Cinema

[Lucius]

We have no thread about the seventh art, with the exception of threads on rape/implied rape scenes and an interesting disquisition on screenwriting by @LtBroccoli.

Let's talk about cinema as a whole. Where do our interests mainly lie -- is it Hollywood, indie/arthouse, European, Chinese, Japanese films? Indian or Nigerian cinema, perhaps? Then there are erotica and porn.

If I were to be stranded on an uninhabited island with just ten or so films, they would've skewed towards the New Hollywood of the 1970s -- Coppola, Scorsese, Polanski. A couple of Tarantino's films, maybe, but no Lars von Trier -- too depressing for my solitary open-ended stay... That said, when I was younger, I sincerely believed that an explicit sex scene or ten can help any (all right, any 16+) movie -- still not sure I was wrong! Von Trier seems to think the same lately.

[LtBroccoli]

Thanks for starting the thread, @Lucius . I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I'm an old school film nerd and a film school grad. But that doesn't mean that everything I like is some arthouse piece shot in black and white exploring the angst of moving books on a shelf slightly to the left. Though I did make a couple shorts like that.

Fun fact, before digital cameras became common, many indie and student films were shot in black and white for two main reasons. First, it's a fuckload cheaper. Processing B&W film costs about a quarter of color for the same amount shot. Second, it's much easier and more forgiving. Color balance isn't as important during B&W shots, but get two shots in color where the umber coat is burnt orange in the next angle and it'll drive you mad.

My stranded on an island list changes from year to year, but there's a handful always on it. Pulp Fiction, Boondock Saints, Amelie, Spaceballs, and at least one Star Trek and Star Wars movie is on the list. The rest, it varies based on mood.

[Vile8r]

My movie interests follow mostly Hollywood, but I also like indie movies and some British and European films. Italian horror or action films are a guilty pleasure.

[joey]

Ten for a desert island indeed. Always a tough nut to crack, whether considering film, music or literature. What my list definitely would NOT include would be anything by Tarantino, and please no Marvel comics stuff thank you. Ten would include room only for masterpieces IMO, the trick to whittle it to 10. Would be important for me to have a representative of differing eras and styles. Nevertheless a tough task.

[Shocker]

Let’s see if I had to restrict myself to ten movies, in no particular order.
- The last of Sheila
- Eldorado
- Dune (Lynch)
- Dirty Dancing
- Muppets Christmas carol
- 3 Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel
- Red River
- Silverado
- to catch a thief
- without a clue

This might be the closest thing to me signing my full name under a post. But I love those movies and need them in my life, for one reason or another. I love movies in general, but the lowest count of watching any of them would be still double digits.

Movies, well done are all about bringing a story to live with the restriction of not being able to communicate the inner thoughts. It’s a difficult task and many are doing a poor job at it, others are marvelous. I will always love movies in general, because I love storytelling.

[AdmiralPiet]

Not sure about the 10 movies for the deserted island. The list would probably change depending on mood, and even the best movie gets stale after a hundred runs I would wager.

As a kid a trip to the cinema was always an event, as it happened seldom enough.
Later I was never interested in the more "artsy" movies. The big green in my mind was meant for spectacle.
I didn't go that often, but most of the time I left the cinema satisfied. Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Avatar, 300, new Star Trek, Marvel Cinematic Universe come to mind...
I regretted not going for the first Avengers Movie.

But lately I have fallen out of love with modern cinema.
Especially in Sci-Fi and Fantasy I get the feeling that the producers think they can just throw any shit out there, as long as it is flashy and explodes.
What are screenwriters paid for if even most fanfiction can beat them?

I was, other than some friends of mine, disappointed with "The Force awakens", but hope was rekindled with "Roque One". Only some minor nitpicks with that one.
Then came the debacle with "The Last Jedi" and "The Rise of Skywalker". "Last Jedi" was the first time I wished I could have my money back.
Lost interest in the MCU after "Endgame".
"Avatar: The Way of Water" was mostly boring, and the second time I wished I could have my money back.

When I met with an old friend last year he wanted to go to the cinema, and I was about to decline the invitation until I noticed that "Ballerina" was part of the John Wick universe, and probably worth watching.
Sometimes I look at the programme of my local cinema, but there is just nothing that catches my attention enough that I would want to go there and spend money.

What got me invested lately was not cinema, but the medical drama "The Pitt".
And I dearly hope Amazon will not butcher Warhammer 40k with Cavill at the helm.

[Claire]

I already shared that I like anime a lot. So it won't come as a surprise that my favorie movie of all time is Makoto Shinkai's 5 centimeters per second . But let's not digress into talking about animation.

I mentioned several times that I love Richard Linklater's Before-Trilogy with Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke. Especially Before Sunset resonates a lot with me. In general, even if you have no interest in the subject matter of the films, watch them for the dialogue alone. Yes, the dialogue is written for film and not a book, but I think you can nevertheless learn a lot from it.

Boyhood is another Linklater film that I find interesting. It was filmed over the course of 10+ years or so and shows the actors aging in real time as the story progresses, especially the child actors.

Another film with Ethan Hawke that I simply adore is Gattaca. Also, the film soundtrack by Michael Nyman is extremely underrated in my opinion. I could listen to The Other Side over and over again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlsZJCflrhs

The Lord of the Rings movies left a huge impression on me as a child and I think they hold up extremely well. But that might partially be nostalgia goggles clouding my assessment. My mother bought the books for me as a child. I think she expected them to be children's books like The Hobbit. And when little Claire finished reading them it just so happened that the final movie in the trilogy hit the big screen. So I forced my parents to watch the first two movies on DVD with me and then dragged my father into the cinema with me. I remember him being confused by the ending and me explaining it to him. Looking back, that must have been very cute from an outsider's perspective.

When I think of more recent films... hmm, I agree with @AdmiralPiet that the Star Wars sequel trilogy was a mess. I think I've also switched to watching series like The Pitt more than movies. I like watching the newest episode of that show each week a lot. Although, recently someone pointed out to me that one of the actresses on the show looks like she's the sister of German politician Philipp Amthor and now I can't unsee that. I could have done without that image in my head.

[AdmiralPiet]

When I think of more recent films... hmm, I agree with @AdmiralPiet that the Star Wars sequel trilogy was a mess. I think I've also switched to watching series like The Pitt more than movies. I like watching the newest episode of that show each week a lot. Although, recently someone pointed out to me that one of the actresses on the show looks like she's the sister of German politician Philipp Amthor and now I can't unsee that. I could have done without that image in my head.

Damn it, you are right Damn you!

But honestly it is not so bad as to being unable to unsee it. I think the glasses and the way she keeps her hair help the image a lot.
(Btw. Taylor Dearden is Bryan Cranstons daughter)