IanSchultz13

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  I recommend you see...

  Le Samouraï (The Godson)

  by Elvira

  Le Samourai is a masterpiece. Now that we got that out of the way, I suppose it's unnecessary to even say that it's a MUST watch and that it single-handedly outdoes most of the other French New Wave films I've seen so far.
  
  Jean Pierre Melville's film is a homage to the American noir: its stylings and its characters. And it's probably better than most of those films. It's hypnotizing in a way that really transcends an explanation -everything is just right, everything just falls into place in every scene: set, lighting, score, cinematography, everything. It's a film in which the quality of the technical aspects and the precision of each montage is on par with the quality of the performances. Alain Delon is larger than life as Jef Costello.
  
  Jef is a hired assassin who lives a life not different from that of a samourai... as Delon said once during an interview, he is a modern-day samourai. He's lonely -although it's unclear whether this is because he chose to shun people or because they chose to shun him for his strange nature-. Rather, he chooses to be alone. It is as though his job is his one motivation. He never expresses feeling. He is self-sufficient. He is helplessly committed to the twisted honor of his profession. Alain Delon's performance is stunning: there is always something behind his cold blue eyes, and we know it's there, but it's so perfectly collected and repressed. His countenance never changes, only when it absolutely must, and then the impact of these changes is awe-inspiring. There is an aggressive masculinity to his role, but Delon himself is very feminine. He's an assassin, but he's beautiful. His screen presence is everything. Without that game of isolation and charisma, ugliness and beauty, Le Samourai wouldn't be nearly as remarkable. It's a film driven by one performance. One perfect performance.
  
  The rest of the film's success is the styilization. When watching Le Samourai, you breathe mood -mood -mood. The cinematography is wonderful; Paris is seen in washed-out blues, beiges and whites. Every character is dressed and carries itself with style. Every man blowing out cigarette smoke is perfectly framed, perfectly half-hidden in the dark, each movement perfectly scored. The atmosphere is almost reverential towards the heaviness of the subject, and melancholy in accordance to the doomed main character.
  
  The final (and probably the most important) charm of Le Samourai is the character of Jef Costello himself. He has a compromise, based purely on principle, that would be unthinkable in an era in which people flee from committment. He has chosen a revolting line of work that he elevates with the odd dignity with which he performs every little task. He never gives up on solitude. He never bows to anyone. He believes the ethics of his profession (a huge oxymoron) are to be taken seriously.
  
  ...And he knows that he can't succeed in the modern world by acting that way. Principles, for whatever purpose, are out of date. He knows he's doomed to fail, and so do we, ever since the first shot. So the entire film is really how he walks towards his destiny, understanding that he can't escape it. And everything ends in the most beautiful and sad way possible.
  
  Le Samourai is free for interpretation. Its content is just as ambiguous as it must be in order to stay within its poetic context. I could never stop praising it. Melville found the way to do what I suppose filmmakers all seek: create a film in which images, colors, gestures, decisions, what happens behind the faces of the characters, can convey a message, and tell a story. He doesn't need words, he doesn't make use of explanations. It's breathtaking. I can't recommend it enough.

  ebs90

  This is what I call a masterpiece folks.

  posted 10 days ago
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  ebs90

  Hey - try this quiz and see how we compare
  
  Name that Christian Bale movie

  posted 16 days ago
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  I recommend you see...

  Vampire Hunter D (Banpaia hantâ D)

  by Duncan

  Interesting from a historical standpoint, as far as animation in general is concerned. But that's about the only praise I have for it. The story is shallow, even when compared to the novel it's based on (a fun read, but 'tweren't what I'd call great literature). The design is ugly, the animation is crude, and the voice acting on both coasts is abysmal. Fans of '80s anime TV might get a kick out of it, but for people who want the polish of films like Akira or Ghost in the Shell, this is one to avoid. It's sequel of the same name*, on the other hand, is worth checking out.
  
  *Note: In the United States, the second film is referred to as Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.

  DuncanRR

  There are better vampire movies out there.

  posted 31 days ago
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  I recommend you see...

  Alien 3

  by Duncan

  Note: This is in regards to the original theatrical version.
  
  People who've seen this film tend to fall into two categories: People who think it's an under-appreciated gem, and people who think it's a heaping mess.
  
  I, for one, thought it was okay. Not as scary as the first one or as tongue-in-cheek fun as the second one, but it wasn't as big a debacle as the slickly shot slop-bucket that followed it. It was a solid film that was a few measly inches away from being a truly great one.
  
  First off, I loved the overall look of the movie. The cinematography in many insistences was just stunning, and perfectly captured the gritty environment of the prison-planet everyone's favorite femme-fatal protagonist got stranded on.
  
  Unfortunately, this was the film where a bizarre experimentation in special-effects (a rod puppet filmed in front of a bluescreen, then superimposed into a live-action scene) wound up looking clunky and fake, as opposed to the surprisingly believable man-in-suit effects of old.
  
  Secondly, I thought that making Ripley more vulnerable than she had been in the second film was an instance where a step backwards was a step in the right direction. We got to see Ellen Ripley stranded on a planet, a constant threat looming over her head once again, and without a weapon to protect her or a loved one to support her. These are situations in which some of the best attributes of a character usually comes to light. Unfortunately, due to something that I don't want to spoil for people who haven't seen it, she winds up being a little more on the pathetic side.
  
  A big complaint I have regarding the somewhat draggy story, one that I share with most of the haters, is that a lot of the supporting characters aren't well-developed. That made caring whether they lived or died virtually impossible. A shame, since a lot of them are played (and played well, I might add) by actors I really like. Pete Postlewaithe, in particular, was given a part that was far beneath what a man of his talent should be playing. I mean, he had, like, two lines in the whole damn movie! Are you fucking KIDDING me!?
  
  Anyways, despite it's flaws, I still kinda liked Alien 3 (Is it "Alien THREE" or "Alien CUBED"? I'm still not sure...). And, despite my mostly negative review, I don't think it's horrible. I think it was an opportunity for a first time director to show off his potential by turning a crappy script into a passable movie.
  
  Now I just need to watch Zodiac, Se7en and Fight Club to see if that potential was reached by said director...

  DuncanRR

  Heidi-ho, ladies and gents. Haven't been on for a while, due to participation in two plays that's sucking up most of my time. I think I might be coming on here once a week from now on, so I may not be able to read/respond to all y'all's recommendations.
  
  Anyways, I know you guys have already seen this. I was just wondering who among you has seen the Director's Cut, and if those of you who have think the extra half-hour of footage made any worthwhile difference.

  posted 56 days ago

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