Dear God it's longer than the article on the company that owns Halls menthols. The director says this "film belongs to the trance sub genre of film." Puhhfffttttttsshhhfuhh.

Maybe. What would be the right kind of movie? I'd like to see movies like Blair Witch Project or perhaps Tree of Life in HFR, just to see if the effect is any different. It definitely felt weird watching the Hobbit, like it was too real, so I wonder if more realistic films would fare better. I'd also wager it would work with stage performances like Dogville.

I think an animated or cgi heavy movie, like Avatar would be. I saw the first two in HFR 3d, anaglyph 3d, regular, and found regular to be the best. Anaglyph is more effective than the theater, but you sacrifice color for depth and the 3d effect. As far as BOTFA, I saw that in regular, the fake imax 3d(where the screen was barely bigger than a regular one), and anaglyph. I still prefer regular, but the anaglyph blew the fake imax 3d away.
Since Im talking about it, I figured out how to do anaglyph 3d on my computer a few years ago and 3d is much more effective than in the theater.

I've tried to like 3D but I simply don't give a shit about it and will choose a normal viewing every time.

Yeah, I'd take regular IMAX over 3D anyday.

Dude are you nuts? The soundtrack to that film is stellar, all those sweet ambient synths were the best part!

As far as the film itself I watched with a group of like seven people and it was kinda weird… all of us sitting silently, watching a close up of the dude’s face while he takes 30 seconds to say one bloody sentence. Just a strange vibe, definitely not recommended for group viewing.

Yeah the score probably was the best part...but my mom's never going to get a letter about it is all I'm saying. I know nothing of this composers work though just this throwback synthjob. But yes, easily the best part of that unfortunate film.

Currently watching this:

Yōjinbō



The restoration work is really impressive. Mifune-san was an excellent actor [I just knew that he studied with Yoshio Sugino (Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu) after doing the movies]. The movie has aged really well!

I know I can read Japanese perfectly well but for everyone else here why don't you tell us what movie it is?

Edited.

The Criterion B-Ray's are damn excellent.

Ok I've actually seen that film, a couple years ago. I watched it after learning A Fistful of Dollars is an adaptation of that movie. The main character is awesome.

Speaking of Kurosawa, the state-owned broadcaster recently aired Ran here. Still a very effective movie - plotwise as well as visually.

But have you watched The Hidden Fortress and then Star Wars right after? The latter is almost a remake of the former.

Been watching all of Kurosawa's classic early 50's to mid 60's work, mostly good cinema and some are monumental. Watched Red Beard, his last one with Toshiro Mifune, last night, very long, but he wrote the first truly benevolent character of his career. Dostoevsky's influence is so prominent on this one that he borrows a subplot from the Russkie. Only mandatory ones I can say so far are Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Ikiru, and Throne of Blood (best Macbeth adaptation), STILL haven't seen Ran.

Throne of Blood is really good but I still prefer Polanski's version, all of the little boy penises notwithstanding.

Kurosawa is one of my favorite directors of all time and I've been meaning to watch all of his stuff in chronological order. Still a bunch I haven't gotten around to. Nolan, did you check out Stray Dog? Ran is indeed amazing and you won't be disappointed. I'd also put Yojimbo on the essentials list. I finally watched Dersu Uzala not long ago but something about it didn't quite grab me. I'll have to give it another chance. Also looking forward to seeing Red Beard and Kagemusha again.

Haven't seen Stray Dog or any of his other movies from the 40's, Scandal is the earliest Kurosawa I've seen. Of 1950-1965, the ones I still need to see are High and Low and I Live in Fear.

Do you guys like the other big-name Japanese dramatists? Mizoguchi to me is kind of like Kurosawa, but more interested in the art of the film rather than the theatrical style of Kurosawa. He is the Tarkovsky to Kurosawa's Bergman. Ozu is all-together a unique kind of filmmaker, making similar movies over-and-over would seem like a bore, but it's really endearing when Ozu does it.

Speaking of Macbeth film adaptations, I have really high expectations for the upcoming one with Fassbender. Looks fucking awesome.

Welcome back.

One of my friends is pretty obsessed with his stuff too. I had no idea about The Hidden Fortress being an influence/blueprint for Star Wars, I'll have to hit that one up sometime.

I've been meaning to get to some of Shinya Tsukamoto's works as well, namely Tetsuo: The Iron Man.

Miike is going to rip some more necks.

Finally watched It Follows after 6 months of it being out now. As I expected, I loved it. Absolutely loved it. It's rare that you can call a horror movie "beautiful", but in terms of cinematography, this was a gorgeous film. Every actor was great too, especially the lead girl. After watching this movie, it's no wonder that Maika Monroe is starting to do major studio blockbuster films.

That said, this movie was not perfect, nor did it surpass The Babadook as my favorite new horror movie. The ending was kind of abrupt (although I got it easily enough, as should anyone who watches the movie), and there was one really cheap, telegraphed-from-a-mile-away jump scare in the middle that took me out of the movie completely for a couple seconds. Still, this is infinitely better than the majority of horror films you'll see today, and absolutely should be on the watch list of anyone who considers themselves a horror fan.

Perhaps some of you can help me remember this movie I only know vague details of since I never watched it in its entirety. It was also many years ago that I saw these random scenes of the film. The name of it has been bugging me ever since, especially whenever I think about movies with themes pertaining to witchcraft.

The movie begins with a flashback to what appears to be somewhere in 18th century America during the winter. There's an angry mob walking towards a family's home. They demand to be let in to detain a woman that has been accused of witchcraft. They retrieve her and I believe they execute her.

In the present some guy acquires these superhuman abilities from some kind of mold he was exposed to or something. His sexual prowess increases (much to his wife's delight) and there's a scene where he kills a wolf with his bare hands after racing it through the forest.

That's all I remember from this movie. Any help is greatly appreciated.

That might be The Devonsville Terror by Ulli Lommel.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devonsville_Terror

That's not it. I'm pretty confident the film was from the 90s. I also mentioned how there's a guy in the present (present meaning our time, for clarification) who acquires those powers.

Thanks, though.

Oh well. That was the only movie Google found that fit the description. Still, watch it, because Ulli Lommel.

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Remember how a number of weeks back I railed against Disney's new trend of doing live action remakes of their classic animated movies? Well, a Huffington Post article I found on accident has revealed to me that no less than THIRTEEN animated Disney properties are being remade into live action, including, but not limited to, an Aladdin prequel about the Genie that'll lead to a live action Aladdin remake, a Tinkerbell movie (because there aren't NEARLY enough of those), a live action Sword in the Stone penned by one of the writers of Game of Thrones, Night on Bald Mountain from Fantasia translated into live action, a "revisionist" take on the Prince Charming archetype, the Winnie the Pooh live action movie I railed against before, a Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers origin story movie, and a Dumbo movie directed by, of all people in the universe, Tim fucking Burton, the man responsible for making one of only three movies I've seen that I fell asleep during with Alice in Wonderland (the other two were The Human Centipede and Sinister).

In other words, knock it the fuck off, Disney. The Beauty and the Beast remake I'm interested in because the stage show proved that story is great as a live action musical, and the trailer for The Jungle Book looked fine (although Scarlett Johanssen as Kaa was just goofy), but in what universe was anybody asking for this much live action remake insanity? The Night on Bald Mountain one would be AWESOME if they go balls to the wall supernatural horror to it (which they won't), and the Tinkerbell and Dumbo movies are guaranteed to be terrible for different reasons (the former because Tinkerbell, the latter because modern Tim Burton without stop motion). Also, the only way anything involving the Genie would have worked is if Robin Williams was involved, and he obviously isn't going to be, therefore that movie will be pointless and probably shitty too.

So basically they're going by how Marvel does things? Plan out 20 movies in advance?

And people say the anime industry is in decline or lacks the drawing talent. Does Disney even do animated movies anymore? lol. Such a shame.

Clearly you were not around for the insane successes of Frozen and Big Hero 6 and Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph and whatever else Disney themselves have made over the past half decade. CG animation is still animation, even if certain "live action" movies nowadays have just as much, if not more, CG in them as they do live actors.

Really?

Saw Tomorrowland. Really disappointing. Brad Bird, wtf, but then I look and see none other than Damon Lindelof had a hand in writing it.

The film is just incredibly sappy, incredibly ham fisted with it's message and cliche. It feels very catered to little kids in my opinion but then there's a tiny bit that's probably not suitable, I felt embarrassed at points by watching it because it feels like a 15 years and younger type of film. The Goonies comparison is off because that felt like a family picture - something for young and old, and the purpose of the film was established 15 minutes in - not an hour, and wasn't a CGI shitfest where you're checking your watch, and the kid actors were far superior.

Just watched Gattaca for the first time. Wow. Loved that movie.

Definitely looking forward to this one. Try seeing the Jobs trailer immediately after the Macbeth trailer and you'll wonder if it's really the same guy who's playing the protagonist in each of those movies.

That said, I watched a gigantic poop of a movie called American Ultra. I'll save you the trouble and give you the gist of it - Jesse Eisenberg, a regular Joe who smokes pot, realizes he's been part of some army experiment and is the major accused in a CIA manhunt. There are some awkward action scenes and comedy which will probably make Dane Cook fans laugh. I'd probably give a 4/10 rating only because Kristen Stewart is bearable in this.

Damn, I was hoping that it would be a fun movie to watch stoned, but even the trailer was fairly abysmal. Any good new comedies that'd be fun to be stoned to? Don't think I've seen anything really funny lately.

Saw Black Mass last night. Wretched stuff. Great movie, filthy tale, virtuosity all around. The theater was packed and the sparing few moments of uneasy laughter showed how electrified everyone was by it - you could hear a pin drop. Depp's best in a long time. 8/10

I just watched Slow West with Michael Fassbender. It was decent, though the characters were pretty thin and the ending, while "different," just didn't seem to fit.

Currently watching The Wizard of Gore, not sure what I'll think of this. Trying to get into the mood for horror movies again since October is nearing and I know that's all my girlfriend will want to watch.
Any recommendations? I enjoy a lot of the 80's horror movies that everybody knows about, also if there's any found footage type films that are worth watching that'd be neat. I've only seen the Blair Witch Project and the piece of work that is Paranormal Activity.

^ Wizard of Gore and all the other H.G. Lewis spectacles are always fun. My favorite is Blood Feast. As far as good off the wall horror goes, try: Begotten, Burial Ground, Frightmare, Castle Freak

Revisited Batman (1989). It still looks and feels better than the new ones.

Terrible movie. I mean, the message was nice enough (although hardly original), but the actual execution was just incredibly lackluster. Stilted dialog, a predictable sibling rivalry subplot and a romance that felt added as an afterthought prevented any of the "DEEPER MEANINGS" in the film to mean anything at all. And Andrew Niccol's movies only would get worse after that (S1m0ne, Lord of War and the painfully bad In Time).

Nah c'mon, it wasn't terrible. It had great visuals and I loved the sort of retro 1950s, art-deco vision of the future. It was a really interesting vision of the future, and one which also reinforced the themes of the series - America in the 1950s was of course heavily segregated based on race, ethnicity, gender, etc., so in a future where society is segregated by genetic manipulation that makes sense.

Where it does fall down is the writing, which kinda fails to make as good a case for its own argument as it could have. The reason the main character succeeds is because his WILL IS STRONG or whatever and he is able to overcome his genetic deficiency, but then the Jude Law character kills himself anyway because he isn't able to deal with his own physical handicap. I guess because his WILL wasn't STRONG...but that's still an inherent character trait, just as much as IQ or whatever. The movie seems to be saying that someone with a strong will can compensate for any weakness, while a psychological pussy will be a pussy even in the body of a superman...so instead of genetic superiority, the movie seems to be espousing psychological superiority - some people are born to be awesome, some aren't, and genetic manipulation can't change that. It would've made way more sense had the Jude Law character found redemption in his relationship with the Ethan Hawke character and realized that he can make his own fate - but nope, he just kills himself anyway, like he tried to do before they met.

Also there's the whole motif with the brothers swimming - it just makes no sense. The main character's "trick" to winning is to not save any energy for the swim back - yet somehow both times, as a boy and then as an adult, when his genetically superior brother starts to drown, the normal brother still has the energy to not only rescue his brother, but also swim back - so he obviously DID save energy for the swim back. Plus the whole reprise of the same scene is just stupid - it's very basic storytelling that when you do a scene twice, once near the beginning and once near the end, something has to change the second time to show what has changed over the course of the story. At the very least it would've made way more sense if the second time he won, he revealed that he won because he cheated; he used a flotation device or something sneaky like that, showing that his ingenuity made up for his genetic flaws.

Anyway, despite those criticisms I thought it was quite decent and entertaining, albeit with some serious flaws.