Topic: Woo-hoo!!!!

[Antares]

Somehow though, I've never really like Rex Harrison.

Agreed, he's annoying as Hell to watch.

I must tell you that I'm in Heaven with this new policy at my library. Here's what I have on request...

In the mood for love
Night and the City
Brute force
The Battle of Algiers
Viridiana
Army of shadows

Sweet! And that's only the beginning.

[Jimmy]

I'm happy for all of you, but like I've said previously in another thread : Movies doesn't belong to a library (unless they are documentary and I mean real one). The library is the place where we get the love for reading... Where were we catching it without them? We can get films from everywhere, why the need to cut the books budget for them?

Of course I realize that I am in a very small minority on this

[Najemikon]

No, I get what you mean, Jimmy, but as I said before, if the films can be considered important cultural works of art, especially foreign and old, I see it as a fantastic thing they are being promoted like this.

Antares, I look forward to what you think of In The Mood For Love. I thought it was superb.

[Antares]

I'm happy for all of you, but like I've said previously in another thread : Movies doesn't belong to a library (unless they are documentary and I mean real one). The library is the place where we get the love for reading...

I have to disagree with you on this Jimmy. If it weren't for a library, I would have never discovered the works of Akira Kurosawa. Many years ago, Blockbuster and the Mom and Pop video rental stores, very rarely carried foreign films. They pandered to what the average film fan wanted.

You say only documentaries should be there, but if that's the thrust of your argument, then maybe libraries shouldn't expend their budget on fiction books either. Make it just non-fiction books and newspapers.

Films and books share one thing in common, they tell a story. Do I think they should be acquiring television shows, maybe not. But if a library system can afford to acquire all forms of storytelling matter, then they should be applauded.

[Antares]

Antares, I look forward to what you think of In The Mood For Love. I thought it was superb.

Filmincarnate has been telling me about this film for years, now I'll get a chance to see it. 

[Jimmy]

I have to disagree with you on this Jimmy. If it weren't for a library, I would have never discovered the works of Akira Kurosawa.

Agree that not a lot of video club carry those films, but they aren't the only place where you can get a film to watch. Most of those films are shown on public TV, at least they are (or were) here... When I was young I've watched many movies from Japan, Tchekoslovakia, Poland, Sweden, Italy, France (wich is natural here),... broadcast on Radio Canada and Radio Quebec (they are our 2 public networks). I supposed it's the same in the United States with PBS.

You say only documentaries should be there, but if that's the thrust of your argument, then maybe libraries shouldn't expend their budget on fiction books either. Make it just non-fiction books and newspapers.

No my point was and is that a library exist to give us the pleasure to read not the pleasure to watch. It's one of the last place where you can do that, for me it makes no sense to cut the books budget to replace them with films when they are available at many places.

[Antares]

I supposed it's the same in the United States with PBS.

Unfortunately, in the last two decades the Republicans have targeted PBS for extinction, and they don't show many films anymore, because they can't afford the licensing fees.

No my point was and is that a library exist to give us the pleasure to read not the pleasure to watch. It's one of the last place where you can do that, for me it makes no sense to cut the books budget to replace them with films when they are available at many places.

But, if a town has a healthy library budget, then what harm does it do if they purchase classic films? I'd rather have them do that, than have them truly waste their budget on tell-all books and useless biographies of current celebrities.

[Jimmy]

I get your point. Of course if your public network isn't really financed my point doesn't really make sense (Maybe I'm wrong but the best kid show ever made is from PBS no? and no I don't think at Barney). I've always find it important to have an healthy public TV system to bring a more "intellectual" view of the world (We are lucky here since we have 2 of them, of course the best (but the least watch) is the provincial one.

Of course if the library spent its budget on the last biography of paris hilton or 50 ways to cook eggs it's better to have serious movie...

[Antares]

What's hurt PBS in this country was the liberal bias they tended to have during the latter part of the 80's and the early 90's. The Republicans saw it as a tool of the Democrats and have been pushing for a reduction in the Federal budget output ever since. It's really sad, PBS at one time had the five best programs on television, NOVA, The American Experience, Frontline, Nature and Scientific American Frontiers. Now, most of those programs are a shell of what they had once been, and SAF is off the air now.

[Antares]

Antares, I look forward to what you think of In The Mood For Love. I thought it was superb.

Wow, I've been sitting here for the last 30 minutes absorbing what I just watched and trying to understand and figure out some of the plot points. I love when a film has me pondering after I've watched it.

Loved the non-linear aspect of the film, the mood set by the music and the fact that it's a film brimming with eroticism, yet never succumbs to cheapening itself by giving in to the viewer's desire to see the couple have their own romantic tryst.

Excellent film, and one that I'm going to have to watch again a couple of times before I return it. A solid 4.5 stars. The only reason I won't give a full five is the fact that I thought he should have ended the film with the mud and grass at the temple. The extended exposition of the temple seemed superfluous.

[Najemikon]

It had a similar effect on me. I did a review for our last alphabet marathon and it was a bit short for my usual waffle, but that was because I didn't want to go on about it. It's quite special and people will get so much more from it by simply experiencing it. I especially had a sense that Matthias would like it, but it's not one he would try I seem to remember him saying...

http://www.dvdcollectorsonline.com/index.php/topic,5638.msg97474.html#msg97474

There are some similarities with the more exuberant Lust, Caution (period setting, affair, etc). But it makes Ang Lee look like a clumsy amateur, to be brutally honest, and I think he is a very fine film-maker.

I didn't understand the temple sequence. But at the same time I sort of did. I felt that it was more important than I could comprehend, possibly it was a very Chinese thing. As such, it added to the film for me, because so much of the mood (no pun intended!) had reminded me of British film for some reason. Here, was something that underlined the real origin of the story. Obviously I may be misunderstanding my own ignorance, but regardless, it worked for me!

There is a sequel of sorts in 2046. I have it, but still haven't watched it. General opinion is that it isn't as good (hardly a criticism), but I find how it came about fascinating. I forget exactly now, but it was something like that Wong wanted to make a proper science fiction film, couldn't get the production together, so did a story about an author writing the sci-fi story he was trying to make! It's the same guy from ITMFL and I think it sounds like the best sort of sequel actually.

[Antares]

About 1/3 through the film, I asked my wife what she thought of it so far. And she felt the same way I did, like we had seen something similar but couldn't put our finger on it.

It did remind, somewhat of Brief Encounter. But that's not the film I'm thinking about above.

I also loved the fact that we never see their spouses. We only hear their voices or their image is obscured by something.

[Antares]

Night and the City
Army of shadows

Watched today...Army of Shadows was amazing!  


Jon...Have you seen this?

[Antares]

Grabbed Oldboy today, excellent film.

I almost didn't take it because on the cover it stated, It has the Quentin Tarantino seal of approval. 


But I'm glad I did because it's the kind of film Tarantino wished he had the talent to make!

[Achim]

Bait not taken