This is a really good idea! I'm definitely in for the Netflix movies, and they have a pretty good selection of documentaries I'd love to watch but never get around to.
I might jump in from time to time to watch on Netflix or if I already own the movie. If this is anything like the Name That Movie thread then there should be plenty of new movies for me to see.
Seven Samurai isn't a move I'll watch very often due to the length, but it is absolutely fantastic.
The next movie will be announced tomorrow!
Fingers crossed.
Finished the second half tonight ( I only made it to the intermission the other night). Turns out I had forgotten more of it then I thought. Always nice to be surprised I suppose.
Some of the things I like:
- The handheld shots of the burning houses across the river.
- I like how all the characters aren't as simple as the first seem. The farmers are less innocent and much more cruel then they first appear. The samurai all have pasts (even if it's only hinted at). They're all complex and have they're own motivations.
- The whole movie just builds nicely to the conclusion.
- the fights are filmed well. Even when people are splashing around in the mud and rain it's easy too keep track of everything.
What I wasn't so fond of:
- it might just be a cultural thing but the acting has always seemed a bit off. Throwing yourself on the ground and wailing just doesn't seem like something that would happen.
- It is a tiny bit to long. However there really isn't any wasted space in it. Just a tiny nitpick.
One other thing, it's really easy to see the roots of Star Wars in this movie. The music cues with character themes, the slow building pace and climactic battle that Episode 4 shares with it.
- It is a tiny bit to long. However there really isn't any wasted space in it. Just a tiny nitpick.
I miss the days of long movies. Wish more was like that.
It's been along time since I've seen Seven Samurai. Unfortunately, it was checked out of the library when I checked on it. I'd add Stray Dog to the list of must see Kurosawa films Stray Dog is the story of a detective who loses his gun which is used in several crimes including a murder. Filmed only a few years after the end of WWII it's Kurosawa does film noir. Shot in a still partially bombed out Tokyo, it has an atmosphere that's contemporary and haunting at the same time. it's not as well known as some of his later works but is an excellent piece of filmmaking.
Sadly, I just couldn't make my schedule work for Seven Samurai this week. With my son's sleep issues, long movies are a lot harder to watch than short ones.
Looking forward to Upstream Color!
I watched it last night! I agree that it's a gorgeous movie, and towards the end there's basically no dialogue but I was still really drawn in and fascinated.
Personally I was curious about the use of Walden in the movie, and whether there was this great big meaning behind it, but from what I've read after watching the movie, it seems it was chosen mostly at random and that he later found that a lot of the language in it coincided with the plot of the movie. I just thought it was interesting considering that the book is pretty much about how Henry David Thoreau chose to isolate himself, and how he thinks it's really important to be self-reliant, meanwhile the characters in the movie are all sort of interconnected.
Geeeeeez, though. I hate maggots.
Upstream Color isn't out in the UK yet but I've added it to my LOVEFILM postal list.
Upstream Color isn't out in the UK yet but I've added it to my LOVEFILM postal list.
Don't you mean..... Upstream Colour?
It's not out here yet either! But I downloaded mediahint for Chrome, so I can access the movies that are available in the US on Netflix.
Sometimes I rebel against US spelling. It depends what mood I'm in :).
I've been planning to watch this anyway; I'll either catch it tonight or Sunday evening.
The wife and I managed to watch this since our son *finally* decided to sleep for more than a half hour
Overall I was intrigued by the movie, but I'm not really sure what I think about the actual plot. It was a little jarring that the whole movie seemed to be shot in 5 second clips of a scene--I couldn't quite figure out the point of it. I initially thought that it was this way due to the whole idea that Kris was hypnotized and thought it was an amazing way to convey that. However, once it was over and the movie followed Kris & Jeff it didn't make much sense to me and made it kind of hard to follow what was happening. What I found interesting is that while I may not have had a good idea of what was happening, I didn't get bored or frustrated (which usually happens if I can't suss out the story), but was actually sitting up and very engaged.
Once the movie was over though, I definitely had more questions than answers. Which I suppose is probably the end goal:
So the guy who owned the pig farm was in some sort of business/experiment with the people who owned the greenhouse and with the guy who harvested the maggots, but to what end? To connect the consciousness of pigs and humans? Maybe to connect the consciousness of all humans, since Kris and Jeff have that moment where their own histories start to meld together and they argue about who's stories are who. Still though, to what end? Also, was part of the experiment to make those recordings of the random sounds/noises in the hopes that some human would be able to find their way back to the farm?
It certainly had some amazing cinematography, as evidenced by the pics that tuffalo posted--just some really amazing shots. I'm still kind of processing what I watched though, so I can't say definitively if I actually enjoyed it or not just yet. Still, a great choice for a movie club though!
Listening to people's interpretations of this movie uninfluenced of my own is one of my favorite parts of it.
The feeling I got was that none of the groups were connected. The pig farmer just rescues these people and takes care of the pigs. The orchid sellers just know to find the special blue orchids to sell on this certain river. The thief just knows that he can use the maggots on specific orchids to make the hypnotism drugs.
I think Kris and Jeff are the first two to connect the dots.
Since the movie is very obviously well framed and thought out what I want to know is why Kris wasn't wearing her wedding ring (very obviously shown to us earlier) in the last scene.
Also, what, if any, significance is the of the other married couple that the farmer spies on?
I'm hoping more people watch this and weigh in on their opinion
Since the movie is very obviously well framed and thought out what I want to know is why Kris wasn't wearing her wedding ring (very obviously shown to us earlier) in the last scene.
Also, what, if any, significance is the of the other married couple that the farmer spies on?
I'm hoping more people watch this and weigh in on their opinion
You know--I got the impression that the farmer wasn't actually spying on anyone, that he was only picturing them in his mind how they went about their day since the people seem oblivious to his presence. Only reason why I say that is because they would keep cutting back to the farmer actually on the farm interacting with the pigs themselves.
I didn't catch that Kris wasn't wearing her ring in the last scene--good call on that.
Oh I didn't think he was actually there. Maybe more of a psychic link sort of thing (which sounds silly now that I get it out of my head) I imagined that he's just sort of watching people's lives and getting inspiration for his music maybe.
The wife and I managed to watch this since our son *finally* decided to sleep for more than a half hour
Overall I was intrigued by the movie, but I'm not really sure what I think about the actual plot. It was a little jarring that the whole movie seemed to be shot in 5 second clips of a scene--I couldn't quite figure out the point of it. I initially thought that it was this way due to the whole idea that Kris was hypnotized and thought it was an amazing way to convey that. However, once it was over and the movie followed Kris & Jeff it didn't make much sense to me and made it kind of hard to follow what was happening. What I found interesting is that while I may not have had a good idea of what was happening, I didn't get bored or frustrated (which usually happens if I can't suss out the story), but was actually sitting up and very engaged.
Once the movie was over though, I definitely had more questions than answers. Which I suppose is probably the end goal:
So the guy who owned the pig farm was in some sort of business/experiment with the people who owned the greenhouse and with the guy who harvested the maggots, but to what end? To connect the consciousness of pigs and humans? Maybe to connect the consciousness of all humans, since Kris and Jeff have that moment where their own histories start to meld together and they argue about who's stories are who. Still though, to what end? Also, was part of the experiment to make those recordings of the random sounds/noises in the hopes that some human would be able to find their way back to the farm?
It certainly had some amazing cinematography, as evidenced by the pics that tuffalo posted--just some really amazing shots. I'm still kind of processing what I watched though, so I can't say definitively if I actually enjoyed it or not just yet. Still, a great choice for a movie club though! :D
From what I gather, they abducted and drugged people in order to extort money from them, like they did with Kris and Jeff. I was more confused about the pig farmer, and there are things I still don't really get (even after reading the plot... immediately after watching it). But it's also kind of what I found great about the movie, that a lot of it is up for interpretation, and some of it might just be sort of hallucinatory. I think it merits a re-watch, though.
Also, what, if any, significance is the of the other married couple that the farmer spies on?
I was really confused about the farmer being sort of this presence in other people's lives, but I think the point is that these are all people who have been drugged who still have this connection to the pigs, hence they sort of feel the presence of the farmer? Maybe? (!!)
Every time I think you guys are my friends, I discover something like this has been happening and nobody told me (though it's also my fault, I really should actually look at the forums instead of just the "popular forum threads" and tracking).
I do have one question, though: what counts as an "intelligent" movie? There are simple movies done very well, and then there are pretentious films, and then there are "what drugs did you take in film school?" films. For example, for a variety of reasons I'd call John Carpenter's The Thing an intelligent film, though I doubt many others would.
I'm sure I'll have plenty of recommendations after I give mine and my brother's Netflix queue a look. Especially my brother's, though most of his choice flicks are foreign.
I might have to PM you a list of recommendations, then, because there's a ton I could put up right here and now, though I'm sure I've already discussed a few (such as Brick, a noir film set in high school). I'll see what I can trudge up.
I'll also try and give this film a watch (which shouldn't be hard, I'm unemployed and have plenty of time on my hands).
Regarding Upstream Color
I'm Domano's wife, so you see in his thread above that one of my big questions was about the overall reason behind the abductions. I couldn't figure out if it was stealing the money (and lives!) of people, a strange biological experiment where a human soul/life could be transmitted to a pig, a combination of the two, or neither of them. The control aspect of it was interesting though, especially at the start where the woman is being hypnotized/commanded and she follows orders beyond physical need (the Wall is up, the Wall is down). If it was about controlling others, that at least explained that those in control may have different motivations. The man stealing money being more malicious (stealing, taking their time/money/memory away) and the farmer seeming more nurturing (physically doing the work and caring for the pigs, plus the sounds/music he created seemed to trigger memory). Maybe they all had their reasons for being part of it, and ultimately would have used their power in their own way if they'd succeeded.
It was interesting, and of course beautiful as a few of you mentioned (at one point I wondered if this was based on a graphic novel). But when those credits came up, I definitely had that "what just happened!?" moment. I haven't been mind-boinked by a movie like this since seeing Darren Aronofsky's Pi for the first time.
Looking forward to the next one. And The Thing is definitely intelligent
Guess we're gonna have to watch The Thing!
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