band's Visit from our stacks. Forgot how brilliant that film was.

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@Kara,

Twas nothing! Hope you enjoy them! Very Happy

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@Kara,

The Band's Visit is such a hidden gem! It should have been nominated for Best Foreign Language Oscar. The Academy is a bunch of nincompoops!

Quite a touching film that stays away from being saccharine sweet and sickly sentimental.

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@Kara,

I have The Band's Visit!!! Definitely enjoyed it! I'll look for Bagdad Cafe, thanks!

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@tsarstepan,

Agree with you on the Academy LOL.

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We recently watched a documentary called The English Surgeon (Netflix rental). Highly recommend it, though it will stay with you for days and days.

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@tsarstepan,

No one I know has even heard of The Band's Visit. The discouraging thing about the Academy's ignoring it is that the film was superb on so many levels...the color and visuals were awesome, those bright blue uniforms against the sere, desolate landscape. That wonderful actress who played the shop keeper...what a fantastic role, and she played it over the top! The scene in the roller disco still cracks me up...the hand-on-knee thing. The band leader...all of them...were so damned ordinary looking. I love that. Regular people, totally unglamorous.

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@Kara,

I just remembered why the Israeli film didn't qualify:

Quote:

Israel’s submission for the best foreign-language film Academy Award, Eran Kolirin’s The Band’s Visit, has been disqualified for the 2007 Oscar in that category because more than half of the film’s dialogue is in English.

http://www.altfg.com/blog/awards/the-bands-visit-disqualified-for-the-oscars/

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Another award winner we enjoyed recently: Lemon Tree (Etz Limon)

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Terrific films on DVD & video ... Any suggestions?

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