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I was underwhelmed when I revisited The Untouchables last year on Netflix. No one involved, from Mamet to De Palma to Morricone to Costner, is doing their best work.

At this time Mamet was in the process of beginning to direct his own stuff (House of Games, a way better movie I think, comes out later that same year in October of '87), and I always thought Untouchables would have been much better had Mamet done it himself. There's this tension between De Palma's emphatic stylistic choices and the norms of the depression-era gangster genre in which he's working. Whereas Mamet, even then, had a lighter touch.

The baby carriage rolling down the steps is an homage to The Battleship Potemkin.

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Yeah, it was interesting to read a review of Untouchables that didn't mention the obvious Potemkin homage.  Or at least obvious to film school kidz like me.  smile   Maybe "The Odessa Steps" sequence is no longer required viewing in film schools, but it sure used to be.

And that right there IS a major difference between dePalma and Mamet as directors.  If you've read Mamet's On Directing Film (and I recommend it), you know he is all about telling the story with simple, clear and "uninflected" shot choices.   Whereas dePalma is all about "style", or - if we want to be less charitable - "showing off".  And I dunno if he's ever made a movie that doesn't include an homage to some other movie, just for the heck of it. But was there a reason to reference Potemkin in the Untouchables?  Not that I can see, other than to get an attaboy from people who would catch it.

On the other hand, dePalma's Phantom of the Paradise is nothing but references to other movies.  But there he was doing it for fun, and it was appropriate to his overall goal of making a campy update of a classic horror tale.

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Trey wrote:

Yeah, it was interesting to read a review of Untouchables that didn't mention the obvious Potemkin homage.  Or at least obvious to film school kidz like me.  smile   Maybe "The Odessa Steps" sequence is no longer required viewing in film schools, but it sure used to be.

I'm still scrambling to catch up with all the films on the "required-to-watch" list, hence my ignorance. Shall have to add that one to the pile. smile

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Trey wrote:

Yeah, it was interesting to read a review of Untouchables that didn't mention the obvious Potemkin homage.

I watched Battleship Potemkin for the first time recently and didn't see the big deal. They're not THAT similar (baby carriage rolling down steps as the result of a military massacre of fleeing citizens). I guess some people think "that film makes a statement, so De Palma must be copying it to make a similar statement." But he's really just copying it because it's a great shot.

De Palma bothers me more when he apes Hitchcock very self-consciously, which is often (altho not always badly).

Darth Praxus wrote:

I'm still scrambling to catch up with all the films on the "required-to-watch" list, hence my ignorance. Shall have to add that one to the pile. smile

Now that I've seen it, i'm glad i didn't go out of my way to catch up with it. YMMV.

Last edited by Zarban (2014-06-16 00:53:42)

Warning: I'm probably rewriting this post as you read it.

Zarban's House of Commentaries

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I'm in love with Mamet the director and Mamet the philosopher of storytelling. (His politics are another matter, but I love lots of people whose politics I don't agree with--like my own father.) His books on theatre, moviemaking, and storytelling are great. He's like a polemicist on storytelling.

I adore his whole perspective on movie directing that Trey described. On the Criterion audio commentary for Homicide, he goes into it. He says that as a director you should never want to hear someone describe a shot you've composed as "interesting." "Interesting" is the worst word, he says. "Direct,"clear," "honest," those are the words you want to hear.

(IIRC, he illustrates the point by telling a funny story about Roger Deakins, who was the DP on Homicide. He makes it clear that he thinks RD is a genius before describing how Deakins wanted to ruin one of the best shots in the movie by making it more "interesting." In the finished film, there's a fantastic visual reveal that the audience doesn't see coming because it isn't being telegraphed with the camera in the way normal film grammar would telegraph it. Basically, Deakins wanted to telegraph it. And Mamet's like, Uh, no, the idea here is that I want the audience to be surprised, not feel the reveal coming. That story is Mamet's POV, obviously, but when you see how the reveal comes off in the finished film, it does look like something a seasoned DP would not be keen on--which is why the reveal works. It's such a badass little reveal that Mamet plagiarizes himself and does it the exact same way in Oleanna.)

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I'm sure it made for a very interesting shot.

Warning: I'm probably rewriting this post as you read it.

Zarban's House of Commentaries

Re: Last movie you watched

The Fault in Our Stars

http://blogs.wavy.com/files/2014/06/fault-poster.jpg

Enjoyed this one a lot more than I had anticipated. Really compelling and endearing character piece. I enjoyed seeing Laura Dern on screen too, don't think I've seen her in anything since Jurassic Park 3.

★★★★½


Maleficent

https://jeseniasgoodiebag.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/maleficent_2.jpg

Not brilliant, but certainly entertaining. A nice spin on a classic tale. I would have liked to have seen more original creature designs though.

★★★½

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1f/WallStreet2013poster.jpg

3 hours of questionable financial practices and fun, NSFW debauchery. The Wolf Of Wall Street offers good pacing, solid acting (Leo DiCaprio's charisma shines once again) and over 3 "fucks" per minute. Not for the faint of heart.

A "melon farmer" redub of this movie could be absolutely hilarious.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0d/Open_Season_3_promotional_poster.jpg

A wholly uninteresting story, bad CGI and weak jokes make this installment even worse than the previous one. Open Season 3 proves that sequelitis can happen even in a franchise that was never very good.

So honor the valiant who die 'neath your sword
But pity the warrior who slays all his foes...

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Marty J wrote:

Sequelitis can happen even in a franchise that was never very good.

This needs to be on a t-shirt.

ZangrethorDigital.ca

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Put a James Bond logo under it just to fuck with people.

I write stories! With words!
http://www.asstr.org/~Invid_Fan/

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Re: Last movie you watched

Saw EDGE OF TOMORROW.

Loved it, loved it, loved it.

Is it the most original movie ever? God, no. But I so don't fucking care.

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Aural Stimulation wrote:

Saw EDGE OF TOMORROW.

Loved it, loved it, loved it.

Is it the most original movie ever? God, no. But I so don't fucking care.

I've been considering seeing it, even had tickets reserved but ended up not going. How did you feel about recent stuff like Elysium, Amazing SpiderMan 2, or similar films? Just trying to figure out if my tastes match yours. smile

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I thought Elysium and Amazing Spider-man 2 were bleh. Edge of Tomorrow was great.

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Haven't seen Spider-Man 2 but I can tell just from the trailer I'd hate it.

Elysium I enjoyed from an art direction standpoint. It's a bit of a mess though.

Edge of Tomorrow hit me on all the right levels. It's an action-thriller, it has a lead that isn't a dark brooding badass, it has a strong female co-lead, the art direction and action scenes are well envisioned, it's exciting, it's well edited, it's got neat tech, interesting (if a bit archetypal) characters and it's clever.

Does it crib on some old tropes and derive ideas from other sci-fi stories? Yep. But it does so with purpose and with an eye on how those elements can work in service of this particular story, rather than going though some kind of checklist. And it pulls it off, in my opinion.

It's dramatic when it needs to be, action-packed when it needs to be, scary when it needs to be. And most of all, it's FUN. Remember FUN in movies? This is no dour film. Sure, it gets serious towards the third act, but not until it's had a shit ton of fun playing with its premise. I don't want to oversell it, but I can't remember the last time I smiled and laughed during an action film. A lot of that has to do with the screenplay, but Tom Cruise's performance really makes it come alive.

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Oh, so it's kind of an Oblivion, but better and fun. I could be interested.

Last edited by Saniss (2014-06-20 16:46:08)

Sébastien Fraud
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It's also worth noting that the trailer makes it look really po-faced. The film itself made me laugh out loud quite a lot. This isn't one of those "people like it 'cause it's a bit better than the usual mediocrity", this is a film that is legit a good movie.
Also, I would recommend seeing it while it's still at the cinema, it's a fun one to watch with an audience.

Disclaimer: if you dislike the tone of a post I make, re-read it in a North/East London accent until it sounds sufficiently playful smile

Re: Last movie you watched

Herc wrote:

It's also worth noting that the trailer makes it look really po-faced. The film itself made me laugh out loud quite a lot. This isn't one of those "people like it 'cause it's a bit better than the usual mediocrity", this is a film that is legit a good movie.
Also, I would recommend seeing it while it's still at the cinema, it's a fun one to watch with an audience.

Yeah, hearty chuckles from everyone. It made me so happy to have fun in a movie. Last time I did, it was Cabin in the Woods.

Last edited by Aural Stimulation (2014-06-20 16:58:04)

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I re-watched The goonies because someone my age said that it doesn't hold up. I found this to be saddening since I love the Goonies. I took to my trusty PS3 and hit play and immediately knew that it was pointless. I knew the movie too much and it was watching it with all the love and smiles that I had when I was a younger.

That being said I wasn't MAD about this, because I love the movie. When I started talking about it to my buddy who said it doesn't hold up he claimed it was dated. I said and, he said that's what took him out of it. At which point I just sort of through his ramblings away. Mostly because it is dated, it was made in the 80s, but it doesn't give a date in which it takes place it just is.

Or am I missing something? I still really love that movie even when they added the extra couple of scenes they cut out from before, although the octopus does look ridiculous so I understand the cut. Are there just movies that always get a pass for you?

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Hah! My friends have a podcast (The Black Dog Podcast) where they re-review films to see if they are as good as we remember (rose-tinted specs) or as bad as we remember (shit-covered goggles).
Next week's episode is The Goonies.

Mainly, I've found that if you watched it as a kid, you will still find love for it as an adult. But, let's be honest, Goonies is one of those films that people are disproportionately vocal about loving. So when people watch it for the first time, as adults, they don't have the nostalgia that'll keep you moving along with the film.

I've still got love for it, though. I wasn't gonna watch it or send them feedback this week, but I saw the trailer, and I'm now really leaning towards watching it again.

Disclaimer: if you dislike the tone of a post I make, re-read it in a North/East London accent until it sounds sufficiently playful smile

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I believe Mike might be willing to give the contrarian view of this cinematic masterpiece. I think the bold and adventurous child that once lived inside him is long dead, as with your friend.

On the other hand, I would be happy to explain the numerous and cavernous failings of The Monster Squad on request.

Warning: I'm probably rewriting this post as you read it.

Zarban's House of Commentaries

Re: Last movie you watched

Nathan M wrote:

I re-watched The goonies because someone my age said that it doesn't hold up. I found this to be saddening since I love the Goonies. I took to my trusty PS3 and hit play and immediately knew that it was pointless. I knew the movie too much and it was watching it with all the love and smiles that I had when I was a younger.

That being said I wasn't MAD about this, because I love the movie. When I started talking about it to my buddy who said it doesn't hold up he claimed it was dated. I said and, he said that's what took him out of it. At which point I just sort of through his ramblings away. Mostly because it is dated, it was made in the 80s, but it doesn't give a date in which it takes place it just is.

Or am I missing something? I still really love that movie even when they added the extra couple of scenes they cut out from before, although the octopus does look ridiculous so I understand the cut. Are there just movies that always get a pass for you?

Nostalgia (noun): a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time

Or...see quote above.

ZangrethorDigital.ca

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Zarban wrote:

On the other hand, I would be happy to explain the numerous and cavernous failings of The Monster Squad on request.

Hit me with it! I do enjoy the Monster Squad, but for some reason some of the kids don't stick with me "Mummy came in my house" err. I would love to see it rebooted.

Last edited by Nathan M (2014-06-20 23:45:14)

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Nostalgia (noun): a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time

Or...see quote above.

Fair enough. I will stay this way with my blinders on, my blinders of YOUTH!

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That wasn't meant to be a put down. We all have our movies that are like that, except Dorkman, Dorkman knows no joy of childhood, I will love Space Jam and George of The Jungle til I day I die. But if you want to have this conversation, you may as well just call it what it is.

There isn't actually some deep rooted truth of the universe buried in any of these movies that you're the only one that can see, (Except Space Jam, Space Jam knows all things, Space Jam is life, Space Jam is love) they are movies that got put into our lives at just the right time by one circumstance or another, for them to be permanently coded into the joy parts of our brain and then hardwired. Nothing wrong with that, but that's still what it is.

Last edited by BigDamnArtist (2014-06-20 23:53:59)

ZangrethorDigital.ca

Re: Last movie you watched

Saw How to Train Your Dragon 2. It's slightly better than the first one, but it comes with its own problems. The pace is way too frenetic (scenes have no room to breathe) and there are too many plot strands left hanging that muddy the film's thematic strength. It's lightweight but mostly fun.

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I did like the cop-out version of the Empire Strikes Back ending. A really ballsy film would've ended it after Stoick's death.

"The Doctor is Submarining through our brains." --Teague

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