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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Оля
To be honest, I don't remember the film very well, and I don't remember the whole plot in details, even. But I remember very well all my impressions about this film. I can tell you that I didn't like the acting AT ALL
Well, I havent' yet read the whole thread but already found lots to comment on.
First of all, I agree with Оля about "The Cranes Are Flying". I'd heard so much about it before I finally watched it and I was a bit disappointed. With the acting. It seemed WAY too theatrical. At the very beginning of the film when Veronika and Boris are running around Moscow and later when Veronika slaps Mark in the face - it seemed overacted. The camera work was interesting, of course. And it's not to say there were no redeeming moments in the film. I did like some parts of it. Just wouldn't call it a favourite. I might yet change my opinion if ever I get to rewatch it - but I'm not sure that's likely to happen.
Quote:
To be quite honest, I see really good acting (in my opinion) in foreign films very rarely. At best, acting in foreign films is just "okay" to me.
Oh, I find lots of good acting in foreign films. I'm a fan of period drama, so I consider some of the BBC adaptations of English classics absolutely fabulous. I'm a huge fan of "North and South" (2004 - not to be confused with the film about American Civil War), "Pride and Prejudice" (1995), "Wives and Daughters", "Sense and Sensibility" (1995), "Wuthering Heights" (1992), "Jeeves and Wooster". If that's not good acting, I don't know what is. So thanks to watching those I now know quite a lot of fantastic British actors, like Michael Gambon, Richard Armitage, Emma Thompson, Justine Waddell, Ralph Fiennes, Hugh Laurie... And I love Rowan Atkinson, he's a great comedian - "The Thin Blue Line" tv-series was hilarious.
Turning to American cinema, "Titanic" and "Gladiator" are the first movies that spring to my mind as having great acting - still find myself crying every time I watch Rose being lowered in the life-boat and looking at Jack. Kate Winslet is a fantastic actress, as is Leo DiCaprio, though I've only seen him in "Titanic" and "Catch Me If You Can", which I liked very much as well. Oh, and "Some Like It Hot" is a splendid comedy - Marilyn Monroe may not have been much of an actress, but the male leads are hilarious. Watched it recently with English subtitles, wouldn't have understood anything otherwise.
And I just love "Gilmore Girls", "The O.C." and "Friends". Some very good acting and script-writing going on there.
The one thing that the Western filmmakers know is how to structure the story and make it enjoyable and entertaining. Think Disney - "Beauty and the Beast", "The Little Mermaid", "The Lion King", "The Sleeping Beauty"... And I'm not talking about the sequels to these animated pictures here, as I haven't seen them and don't think it's a very good idea. Those movies are not only about stunning visuals and beautiful music. Some very good thinking went into creating the plots. Well, Andersen's "Little Mermaid" got rather er... butchered is not a good word, but I can't think of any other right now. I love both stories. Andersen's is lyrical and poetical, Disney's - pure fun and entertainment.
Not that the Russians don't know how to make a good story or write a fabulous script. Quite the contrary. But it wasn't made into a sort of ABC of how a story should be written. Perhaps it's a good thing, I don't know. But when I watch our "War and Peace" (the old film), for example, it strikes me that some scenes were a bit too long, or some shots weren't all that interesting - when Andrei Bolkonski is talking to his wife Lise at the beginning there aren't even any close-ups and it's such an important scene, establishing their relationship and everything. And who could possibly resist shooting as many close-ups of Anastasia Vertinskaya as possible, as she's so gorgeous? The modern adaptation with Clemence Poesy tried to address some of the issues of the book - to flesh out characters which were very vague and one-dimensional in the book, like Ellen and Anatole, to provide motivation for Natasha agreeing to elope with Anatole. I rather enjoyed some of these changes but the thing is, they managed to utterly destroy Natasha's character in the process. Clemence Poesy is very nice, but she's not Natasha, while Tatiana Samoilova is. Oops, sorry to go on about "War and Peace" - I'm sure most of the folks here haven't seen in ages, if at all. I've only recently read the book and watched three adaptations. I felt like such a punk not having read such a famous piece of literature. Didn't manage to do it in school - seemed way too boring, though I was quite a bookworm and swallowed "Anna Karenina" and "Quiet Flows The Don", which is the same length as "War and Peace".
So, to come back to the Russian cinema - I also agree about other films that have been mentioned here, such as "The Thief". I enjoyed it quite a bit the first time I saw it but I'm not planning to re-watch it again. It's too depressing.
Well, I guess I'll be back to you later when I've read the entire thread.
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by rockzmom
Finally, it makes me wonder about other films we have been discussing. Would I change my mind about them if I had seen them in a theater with an audience??? :unknown:
That's an interesting question. One thing that the theatre does is that it sucks you into the film, makes you sit through the whole of it and pay attention (I don't know how people manage to fall asleep in the cinema - even if the film is very boring, the sound is so loud). When you watch something on tv, if you don't like it from the start, you'll switch off directly, thus not giving it a chance, perhaps.
I've had an interesting experience with the Lord of the Rings movie, The Return of the King. I first watched it in the cinema and didn't like it - the sound of the battles was too loud, the battles themselves scared me out of my wits, besides I haven't seen The Two Towers, so didn't understand the plot properly, and I suspect I was falling ill because I returned from the cinema with a temperature. Watching this movie on dvd at home, after having seen the second part, was a completely different experience.
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by starrysky
First of all, I agree with Оля about "The Cranes Are Flying". I'd heard so much about it before I finally watched it and I was a bit disappointed. With the acting. It seemed WAY too theatrical...
I didn't write anything like that about "The Cranes Are Flying". I like this film. The quotation you made was about other film, "The English Patient".
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Оля
Quote:
Originally Posted by starrysky
First of all, I agree with Оля about "The Cranes Are Flying". I'd heard so much about it before I finally watched it and I was a bit disappointed. With the acting. It seemed WAY too theatrical...
I didn't write anything like that about "The Cranes Are Flying". I like this film. The quotation you made was about other film, "The English Patient".
Sorry, got everything confused. :wacko: I'd never say that I hate or even dislike "The Cranes Are Flying". I liked it when I watched it and couldn't help crying in some parts - this movie is certainly very emotionally-affecting and the emotions are portrayed very strongly. But two things put me off a little. First of all, when I sat down to watch it I expected it to be a film about war and self-sacrifice and it turned out there was hardly any war and no self-sacrifice. It's more about relationships, human frailty and the society which doesn't forgive mistakes.
The second thing that bothered me was Samoilova's acting at the beginning. Especially the way she keeps repeating "Нет! Нет!" in the rape scene, it seemed very unnatural. Couldn't she start crying or something, instead? I'd feel more sympathy for her in that case. I certainly think that the whole scene is a bit more complicated than simple "rape". She does bear some blame. Did she absolutely have to marry Mark, when he is obviously such a scoundrel? Well, she might not have known it then and after the bombing she had no one left to turn to, except him and his parents. The thing is, imo, she didn't really have to marry him. It's not the 19th century when the morals were that strict, it's 1940s. Such prejudices might have been left in villages at that time but hardly in Moscow. The Soviet woman was a mistress of her fate in this respect. I guess it's the eternal question of how much imporatnce the circumstances have over us and how much power and free-will we have to resist them. I suppose I partly agree with CoffeeCup here in not being overly in love with Veronika as a character. Oh God, I'm acting the part of the "unforgiving society" here :sorry: I do sympathise with her. The sure thing is that this film is thought-provoking. :wink: :good:
Those are my favourite war films (in bold)
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Originally Posted by Оля
Here are some Russian forceful war films I'd recommend to watch:
Проверка на дорогах
Офицеры
Летят журавли
Баллада о солдате
Восхождение (very forceful)
Судьба человека
А зори здесь тихие
Расскажи мне о себе (the only one which is not very famous, but it touched me a lot)
Иваново детство
I'd add "Звезда" (2002), "В бой идут одни старики" and "Гусарская баллада" (love the humour and the songs :good: )
"Судьба человека" is a very good and touching movie just not a personal favourite. The others I haven't seen yet.
And here's a link to a thread about favourite war films on my local forum (though it includes foreign films as well) http://forum.academ.org/index.php?sh...2&st=0&start=0
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by rockzmom
The power ... a big screen.
A big screen, yeah, it changes a lot.
First, it allows us to feel some sort of participating in the action. If you are delighted with the action of a movie and feel hunger for being a part of it, you should certainly go over the movie again on the big screen.
Second, if the movie aim is not only to tell us a story through the characters talking, but also to give us some more specific impressions or feelings the big screen is the only way to get the full scent of these impressions.
Third, of course, the landscape views are filmed only for the big screen.
I am ultimately sure that these movies are the best when on the big screen:
- At Home among Strangers, Stranger at home
- Kin-dza-dza
- Solaris
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by CoffeeCup
... an unshaved man wearing a horn-rimmed glasses fixed with a tape looked at me holding tightly in his hands a guitar and a sword.
... "Six-String Samurai"
By the way, surfing the web I've found out that many people find the filming process, scenes' landscape, the movie line and the sci-fi world of the "Six-String Samurai" being close in some way to that of the "Kin-dza-dza". :wink:
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by starrysky
I'd add "Звезда" (2002)
I know it's considered as a good movie, but I didn't like it. First of all, I didn't like acting. Igor Petrenko is too young or maybe not enough talanted, but he didn't convince me he was a person from 1930-1940 years. His eyes... They looked like he's just playing a role, not living in the USSR, being at war... I can't explain it better.
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The Soviet woman was a mistress of her fate in this respect
Woman, indeed.
Also, I suppose you didn't live in those years. How could you know that marrying a man without being virgin was okay?
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Оля
I know it's considered as a good movie, but I didn't like it. First of all, I didn't like acting. Igor Petrenko is too young or maybe not enough talanted, but he didn't convince me he was a person from 1930-1940 years. His eyes... They looked like he's just playing a role, not living in the USSR, being at war... I can't explain it better.
Oh I agree about the poor acting. Petrenko - as hansome as he is :roll: - didn't seem to have done all that much on this movie - though perhaps that's just the role. And the girl was, frankly, horrible (in terms of acting, natuarally). But for me there are three things that redeem the flaws of this film: 1) the beautiful music, 2) the heart-rending end - I cried my eyes out - when he keeps saying "Земля, земля, я звезда" and Vorobyshek dies, and then she answers, and the Germans are getting closer... :cry: and at the very end when the soldiers are shown going to Poland or somewhere and it's said that only 1 in a 100 of them is going to come back... it's awful... 3) some of the other guys played very well - for example, Анатолий Гущин, who played рядовой Быков - there's a moment when they're nearing his native village and he sees that it was burnt and some people were hanged - there's just such a look on his face - indescribably sad. I'd give him a prize just for that one look.
I did hate it when they had to kill the first German they captured. Poor guy. Wars should never, ever happen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Оля
Also, I suppose you didn't live in those years. How could you know that marrying a man without being virgin was okay?
You're right, I suppose it's possible that she had no other choice. It's very difficult to struggle with life. I can't talk, anyway, as have no backbone whatsoever myself. Плыву по течению.
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by starrysky
Oh I agree about the poor acting. Petrenko - as hansome as he is :roll: - didn't seem to have done all that much on this movie - though perhaps that's just the role.
Oh, come on, the role was a great scope for showing good acting! An actor could only dream about such a profound role. Especially a Russian actor, I mean how much this war means for us, even nowadays.
Quote:
And the girl was, frankly, horrible (in terms of acting, natuarally).
To be honest, I don't remember any girl there. :mosking:
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But for me there are three things that redeem the flaws of this film: 1) the beautiful music, 2) the heart-rending end - I cried my eyes out - when he keeps saying "Земля, земля, я звезда" and Vorobyshek dies, and then she answers, and the Germans are creeping nearer... :cry: and at the very end when the soldiers are shown going to Poland or somewhere and it's said that only 1 in a 100 of them is going to come back... it's awful... 3) some of the other guys played very well - for example, Анатолий Гущин, who played рядовой Быков - there's a moment when they're nearing his native village and he sees that it was burnt and some people were hanged - there's just such a look on his face - indescribably sad. I'd give him a prize for just that one look.
Well, to me, a film is good only if everything is good in it, not only one or two episodes. As for other actors' acting, I don't remember it well, but I'm sure if there was anything extraordinary, I wouldn't have forgotten it. I remember that the film in general left me cold, but yes, the last scene touched me.
Quote:
I did hate it when they had to kill the first German they captured. Poor guy.
The one from the hospital? I dimly remember it, and I liked this episode. I don't mean I liked that they killed him. It was awful.
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
starrysky http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/sign/sign0016.gif to the thread and MR!
Wow, your English is good. Ususally I try to correct the English posting of non-natives. Would you like me to make edits on your postings as well? Example:
Quote:
Originally Posted by starrysky
Sorry, I got everything confused. I[s:23ve98nt]'d[/s:23ve98nt] never [s:23ve98nt]say[/s:23ve98nt] said that I hated or even disliked "The Cranes Are Flying".
Just remember one thing, when you are posting to me, I am the one who does NOT know any Russian :sorry:
Now as to your thoughts about "Cranes" and the rape scene and how life might have been back then. Thankfully, I have never had this experience, yet from the way it is portrayed in the news and in films/tv even today, it seems as this is one of the most horrific things to happen to a person AND each person reacts differently to the experience and situation.
And then you have the dirty stigma of rape. Many women never admit to being raped because of exactly what you said, "She does bear some blame." I guess you would also say it takes "two to tango":
Quote:
Originally Posted by from 2000
Maryland lawmakers and children's advocates joined yesterday in criticizing a Montgomery County judge who said an 11-year-old girl was partly to blame for a 23-year-old man sexually molesting her because the girl invited him into her bedroom and "it takes two to tango."
Del. Cheryl C. Kagan (D-Montgomery) called Circuit Court Judge Durke G. Thompson's comments "an outrage" and said the state legislature's Women's Caucus plans to look into his handling of the case.
"It's clearly been a while since Durke Thompson has been in the company of 11-year-old girls; he doesn't realize how young and vulnerable they are," Kagan said. "His remark was ill-advised, naive and just dreadfully unfortunate
... and Director Roman Polanski is innocent as well?
Did you know that currently in France, the cost of hymenoplasty is actually reimbursed by the state in cases of rape or trauma?? That is how import being a virgin still is TODAY to many people.
So, in the case of our poor Veronika... she had lost her parents. The man she THOUGHT was her friend and best friend of her fiancee, is now attacking her. The bombs are going off all around her... which is probably causing flash backs about her parents and making her also think about Boris and how is HE doing right then. The dust settles and she is left with what??? NOTHING. Her job and the piece of scum of the earth who loves her or so he says. AND what if, what if... she might be pregnant now??? How would she explain that one to everyone if she did not get married???
And yet, you also have the case here in the States of 115 girls in one high school who are pregnant! If that was going on back then, maybe our Veronika would have had other options?
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/Robeson...2.1251642.html
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Оля
Oh, come on, the role was a great scope for showing good acting! An actor could only dream about such a profound role. Especially a Russian actor, I mean how much this war means for us, even nowadays.
Well, yes, seeing how this is the leading role, he could've done more with his facial expressions and all that stuff... I read the book by Kazakevich after watching the movie to understand the character better, and he is supposed to be very reserved, but, hey, that's no excuse. :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Оля
The one from the hospital? I dimly remember it, and I liked this episode. I don't mean I liked that they killed him. It was awful.
Yes, him. He said he wasn't a Nazi... I felt awfully sorry for him.
Thanks for the welcome, rockzmom. :rose: Do feel free to correct me - I'd be grateful. You know, it's so frustrating, I've been learning English, oh for so long now, and I still make lots of mistakes - have to constantly edit myself as always notice some mistake or other. This is partly because I'm always in a bit of a hurry when I post, partly because I lack practice - I read and listen a lot, but rarely get to speak English. So that's why I'm registered here and on a couple other English boards - to talk to all you guys and not lose the knack entirely.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rockzmom
I guess you would also say it takes "two to tango":
Eh... We have a much ruder saying here - something along the lines "If the b..ch doesn't want it, the dog won't do it." Very rude. Certainly, it's outrageous to use something like this as an excuse for child-molesters! And I don't think it applies in Veronika's case. I see the rape scene as somewhat ambiguous because she could've shown a bit more fight, but it was rape all right. When I said that she does bear some responsibility for her unhappy situation, I meant her marrying Mark - no one forced her to do that except the circumstances. Which, it would seem, were difficult enough.
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quick change of topic here.....
One of the short documentaries I saw at the Film Festival was "She Should Have Gone to the Moon." I had never heard about this period of time in U.S. history or about Jerri Truhill. The film is funny, informative and very eye opening about an event not that long ago. Most of all it is inspirational to females. The only boring part is the part where they have the singer! OMG please shut her up!!! I also thought they should have mentioned Valentina Tereshkova & Svetlana Savitskaya...however... she really does stress that she wanted to be a "pilot" and they talk about Eileen M. Collins, the first woman to pilot NASA space shuttle.
IMDb link http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1146163/
Link to 8 minute trailer on MegaVideo http://www.megavideo.com/?v=G8H9L72G
Summary of film:
She Should Have Gone to the Moon presents a uniquely personal chapter in the history of the space race. It tells the astonishing story of the pilot and pioneer, Jerri Truhill, who was trained in 1961, as part of NASA's top secret Mercury 13 programme, to become on of the First Lady Astronauts. The documentary is a lyrical journey propelled by childhood aspirations, shattered dreams and a lifelong battle against female sterotypes and male prejudice. In the film, the tough talking and sharp witted Jerri Truhill looks back at her compelling life via a phone call with the filmmaker. This conversation becomes the catalyst for the director's imagining of key events in Truhill's potent narrative and inspires a journey to meet the heroine in Texas. Along the way the filmmaker places herself in Truhill's story, first wandering across the surreal landscape of White Sands and then suspended in zero gravity inside a water tank. Included are staged scenes, dreamt-up moments from Truhill's story, which evoke the popular melodrama of 1950s American cinema. These fictional moments bridge the gaps of time and distance between the filmmaker and her subject. Their stylised and dreamlike quality is counterpointed by shots from both Truhill's and NASA's film archive. The various strands produce the film's heady timeline, as they circle through real and imagined spaces, past and present.
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
I received an email that this month, The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. is showcasing films by Joseph Losey (1909-1984).
Born in Wisconsin 100 years ago, Joseph Losey (1909-1984) made his mark in American cinema as the insightful outsider who distilled his style in exile, in London, England. A selection of Losey's rarely screened early work from the late 1940s through the 1960s, along with his three Harold Pinter partnerships, is included in this series.
I located a two of the films online that they will be showing during this showcase:
The Servant is Harold Pinter's 1963 film adaptation of the 1948 novel by Robin Maugham. A British production directed by Joseph Losey, it stars Dirk Bogarde, Sarah Miles, Wendy Craig, and James Fox.
The Servant is a tightly-constructed psychological dramatic film about the relationships among the four central characters examining issues relating to class, servitude, and the ennui of the upper classes.
(1963, 35mm, 112 minutes)
link to watch The Servant online
Accident
Accident is Harold Pinter's 1967 dramatic film adaptation of the 1965 novel by Nicholas Mosley. Directed by Joseph Losey, it is the second of three collaborations between Pinter and Losey, the others being The Servant (1963) and The Go-Between (1970). At the 1967 Cannes Film Festival it won the award for Grand Prix Spécial du Jury. It is the debut film of actor Michael York.
(1967, 35mm, 105 minutes)
link to watch Accident online.
I looked, yet could not quickly locate a copy of "The Go-Between." If someone locates a copy, please post the link for it. Thanks.
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
I know, I know... double postings are a no-no... HOWEVER.... it just seems so WRONG not to repost this wonderful masterpiece about The Very Same Munchhausen which Vbar wrote and to also add the links... so that someone digging through this very long thread might come across it and say "WOW! I want to watch this movie!" and then be able to!!! :yahoo:
“The Very Same Munchhausen” (Тот самый Мюнхгаузен, Tot samyy Myunkhgauzen) 1979
(Comedy/Fantasy)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Very_Same_Munchhausen
Movie in Russian ONLY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiDHFbJZm9E ТОТ САМЫЙ МЮНХГАУЗЕН (1979) 1 1/7
English Subtitles
http://www.divxsubtitles.net/page_subti ... p?ID=65464
OR
http://narod.ru/disk/9511150000/Tot%20S ... D.srt.html
http://narod.ru/disk/9511195000/Tot%20S ... D.srt.html
For those of you who want to learn more about the "poem" (some would say the book) Orlando Furioso
Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_Furioso
The poem translated into English http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/orlando-furioso-canto-1/
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vbar
Some months ago (31st or 32nd of May) I saw a beautiful film directed by Mark Zakharov.
I was so impressed by this film that I gave a copy to a colleague of mine -- I have become a sort of Italian ambassador for Soviet films among my colleagues.
There followed an interesting debate which I’d like to share.
The Very Same Munchhausen is a film rich in humorous scenes and dialogues, perhaps with satirical allusions to contemporary events, but it is above all a story about a man who, despite Martha’s love, feels alone and misunderstood. Or rather, it is a story of man who, despite his love for Martha, fails to understand and accept his society, his city, his world.
In Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso, it is said that all things that are lost on Earth could be found on the Moon. The Baron knows that on the Moon there exists the intelligence of many humans who on Earth are considered wise and sensible. This is perhaps the reason why the Baron wishes to go to the Moon (or rather, to return there). Reading these remarks, you could ask me the same question put to Ariosto: Ludovico, wherever have you found such rubbish?
- Messer Lodovico, dove trovaste mai tante coglionerie? Господин Лодовико, где ты нашел такой вздор?
I believe that certain films, like certain poems or novels, are like dreams. And dreams always conceal a riddle which in turn conceals a desire, or its opposite, a fear. Like dreams, this film is made of desire and fear, of misleading and absurd perspectives, where each thing hides in itself another thing. We could say, to borrow some words from Calvino: The pleasure you derive from a film depends on the answer it gives to your question... or on the question the film asks you and to which it compels you to respond.
The Baron’s final embrace of Martha is a beautiful and tender gesture: with his arms and hands he cradles her head and presses it to his chest. It’s as if he wished to carry away with him her eyes, her mouth, her brain, and give her a little of his heart before travelling to the moon in search of something he could not find in his city. One could comment on the Baron’s final farewell to his city with the help of Calvino’s ever relevant words:
“My dear citizens, the inferno of the living is not something that will be. If there is one, it is what is already here, the inferno that we inhabit everyday, that we form by being together. There are two ways to not suffer it. The first is easy for many: accept the inferno and become such a part of it that you no longer see it. (Baron, join us. Join us, baron. Господин барон, присоединяйтесь. Присоединяйтесь к нам, барон).
The second is risky and demands constant attention and apprehension: seek out and learn to recognize who and what, in the midst of the inferno, are not inferno—then make them endure, and give them space.
I will try to find a third way: do as Astolfo did in the Orlando Furioso, and fly to the Moon.
Smile, my dear viewers, smile. Улыбайтесь, господа! Улыбайтесь.”
The film ends on a poignant musical note, and the viewer finds herself with her eyes full of tears.
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
I saw this movie Deja Vu and thought it was really funny. The lead actor was very good. Those soviet movies have really good set designs. English subs available at
http://notabenoid.com/book/4097/13375/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097253/
http://www.kinopoisk.ru/level/1/film/44394/
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
"The very same Munchhausen" is one of my father's favourite films. Yankovsky is great in it and I like him in this film much more than I do in others. I first saw him in the "Militia Sergeant", an adaptation of the book by Lazutin which was a bestseller in the 50-60s, where he played a bad guy.
In "Munchhausen", his character is likeable, if somewhat quirky (khm, khm, more like very quirky), and he has a moustache. In other movies (at least those that I've seen) Yankovsky plays "baddies" and has no face growth. :roll: And of course, "Munchhausen" also has Churikova, who is fabulous, as always, and Yarmolnik who is terribly funny.
I liked "Militia Sergeant" ("Сержант милиции") well enough, both the film and the book, and remember them fondly, even if I wouldn't call then a "must-see" and "must-read". I think, the film can be found at http://getmovies.ru here http://www.getmovies.ru/search.aspx?...86%D0%B8%D0%B8.
The book is here http://www.lib.ru/PRIKL/LAZUTIN/serjant_milicii.txt
Also, not meaning to change the focus but what about films from countries other than Russia, USA or UK? Do you guys watch them and do you have any favourites? I am by no means a cinema buff, in fact, I'm quite ashamed not to have seen any Fellini or Kusturiсa. Oh well, I'll get round to it yet, I suppose. French cinema is quite well-known and loved in Russia. And Indian as well. "Seeta aur Geeta" was a huge hit in the USSR. I've only seen about 3 Indian films, but I really like them - they're so vivid and colourful - a feast for the eyes. My favourites are "Main Hoon Na" (I'm Here) and "Devdas". I also love some Chinese films, like "The Hero" and "The House of Flying Daggers". They are just so beautiful and special, although totally different from Indian cinema, because they're tragic. Indian films usually have a happy end. I suppose I should post some reviews but I'm not sure I'm quite up to it, especially time-wise.
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
"Top 50 Cult Films Ever" according to "Entertainment" magazine (US).
But actually, I have only see three films on this list: The "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" , "Akira" and "Bladerunner". Should I be worried? :!:
How many have you seen?
Quote:
1. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
"It's such a fine line between stupid...and clever."
"He died in a tragic gardening accident... Authorities said... it's best to leave it... unsolved."
2. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
"Hi, my name is Brad Majors..." (Asshole!) "...this is my fiancee, Janet Weiss." (Slut!)
3. Freaks (1932)
"Gobble gobble, gobble gobble... We accept her... One of us, one of us..."
4. Harold and Maude (1971)
Harold: "You sure have a way with people."
Maude: "Well, they're my species!"
5. Pink Flamingos (1972)
"Filth are my politics! Filth is my life."
6. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
"Hey, Grampa, we're gonna let you have this one!"
7. Repo Man (1984)
"Let's go get sushi and not pay!"
8. Scarface (1983)
"Shay 'jello to my wittle vrend!"
9. Blade Runner
"Wake up. Time to die."
10. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
"Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."
11. Five Deadly Venoms (1978)
"Hwayiii!"
12. Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)
"All you of Earth are IDIOTS!"
"Greetings, my friends. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember, my friends, future events such as these will affect you in the future."
13. Brazil (1985)
"That is your receipt for your husband...and this is my receipt for your receipt."
14. Eraserhead (1977)
(A pervasive hiss of unsettling white noise.)
15. Faster, Pussy-Cat! Kill! Kill! (1966)
"Honey, we don't like nothing soft. Everything we touch is hard."
16. The Warriors (1979)
"Warriors come out to plaaay." or
"Can...you...dig it?"
17. Dazed and Confused (1993)
"That's what I love about these high school girls, man: I get older, they stay the same age."
18. Hard-Boiled (1992)
"There's no room for failure now. The innocent must die!"
"Give a guy a gun, he thinks he's Superman. Give him two and he thinks he's God."
19. Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn (1987)
"Groovy" or
"I'll swallow your soul!"
"Let's head on down into that cellar and carve ourselves a witch."
20. The Mack (1973)
"We can settle this like you got some class, or we can get into some gangster s---."
21. Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
"I know you are, but what am I? Infinity!"
"There's a lot of things about me you don't know anything about, Dottie, things you wouldn't understand, things you couldn't understand."
22. Un Chien Andalou (1928, France)
(It's a silent movie, but shrieks and gasps can often be heard in the audience."
23. Akira (1988)
"Tetsuoooooo!"
24. The Toxic Avenger (1985)
"They're going to nuke the monster!"
25. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
"What is this, Wonka, some kind of fun house?"
"Why? Having fun?"
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by starrysky
Also, not meaning to change the focus but what about films from countries other than Russia, USA or UK? Do you guys watch them and do you have any favourites? I am by no means a cinema buff, in fact, I'm quite ashamed not to have seen any Fellini or Kusturiсa. Oh well, I'll get round to it yet, I suppose. French cinema is quite well-known and loved in Russia. And Indian as well. "Seeta aur Geeta" was a huge hit in the USSR. I've only seen about 3 Indian films, but I really like them - they're so vivid and colourful - a feast for the eyes. My favourites are "Main Hoon Na" (I'm Here) and "Devdas". I also love some Chinese films, like "The Hero" and "The House of Flying Daggers". They are just so beautiful and special, although totally different from Indian cinema, because they're tragic. Indian films usually have a happy end. I suppose I should post some reviews but I'm not sure I'm quite up to it, especially time-wise.
Excellent point Starrysky!
I have to admit I don't know too much about films other than American/British, Scandinavian, German... and maybe something about Russian and Japanese.
Interesting to hear that French film is so popular in Russia. What is the reason, do you think?
The last French film I saw was many months ago: "L'ecole - Innocence" a filmitisation of a book called "Minehaha" by Frank Wedekind. Very surreal, sweet and quite good. The book left a lot of room for improvisation and many points are never made clear.. The film draw some conclusions of its own in order to make the film more focused. (There is a very cheezy Italian filmatation of the same book - I didn't like that at all. )
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Johanna
"Top 50 Cult Films Ever" according to "Entertainment" magazine (US).
How many have you seen?
1. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
2. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
9. Blade Runner
10. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
25. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
We were just talking about Rocky Horror THIS week as one of older daughter's teachers was playing Time Warp in class and NONE of the students EXCEPT her knew the song! It is a great song and classic cult movie. I am a BAD, BAD, BAD mom as my kids have seen this movie as I OWN a VHS copy of it and the LP from the movie!!! (My girls are also fans of George Carlin! they love his Class Clown LP).
I actually remember PMing with Lt. Columbo about Rocky Horror and asking him if he thought anyone on this forum would know about Rocky Horror or not. It is soooo funny because so many famous actors were in that movie... Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick.
Anyway, here is a clip from The Drew Carey Show that has BOTH Rocky Horor AND Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6ZU5TJlbMU
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Rockzmom - I know British people know the "Rocky Horror Show"... I remember it because the name is memorable. But I have never seen it and I don't know what it's about. But it's probably not known outside of the English speaking world though...
Speaking about "cult" horror movies - I can't believe there's been a remake of "Children of the Corn"! (an old-ish series of horror films with some very spooky religious kids) Just saw it in a magazine today.
I only know this series because an American girl I used to know brought several parts of it over to Sweden and everyone was hooked. LOL!! After you've seen a couple of films from that series you'll never want to walk across a corn field again as long as you live.... !
The other horror film series I remember is all those Italian ones by Dario Argentos. Class! And oh yes, the "Omen" series.
All about :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Speaking about French cinema, has anyone here seen 'Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am%C3%A9lie)? It's one of my favorite movies, and the music is great too. I like French movies. I would also recommend 'Un long dimanche de fiançailles' (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0344510/) and 'La tourneuse de pages' (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0487503/).
And do I have to be ashamed I haven't seen any of those cult movies?
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
French films... I believe mentioned before that I really liked the film Diva from 1981. I do own the DVD of this movie.
Here is the subway chase scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oQQBtXr6YQ
and here is the Aria scene with - Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hsmoo97CVA
For those of you who want to know what she is singing about... here is what it says in the notes:
Quote:
Fernandez sings the aria "Ebben? Ne andrò lontana", from Act I of Catalani's opera "La Wally." The piece is a haunting reverie on the theme of traveling alone and far from home. Catalani died in 1893 of consumption at the age of 39, only a year after the triumphant premiere of "La Wally" at La Scala.
This performance plays a prominent role in the 1981 French romantic thriller, "Diva" - and is an excerpt from the DVD. Roger Ebert, film critic for the Chicago Sun Times, rates the movie 5 stars out of 5.
This was one of the most frequently "favorited" videos on BestArts.
The opera, based on a German novel, has a libretto by the young Luigi Illica, who went on to collaborate on the texts for "La Boheme," "Tosca" and "Madama Butterfly." It tells of a wild, headstrong Swiss mountain girl who loves one local huntsman and is loved by another. Eventually she wins her true love, the pair embraces high in the Alps, an avalanche entombs the hero and she leaps after him to her snowy death.
------------
Quote:
Originally Posted by devochka
And do I have to be ashamed I haven't seen any of those cult movies?
Actually I was surprised that Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory & The Shawshank Redemption were on that list. Both of those IMHO are good films.
Here is a great scene from Shawshank http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAJ2skOJvdY
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
But actually, I have only see three films on this list: The "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" , "Akira" and "Bladerunner". Should I be worried?
I've only seen "The Shawshank Redemption" from that list and it's a great movie, very well-known and loved here - I often see it on people's TOP lists, as well as "The Green Mile". But I would never watch the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", no-no-no, I'm not into horror movies. :D I usually don't watch movies if I know there are some horrors in store - for that reason I'm not sure I'm ever going to see "Taras Bulba", which is a screen adaptation of Gogol's famous novel, "The Passion of the Christ", "Andrei Rublev"...
Quote:
Interesting to hear that French film is so popular in Russia. What is the reason, do you think?
Maybe it's because we've always had good relationships with France... and looked up to it as the paragon of culture, history and civilization. I mean, in the 19th century Russian nobility used to speak French among themselves and know it better than Russian, and I suspect even the Napoleon invasion didn't deter them from teaching it to their children. :roll: The French films that many Russians really love are those with famous French comedians, like Pierre Richard and Louis de Funes:
"Le Jouet"
"Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure noire"
"Fantomas" (1964)
"Angelique" - which is a beautiful period drama, a screen version of the series of novels by Anne and Serge Golon about the time of Louis XIV. Here are some photos from the film http://michelemercier.ru/foto/7
All those films I know and love from childhood, although they are quite old. I think people really liked them in the Soviet Union because a) they were a window into the West and therefore something exotic and curious, b) they're very beautiful in terms of costumes, sets, locations, etc, "Angelique" actually caused quite a bit of scandal in the USSR, because of Michele Mercier's naked back :) c) they're just great remarkable movies.
As for Italian cinema - well, everyone knows it too. Many great names there - Fellini, Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni...
Quote:
And oh yes, the "Omen" series.
Yes I remember that one. Must be one of the few horror films I ever saw, it wasn't so very scary, not graphic at least, as far as I remember.
Quote:
Speaking about French cinema, has anyone here seen 'Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain'
I think it's also many people's fave. It's a nice film, very original.
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
I think that following link will be interesting for those who are interested in USSR culture/history http://www.cccp-tv.ru. This site about the USSR television and contains TV program bank of those days. It is opened not long ago. Unfortunly it is all in Russian.
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Иван
I think that
the following link will be interesting for those who are interested in USSR culture/history
http://www.cccp-tv.ru. This site
is about
[s:2opw7xpl]the[/s:2opw7xpl] USSR television and contains
a ton of TV program
s [s:2opw7xpl]bank of[/s:2opw7xpl] from those days. It
[s:2opw7xpl]is[/s:2opw7xpl] opened not long ago. Unfortun
ately
(for Rockzmom or others just learning Russian) it is all in Russian.
(For others it will be great to help you learn/practice Russian and learn about Russia!)
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Johanna
"Top 50 Cult Films Ever" according to "Entertainment" magazine (US).
How many have you seen?
10. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
16. The Warriors (1979)
18. Hard-Boiled (1992)
Hard-Boiled. This film is actually in my personal cult movie list but I did not expect this film ever to be in US top cult list. I watched it once again just about a month ago. After this movie the director John Woo moved to Hollywood and we, spectators, got fantastic action films such as: Hard target, Broken Arrow, Windtalkers, Face off, Paycheck (The last one is my favorite).
The Warriors. I’ve seen it by occasion this year some time ago. Some TV channel aired a series of cult US movies along with the “Godfather”.
I wonder why the film “Leon: The Professional” by Luc Besson is not in the list? In the thread about translation for a video project Ник made a short video where the main character was a killer. I have not seen his video before the translation proposal and did not know that the killer was a maniac. So I supposed that the killer was some sort of a contract killer. In this way some lines I proposed where a compilation of what Leon said.
Quote:
You take the shorter knife to come closer to your aim. You like to foretaste the prey's aroma.
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by devochka
Speaking about French cinema, has anyone here seen 'Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain'
This movie was aired in Russia many times. It is a really cute movie with quite an original idea. I believe that this movie deserves to be in the cult movie's list.
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
What would be an accurate description of a cult movie?
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
My attempt to describe the term of a cult movie.
The movie which was made not only within a specific cultural or social cross-section (or subculture) but the movie which makes the viewer to see the surrounding World from inside the specific subculture. In other words the viewer feel himself to be a part of this subculture.
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Hmm, thanks Coffeecup for your definition. You see, I was a bit reluctant to say "Amélie Poulain" was a cult movie because it is so widely known and popular. In my mind, a cult movie has a bit of a negative connotation. But thinking about it, it actually could qualify as a cult movie.
PS: I like your signature :good: .
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain is definitely a fantastic film.
But I am not sure that I think it's a cult movie. I think a film has to be a bit "weird" and unusual to be a cult movie... (Amélie Poulain is just cute).. Sex and murder helps a lot... Also strange philosophies or religion. Good soundtrack. It should bring about some nostalgia in people when they talk about it. Also it has to be quite old and a bit cheezy.
I think that CoffeeCup's description is good.
I am trying to think of some European cult movies... I am not so good with movies...
But here are some..
English: The Wicker Man... English original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FdV-O8o7ok
Yugoslavian: Sweet Movie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsMLbCkzcGQ
Italian: Suspiria: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlww8Yk2ASY
German: Christiane F.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4vY1V8qSTc
German: Goodbye Lenin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJb4efZcFUM
Spanish: Hable con ella http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNdzcTZUW54
Iceland: Korpen flyger http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnY0KMUVQao
Nothing French comes to mind right now actually. But there must be something French that everybody has seen, that's cheezy, old and weird.... But what?
@devochka - I can't think of anything from Belgium other than the Smurfs and Tintin! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aaA6IsvN6c I think it's cult because people remember it from their childhood and because they have some wacky political/sexual associations.. apparently.
Not sure what's a Russian cult movie. I think "Brat" and "Mimino" are close to the mark though...(?) Maybe "Stalker" (?)
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by devochka
PS: I like your signature :good: .
Thank You! :rose:
Quote:
Originally Posted by devochka
In my mind, a cult movie has a bit of a negative connotation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rockzmom
Actually I was surprised that Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory & The Shawshank Redemption were on that list. Both of those IMHO are good films.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Johanna
Sex and murder helps a lot...
I never thought that a cult movie may be considered as a bad movie only. Of course it is more easy to create a new fictional cultural cross-section using sex and murders. But to find a beauty subcultural point in ordinary life is an art, and so is "Amélie Poulain". It is interesting to know what our movie expert rockzmom think of it and the term of a cult movie?
Back to Russian cult movies:
- "Брат" ("Brother") - yes this is the cult movie from the top of the top list.[/*:m:1lb74fba]
- "Mimino" - no, it's a good movie but I can't see anything related to a cult.[/*:m:1lb74fba]
- "Stalker" - it is not so easy to make a choice here. The book, the original story by Strugatsky Bros. is really suitable to be marked as a cult book. But the movie is quite different. On the other hand after the PC game "S.T.A.L.K.E.R" was released the name "Stalker" itself became a sort of cult.[/*:m:1lb74fba]
Here are some items from my Russian cult movie list:
Back to French cult movies: I've already mentioned "Leon", I would like to add "Subway" also by Luc Besson (wiki link).
Finally to German cult movies: my choice is "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (wiki link).
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Has anybody watched Tsar? I'd like to hear your impressions, should I go to the cinema or just wait for the torrent release?
http://files.kinoros.ru/f01/1921/0_t...ster1_01_b.jpg
Here's the trailer.
http://video.yandex.ru/users/film-trailers/view/409
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Ace choices Coffeecup!
"Boomer?" It had a bit of a cult feel to it.
Anything with "Rasputin" would automatically have potential for cult... Because he is a bit of a cult figure in popular imagination... but I have never seen a film with/about him...
Also, anything about kossacks...
The thing about French films is that they tend to be so "chic" and stylish that you can't really call them "cult".... I have seen "Leon" but I don't remember the plot very well.
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by CoffeeCup
It would be interesting to know what our movie expert rockzmom thinks of it and the term of a cult movie?
Sorry... I have been feeling up to posting too much...
Okay, my thoughts on what a cult film is....
I think a good example is Rocky Horror Picture Show and I can speak about that one as I have seen it in the movie theater and can explain it better.
First, what is a cult movie? It is any movie which has a large devoted specific fan base. And in that sentence is the key word...fan... short for fanatic, a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal. The people who like these films and go to see these movies don't go just once or twice, they go 100 times! I have a cousin who has seen Rocky Horror more than 200 times! I also believe it is "usually" a film that is not that great of a movie to begin with. Usually the topics of the films are the reasons they stay off the main charts. Rocky Horror is a musical that parodies science fiction and pornography films. It is not your main stream type of film! John Waters, a director from Baltimore, has a number of cult films. Pink Flamingo is one of his and the original Hair Spray, and Cry Baby (with a VERY young Johnny Depp) were his too. His films are just way out there and do not appeal to a mass audience but have a BIG fan base.
Now, back to Rocky Horror.... This film is a very funny film but if you were to watch it a home by yourself, oh my... you would just not have the same experience and would probably turn it off and think I have just lost my mind or I have taken way too much medication for liking this film. :wacko:
In the movie theater, people dress up in costumes and bring props. They spray water (when it is raining in the movie), throw toast and rice (during the wedding scene of course) and snap rubber gloves (you'll have to guess why and when). They talk back to the screen and answer questions from the characters. It is all interactive. People get up and dance (they "do" the Time Warp dance that I posted the link for). It is a total experience, not just a movie.
Rocky Horror is also the longest-running theatrical release in film history, 34 years! I saw it the first time probably around 1979-80 as my sister who is older took me to see it. Now, I have only seen it in a movie theater a few times, but the music from the show and the Time Warp & Sweet Transvestite scenes are classic "cult" scenes and used in other TV show and movies.
Which leads me to my next point about a cult film....A cult movie is one that I feel is somehow used over and over again in other films or TV shows as an inside joke and Rocky Horror has been used countless times in other things:
Family Guy: They have done a number of episodes mentioning Rocky Horror. There is a Family Guy episode entitled Dammit Janet. In the episode, PTV, Peter, Stewie and Brian are dancing in transvestite’s outfits, for about 2 seconds.... and then there is this little clip ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js-Fji8KhaQ
Cold Case did an episode where they were looking for a murder that happened that was connected to Rocky Horror in the 1970's and Barry Bostwick played the killer. The ending of the show is really good as the used some of the songs from the movie and scenes from a theater showing the movie and then used similar fonts for the credits.... here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0_mytY4P-4
The Simpsons: (just for you alex!) The Dr. is dressed in Frank garb and is seen standing outside a theater -
http://th07.deviantart.net/fs39/300W...inbowLoser.jpg (p.s. not from my computer, I just found the photo online)
Rocky Horror is mentioned on Gilmore Girls: Lorelei and Rory made plans to go to "Rocky Horror." Lorelei says she's Magenta, and Rory's usually Janet. And of course she tried to get Luke to dress up as Frank. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goU8TKht4NA
Rocky Horror has been spoofed on Whose Line is it Anyway? Wayne Brady has to do a song about a coffee grinder and he does "let's grind some coffee again!” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSa3EFCn-14
There are many more… but you get the idea... a cult film is much more than the film itself... it takes over and spreads into other things. Many times you may not understand the references made until someone explains them to you and then you go "Ohhhh" and start to notice them all over the place.
So, whatcha think?? Do you understand why I DON'T understand Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory & The Shawshank Redemption being on the list? These two movies just don't seem to ME, to fit this type of movie.
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Johanna
Not sure what's a Russian cult movie. I think "Brat" and "Mimino" are close to the mark though...(?) Maybe "Stalker" (?)
Er... Haven't seen any of those. :oops: But "Brat" is def a cult movie. I've heard SO much about it.
Wikipedia can always be relied on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_movie:
Quote:
A cult film (also known as a cult movie/picture or a cult classic) is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans.[1] Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside of the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences. Many cult movies have gone on to transcend their original cult status and have become recognized as classics; others are of the "so bad it's good" variety and are destined to remain in obscurity. Cult films often become the source of a thriving, obsessive, and elaborate subculture of fandom, hence the analogy to cults. However, not every film with a rabid fanbase is necessarily a cult film. Usually, cult films have limited but very special, noted appeal. Cult films are often known to be eccentric and do not follow traditional standards of mainstream cinema and usually explore topics not considered in any way mainstream—yet there are examples that are relatively normal. They are often considered controversial because they step outside standard narrative and technical conventions known.[2]
Art film / Art house film http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_film
Quote:
An art film (also called “art cinema”, “art movie”" or “art house film”) is typically a serious, noncommercial, independently made film or a foreign language film that may have these qualities, but may have been made by a major company in its home territory and achieved popular success. It may thus be aimed at a niche audience, rather than a mass audience,[1] or the use of subtitles in foreign language films may limit audience appeal.
Not sure about this one. Take the Disney animation, for example. It's mainstream, but it is art! I personally think that any film/book, that is made/written not purely for commercial reasons but to express the author's views on life, is art.
It so happened that while I studied foreign languages at my uni, we (meaning me and my fellow-students) thought it imporatant to go to the festivals of British and French cinema that took place every year in Novosibirsk. Well, I gotta tell you, by the end of 5 years of going I figured art cinema is not for me. I enjoyed only one film I saw - British "Pure" and it's about a 10-year-old boy whose mother is a drug addict. I really liked it because I know what it's like to have a close relative addicted to drugs. A very poignant, heart-rending film. But that was the only one. The others... euh... Well, I remember one French film about a women's prison. They'd show a prison ward walking down a corridor for 5 bl..dy minutes! Or somebody just sitting and staring blankly in front of them. And it would be their legs that are shown for another 5 minutes. I honestly didn't see the point. Perhaps it's because I've never been to jail otherwise I might've enjoyed the "reality" of it or something. :upset:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Johanna
Because he is a bit of a cult figure in popular imagination...
I've got a feeling that he's "cult" or in any way popular/enigmatic only in the West. I'm in no way fascinated by him...
Quote:
Originally Posted by CoffeeCup
Back to French cult movies: I've already mentioned "Leon"
Oh, yes, I'd definitely call "Leon" cult... It has that feel to it... And has anyone seen "Taxi" by Luc Besson? That's one hoot of a movie. My favourite is the third part. :good:
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
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Originally Posted by Ramil
Ramil, you posted a link with English subtitles!!! Thank you!!!
Okay, from what I have read about the film, I would recommend to you that you watch it on a big screen. If you want to see the blood and guts and battle in larger than life, it appears the acting is good and the scenes are very realistic and the cinematography is excellent as well. So, if this is what you are into, the film deserve to be seen on the large screen.
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http://www.variety.com/index.asp?lay...117940285&cs=1
Less lugubrious than his previous movie, "The Island," but still laden with Russian brooding and violence, Pavel Lungin's "Tsar" is a brief peep into Ivan the Terrible's heart of darkness via a conflict between the regent and the head of the church. Terrific lead perfs by Pyotr Mamonov and Oleg Yankovsky keep the movie rolling along after a slow start, interspersed with gripping, bloody action. But despite handsome production values and rich, atmospheric lensing by Clint Eastwood regular Tom Stern, this is a heavy meal to digest outside the fest arena.
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http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...03973965.story
Bottom Line: A spectacular Russian retelling of the Ivan the Terrible story....writes Deborah Young in the Hollywood Reporter. "Still, this new Russian film is a rich-looking historical epic set in 16th century Moscow...Tom Stern's cinematography, majestic in the outdoor scenes of the Russian countryside, timidly imitates the extreme camera angles and disquieting, stylized architecture of Eisenstein's two "Ivan the Terrible" classics released in 1944 and 1958. Sergei Ivanov's striking production design, paired with the gorgeous costumes designed by Natalia Dzudenko and Yekaterina Dyminskaya and Yuri Krassazin's epic score, give the film a stamp of great quality
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
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Originally Posted by rockzmom
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Bottom Line: A spectacular Russian retelling of the Ivan the Terrible story
I want to write a couple of thoughts about common English translation of Ivan IV's folk title, "Ivan the Terrible". I think it's completely unproper. "Иван Грозный" and "Иван Ужасный" means absolutely different. I remember some old computer games in English where was a joke: "Ivan the Terrible was called so because he wasn't very handsome". The author of the joke was thinking that he laughs at stupid Russians who called their tsar so, but he only laughed at stupid translator, and I'm not sure the jerk was Russian. About the image of Ivan IV in the cinema - my favorite is by Yuriy Yakovlev, the best Tsar Ivan ever! :good: :lol:
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
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Originally Posted by Basil77
I want to write a couple of thoughts about common English translation of Ivan IV's folk title, "Ivan the Terrible". I think it's completely unproper. "Иван Грозный" and "Иван Ужасный" means absolutely different. I remember some old computer games in English where was a joke: "Ivan the Terrible was called so because he wasn't very handsome". The author of the joke was thinking that he laughs at stupid Russians who called their tsar so, but he only laughed at stupid translator, and I'm not sure the jerk was Russian. About the image of Ivan IV in the cinema - my favorite is by Yuriy Yakovlev, the best Tsar Ivan ever! :good: :lol:
Yeah, a more accurate translation would be "Ivan the Formidable". Wiki quote again http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_the_terrible (god, I am addicted to wikipedia :crazy: )
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The English word terrible is usually used to translate the Russian word grozny in Ivan's nickname, but the modern English usage of terrible, with a pejorative connotation of bad or evil, does not precisely represent the intended meaning. Grozny's meaning is closer to the original usage of terrible—inspiring fear or terror, dangerous (as in Old English in one's danger), formidable, threatening, or awesome. Perhaps a translation closer to the intended sense would be Ivan the Fearsome, or Ivan the Formidable.
I'll only watch this movie if someone reassures me that there is not too much blood and gore in it, too realistically depicted.
And yes, Yakovlev is the best Ivan the Terrible! :bravo:
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Re: Films & TV: Russian & Non - Q&As/Reviews/Links all in here!
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Originally Posted by Johanna
@devochka - I can't think of anything from Belgium other than
the Smurfs and Tintin! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aaA6IsvN6c I think it's cult because people remember it from their childhood and because they have some wacky political/sexual associations.. apparently.
There were definitely political connotations in Tintin. Tintin's first adventure takes him to the Soviet Union and the story is basically a parody on the USSR.
But political/sexual connotations in the Smurfs? Maybe sexual because Smurfette is the only girl in the village?