goodguy's Watch Log

[Jon]

You might be surprised by Splash, Matthias. It's typical '80s and not exactly high-brow, but it has a naivety that gives it some honest charm...

[Achim]

You might be surprised by Splash, Matthias.

I would be surprised if he would be surprised... 

[goodguy]

The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009)

It takes a bit too long till the soul really starts to dance, but otherwise - what a movie! I might comment a little more tomorrow, but now I'm off to watch Herzog's My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done next.

[Jon]

 

I loved this film too. The scene in the chemist was tipping the balance into awesome, but Herzog really won me over with the reptiles!  I was going to post my review soon actually. I wrote it a while back for Find DVD and I'm just pulling them together to put on here.

[goodguy]

See, Jon, it's not that I don't like genre films, I only like the good ones. And where Scorsese and Winterbottom craftily exercise the obvious, Herzog goes mad happily and creates a mess that is worth its while. And now I'm really off for more messy Herzog madness.

[Jon]

I've put a bunch of others of his on my wishlist. I never quite got interested enough in Aguirre, but I really want to now.

I've seen interviews with him before (including the notorious one where he was with Mark Kermode and got shot! Only an air-rifle, but still...), but did you see the one on the DVD? Lovely bloke anyway and his attitude is like a breath of fresh air.

[goodguy]

I've put a bunch of others of his on my wishlist. I never quite got interested enough in Aguirre, but I really want to now.

Not to discourage you, but Bad Lieutenant is probably not a very typical Herzog film. Not that I'm someone who really is able to put this into context - I've previously seen only a couple of his films and that was ages ago. When I mentioned Herzog in comparison to Scorsese and Winterbottom I really meant only specific films, not their body of work: i.e. Bad Lieutenant vs. Shutter Island and The Killer Inside Me.

I've seen interviews with him before (including the notorious one where he was with Mark Kermode and got shot! Only an air-rifle, but still...), but did you see the one on the DVD? Lovely bloke anyway and his attitude is like a breath of fresh air.

I've watched a bare-bone rental, so no interview for me. But I will probably buy a proper release in the future.

[Jon]

No, I realise this is likely his most audience friendly work, but still it demonstrates at least a distilled style I want to see more of. The interview as well showed his gentle attitude that surely informs his work.

Actually his "live and let live" tone makes the story of him pulling a gun on Klaus Kinski all the funnier!

[goodguy]

Somewhere (2010, Sofia Coppola)

 Surprise: the worst movie of 2010 I've seen is neither Inception nor Twilight: Eclipse. That honor goes to Coppola's sorta remake of her own Lost in Translation in which she replaces the charm of the original with a big fat single message that hits you over the head in the first shot of a Ferrari driving endless circles in the desert until it finally stops and the protagonist emerges. After 90 minutes ennui of the rich and clueless, guess what the last shot is?

[Achim]

 Surprise: the worst movie of 2010 I've seen is neither Inception nor Twilight: Eclipse.

You have actually seen Eclipse...?

[goodguy]

 Surprise: the worst movie of 2010 I've seen is neither Inception nor Twilight: Eclipse.

You have actually seen Eclipse...?

I didn't plan to and there were extenuating circumstances.  And, hey, I like Ellen Page and Kristen Stewart.

[Jon]

I know Nolan's films aren't your thing, but whatever you think of Inception, it does not deserve to be lumped in with a Twilight film! Have some respect.

[goodguy]

I know Nolan's films aren't your thing, but whatever you think of Inception, it does not deserve to be lumped in with a Twilight film! Have some respect.

David Slade at least had made Hard Candy before (with Ellen Page btw). So, yes, he does deserve some respect.   Based on my experience with Nolan's films and scathing reviews by Andrew O'Hehir (Salon), A.O. Scott (NY Times) and a couple of others, I went into Inception expecting the worst, but was actually quite entertained. That was surprising to me, whereas Eclipse not being the worst of the year might be surprising to everyone else.

[Critter]

That was surprising to me, whereas Eclipse not being the worst of the year might be surprising to everyone else.

I watched Eclipse. While not being the worst film of all time I was most certainly not surprised by it. 

[goodguy]

... scathing reviews by Andrew O'Hehir (Salon), A.O. Scott (NY Times)... [for Inception]

To be fair: both also raved about Somewhere. And I will give daddy's Tetro a try now.