Topic: Woo-hoo!!!!

[Antares]

Classe tous risques by Claude Sautet.

Remarkable crime drama. 5/5 stars

Another highly recommended film for you to check out Jon.  

You would absolutely love it.

[Najemikon]

I appreciate you flagging these up. My journey into French cinema is proving slow and prone to stalling. I detest pretension and see so much of it in typical French film. That said, I'm largely ignorant of what a "typical French film" is and I found Le Samourai wonderful. I have Le Cercle Rouge too but I haven't watched it yet.

[Antares]

I appreciate you flagging these up. My journey into French cinema is proving slow and prone to stalling. I detest pretension and see so much of it in typical French film. That said, I'm largely ignorant of what a "typical French film" is and I found Le Samourai wonderful. I have Le Cercle Rouge too but I haven't watched it yet.

There is no pretentiousness in any of the three films I recommended, due largely to the fact that they were released pre-Godard and Truffaut.

With your love of Noir, each of these films will be extremely appreciated by you after viewing.

[Antares]

Just finished Ascenseur pour l'échafaud by Louis Malle, 3.5/5

[Antares]

Just finished Le doulos by Jean-Pierre Melville, 4/5

[Antares]

Jacques Becker's Le Trou - 4/5

I'm starting to change my outlook on French cinema.

Well, at least pre-New Wave

[Antares]

Watched Le cercle rouge the other day. Not as impressed with this film, too many contrivances in the screenplay. 3.5/5

Up next...Le samourai

[Antares]

Just finished watching Donnie Darko and I have to say...WOW!

It was like Repulsion meets It's a Wonderful Life, in reverse. 5/5

[Critter]

Glad you liked Donnie Darko Antares. That's always been a favourite of mine. I've seen it more times than I can even count.

[Dragonfire]

I still haven't watched that one.  I do have it on Blu though...found it for $10.  Just haven't had a chance to watch it yet.

[Najemikon]

Richard Kelly hasn't got anywhere near the standard of Donnie Darko since, but you might enjoy his last film, The Box, based on a short story by Richard Matheson. It's really only an extended Twilight Zone story (in fact TZ did do it), but he does a good job with it. I think he is one of very few modern film-makers who truly understands science fiction as a genre and The Box still at least demonstrates that without being as ambitious or perceptive as Darko.

[Antares]

Popping my Eric Rohmer cherry tonight with Chloe in the Afternoon.

Also got Imamura's Kuroi ame in. I watched the first 20 minutes of this online, and was blown away by the depiction of the atomic bomb effects on Hiroshima. Can't wait to watch the rest of it.

[goodguy]

Popping my Eric Rohmer cherry tonight with Chloe in the Afternoon.

How did it go? I went through pretty much all of his films this year, many of them a couple of times. About half of them I had already seen at least once in the past, but I suddenly couldn't get enough. Certainly the most enjoyable rediscovery for me this year, although it is kinda sad that it took his death to make such a concentrated effort.

[Antares]

Popping my Eric Rohmer cherry tonight with Chloe in the Afternoon.

How did it go? I went through pretty much all of his films this year, many of them a couple of times. About half of them I had already seen at least once in the past, but I suddenly couldn't get enough. Certainly the most enjoyable rediscovery for me this year, although it is kinda sad that it took his death to make such a concentrated effort.

I wound up delaying it until tonight.

[goodguy]

Glad you liked it and even more that you want to continue with Rohmer. Of his three film cycles, the Moral Tales probably benefit the most from being viewed together, although it is also the one I like the least. L'amour l'après-midi is great though and so is Ma nuit chez Maud. The other four of the Moral Tales are a tad too didactic for my taste and are hampered by protagonists that essentially are mean-spirited jerks.