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Moviefan225's Replies
See my response to keybored
On further consideration I have decided to choose "Eat drink man woman". Will post the thread after watching the movie.
Ok, then I will stick to Wild Strawberries. Will get the thread up within a day or two. :)
What I had in mind is a double-feature in which we review two movies exploring the theme parents alienated (by trying to reconnect) with their children. The two movies are: Wild Strawberries (92 minutes, 1957, Sweden, directed by Ingmar Bergman) and Eat Drink Man Woman (120 minutes, 1994, Taiwan, directed by Ang Lee). The latter was likely influenced by the former, but has a different story altogether. Both movies can be viewed online with subtitles. But before I post a thread for this, do you honestly think that two movies of this length will be too long for such an exercise? Give me your honest opinion, and if you feel it is too long, which movie would be better all by itself? If two movies is too long, I guess I would choose Wild Strawberries as a stand-alone, but do tell me your opinion.
Hi Movieman,
Just give me a day to locate the movies that I am interested in.
Can I pick a double feature? Two movies in two different languages both focusing on the same theme and have us compare and contrast the two?
Hey Movieman,
Sorry for not responding for a long time. I was laid off some time back and have been a wreck ever since. I could see it coming and tried my best to prevent it but was not successful. Yeah, I would say I would say I will remain inactive for some time (most likely till I find a new job and am settled in it). Sorry for being MIA and thanks a ton for handling things! I really love this group and hope to be back ASAP!
Thanks Allaby!
"The other was how quick the town fell apart as every one became suspicious of one another and becoming an unrulely mob. I can see why the town would be in hysterics as the killer was at large, still how far can society push it's limits or burn bridges for justice. I think the killer had points in a way they were a society in decline from sex, gambling, criminal behavior ect, but willing to caste the first stone upon the insane. They could stop at any moment to make their lives better as they were normal people instead of looking for a scrape goat to justiy their actions. I'm not saying the killer should be let go, but the town was not a shinning city on the hill it tried to present itself as."
Brava!! I agree with everything in your post! The greatest movies and pieces of literature are timeless because they document patterns of human thought and behavior that are also timeless.
Great post! The parallels you drew between German in those times and today's times got me thinking. I will also look that dead end in that alert. Sorry about that.
Marvelous post. Wonderful read! I agree with everything.
Sorry guys, I was really busy for the past couple of days, so I could only finish the movie today. I am going to present a flow of thought that perhaps addresses all questions at point or the other.
My impression of the movie remains exactly the same as it stood 13 years ago. This is a stunning movie whose power is primarily fueled by its astonishing, note-perfect writing. I would give it a 9/10 with 1 point being docked only because the film's visual style does not stun the viewer today.
Stylistically, the film may not hold up today as the editing and cinematographic techniques and technology used today are far superior to that of those times. But we must remember that the filmmaking was still in its relative infancy at that age, and the technology of that age was still relatively crude, and new techniques still being explored. For its time, it is a beautifully made movie, and even by today's standards the execution is competent.
What really makes this movie one for the ages is the nuanced, thought-provoking writing. Like Shakespeare, this movie is not keen to provide answers, but instead chooses to dwell on life's confusions and contradictions, as though to suggest that human complexity must be accepted and understood if we ever want to deal with its consequences. Most movies today take an approach that is not much different from the kangaroo court jury members. >>>>1. Cue bad guy >>>>2. Punish bad guy>>>> 3.Justice is served. Basically, the "bad guy" is just that pesky little thing that keeps creeping up. That menace that needs to be eliminated on a constant, regular basis so that regular, good guys like us can be good. It seems to be common belief both in society and in entertainment that all that is required for humans to be happy is to destroy the evil guy. But alas Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said, “If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”
The concern about this heavy-handed, impatient insistence on quick answers and instant justice is obviously relevant in today's times and will be relevant for a very, very, very long time now. Humans are fundamentally feral beings accustomed to quick confrontations and outcomes. Concepts such as "justice" may have caught up with humanity, but humans have yet to catch on to them fully, because in their purest form they involve little visceral stimulation, a great deal of mental effort, and frustrating ambiguity, something that humans are not accustomed to. The thought that a seemingly monstrous child murderer could possibly be acting out of compulsion that he has no control over is hard for people to digest because it means that he could be good and bad at the same time. This conflict, which revolves around questions like "How much humanizing is going too far?", "Is justice meant to make society as a whole happier, or give each individual their due?" etc., forms the core of every political debate, and this movie captures it in a masterful manner.
In fact, this lack of patience seems to be plaguing most modern movies, even ones that pretend to be against vigilantism. Even movies calling for "tolerance" often identify good "tolerant" guys and bad "intolerant" guys and attempt no discipline that would require a viewer to question himself, "Wait. Who is the good/bad guy here? Wait.... Come to think of it...Could I be a bad guy by this standard?". The dumbed down notion of justice (involving "good" and "evil") seems to be only fueling shortened attention spans, in movies and otherwise. This movie on the other hand, does not adopt the crisp narrative style that has become commonplace in all movies (light or serious) today. It shuns the narrative arcs that have fueled and validated human impatience for thousands of years. In this movie, narrative slowly drifts into place. The culprit is not identified immediately. Nor are solutions. This discipline which involves conveying ideas and feelings through scattered documents of reality, rather than a distilled presentation of "truth" is sadly lacking in movie-making today, and this movie at least practices what is preaches.
The movie reaches its powerful crescendo in the final kangaroo court scene, especially in Lorre's moving monologue. Lorre's performance does smack of artifice by today's standards, but his magnificent timing and rhythms in these shots are hard to beat. This is a movie that will stand the test of time. Not so much as a ground breaking experiment is style, but as a thought-provoking documentary.
Kazak! The second half picks up, and the the last 20-30 minutes are gripping! It really does get better!
Also make sure you add Kazak to the batting order. That poster has responded.
Also, we probably need to decide whether future discussions will take place in this forum or forums for the respective movies.
Golly! I was lucky to contact just the right person with the movie group idea. Honestly, if the person I had contacted blew it off, I would have certainly not have pursued the idea further. Thank god it was someone who was just as interested in this idea if not even more! I cannot believe that this group is now actually up and running, and that we are in the discussion for our first movie!!
You're awesome MovieManCin!
That is no problem at all MovieManCin! I'm so happy with the way things have materialized!
I'm re-watching the film after 13 years! I'm done watching the first half the movie. To those who may feel bored, you should know that the movie keeps getting more gripping as it nears the end. Trust me on this one!
This is an excellent movie to start "At the Movies" with.
Was keybored referring to my post?
MovieManCin, do we have any other issues that need be resolved at this point?
Hello there!
This post is just a notification to let you know that the first movie for our movie discussion group "At the Movies" has been chosen. It is the movie "M" (1931) by Fritz Lang for which Allaby is the curator. To watch the movie search for "M 1931" on youtube or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3rWLm_PAbc&t=1953s">click on this link</a>. The discussion questions for the movie have already been posted, and the discussion has begun. To access the discussion thread for this movie, go the Video forum under "Film Talk" and find the thread "At The Movies (ATM): M (1931)" or <a href="https://moviechat.org/movies/bd0000009/posts/58e482723d00690011ab2eba">click on this link to be directly taken to it.</a>
Hello there!
This post is just a notification to let you know that the first movie for our movie discussion group "At the Movies" has been chosen. It is the movie "M" (1931) by Fritz Lang for which Allaby is the curator. To watch the movie search for "M 1931" on youtube or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3rWLm_PAbc&t=1953s">click on this link</a>. The discussion questions for the movie have already been posted, and the discussion has begun. To access the discussion thread for this movie, go the Video forum under "Film Talk" and find the thread "At The Movies (ATM): M (1931)" or <a href="https://moviechat.org/movies/bd0000009/posts/58e482723d00690011ab2eba">click on this link to be directly taken to it.</a>
Hello there!
This post is just a notification to let you know that the first movie for our movie discussion group "At the Movies" has been chosen. It is the movie "M" (1931) by Fritz Lang for which Allaby is the curator. To watch the movie search for "M 1931" on youtube or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3rWLm_PAbc&t=1953s">click on this link</a>. The discussion questions for the movie have already been posted, and the discussion has begun. To access the discussion thread for this movie, go the Video forum under "Film Talk" and find the thread "At The Movies (ATM): M (1931)" or <a href="https://moviechat.org/movies/bd0000009/posts/58e482723d00690011ab2eba">click on this link to be directly taken to it.</a>