OUR FEATURE PRESENTATION: NEW AND IMPROVED
Okay, so, it's been a long time since I updated this. I wish I had continued with it, but I'm glad that I have some perspective now. I stopped because I got bored with it. I'm not Trollheart, and trying to watch and review a quota of movies just wasn't fun. I like movies because movies are ****ing badass, but having to review them made the whole experience a lot less badass. I also felt like a lot of the reviews were lacking stylistically. A lot of the prose is cringeworthy in its turgid, awkward rigidity.
I'm starting it back up today because I still think that it's worthwhile having a place to write about cinema. If I'm ever going to be able to make films professionally, I'm going to have to understand how they work, right? So, this is going to be a bit more free-form from now on. Don't expect me to focus as heavily on reviewing things unless I really feel like I have something to say. Rating **** out of ten is boring. Instead, I'll be posting general impressions and writing about the type of **** that really gets me excited. I might pop in with the occasional essay or analysis as well, if it's a film that I'm passionate about. Yeah, lets see where it goes. Hopefully I can post with a certain degree of frequency, but don't expect regularity!
Top Whatever Films That I Really Like That Came to Mind When I Thought About Movies That I Love But Aren't in any way Definitive Except Insofar as I Would Recommend Them to Anyone with Eyes
So, now, onto this list I've made. I don't really feel comfortable with making a definitive top ten movies of all time. That seems too final: my list changes all the time, and I'm still watching movies daily. How can I do that if I've barley scratched the surface of what cinema has to offer?
No, instead I'll be copying the buttlard. He keeps making top ten lists of the same thing.
Welcome to “Top Whatever Films That I Really Like That Came to Mind When I Thought About Movies That I Love But Aren't in any way Definitive Except Insofar as I Would Recommend Them to Anyone with Eyes”. This time, I'll be focusing on films with real intensity that make me squirm. Some of these are great character dramas, or crime films or whatever, but they're all (in my mind) classics). I'll throw down the two for now, because this has ended up being longer than I had intended, but expect more soon.
Some of you already know my love of Come and See by Elem Klimov, and it ought to by all right be on this list. However, I already wrote a full review a while back, so I wont be including it. Anyway, onwards and upwards!
My first pick is a 1995 French crime film by Mathieu Kassovitz called La Haine or “Hate”. It's a film that deals with a lot of hard hitting real world issues, such as police brutality, racial tensions and Parisian inner-city life through the lens of its 3 leads, Said, Vinz and Hubert. As someone living in the Canada, it's interesting to see these topics dealt with with such raw realism because over here we typically massively romanticize France, and especially Paris. La Haine is filled with funny, over the top yet naturalistic dialogue interspersed with moments of actual horror. Few movies can spin on a dime like this one. Plus, it's got one of the most chilling endings in film history.
A Lot of people compare it to Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Personally, I understand why the comparison is made, but I don't necessarily agree with it. People say this because the film is a smart, witty, intense indie crime film with great dialogue and moments of true brutality, yet plenty of laugh-out-loud funny moments as well. Plus, it came out just a year after Pulp Fiction, and is definitely associated with the 90s indie upheaval. It's possibly that Kassovitz garnered influence from Tarantio's piece de resistance, but I'm reluctant to rob La Haine of its identity as a great film unto itself.
My next pick is Scorsese's 1976 magnum opus Taxi Driver with Robert Deniro, Jodie Foster and Harvey Keitel. When a lot of people first go into this movie, they expect immediate, explosive violence. It is a Scorsese film, and it's been built up to an almost deafening level. It's well known for its bleak outlook and extreme violence. However, while the film goes off like a cannon by the end, its protagonist Travis Bickle (Deniro) just sort of lurks just below the surface until that point. It is chiefly a character study. Indeed, one of the greatest character studies layed to celluloid. Travis haunts us over Bernard Hermann's masterful score.
But lets not forget about the other characters! Jodie Foster, of course, paints a really disturbing portrait of a 12 and a half year old prostitute. The mannerisms, the way she tries to act much older than she actually is... Brilliant and terrifying. This is a performance that truly stays with you for a long time. Harvey Keitel's performance is badass as well, but what do you expect from him at this point? One of the greatest actors ever. Good thing he's in one of the greatest movies ever too!
Okay, that's all folks.