Okay. Brandon's back in town. Let's cut all the TV chitchat and start talking movies.
JANE EYRE
Plot difficulties are resolved by the crazy wife burning down the house, then throwing herself off the roof; so that two soulmates can unite their honest passions with no further pangs of guilt.
I wish that I could at least enjoy the movie visually. I didn't. Was there cgi here? I think so. Really? Why does this look like a muddy mess? Dull. Dull. Dull. Visually, that is. The script sparkles with lively talk of livers being tied and stretched and birds squawking raucously or something like that. I was trying really hard to fall asleep, but it was all too damned romantic to give me any proper rest.
I'm not sure if I can clearly communicate how much I hate Jane Eyre.
SMALL TOWN MURDER SONGS
A surprise. Every flawed decision is endearing. I'm wondering if the rest of you will dislike this film (if you ever see it) for all of the reasons I like it. The chapter breaks. The chorus commentary. The naturalism molded into what may be a forced genre box (the police procedural). The blatant religiosity. The ending.
The film is also beautifully shot. I would hang some of these frames on my wall.
Check it out.
MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
Even better this second time. Almost makes me feel patriotic.
DUCk SOUP
I've seen this a few times now. So easily watchable. Almost makes me feel patriotic with a cherry on top. An absolutely perfect double feature with Mr. Washington.
THE TWILIGHT ZONE
I'm probably not caught up with Jeff and Chris, but I've watched a few episodes. I might write about at least one episode soon. Can you guys guess which one I might have loved?
VHS REVIVAL
I think that I've written in the past about how I ditched VHS and adopted DVD pretty early on ('97 or so). It had nothing to do with image quality. It had everything to do with pan and scan cropping (disfiguring). I've always been okay with proper VHS releases.
About a year ago, I rescued a VHS Player from a garbage can. It's been great to occasionally find super cheap copies of older films (unaffected by any butchering).
This past weekend, I bought a couple of bags full of .25c VHS tapes from the Ithaca Book Sale. I got a lot of good stuff. The best find was Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy. I'm not sure if it's still out of print, but it was out of print on both VHS and DVD for several years.
I bought a few tapes just to give away, for whoever wants to claim them. Five of Rohmer's Moral Tales (on four tapes).
The Girl at the Monceau Bakery / Suzanne's Career
My Night at Maud's
La Collectioneuse
Chloe in the Afternoon
Obviously, my motives are selfish. I want you guys to adore Rohmer. That's worth $1 out of pocket.
ALL-STARS, CONVERSE
Everyone, let's Take Shelter together.
Brandon, it was good to see you. Let's get demanding together.
Jason, give up your zombie strippers and watch something from the 30s. It'll be good for you and taste good, too. I was glad to read your Dogtooth thoughts. I would have been dismissive like you if Brandon hadn't previously proclaimed his warm fuzzies toward the film.
Ben, thanks for the Darren Brown link. I've already shared it with a few friends.
Jeff, keep the beard! Other than that, I'm disappointed in you. Two 30s lists and hardly any commentary on any of the films you list! A crime against film club, I say!! Deserving of being locked up in Grandpa Jason's hostel for a weekend with nothing to do but get to know a wooden spoon better.
Lisa, PHD or Film Club? Which is ultimately going to mean more to your life? If you had only given Film Club even half of the time that you've given to this other institution, we would have showered you with degrees and certificates and praise and chipped in to buy you a fancy cap and gown and given you as many letters behind your name as you could have ever desired. The pay here may be awful, but the rewards are great nonetheless.
Chris, I'm only two or three episodes away from finishing Season 7. I should have a list up by the end of this week.
1 comment:
I want the Rohmer films!
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