Miscellaneous > General Discussion
Movies: Any movie buffs?
KingZog3:
I'm pretty interested in film. I'll be starting an animation degree in september, and recently have been watching some movies an really watching the directing, colour choices and composition. After I watched Drive (amazing movie), I watched Only God Forgives, which is Nicolas Winding Refn's movie made after Drive.
EDIT: Also, if anyone else has good recommendations for movies or wants to talk about a movie in depth (or less in depth), feel free to post about those movies. Just keep things in spoilers so that people who haven't seen it can watch before reading.
I was wondering, firstly, if there are any other people here who really enjoy movies (I know people do) and are interested in things like directing, cinematography and writing in films? And secondly if anyone else has seen Only God Forgives and what did they think of it? I really enjoyed it, but I know it got mixed reviews, and some people really hated it, or really liked it. It's definitely more of an artistic film, not meant as a blockbuster.
I'll put what I thought in spoilers as not to ruin anyone who is going to watch it. And don't read it if you haven't seen it. It's meaningless if you haven't seen the movie. If you are going to watch it, just know that there is gore and violence. Drive was just over the top gore, and not too much of it. OGF is really messed up. It's not easy stuff to handle, just so you're warned.
Without question, the directing, colour choices and pacing are all great. The movie is not meant to be fast paced, and I found many of the scenes suspenseful and extremely tense. The lack of dialogue is one thing that is really interesting. Drive also had little dialogue, but this was taken to another level with OGF. So much about the main character Julian is told without words through things he does, and the "visions" he has about himself. His presumably incestual relationship with his mother, his inability to form normal connections with other people, or to have a normal sexual relationship. These are shown by the way he acts, and the way he see's himself in his visions. This is one point where I thought the movie was weak. The "visions" certain characters have are not well distinguished from the reality in the movie making it a little difficult to tell the difference at first. I'll have to watch it again sometime, since now I'm aware of what was real or not. I'll come back to this when I do. Perhaps I'll have a little more to say.
Another really strong point of the film was the music. I think it's the same writer for the music as in Drive? I'm not sure I'll have to look it up. But both Drive and OGF have great scores. The interesting thing in OGF is the Thai karaoke singing. I had to look it up, since it appears multiple times in the movie. Apparently it's an almost religious experience in Thailand, and a big part of the culture. I think if I had known that while watching it would have made more of an impact, since it's the ex-cop (God) who is singing at the karaoke bar. I'll have to watch it again with this knowledge.
The movie is pretty heavy on symbolism, the main one being hands, which there are a lots of shots of. While watching it's really hard to tell what the meaning of the hands are. My analysis is this. I think they represent the motives of the characters, in a sense. Or their ambitions. Early in the movie Julian raises his hands in a fighting pose next to the martial arts statue, believing himself a fighter, someone of strength. When he fights the ex-cop he raises his hands to fight, while the cop does not, showing both of their intentions. Julian is ready to fight, the cop has no intention of hurting him. Only after thoroughly beating Julian does the cop raise his hands, showing that now he is angry, ready to fight Julian and his mother, who has witnessed the fight. We also get shots of the same statue, showing who really the statue is representing. At the end of the movie, when Julian finds his mother dead, he puts his hand inside her stomach, presumably her womb. He feels the need to undo what he has done, to be reborn again. At the end, the cop cuts off Julian's hands, which is fulfilling his rebirth. Julian accepted losing his hands, finally finding peace with himself. There's more to this I'm sure, as there are other scenes where hands seem to be on important.
Anyway, those are mostly first impressions. I watched the movie a couple days ago, so I had some time to think about it.
Awaclus:
I tried watching Nicolas Winding Refn's Valhalla Rising a few years ago, but it was a bit too much for me to handle at that age. It seemed like a pretty powerful movie though, both aesthetically and thematically, maybe I should give his works another try.
A movie that has recently intrigued me a lot is M dot Strange's Heart String Marionette. It's... intriguing. I would like to say that it's my favorite movie, but I still don't understand it well enough to be sure. Definitely recommend it, though it should be noted that you might have to watch it at least twice before it starts making any sense.
enfynet:
My mom worked part time for 3 video stores from the late 80s to the early-mid 90s. I worked for Hollywood Video from 1999-2001. I worked for General Cinemas from 2001-2002. I worked for Blockbuster from 2002-2003. I worked for Loews (then AMC) from 2004-2007. I've worked for Atlas Cinemas from 2007-now. One might say I enjoy movies.
My entire college/university education is in civil engineering.
KingZog3:
--- Quote from: enfynet on August 14, 2014, 12:41:21 am ---My mom worked part time for 3 video stores from the late 80s to the early-mid 90s. I worked for Hollywood Video from 1999-2001. I worked for General Cinemas from 2001-2002. I worked for Blockbuster from 2002-2003. I worked for Loews (then AMC) from 2004-2007. I've worked for Atlas Cinemas from 2007-now. One might say I enjoy movies.
My entire college/university education is in civil engineering.
--- End quote ---
Well then mr. movie man, got any good ones I should see?
enfynet:
Guardians of the Galaxy.
Honestly though, I enjoy movies enough to understand that a lot of what I like is not what movie snobs consider artistic. I also know that most of those artistic films, while great in structure and story, don't need a 30-60 foot wide screen to make their point.
I think Avatar was grossly overrated, but everything it did was done with style most appreciated in the experience of a cinema.
I think Christopher Nolan, M. Night Shamalanadingdong, and Michael Bay think THEY are why people see their movies, and shove it in your face that you are watching one of their movies every chance they get.
I immensely enjoy the recent Marvel Studios franchise.
I am a huge Disney fan. From the parks to the animation to the decision to bring Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm under the mouse ears.
I think the AFI lists are good starting points for quality content connoisseurs. I think the IMDB top 250 is a good starting point for those wanting a taste of American Blockbusters.
So what do I suggest you see? It depends on what you like. If you like Guy Ritchie, watch Snatch. If you like Kubrick, watch Dr Strangelove. If you like Spielburg, watch Raiders of the Lost Ark. If you like James Cameron, watch Abyss.
Give me a clue and I can help find something you enjoy. And if you enjoy anything, watch The Room.
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