Films you've seen lately

[Katzelmacher]

I watched The Deer Hunter yesterday (as it's available currently on BBC iPlayer) for the first time since it was released in 1978. There's a good deal of controversy about its merit as a film, especially, I understand, because of the depiction of the Viet Cong in the two Russian Roulette scenes as barbarously cruel. I wonder what views people here have of the film? It seems to me a quite valid portrayal of the way men from less privileged backgrounds (here, steel workers) were drafted for service in the Vietnam war. I'm still mulling the multiple metaphors around their ethnically Russian bacckground, the hunting and Russian Roulette.

I first saw The Deer Hunter when I was 17. At that time, I thought it was very powerful and happily signed up the general perception of it (at that time) as a near masterpiece, if not an actual masterpiece.


I saw it again - or, rather saw the first half of it again - a couple of years back and was astounded at how lumbering and unsubtle it is. Cimino basically spends the length of a single film telling us that these are ordinary, likeable people living regular lives before he puts the men in Vietnam to show how brutalising war can be. At that point, the film becomes the cinematic equivalent of one of those angry facebook/forum posts in capital letters.

It’s florid, over-elaborate, excessive and self-indulgent filmmaking of the worst kind and I found it manipulative as well as boring.

Cimino’s follow-up film, Heaven’s Gate, famously ended Hollywood’s era of the auteur. If anything, that film is even worse.

[Stanfordian]

'Nomadland'

directed by Chloé Zhao

[Serial_Apologist]

I first saw The Deer Hunter when I was 17. At that time, I thought it was very powerful and happily signed up the general perception of it (at that time) as a near masterpiece, if not an actual masterpiece.


I saw it again - or, rather saw the first half of it again - a couple of years back and was astounded at how lumbering and unsubtle it is. Cimino basically spends the length of a single film telling us that these are ordinary, likeable people living regular lives before he puts the men in Vietnam to show how brutalising war can be. At that point, the film becomes the cinematic equivalent of one of those angry facebook/forum posts in capital letters.

It’s florid, over-elaborate, excessive and self-indulgent filmmaking of the worst kind and I found it manipulative as well as boring.

Cimino’s follow-up film, Heaven’s Gate, famously ended Hollywood’s era of the auteur. If anything, that film is even worse.

Spot on!

[johncorrigan]

I had never seen 'Jazz on a Summer Day', Bert Stern's film of the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, but I noticed it was being shown in Dundee on Monday and thought this would give me good reason to take a foray back to the cinema - masks required, a sprinkling of an audience, and a seat at the end of an empty aisle had me feeling secure and able to enjoy what proved to be a feast for the ears and the eyes. So much to enjoy. Found myself wishing that I could carry off some of the clobber on show. Great to be back in the cinema, though not sure I'll be heading for a Friday night blockbuster in the next wee while...not that I ever did!

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jazz+on+a+summer%27s+day+trailer

[johncorrigan]

Went to see 'Summer of Soul' in the Birks picture house in Aberfeldy this morning (attendance 4). It's a film of the 1969 Harlem Festival of Culture in New York. The material has lain in storage until now. It catches the pivotal change in Black consciousness taking place in America at this time. Absolutely wonderful piece of work. If you can see it safely in a cinema, I highly recommend, although I believe it can be seen on one of the channels (Disney?). It's not just about the music, but the music is sensational - Mahalia, Mavis, Gladys, Nina, Stevie, Sly and many more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slFiJpAxZyQ

[jayne lee wilson]

GUNDA.....

One of the most truthful and remarkable animal films I've ever seen.... no commentary, no captions, no music or humans in the film.....just the the lives and natural sounds of a Sow and her Piglets, the Farm and the Countryside, with other scenes from the lives of Cows and Hens (including a one-legged bird doing its best to survive). Long takes, shot in black-and-white footage of great depth, beauty and resolution.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000znw5

I saw this on a streaming service recently so now its free-to-air, do-not-miss.....
Utterly unsentimental. But....it will stay with you......

Trailer....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05Gc2lANyTQ

[jayne lee wilson]

Late reminder......

[HighlandDougie]

GUNDA.....

One of the most truthful and remarkable animal films I've ever seen.... no commentary, no captions, no music or humans in the film.....just the the lives and natural sounds of a Sow and her Piglets, the Farm and the Countryside, with other scenes from the lives of Cows and Hens (including a one-legged bird doing its best to survive). Long takes, shot in black-and-white footage of great depth, beauty and resolution.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000znw5

I saw this on a streaming service recently so now its free-to-air, do-not-miss.....
Utterly unsentimental. But....it will stay with you......

Trailer....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05Gc2lANyTQ

Having finally got round to watching this rather wonderful film, I strongly endorse what Jayne has said. Well worth seeking out.

[AuntDaisy]

"Three Men in a Boat", from 1975 - Tom Stoppard adaptation.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000znx2

[Belgrove]

The Green Knight is a beguiling and successful adaptation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight that adds to that narrative and views its material from a sometimes different perspective. Unusually for a film, its final moment is more ambiguous than its literary source. Dev Patel plays Gawain, a member of King Arthur’s court who has yet to gain fame and honour among his peers at a time when the boundaries between Christianity and paganism are fluid. The film conflates Gawain’s mother with Morgan le Fay, who conjures a test for son in the form of The Green Knight, a splendidly realised creation - a man-tree hybrid, who challenges Gawain to deliver to him a blow which will be reciprocated a year hence. Despite delivering an ostensibly fatal blow, Gawain is unable to despatch the magical Green Knight and so must travel to the Green Chapel to receive his share of the bargain. Gawain is not an honourable man, and his adventures expose to him and us the moral flaws in his character, it’s an extended exemplification of Temet Nosce and a Rite of Passage. Patel is wonderful in the role, he has such an expressive face, like a pre-Raphaelite knight, that can convey astonishment, bewilderment, fear, love, … all without uttering a word. Alicia Vikander plays both Gawain’s prostitute lover and, as the Lady Hautdesert, sees straight through Gawain and delivers an astonishing speech to paganism that is really the film’s central tenet. This is ambitious film making directed by David Lowery, who is not afraid to leave things unsaid and portray the complex through images both brutal and beautiful. There is even an extended sequence that recalls Scorsese’s Last Temptation of Christ. So if you are feeling reflective and don’t mind being challenged, give it a go, but it’s definitely not Game of Thrones or Excalibur territory. A knowledge of the poem (especially Simon Armitage’s superb version of it) would be helpful but not strictly essential.

[jayne lee wilson]

The Green Knight is a beguiling and successful adaptation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight that adds to that narrative and views its material from a sometimes different perspective. Unusually for a film, its final moment is more ambiguous than its literary source. Dev Patel plays Gawain, a member of King Arthur’s court who has yet to gain fame and honour among his peers at a time when the boundaries between Christianity and paganism are fluid. The film conflates Gawain’s mother with Morgan le Fay, who conjures a test for son in the form of The Green Knight, a splendidly realised creation - a man-tree hybrid, who challenges Gawain to deliver to him a blow which will be reciprocated a year hence. Despite delivering an ostensibly fatal blow, Gawain is unable to despatch the magical Green Knight and so must travel to the Green Chapel to receive his share of the bargain. Gawain is not an honourable man, and his adventures expose to him and us the moral flaws in his character, it’s an extended exemplification of Temet Nosce and a Rite of Passage. Patel is wonderful in the role, he has such an expressive face, like a pre-Raphaelite knight, that can convey astonishment, bewilderment, fear, love, … all without uttering a word. Alicia Vikander plays both Gawain’s prostitute lover and, as the Lady Hautdesert, sees straight through Gawain and delivers an astonishing speech to paganism that is really the film’s central tenet. This is ambitious film making directed by David Lowery, who is not afraid to leave things unsaid and portray the complex through images both brutal and beautiful. There is even an extended sequence that recalls Scorsese’s Last Temptation of Christ. So if you are feeling reflective and don’t mind being challenged, give it a go, but it’s definitely not Game of Thrones or Excalibur territory. A knowledge of the poem (especially Simon Armitage’s superb version of it) would be helpful but not strictly essential.

I was beguiled by this myself last weekend..... and by your excellent and eloquent summary Belgrove, for which I thank you.
I remain a little unsure about the ending here though..... as you say, somewhat "ambiguous"......but as I reflected upon it later, the more sense it seemed to make.
I may watch again... though it is something of an epic....one for the long, late nights....

But a glorious cinematic vision, gorgeously photographed, written and acted. Dev Patel is remarkable - possibly his best role to date (in an impressive portfolio including Chappie and David Copperfield - its quite a range...!...)

[Belgrove]

I may watch again... though it is something of an epic....one for the long, late nights....
...)

Indeed so Jayne, it deserves another watch.

On a lighter note, No Time To Die is a blast and a crowning achievement to Daniel Craig’s tenure as Bond. It’s a long film, but moves at a brisk enough pace to avoid longueurs. The lengthy pre-credit sequence is a decent film in itself, introducing a sinister new villain and featuring an astounding action sequence in photogenic Matera (which will undoubtedly become a new tourism hotspot). The Proustian references continue to keep the pretentious happy (whom moi?) and the plot eerily presages the Covid pandemic whilst obliquely returns to the sickly plot of the book You Only Live Twice, which was largely ditched by that film. Phoebe Waller-Bridge was co-opted to enliven the dialogue, with success. The score by the ubiquitous Hans Zimmer is pretty good, organically weaving in motifs from previous Bond films, especially OHMS. Craig has evolved in the five Bond films to become more vulnerable, both physically and emotionally, and he is made to suffer in a rather unexpected way by the somewhat existential and nihilist baddie Safin, played deadpan by Rami Malik. So a great piece of escapist entertainment and is extremely well made. Daniel Craig can rest assured that he has accomplished his mission and can now, hopefully, go on to recreate the hugely enjoyable Benoit Blanc character of Knives Out. Even better, were he return to the stage - he’d make a great Willy Loman.

[Constantbee]

'Nomadland'

directed by Chloé Zhao

Can’t fail to be impressed by Frances McDormand and the atmosphere of the movie but the overall impression it left on us was somewhat depressing. By chance I hit on a PBS America Newshour Youtube documentary shortly after watching the movie called The Real World of ‘Nomadland’ which rather puts the Oscar winning movie in perspective. Van conversions are running at unprecedented levels it seems, and are becoming more sophisticated as more and more people gear up to hit the trail. A lot of travellers have their own Youtube channels and it’s possible to make a modest living demonstrating cookery techniques and lifestyle tips to make life more comfortable rather than more bearable on the road. I’ve no doubt that the lifestyle attracts a number of human casualties within its circles but on the whole the real life travellers look quite an affluent, well organised group.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO-pKYzcY_8

The lifestyle hasn’t quite taken off in the UK yet, possibly because we don’t have the diversity of climate and weather conditions within our borders that makes an outdoor life so practical. Also, our diesel prices are about twice as high as in the US, which makes running a van over a long distance more affordable for unemployed workers.

[johncorrigan]

Took a trip to Dundee to take in Todd Haynes' Velvet Underground Documentary. I didn't know about the Velvets when they were actually in existence, and all I heard of them was in retrospect. The film was really enjoyable and informative, if a wee bit slow to get started. It certainly helped me understand when and why they turned from a groundbreaking avant-garde outfit to a very good rock'n'roll band, and the contributions from people around at the time were very interesting, in particular around The Factory. I thought Warhol came out very well from the film. It was terrific to see Nico and hear that unmistakeable voice; and John Cale and his unmistakeable tones The film was quite funny too, though not everyone in the cinema seemed to find it as laugh out loud as I did. Well worth a watch if you like a bit of the Velvets - I believe it is available on Apple TV. Enjoyed my trip out to the flicks.

[Belgrove]

Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 established Denis Villeneuve’s credentials for making science fiction films of intelligence with stunning visual impact. In bringing Dune to the screen he has tackled a most difficult and ambitious adaptation of a novel, and pulled it off spectacularly. Although set in the far future on a planet far far away, Dune is not so much a science fiction story as a mythic amalgam of Chivalric Romances, Shakespearean history plays, the geopolitics and economics of the 20th Century Middle East, and the consequences of environmental destruction through pillaging of resources. The narrative used in the book is cleverly shifted from the perspective of the ruling elite to that of the indigenous nomads whose world is ruthlessly exploited, and who will eventually revolt against their oppressors. It works as a rip-roaring adventure story played out against a political thriller in an advanced feudal society where religion has co-opted science to extend its influence.

The production values of the film are jaw dropping. The only film it can be compared with is Lawrence of Arabia for painting the screen with vast desert vistas of stunningly abstract beauty and sumptuously detailed interiors, gorgeously lit. The ubiquitous Hans Zimmer this time adds bagpipes to his orchestral palate (it’s actually rather good!) All the performances are spot on, and the screenplay is something of a miracle for streamlining and compressing the complex narrative, yet still making it intelligible and compelling. Blockbuster film making at its best.