Len Cnut Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 43 minutes ago, lame ass security said: I was more trying to make the point that when you set the bar so high, especially early in your career like Tarantino and Welles, that everything afterward is looked at with somewhat of a skewed viewpoint. Some people will say everything is great while others will trash it because they feel it isn't another masterpiece. Just an aside, I thought that Stanley Kubrick directed Touch of Evil but it was Welles. I don't know why I thought that. Touch of Evil is another one of those films I studied that kinda suffers from having studied it, that fuckin' crane shot Tarantinos alright, he certainly don't make shit films, they're entertaining enough, its just like...to me he's sort of like punk, what was great about it for its core audience (geeky film types) was that it was like, familiar, you sort of got the idea that you could do it. But then after that it has to sort of go somewhere else. But he's never given you much more since. That doesn't make his films bad, they are often brilliant, he just suffers from his own cannonization because, quite frankly, to me anyway, he ain't worthy of mention alongside Kubrick or Hitch or Cassavetes or Orson Welles, he ain't a great, there is no genius to what he does (which to me is the hallmark of a great), its often clever but disingenuous just as often. All that referential cinema stuff, its kinda tiresome after a while. I feel sort of traitorous to a point because Tarantino was kind of an important director to me as a film-goer, I really loved his shit and still do but when the rush of its post modernist freshness wore off (about the turn of the century) it kinda no longer seemed like much and hasn't ever since. At least in terms of like, going on about him like he's a great...but so what if he's not a fuckin' great, his commitment to his audience is to give you 2 hours or so of that good shit and if he does that and you're entertained then its job well done. He seems like he doesn't give of himself in his films because there's not really anything to give, just a lifetime of watching films. When I wanna see a heist movie I might turn to Dogs, when I wanna see an LA crime flick I probably won't turn to Pulp Fiction anymore (probably cuz I watched it to death), when I wanna see blaxploitation I won't turn to Jackie Brown (which btw is a brilliant movie), when I wanna see a war movie I won't turn to Inglorious, when I wanna see a Kung Fu movie I won't turn to Kill Bill, when I wanna see a western I damn sure won't turn to Django or The Hateful Eight etc and so forth. Of his latter work Death Proof to me is among the most enduring precisely because its kinda weird and different and not of the cloth shall we say. Until he starts prattling on about Vanishing Point again and you remember you're watching a Tarantino movie. Overall though I think they just suffer from being Tarantino movies. If they were just movies and you saw em and none of the baggage came along then you'd probably still like em, which is hugely to their credit. I just don't think he could write an original movie if his life depended on it, there's a reason why plaguarism is a dirty word and thats basically what he does, in a really heavy handed sort of way, the end product is sometimes clever but it is not the hallmark of greatness, to me. Everything has a context and influence is important...but there's something kind of vulgar and defeatist about an artist that wears his influences like a rock fan wears his favourite band t shirt. The French New Wave for example were IMMENSELY influenced by American film noir and such...but that doesn't mean they were just making modern day french facsimilles, up to and including transplanting entire set pieces from other movies otherwise they would've been a bag of shit in the same way the best of the spaghetti westerns bought a sort of European flair and drama to the genre, they offered something to earn a spot in its lineage. So yeah, in short, good but not great. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lame ass security Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 (edited) 55 minutes ago, Len Cnut said: Touch of Evil is another one of those films I studied that kinda suffers from having studied it, that fuckin' crane shot Tarantinos alright, he certainly don't make shit films, they're entertaining enough, its just like...to me he's sort of like punk, what was great about it for its core audience (geeky film types) was that it was like, familiar, you sort of got the idea that you could do it. But then after that it has to sort of go somewhere else. But he's never given you much more since. That doesn't make his films bad, they are often brilliant, he just suffers from his own cannonization because, quite frankly, to me anyway, he ain't worthy of mention alongside Kubrick or Hitch or Cassavetes or Orson Welles, he ain't a great, there is no genius to what he does (which to me is the hallmark of a great), its often clever but disingenuous just as often. All that referential cinema stuff, its kinda tiresome after a while. I feel sort of traitorous to a point because Tarantino was kind of an important director to me as a film-goer, I really loved his shit and still do but when the rush of its post modernist freshness wore off (about the turn of the century) it kinda no longer seemed like much and hasn't ever since. At least in terms of like, going on about him like he's a great...but so what if he's not a fuckin' great, his commitment to his audience is to give you 2 hours or so of that good shit and if he does that and you're entertained then its job well done. He seems like he doesn't give of himself in his films because there's not really anything to give, just a lifetime of watching films. When I wanna see a heist movie I might turn to Dogs, when I wanna see an LA crime flick I probably won't turn to Pulp Fiction anymore (probably cuz I watched it to death), when I wanna see blaxploitation I won't turn to Jackie Brown (which btw is a brilliant movie), when I wanna see a war movie I won't turn to Inglorious, when I wanna see a Kung Fu movie I won't turn to Kill Bill, when I wanna see a western I damn sure won't turn to Django or The Hateful Eight etc and so forth. Of his latter work Death Proof to me is among the most enduring precisely because its kinda weird and different and not of the cloth shall we say. Until he starts prattling on about Vanishing Point again and you remember you're watching a Tarantino movie. Overall though I think they just suffer from being Tarantino movies. If they were just movies and you saw em and none of the baggage came along then you'd probably still like em, which is hugely to their credit. I just don't think he could write an original movie if his life depended on it, there's a reason why plaguarism is a dirty word and thats basically what he does, in a really heavy handed sort of way, the end product is sometimes clever but it is not the hallmark of greatness, to me. Everything has a context and influence is important...but there's something kind of vulgar and defeatist about an artist that wears his influences like a rock fan wears his favourite band t shirt. The French New Wave for example were IMMENSELY influenced by American film noir and such...but that doesn't mean they were just making modern day french facsimilles, up to and including transplanting entire set pieces from other movies otherwise they would've been a bag of shit in the same way the best of the spaghetti westerns bought a sort of European flair and drama to the genre, they offered something to earn a spot in its lineage. So yeah, in short, good but not great. Damn, do you have a blog or something about cinema? Because if you dont you should, you have great insight and obviously love it. That's a great analogy with Tarantino and punk, right on point I think. I also agree about Death Proof, it gets criticized but I like it. One of the reasons being that I have some great memories eating and drinking at the Texas Chili Parlor in Austin; the location they filmed a lot of the bar scene with Kurt Russell and the girls. Edited May 27, 2019 by lame ass security Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Cnut Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 The Guvnors (2014) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Cnut Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 8 minutes ago, lame ass security said: Damn, do you have a blog or something about cinema? Because if you dont you should, you have great insight and obviously love it. That's a great analogy with Tarantino and punk, right on point I think. I also agree about Death Proof, it gets criticized but I like it. One of the reasons being that I have some great memories eating and drinking at the Texas Chili Parlor in Austin; the location they filmed a lot of the bar scene with Kurt Russell and the girls. Funnily enough I was thinking about the whole chilli parlour bit when I was writing that about Death Proof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lame ass security Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 3 minutes ago, Len Cnut said: Funnily enough I was thinking about the whole chilli parlour bit when I was writing that about Death Proof. Very cool. It's weird how things look different onscreen compared to reality. The dimensions, lighting, and the overall feel is just different. Its fascinating really. The screen really does make everything seem more grand and just bigger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Cnut Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 This Thing of Ours (2003) - Frank Vincent, James Caan, Chuck Zito Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lame ass security Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 (edited) On 5/31/2019 at 12:50 PM, Len Cnut said: This Thing of Ours (2003) - Frank Vincent, James Caan, Chuck Zito Ah, Chuck Zito from Oz fame. Edited June 1, 2019 by lame ass security Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lame ass security Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 There Will Be Blood (2007) If Daniel Day-Lewis isn't on your short list of greatest all time actors you should probably rethink your list. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-W.A.R- Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 (edited) On 5/31/2019 at 1:50 PM, Len Cnut said: This Thing of Ours (2003) - Frank Vincent, James Caan, Chuck Zito Any good? Ive been watching these made-for-TV mob flicks. I watched Gotti (1996) and Witness to the Mob (1998). Gotti was okay but i hated Witness - The guy who played Sammy (Nick Turturro) wasn't believable as a tough guy, moreless a guy that would make it to the top ranks in the Mafia. I don't know if they were trying to soften Sammy up some (like they did John in Gotti) but i couldn't take it seriously. Edited June 2, 2019 by -W.A.R- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Cnut Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 17 minutes ago, -W.A.R- said: Any good? Ive been watching these made-for-TV mob flicks. I watched Gotti (1996) and Witness to the Mob (1998). Gotti was okay but i hated Witness - The guy who played Sammy (Nick Turturro) wasn't believable as a tough guy, moreless a guy that would make it to the top ranks in the Mafia. I don't know if they were trying to soften Sammy up some (like they did John in Gotti) but i couldn't take it seriously. Its OK, watchable but not really worth writing home about, I really love gangster movies so I watch them all across the quality spectrum and more often than not I enjoy em on some level, this one has a very made for TV feel about them. Its alright though. 54 minutes ago, lame ass security said: There Will Be Blood (2007) If Daniel Day-Lewis isn't on your short list of greatest all time actors you should probably rethink your list. Absolute fuckin cracker of a film, a triumph of 21st century filmmaking. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drexl Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 There are a few of us... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dontdamnmeuyi2015 Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 Happy Death 2U If you liked the first one, you will like this movie. Same cast. Good storyline. There is more scenes after the credits The girl in the spider web Nazi Undead don't bother with this one. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Cnut Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 (edited) The Squeeze (1977) little known and underrated British gangster movie starring Stacey Keach and David Hemmings Edited June 3, 2019 by Len Cnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Cnut Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Villain (1971) - Richard Burton, Ian MacShane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amir Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 8 hours ago, Len Cnut said: Villain (1971) - Richard Burton, Ian MacShane My dad and uncle were just talking about this film yesterday because of how many films McShane has been in recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Cnut Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 11 minutes ago, Amir said: My dad and uncle were just talking about this film yesterday because of how many films McShane has been in recently. He's low key been in some crackers, dunno about lately but old films. He's in a great one from 1972 called Sitting Target with Oliver Reed. He was in a great one a couple of years back called Jawbone too, an indie looking British fillm about a homeless boxer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amir Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 1 minute ago, Len Cnut said: He's low key been in some crackers, dunno about lately but old films. He's in a great one from 1972 called Sitting Target with Oliver Reed. He was in a great one a couple of years back called Jawbone too, an indie looking British fillm about a homeless boxer. He did an interview the other day about some of the shitter films he's been in recently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelica Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 On 6/2/2019 at 10:35 AM, Len Cnut said: Its OK, watchable but not really worth writing home about, I really love gangster movies so I watch them all across the quality spectrum and more often than not I enjoy em on some level, this one has a very made for TV feel about them. Its alright though. And yet (unless you’ve changed your tune over the last few years), you won’t engage with The Sopranos which is superior to everything the genre has to offer besides the first two Godfathers, The Bad Sleep Well and Goodfellas. 🙄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Cnut Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 58 minutes ago, Angelica said: And yet (unless you’ve changed your tune over the last few years), you won’t engage with The Sopranos which is superior to everything the genre has to offer besides the first two Godfathers, The Bad Sleep Well and Goodfellas. 🙄 Better than The Roaring 20s, Public Enemy, Scarface, Little Ceasar, Once Upon a Time in America, The Departed, Mean Streets, Angels With Dirty Faces, King of New York, Christ, I could go on all day. On charisma alone Jimmy Cagney would blow most motherfuckers off the screen. Whats that fuckin' Sterling Hayden movie directed by Kubrick? i guess thats more of a heist movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelica Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 (edited) 8 minutes ago, Len Cnut said: Better than The Roaring 20s, Public Enemy, Scarface, Little Ceasar, Once Upon a Time in America, The Departed, Mean Streets, Angels With Dirty Faces, King of New York, Christ, I could go on all day. On charisma alone Jimmy Cagney would blow most motherfuckers off the screen. Whats that fuckin' Sterling Hayden movie directed by Kubrick? i guess thats more of a heist movie. The Departed!? Seriously!? 🤣 everything is subjective but I don’t get the resistance if you love the genre so much, considering you know damn well how acclaimed it is. Although it’s personally my favorite in part because it’s so dedicated to taking the piss,. Edited June 3, 2019 by Angelica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Cnut Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 5 minutes ago, Angelica said: The Departed!? Seriously!? 🤣 Come on, it was class! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelica Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 1 minute ago, Len Cnut said: Come on, it was class! Infernal Affairs is class. Aside from some very good performances (that are NOT contributed by Jack Nicholson)...it’s pretty cringeworthy IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Cnut Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 25 minutes ago, Angelica said: Infernal Affairs is class. Aside from some very good performances (that are NOT contributed by Jack Nicholson)...it’s pretty cringeworthy IMO My brothers been going on at me for YEARS to watch Infernal Affairs but I’ve not gotten round to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelica Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 8 minutes ago, Len Cnut said: My brothers been going on at me for YEARS to watch Infernal Affairs but I’ve not gotten round to it. You’re so embarrassing 🤣😳😒 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Cnut Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 14 minutes ago, Angelica said: You’re so embarrassing 🤣😳😒 My family say the same thing frequently 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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