Eleventh Five Films, 2007
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Playtime (Jacques Tati) at the French Institute. As mentioned previously, Tati is a literally stunning director. There's just so much visual information in this film, it's almost impossible to take it all in. Perhaps what makes it more difficult is that without any relevant plot or real character development, there is no way to weed out what might or might not be important at any one moment, thus forcing you to constantly keep shifting focus to different points of interest onscreen, of which there are often many developing simultaneously. I may wait a few years before trying this on for size again.
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The Ox-Bow Incident (William Wellman) at home on DVD. This was a lot darker than I expected, and took place in much more of a confined environment (is it even really a western?). There was also less Henry Fonda than I expected, which was too bad, although I did like Anthony Quinn. It looked very good, but the whole deal seemed too much like a clever concept rather than a full-fledged film.
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Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
at the IFC Center. I feel like I've been reading about this guy forever. In fact, I figured out how to spell his name long before actually seeing this. Basically we get a short drama based around a hospital which takes place twice, once in more rural surroundings, and once in the city. The first half is supposedly Weerasethakul's parents' generation (they were doctors), and the second half his own. The individual scenes in each half (many are repeated, some more precisely than others) are largely indeterminate, and the connections/contrasts between the opposing scenes are a big part of why I'm considering seeing this again before it's run ends at the IFC, something I don't think I've ever done before. Well, the mightily pleasant soundtrack and the particularly the gorgeous green backdrops for most all scenes in the first half of the film certainly wouldn't detract from replay value. Actually, I could just watch the slow, hypnotic dolly shot opening to a full-screen view of waving grass, over which the opening credits play, all day.
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The Pervert's Guide to Cinema (Sophie Fiennes) at MoMA. The general concept is that Slavoj Zizek uses actual or simulated sets from a number of films as backdrops for shots of him talking about those films, complete with clips from the films, into which he kind of edits himself. Or something. I tend to appreciate movies that use the medium to discuss other movies (see This Film Is Not Yet Rated, and Zizek has some interesting ideas, though I don't personally go in for a lot of psychoanalysis of films or directors, at least not as anything more than one of many possible superimposed interpretations of what probably needs no interpretation in the first place.
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The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (Wes Anderson) at home on broadcast television(!). As I recall, back when this came out expectations were really high given the big budget, especially on my end. I probably had a much different, more limited idea of cinema, one in which Anderson loomed a lot larger than he does now. There are loads of hilarious small touches here and there (and everywhere), and I think the idea that the actors are playing actors who are more-or-less constantly filming themselves is still intriguing, if not ultimately fulfilling.
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Playtime (Jacques Tati) at the French Institute. As mentioned previously, Tati is a literally stunning director. There's just so much visual information in this film, it's almost impossible to take it all in. Perhaps what makes it more difficult is that without any relevant plot or real character development, there is no way to weed out what might or might not be important at any one moment, thus forcing you to constantly keep shifting focus to different points of interest onscreen, of which there are often many developing simultaneously. I may wait a few years before trying this on for size again.
+ + +
+ +
The Ox-Bow Incident (William Wellman) at home on DVD. This was a lot darker than I expected, and took place in much more of a confined environment (is it even really a western?). There was also less Henry Fonda than I expected, which was too bad, although I did like Anthony Quinn. It looked very good, but the whole deal seemed too much like a clever concept rather than a full-fledged film.
+ +
+ + +
Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
at the IFC Center. I feel like I've been reading about this guy forever. In fact, I figured out how to spell his name long before actually seeing this. Basically we get a short drama based around a hospital which takes place twice, once in more rural surroundings, and once in the city. The first half is supposedly Weerasethakul's parents' generation (they were doctors), and the second half his own. The individual scenes in each half (many are repeated, some more precisely than others) are largely indeterminate, and the connections/contrasts between the opposing scenes are a big part of why I'm considering seeing this again before it's run ends at the IFC, something I don't think I've ever done before. Well, the mightily pleasant soundtrack and the particularly the gorgeous green backdrops for most all scenes in the first half of the film certainly wouldn't detract from replay value. Actually, I could just watch the slow, hypnotic dolly shot opening to a full-screen view of waving grass, over which the opening credits play, all day.
+ + +
+
The Pervert's Guide to Cinema (Sophie Fiennes) at MoMA. The general concept is that Slavoj Zizek uses actual or simulated sets from a number of films as backdrops for shots of him talking about those films, complete with clips from the films, into which he kind of edits himself. Or something. I tend to appreciate movies that use the medium to discuss other movies (see This Film Is Not Yet Rated, and Zizek has some interesting ideas, though I don't personally go in for a lot of psychoanalysis of films or directors, at least not as anything more than one of many possible superimposed interpretations of what probably needs no interpretation in the first place.
+
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The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (Wes Anderson) at home on broadcast television(!). As I recall, back when this came out expectations were really high given the big budget, especially on my end. I probably had a much different, more limited idea of cinema, one in which Anderson loomed a lot larger than he does now. There are loads of hilarious small touches here and there (and everywhere), and I think the idea that the actors are playing actors who are more-or-less constantly filming themselves is still intriguing, if not ultimately fulfilling.
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Posted on Friday, April 20, 2007
1 Comment(s):
I haven't seen The Ox-Bow Incident, but I read the original Van Tilburg Clark novel for a library school class on genre fiction. I think it might work better in prose; it keeps the psychological aspects intact, but is decidedly Western in character.
I can see where a film version might be a little incoherent; there's noir and Western elements in almost equal measure throughout, and it would take a skilled hand to communicate what the novel gets across.
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