Cinema's greatest classics

[ajay124]

For the past couple of years I had been obsessed with hi fidelity and western classical music. I have not watched many films or read many books. Recently I felt it was time for a change! Currently my music listening is more in the nature of background music from internet radio station's, playing 70's pop and rock on the Squeezebox Boom. At the moment the radio is playing one of my favorite songs. Mary Hopkins' Those Were The Days.

And I have got back into the habit of watching a film a day. I have a fairly large collection of dvd's and there are many which I have never watched. Most of the films that I have can be watched over and over again. They have the repeat value of a CD! I do not have many dvd's which could be referred to as 'mainstream', 'blockbuster', 'star studded' or 'entertaining'. Instead of music I have started browsing and buying films from Amazon. I know what I want to buy, but watching clips on You Tube and reading the background of film makers on websites like Senses Of Cinema helps to fine tune the search.

My 'home theater' consists of a 21 inch iMac, a Cyrus 6VS2 amp, Chord Silverscreen cables and Onkyo BS speakers. The speakers need to be replaced and I am on the look out for a used pair of stand mounts which the 40 wpc Cyrus will be able to handle. Winter has arrived in Chandigarh and my late evening movie watching is made warmer by a De Longhi 'fan heater' and a single shot of an islay single malt. Currently Bruichladdich or Ardbeg. Recently I was gifted a duty free Glenmorangie which tastes as bad as any blended whisky. I have kept it aside for serving to the occasional guest! The only Scottish brews which are worth buying (duty free) or drinking, come from the small pure malt distilleries of the Islay and Speyside regions!

 

[Hiten]

I am not a movies fan, but day before yesterday I watched Pakistani movie "Bol". (Well most of it) As I am not an expert and exposure to classic movie/literature/music is very limited I will refrain from commenting on it, and am not saying that this movie is classic. But acting was excellent in the movie and script/urdu language was top notch.
It seems a human being is most creative in troubled times. Is that so ?
Regards

 

[ajay124]

Apichatpong Weerasethakul is a contemporary film director from Thailand whose films have won great acclaim on the festival circuit. He won the Palme D'or for Uncle Boonmee Recalls His Past Lives in 2010. The plot revolves around an old man suffering from renal failure, who is being cared for by his living and dead relatives. The central protagonist can experience not only his present but also his past lives. At the time of creation he recalls that he was "neither human nor animal, neither man nor woman." The theme of reincarnation, musings about our origins, the myths and beliefs of North Eastern Thailand and the magical, supernatural beauty of its forests, are recurring motifs in the films of Weerasethakul.

Films:

Mysterious Object At Noon 2000
Blissfully Yours 2002
The Adventures Of Iron Pussy 2003
Tropical Malady 2004
Syndromes And A Century 2006
Uncle Boonmee Recalls His Past Lives 2010

"Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" (Official Trailer) - YouTube

 

[ajay124]

In 1982 a new generation of film directors passed out of the Beijing Film Academy. The 'Class of 82' was the first to emerge from the academy after the cultural revolution in China. These film directors dubbed as 'The Fifth Generation' made enormously influential films in the 1980's which were embraced by both domestic and international audiences. The release of Zhang Yimou's Red Sorghum, Chen Kaige's Yellow Earth and Zhang Junzhao's One And Eight coincided with the gradual opening up of the Chinese economy. This 'new wave' in Chinese cinema developed new narrative and visual styles and dealt with a more diverse variety of themes. The films made by the fifth generation of directors who began in the 80's, and the sixth generation who emerged in the 90's, will have a great influence on Chinese cinema during the 21st century.

Along with the Chinese economy their cinema is growing bigger. It is currently considered to be the third biggest in terms of the number of films made every year. With their booming economy and huge population it may gradually become the biggest film industry in the world. It would be interesting to watch some of the 80's/90's films in a sequence to witness how Chinese cinema has grown over the years. I have seen several Chinese films at the International Film Festival in Goa and found them to be really good. Hasi Chaolu's The Old Barber deserved to win the Goden Peacock at IFFI 2006. I remember watching Red Sorghum on DD. A mesmerizing film with a wonderful performance by Gong Li. I miss the DD of the 80's, perhaps the only Indian TV channel which telecast some great art house films.

Some well known Chinese films from the past 30 years:

One And Eight/Zhang Junhzao/1983
Yellow Earth/Chen Kaige/1984
On The Hunting Ground/Tian Zhuangzhuang/1984
The Horse Thief/Tian Zhuangzhuang/1987
Red Sorghum/Zhang Yimou/1987
King Of The Children/Chen Kaige/1987
Ju Dou/Zhang Yimou & Yeng Fengliang/1990
Raise The Red Lantern/Zhang Yimou/1991
The Blue Kite/Tian Zhuangzhuang/1993
Farewell My Concubine/Chen Kaige/1993
The Days/Wang Xiaoshuai/1993
Shanghai Triad/Zhang Yimou/1995
Temptress Moon/Chen Kaige/1995
The Dream Factory/Feng Xiaogang/1997
Not One Less/Zhang Yimou/1999
Hero/Zhang Yimou/2000
Platform/Jia Zhangke/2000
Beijing Bicycle/Wang Xiaoshuai/2001
House Of The Flying Daggers/Zhang Yimou/2004
The World/Jia Zhangke/2004
Kekexill:Mountain Patrol/Lu Chuan/2004
Taking Father Home/Ying Liang/2005
Riding Alone For A Thousand Miles/Zhang Yimou/2005
The Promise/Chen Kaige/2005
The Old Barber/Hasi Chaolu/2006
Still Life/Jia Zhangke/2006
Curse Of The Golden Flower/Zhang Yimou/2006
City Of Life And Death/Lu Chuang/2009
The Flowers Of War/Zhang Yimou/2011

 

[ajay124]

Nominations for the 2012 Golden Globe Awards:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/movies/awardsseason/list-of-golden-globe-nominees.html?_r=1

 

[hydra]

^^ Midnight in Paris (2011) seems to have picked up quite a few nominations. I watched it yesterday night, and it was a truly magical experience! Paris is one of my favourite cities, and in this movie, the city itself is the main character.

 

[hydra]

... A mesmerizing film with a wonderful performance by Gong Li. I miss the DD of the 80's, perhaps the only Indian TV channel which telecast some great art house films.

Some well known Chinese films from the past 30 years:

...

Gong Li is indeed one of the most accomplished Chinese actresses!

One movie of hers I'd like to add to the list is Huozhe / To Live (1994).

You've also not mentioned any of Wong Kar Wai's movies, which are of course in a different category altogether.

 

[ajay124]

Hydra

I did not mention Wong Kar-Wai because the post was about film directors from mainland China. WKW is part of the second generation of new wave directors from Hong Kong. The new wave in Hong Kong cinema began in the late 70's with directors like Ann Hui, Allen Fong and Tsui Hark. Their early films are considered to have developed a quintessentially 'Hong Kong' style of film making. A style which has further been refined by the second wave of directors like Wong Kar-Wai, Stanley Kwan, John Woo and Peter Chan.

Well known films from Hong Kong :

The Butterfly Murders/Tsui Hark (1979)
The Sword/Patrick Tam (1980)
Father And Son/Allen Fong (1981)
Boat People/Ann Hui (1982)
Nomad/Patrick Tam (1982)
Zu Warriors From The Magic Mountain/Tsui Hark (1983)
Ah Ying/Allen Fong (1983)
Women/Stanley Kwan (1985)
The Killer/John Woo (1989)
The Song Of Exile/Ann Hui (1990)
Once Upon A Time In China /Tsui Hark (1991)
Center Stage/Stanley Kwan (1992)
Hard Boiled/John Woo (1992)
Chungking Express/Wong Kar-Wai (1994)
Summer Snow/Ann Hui (1995)
Fallen Angels/Wong Kar-Wai (1995)
Happy Together/Wong Kar-Wai (1997)
In The Mood For Love/Wong Kar-Wai (2000)
July Rhapsody/Ann Hui (2001)
2046/Wong Kar-Wai (2004)
Perhaps Love/Peter Chan (2005)
The Way We Are/Ann Hui (2008)
Bodyguards And Assassins/Teddy Chen (2009)

 

[trinitron]

The Film Society just named THE TREE OF LIFE their #1 Move of the Year out of 50 films. the highly acclaimed were

Film Comment’s Best Released Films of 2011 | Filmlinc.com | Film Society of Lincoln Center

THE TREE OF LIFE was my Favorited film of the year. other films which i was lucky enough to bag on big screens in Mumbai were

Melancholia, directed by Lars von Trier
Drive, directed by ?Nicolas Winding Refn, U.S.
The Artist?, directed by Michel Hazanavicius, France
Moneyball, directed by Bennett Miller, U.S.
Pina?, directed by Wim Wenders, Germany/France

on home screen..

Uncle Boonmee, Who Can Recall His Past Lives, directedy by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand
Certified Copy, directed by Abbas Kiarostami, France/Italy/Belgium

 

[hydra]

Hydra

I did not mention Wong Kar-Wai because the post was about film directors from mainland China. WKW is part of the second generation of new wave directors from Hong Kong. The new wave in Hong Kong cinema began in the late 70's with directors like Ann Hui, Allen Fong and Tsui Hark. Their early films are considered to have developed a quintessentially 'Hong Kong' style of film making. A style which has further been refined by the second wave of directors like Wong Kar-Wai, Stanley Kwan, John Woo and Peter Chan.

Well known films from Hong Kong :

The Butterfly Murders/Tsui Hark (1979)
...
...
Bodyguards And Assassins/Teddy Chen (2009)

That makes sense! Thanks for this list too! I've only seen the Wong Kar Wai ones and that John Woo one from this list

 

[ajay124]

trinitron

Melancholia is indeed a great film. I enjoyed it more than any other film this year. LVT is supposed to have undergone a bout of depression in recent years. The fears and anxieties which he has filmed in Antichrist and Melancholia are very palpable and real. He demands a lot from his audience. His films are the anti thesis of feel good cinema. Perhaps they can be called feel bad cinema

I have mixed feelings about LVT. I enjoy watching his films, but at times they acquire a shock and awe persona which seeks to terrorise the audience without always teaching them something new. I don't mind being frightened by a director. I found Through A Glass Darkly, Hour Of The Wolf, Cries And Whisper and Autumn Sonata terrifying when I first watched them in college. But I did not mind. Because Bergman was granting me knowledge which no one had granted me before. I view LVT as the contemporary director who is perhaps closest to Bergman. As someone who digs deep into the hidden closets of our mind. As someone who shows us another planet hidden behind the sun of our romantic notions about life. A planet called Melancholia!

So should we move out on to the terrace for a last cup of wine? And listen to Beethoven's ninth symphony while the sun is still shining? I would say yes! Because I still believe in the tenacity of the human race. Collectively we have been able to muddle through for a few thousand years, and hopefully we will keep on muddling through!

 

[trinitron]

ajay124

i agree on what u said abt bergman and lars films, through a glass darkly and cries and whisper were very informative and detailed, audience were closer and more involved with Bergman's charaters and at the same time very mysterious they never try to reach the audience they were always in their own world where audience struggle to understand them learn them. as compared to lars characters.

if a director wont agree with something that does not mean he wont film it with his heart and soul. i really liked lars whn he made movies like breaking the waves and his masterwork Dancer in the dark..

 

[trinitron]

BFIs Sight & Sound film magazine which is said to be the best film magazine! like they say oscars and cannes are the best film awards, anyways had a poll of international critics best films of 2011. out of top 10 i was lucky to catch 5 all on big screen.

The top 10 films of the year
1 one of the greatest movies in the world also a cannes palme d'or winner i also wrote a review go few clicks back
The Tree of Life
Terrence Malick, USA

2
A Separation
Asghar Farhadi, Iran

3
The Kid with a Bike
Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, Belgium/France/Italy

4 a beautiful end of the world cannes best actress Kirsten dunst
Melancholia
Lars von Trier, Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany/Italy

5 most entertaining film of 2011
The Artist
Michel Hazanavicius, France

6 cannes grand prize winner, so real and so have to watch it again to understand it
Once upon a Time in Anatolia
Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey/Bosnia and Herzegovina

7 a story about survival, about a routine in a human world, i like directors who have a style of their own when they make movies, my Bela Tarr's first experience
The Turin Horse
Bela Tarr, Hungary, Switzerland/Germany/France/USA

8
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Lynne Ramsay, UK/USA

9
Le quattro volte
Michelangelo Frammartino, Italy/Germany/Switzerland

10
This Is Not a Film
Jafar Panahi, Iran

10
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Tomas Alfredson, UK/France/Germany

BFI | Sight & Sound | 2011: The year in review

 

[ajay124]

trinitron

A good list of films from 2011. It seems that cinema is still alive and kicking! In an ideal time and space all these films would be running in the local movie halls. Unfortunately 'ideals' are theoretical concepts. In reality most of these films will remain grounded at festival venues. They will never take off and land in our multiplexes. Perhaps it is better like that. Perhaps only an audience which makes the effort of flying out of the narrow confines of mainstream cinema deserves to watch them.

Nuri Bilge Ceylan is an exciting new director from Turkey. A couple of years ago I watched one of his films called Climates, and it was quite good. Since then he has made Three Monkeys and Once Upon A Time In Anatolia and both the films look very inviting.

Asghar Farhadi is an Iranian director who made waves with his last two films, Fireworks Wednesday and About Elly. Nader And Simin: A Separation won the Golden Bear for Best Picture as well as Best Actor and Best Actress awards at the Berlinale 2011.

 

[trinitron]

well a good friend of mine gave me a surprise he managed to get me a free pass for Third Eye Asian Film Festival as his film is selected in competition And Gandhi Goes Missing... (2011) Devendra Shivaji Jadhav. festival opens frm tmrw and films screening starts frm 23rd dec to 29th dec, at Dadar ravindra natya mandir, mumbai. was exited but when i saw the list A Separation (2011) by Asghar Farhadi i got charged coz its one of the top movies of this year and Tokyo Story (1953) BY Yasujir Ozu my dream came true because i always wanted to watch tokyo story on 35mm big screen its my favorite film and my fav director. i only watched it once because i was saving it for a big screen experience. my happiness cant be expressed at this moment! many other fims of ozu will be screened and i will be watching them all over again, its time Indian audience to experience the art of Yasujiro Ozu both of this film will be screening on Christmas will i can miss Christmas this yea (getting prepared to get beaten from my friends because they r not going to like it!)

here r my selected films to catch ajay124 want your view on these films

u can see the whole glamsham and full list at The Asian Film Foundation, Mumbai: An Organisation to promoting Asian cinema using multi-pronged approach of cultural activities.


Tokyo Story (1953) Yasujir Ozu my No.1 Favorited film of my grand Master Yasujir Ozu the greatest film ever! :yahoo::clapping::yahoo::clapping::yahoo::clapping:

A Separation (2011) Asghar Farhadi. - Won Golden Berlin Bear, Silver Berlin Bear, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Reader Jury of the "Berliner Morgenpost" :yahoo::yahoo::yahoo::yahoo: super happy

Piravi (1988) Shaji N. Karun. - winner of Golden Camera Cannes Film Festival (the only other golden camera winner indian film is salaam bombay by mira niar), Locarno International Film Festival won Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Silver Leopard and Golden Leopard/best picture nominee i missed this film at MAMI this year.. National Film Awards, India - Best Film, Best Actor :yahoo::yahoo:

Distant (2002) Nuri Bilge Ceylan Cannes Film FestivalBEST PICTURE NOMINEE, Won Grand Prize of the Jury, Best Actor :yahoo::yahoo:


Early Spring (1956) Yasujir Ozu, :yahoo::yahoo:

678 (2010) Mohamed Diab

Venice (2010)

Heliopolis (2009) Ahmad Abdalla

A Mongolian Tale (1997) Fei Xie

Busong (original title) Palawan Fate (2011) Auraeus Solito.

Nokta (2008) Dervis Zaim

Song of Tibet (2000) Fei Xie

The Traveller (2009) Ahmed Maher. - Venice Film Festival won UNESCO Award and golden lion/best picture nominee :yahoo:

Invisible (2011) Michal Aviad.- Prize of the Ecumenical Jury berlin film fest :clapping:

Johnnie Waterman (1993) Jan Jakub Kolski

The Kids Return (1996) takashi kitano

Dancing in the Dust (2003) Asghar Farhadi

Milk (2008) Semih Kaplanoglu.- golden lion/ best picture nominee at Venice film fest

The Munekata Sisters (1950) Yasujir Ozu :yahoo::yahoo:

Kikujiro (1999) Takeshi Kitano.- Palme d'Or/ best picture nominee at cannes film fest

Takeshi Kitano (1980) Vikas Desai

Thai Saheba (1997) Girish Kasaravalli.- Won Golden Lotus Award/Best Film at National Film Awards, India

Egg (2007) Semih Kaplanoglu

Atithi (1969) Tapan Sinha

Kabuliwala (1957) Tapan Sinha.- won Silver Berlin Bear for shri Ravi Shankar Berlin International Film Festival and Golden Berlin Bear/best pic nominee

A Scene at the Sea (1991) Takeshi Kitano. :clapping:

Poetry (2010) Chang-dong Lee. - Cannes Film Festival Won Best Screenplay, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Special Mention, Palme d'Or/best pic nominee :yahoo:

My Marlon and Brando (2008) Huseyin Karabey :clapping:

Floating Weeds (1959) Yasujir Ozu :yahoo: :yahoo:

Jasminum (2006) Jan Jakub Kolski

The End of Summer (1961) Yasujir Ozu :yahoo: :yahoo:

Mirch Masala (1987) Ketan Mehta :yahoo::yahoo: finally!

 

[ajay124]

trinitron

That is not a film festival. It is a film feast! I am sure you will have a great time. The Asian Film Foundation link does not seem to be opening properly for some reason. I could not locate the list of films.

Tokyo Story, A Separation, Piravi, Early Spring, Jasminium, Johny Waterman and Floating Weeds are some of the not to be missed films from your list. I enjoyed End Of Summer even more than Tokyo Story. The final scene (which I will obviously not reveal) is one of the high points of the incredible art of Yasujiro Ozu).

 

[TheSeeker]

am new to this brilliant thread ! thanks ajay ji ! just going through all the pages slowly.

would like to contribute some names from my side. sorry, if these have been quoted earlier. basically these are some movies i can remember right now, which linger on in your memories long after you've watched them, a quality rare to find in most of the 'mainstream star-studded' movies :

- ghost dog : way of the samurai

- baraka

- the peaceful warrior

- life cycles

- unforgiven

- rescue dawn

- anbe sivam

- naan kadavul

- flags of our fathers

- letters from iwo jima

- the boxer

- into the wild

- rashomon

- the guardian

- lakshya

- hachiko

- the green mile

- there will be blood


i havent seen much of the non-mainstream movies, but am getting to learn so many of them through this thread, and would surely try to watch as many as possible :licklips:

 

[ajay124]

Theseeker

Welcome to the film club. Perhaps in the new year we can form a Hifivision film appreciation society

 

[TheSeeker]

thank you. yes sure

 

[ajay124]

When Terrence Malick's The Tree Of Life debuted at Cannes earlier this year, it received a mixed reception. There were folks in the audience who raved about it and there were a few who booed loudly. Some felt that the hype surrounding the film was justified while others found the film boring and pretentious. Eventually of course the yea sayers must have been more than the nay sayers, because the film went on to win the Palme D'Or.

In the past I have enjoyed watching Terrence Malick films like Badlands and The Thin Red Line. TM has an elusive, lingering and thoughtful style of film making which can captivate and seduce. Both nature and human beings are lovingly shot in various degrees of light and shade. The cinematography of both the films was definitely a treat to watch. The narrative and action also held up quite well and I walked out the hall having thoroughly enjoyed the films.

So I sat down to watch The Tree Of Life with a reasonable amount of expectation. The film begins with the statement "There are two ways through life: the way of nature, and the way of Grace. You have to choose which one youll follow. The first few minutes make it clear that the director has set out to make a giant sized film. An epic which will attempt to embrace and explain life from creation till the present and beyond. For entre the audience is served highly stylized and beautiful scenes of American suburbia, idyllic childhood memories, a mother grieving for her lost son. For dialogues we have the main protagonists asking open ended questions in hushed whispers. Cut to a stunningly shot evocation of the creation of the world complete with galaxies, oceans, big bang and dinosaurs. Back to the main course which deals with the life and times of Mr. & Mrs.O'Brein.

This is where my 'review' stops because this is where I stopped watching the film. Because my senses and mind had become numbed by boredom and indifference. Beautiful frames can become boring after a while. I felt that the film was meandering and drifting in no particular direction. During the 60 odd minutes I watched The Tree Of Life I did not connect with the film for even a single moment.

This is simply my reaction to the film. Obviously it does not make the film good or bad for anyone else. Earlier trinitron had written about the film. He found it to be one of the best films of the year. So did many critics and film juries. My opinion would probably be shared by a small minority. Ultimately good, bad and great are very subjective words. Go watch the film and decide for yourself