unionfederal wrote:terry gilliam... care to recommend some movies of his that i might want to check out? thanks!
In no particular order...
1. Brazil
2. Time Bandits
3. The Meaning of Life(Beginning sequence is brilliant)
4. 12 Monkies
5. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
6. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
7. The Fisher King
Francis Ford Coppola, I actually woke up from surgery muttering his name repeatedly for whatever reason.
George Lucas
Spielberg
Kurosawa
Truffaut
Wes Anderson
Tim Burton at times
The German Expressionist and Italian Neo-Realists
Proyas
Gilliam
Scorsese
Andrzej Zulawski, Vincent Gallo, Melville, Polanski, Mamoru Oshii
Evan,
So what is it about the cinema of Vincent Gallo that connects with you?? I watched "Brown Bunny" and while I saw merit in the cinematography, I thought it was the longest short I have ever seen.... (for those who have not seen it - it is a feature 90mins!!
His use of 'dead time' is IMO unmatched in modern American film. From what I've seen of "Buffalo '66" it shares a lot of the characteristics of "Brown Bunny". The latter is a very good example of revisions in the creative process. Apparently the cut shown at Cannes was 30 min. longer. Also, John Frusciante recorded several songs which were supposed to be used in the film. Gallo ended up not using any of them, but he claims he listened to them constantly during production. The amazing thing is that experiencing the songs outside the film makes their absence resonate more strongly when you watch it. "The Brown Bunny" should be remembered as one of the most significant American films of the past decade, IMO.
The fact that most critics lashed out at it makes the film itself all the more rewarding ;)
Zulawski is definitely near the top of my list - I'm trying to track down as much of his stuff as I can. "Possession" is readily available on DVD. No other film that I've seen has successfully represented psychological horror, the loss of agency, and any number of grotesque, hyper-Freudian constructions... really, Zulawski's films are their own genre.
I'm still puzzled as to why the film connects with you so strongly - but if it does it does...
Dead time eh?
Yeah, I guess that is what it was....
I haven't followed the critique of this film, but I'm sure many criticized the pornographic climax... I don't take issue with that.
....and the idea about standing aside while women are plundered is clearly one of the most grotesque and unjust realities of contemporary times. So in that sense I do see the films "significance".
Structurally, I just think the story is weak. I think act #1 and act #2 are, as you said, characterized by "dead time" Lot's of non-events that add nothing to the story.. All of those awkward encounters with women he met on the street were just bad acting performances for me. Just a lot of nervousness in front of the camera that looked like out takes.
I give it an "A" for idea.
A "B" for cinematography
A "D" for screenplay
"Structurally, I just think the story is weak. I think act #1 and act #2 are, as you said, characterized by "dead time" Lot's of non-events that add nothing to the story.."
I think he chose the most elegant, transparent way to tell that story, though. I'm not really a believer in judging films on how much I like the premise - some of my favorite films are somewhat weak or less-than-ideal premises that are executed well. The 'non-events' were necessary to establish absolute despair, as well as flesh out the Bud character by depicting a range of interactions. I thought the acting was fantastic, especially in the scenes with Violet and Lilly.
I also thought that Gallo having his hand in so many pies improved the film's focus. I can't see something so personal, specific and explicit emerging from a 'normally-staffed' production, where the content would inevitably be filtered and diffused by the other people involved.
Regarding pacing - this movie reminded me of Tarkovsky's Solaris, in the sense that it moves at a controlled pace, but is meditative and never feels 'slow' or 'boring' in the sense that some films with more action and shorter running times frequently do. IMO, 'slow' films where the director is in complete control create the illusion of 'movement' despite the lack of action through subtle shifts in rhythm or tonality.
I've just added Werner Herzog to my list, tho I've only watched one of his films (Fata Morgana) so far!!! His various quotes, interviews and the commentry on that film are enough to make him one of my favorites by themself!
timdrage wrote:I've just added Werner Herzog to my list, tho I've only watched one of his films (Fata Morgana) so far!!! His various quotes, interviews and the commentry on that film are enough to make him one of my favorites by themself!
of all the directors I admire - Herzog is the one I'd most like to have a conversation with.
His various quotes, interviews and the commentry on that film are enough to make him one of my favorites by themself!
