Film Recommendations

[andyblaa]

This topic came up in the 'Continuity thread' so my post is pretty much what I posted there.

Before anyone starts, this isn't another 'favourite film' topic. I thought it would be a good idea to have a thread where people could list films that might be helpful to watch and hopefully make us into better filmmakers. I'm not advocating un-originality but everyone knows watching good films can only help a person's creativity.

So here are some little known, and maybe more widely known films that I would like to recommend to you all.

Christiane F - 70s German film about a young girl who gets drawn into drugs. Naturlistic and very underrated.

Bully - Larry Clark (Director of Kids) Great performances and very well shot, interesting story too.

Sex and Lucia - Julio Medem. Shot on HD and one of the most visually beautiful films I've ever seen. It's a really good advert for shooting on HD. The interweaving, complicated story keeps the interest up all the way through. Anything by Medem is always fantastic, e.g. The Red Squirell.

Noi Albinoi - Icelandic, saw it recently and it blew me away with the whole relaxedness of it. I wish more Directors were brave enough to hold on beautiful shots longer.

(On a side note, possibly new topic altogether?, Producers or studio execs will usually get all the nice, contemplative shots taken out because it seems boring to them. Thankfully Europe, especially France still allows a lot of the sort of stuff I'm referring to.)

The Pornographer - French, isn't really about porn, has lots of long takes and long holds at the end of shots, just what I'm referring to above. Jean Pierre Leaud gives a great performance as an old film director coaxed out of retirement to direct a porn film.

And some others I can't be arsed to explain. Just watch them:
Aguirre Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo - Both Werner Herzog
Dark Star - John Carpenter's zero budget masterpeice.
Hotel - Mike Figgis' improvised crazyness.

All the Real Girls - Look out for it on DVD. It didn't get much cinema exposure but is one of the best films I've seen in the last year. Another naturalistic, relaxed piece with very well-drawn, real characters. (Can you tell I like my naturalism?)

That's all for this week.

Andy

[sn-films]

Originally posted by andyblaa:
Dark Star - John Carpenter's zero budget masterpeice.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">This is a little embarrasing... 'Dark Star' is the only one on your list that I have seen. I've never even heard of most of the other ones on your list.

Another movie that was shot on HD is called 'Session 9'. The pace was a little on the slow side for me, and I had a tough time getting into some of the characters. However, some of the imagery was fantastic. I remember one scene in particular that was simply a wheelchair in the middle of an empty hallway. I know it doesn't sound like anything special, but something about the way the shot was lit, the colors, etc. really sent a chill down my spine. Shots like that really changed my opinion of the movie.

[Nigel]

Chinatown
Maltese Falcon
Lawrence of Arbia
---------------------------------
With an Honorable Mention going to:
The Good The Bad and The Ugly
Blow-Up
Weekend

Please note that these films are not in any sort of order. There really are to many to list and I could have put any number of others where you see what I did pick. It is all dependant on my mood--I could have thrown in 2001, Triumph of the Will, Olympiad, Hiroshima Mon Amour--Well you get the idea.

Good Luck

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ March 12, 2004 12:00 PM: Message edited by: Nigel ]</font>

[andyblaa]

I shamefully have to admit that I've only seen Chinatown, Lawrence of Arabia and Weekend out of Nigel's list. Weekend is worth watching just for the amazingly long track along the car pile-up.

I saw Session 9 and found it very forgetable, I didn't realise it was shot on HD though. I agree about the character issue, there was no-one I had any interest in and that made me lose interest in the whole story really. As much as he tries, David Caruso is never going to be leading man material.

Keep them coming, my list of films I must watch is growing all the time.

Andy

[miker]

mmmm, tricky. in absolutely no order:

Living in Oblivion

Bowfinger

The Wizard of Speed and Time

UHF

Volere Volare

Mishima

Tucker: The Man and His Dream

Man Bites Dog

Memento

Subway

THX1138

Das Boot

Soldier of Orange

that's about all I can think of right now.

do avoid Liquid Sky though

[Tard]

WOO-HOO!! Miker is the ONLY other person I've heard mention WIZARD OF SPEED & TIME! Excellent film, goofy, but in an excellent sort of way. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[slamjockey]

cannibal the musical

[GREATwarEAGLE]

For me, the most important aspects of film directing are

-a comprehensive, complete, total understanding of human psychology
-the psychological impact of each and every possible choice of narrative construction

These are conceptual factors, not technical ones. They're not the ONLY things a director needs to know, but, for me, the most important.

Human psychology plays a part not only in the characters on the page and directing talent - but in how you work with your cast and crew as people. Delegating, solving problems, etc.

But as far as directing actors, I can't think of a better ensamble acted film than BLOODY SUNDAY. But this may be different for other people. I am more of a realist than a formalist. And BLOODY SUNDAY is without a doubt set in realism more than formalism.

SERPICO
TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (original)
DOG DAY AFTERNOON
BREAD AND ROSES
...realist films.

ANYTHING WITH TOM HANKS AND ANYTHING BY SAM MENDES, STEVEN SPIELBERG, ROBERT ZEMECKIS
...formalism.

I don't know if this show is on in the UK, but here in the states, on HBO, is a show called CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM. The way this show is directed makes complete sense to me. And the show is often hilarious and witty. Some very sharp observations about the everyday absurdity of life.

The scenes are scripted, but most of the dialogue is improvised. And each actor is only told what they need to know.

[thelaughingduck2001]

I agree with Texas Cahinsaw Massacre. I don't know whatever happened to Tobe Hooper after Poltergeist (except that he directed an episode of Taken) but I saw one of his films recently called 'Spontanous Combustion', one of the cheapest, lamest horror movies ever, and felt sad at what a fall from grace he had suffered.

Some more from me:

La Haine-After seeing this, Mathieu Kassovitz immediatly went into my top ten director's list. Amazing, brutal, and shot on black and white-Try to seek out a decent DVD version as the UK version is hard to read-The subtitles are embossed on the screen and in white.

Taxi Driver-I can't get away from this movie. In my opinion, the best ever made. People should watch it just for what Scorsese does with the camera-Sometimes he isn't even focused on the subject, he just lets us see the envoirment around him.

Leon-Arguably Luc Besson's best film, it shows how a relationship goes from nothing to something, and what their is to break that. It's not just an action film, as what a lot of people perceive it as, and Jean Reno is superb in the lead.

And last but not least, A Bout de Souffle. Amazing, stylised, not bothered with cnvention (and I'm going back to the last thread here) I really want to make a movie like this when I'm oler, but set in London! The British New Wave, or Angleterre Nouvelle Vage as it would undoubtedly be called.

Or, as some one will undoubtedly point out, 'British Ripping off from the old French masters'!

[twister!]

This is a very tough question - not completely sure what you're after. Most of the true greats are American films we all know and love and I think that ALL the Sight and Sound Top 10 should be essential viewing for everyone. So to stray a little from the well beaten track and name a few that may not be so familiar:

In alphabetical order:

? 'Barton Fink' (lots of lingering shots for you in this, Andy)
? 'Double Indemnity' - this IMO is classic film-making at its very best.
? 'La Jett?e' - this has to be right up there in terms of inspiration - it's told all (apart from one shot) in photographic stills -awesome.
? 'Jules et Jim'
? 'Last Year at Marienbad'
? 'Mulholland Drive'
? 'Three Colours: Red'

And a few shots/sequences that stand out in my memory - from mainly a visual point of view:
? The ending of 'The Third Man'
? The intro to 'Amelie' - this has to be up there for me as one of the most inspiring and heart-warming pieces of film ever.
? The end of the original 'All Quiet on The Western Front'
? Woody Allen's monologue/intro narration on 'Manhattan' up to and including the Gershwin music and fireworks.
? The Nine Kings of Men stand in a V-shape and hold up their rings in LOTR: FOTR
? The shower scene in 'Psycho' - all of this is absolutely BRILLIANTLY done but I particulary like the section after the murder - the slow shot from the plug hole that cuts to her eye.
? Almost ALL the shots in '2001: A Space Odyssey' are stunning.
? The shots in 'The Piano' of the piano on the beach - what a beautiful juxta-position.
? The landing sequences at the beginning of 'Saving Private Ryan'.
? Gene Kelly 'Singing in the Rain' sequence- nice touch at the end when he hands a passer-by his umbrella
? The stand-off at the end of 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly', no dialogue, just music and shots of faces, eyes and hands - superb tension.
? The cloud/eye cut in Un Chien Andalou
? Rear WIndow - James Stewart and Grace Kelly kiss in staccato slow motion
? When James Stewart first sees Kim Novak in 'Vertigo' she walks by and stops in profile - the background turns to red - gorgeous.
? The sequence at the end of 'Battleship Potemkin' - yep this is an obvious one but the bit when the lion statue looks like it's turned its head is brilliant.
? The intro to 'Metropolis' with he shots of machines that dissolve into one another. Pure art.
? It has become a pop video clich? but the time-lapse shots of people and cars in 'Koyaanisqatsi'.
? The production of the uncle tom's cabin play in 'The King and I'. Absolutely beautifully done: maximum meaning - minimum means, in full effect.
? 'The Red Shoes' - the 20 minute ballet sequence - magical!!!

Oops - I'd better stop there, I've gone on a bit - sorry.