Re: The Movie House - Part 11

by Freeza on Fri Oct 04, 2019 6:08 pm

Also agree with what my professor wrote on Facebook about this same quote:

These days, a Martin Scorsese quote is being circulated, and while I might agree (to some degree) with the sentiment and the provocative notion, I do not think that it makes that much sense.

While Marvel films are not my favorite type of cinema either, and while I agree that they can be likened to theme park-like attractions, that type of entertainment is hardly foreign to cinema. One could even argue that what Martin Scorsese defines as not-cinema is a central proponent of many of the earliest film experiences before the Nickelodeon Boom. As poignant as his film criticism can be - and as avid and culturally learned a filmmaker he is - this comment is strangely a-historical. In other words: That type of entertainment, too, is a historically well-known strand of cinema, even if Martin Scorsese (and I) do not particularly care for this specific expression. Imagine saying that documentaries were not cinema because they simply ‘reproduce’ real-life events (which of course is far from the truth).

by El Gunner on Fri Oct 04, 2019 6:09 pm

I get where he is coming from. It's okay for him to have that opinion, he is entitled to it.

by Freeza on Fri Oct 04, 2019 6:17 pm

@El Gunner wrote:I get where he is coming from. It's okay for him to have that opinion, he is entitled to it.

He literally made a movie about a real life director who made the MCU movies of that time Laughing

by McLewis on Fri Oct 04, 2019 6:48 pm

Meh, it's a cycle. I'm sure hotshot directors of today will be as wistful as he is when they get to his age, longing for the good old days.

by RealGunner on Sat Oct 05, 2019 12:12 am

What a fucking film. Speechless.

Joaquin Phoenix with one of the best acting i have ever seen.

The last 30 minutes is the greatest cinema you will see. I was sat there with hands on my mouth ffs.

Incredible. It's a masterpiece.

by Freeza on Sat Oct 05, 2019 12:22 am

Lol. Calm down, my guy

by Glory on Sat Oct 05, 2019 6:57 am

@RealGunner wrote:What a fucking film. Speechless.

Joaquin Phoenix with one of the best acting i have ever seen.

The last 30 minutes is the greatest cinema you will see. I was sat there with hands on my mouth ffs.

Incredible. It's a masterpiece.

Seconded. A certain scene towards the end literally gave me frikin chills. Joaquin Phoenix is a beast. Perhaps the best actor working right now.

by RealGunner on Sat Oct 05, 2019 9:16 am

I know exactly which scene you are talking about.

by Glory on Sat Oct 05, 2019 9:31 am

by futbol on Sat Oct 05, 2019 12:06 pm

When Scorsese says "not cinema" he does not mean it literally you'd have to assume. Anything that is caught on tape and broadcasted in theaters is cinema obviously, even if it's someone taking a dump for 90 minutes straight on motion picture. Scorsese would not refute that.

What he means is "real cinema" as in "The Rock is not a real actor [but merely a performer]". And then he is 100 % correct.

by Arquitecto on Sat Oct 05, 2019 3:38 pm

It paints me that Phoenix only gets the recognition he is getting now, rather than earlier.

Walk the line
You were never really there
Master etc etc

First ones that come to mind in what is a very methodical and character driven actor who makes no fuss of what he does and simply delivers film after film.

I have not yet seen Joker yet but will purely to see what he brings to the table, and of course De Niro in who has Irishman and Joker summing up his year.

by Don't call me James on Tue Oct 08, 2019 8:42 am

Just came back from Joker. WOW. Joaquin Phoenix is a god. This was by far the best acting I've seen since Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler and JK Simmons in Whiplash (both of those were over 5 years ago).

The movie is a masterpiece. It really is a phenomenal character study into the Arthur "Joker" Fleck and his mind. I knew right away when Joaquin Phoenix signed up for this that this was going to be a character piece and not your regular comic book film. It didn't disappoint.

It's easily the best film of the year so far. And I loved Parasite, Endgame, and OUATIH.

by M99 on Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:02 am

Where and how did you watch Parasite?

by Freeza on Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:07 am

Can't get over how Arthur Fleck is legit the character's name. It's probably the dumbest name in any movie of all time, and I love it Laughing

by Don't call me James on Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:16 am

@M99 wrote:Where and how did you watch Parasite?

Alternative way. Couldn't wait for the release. Although I'll probably go for the official release as well when it comes out here. There's a decent copy out now on pirating sites but I'd wager it would look much better on the big screen. Not much long left now for the release in US and Europe.

by rincon on Tue Oct 08, 2019 10:56 am

Joker was amazing in a very strange way, which was fitting.

Phoenix is fantastic, should be in the running for best actor for sure. What a performance! The movie lives and dies by him.

I was expecting Joker to be totally carried by his performance from early previews and reviews, but I was hugely surprised by the "rest" of the movie as well. The cinematography, the soundtrack, the direction, everything is on point. It's made perfectly. Saw Phoenix in an interview saying how the director told him the Joker had to be musical, it was an amazing way to convey his insanity. The way the soundtrack changes through the movie was one of my favorite things.

by rincon on Tue Oct 08, 2019 11:12 am

@RealGunner wrote:Scorsese

Thoughts?

Think he is spot on

This is simply outdated for me. It would be the same as saying it about movies based on books. There's the Godfather and then there is Eragon.

Comic books movies are far past being only campy theme park rides.

If someone sees Joker or Logan and doesn't see "humans trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to other humans", I don't know what to say. That's if only the darker movies are considered cinema too.

Homecoming is a good high-school film, spiderman or not. Winter Soldier is a thriller, take out the super strength of 2 characters and you could call it Bond, Bourne, etc. Comic book movies aren't much of a genre definition anymore imo. You are discounting a lot of genres if you discount comic book movies. Which of course he is free to do, but then that's a very narrow definition of what is the telling of human experiences and emotions.

Within the same franchise there is Joker, The Dark Knight trilogy, and then there is Suicide Squad. It's clear which one is the theme-park-like and which ones aren't.

Good films are good films regardless of the format of the source material.

The MCU as a whole I see as an achievement in cinema/stroytelling. It's something massive and never done before. Personal preference or not, it is unique in it's long form of storytelling over a decade. Grouping it with something like Batman&Robin or Justice League doesn't make much sense past the super hero group thing.

by El Gunner on Tue Oct 08, 2019 11:23 am

@rincon wrote:
Phoenix is fantastic, should be in the running for best actor for sure. What a performance! The movie lives and dies by him.

you guys think judges/academies might shy away from giving the movie any big awards because of the big backlash it has received from some spheres of the media?

by rincon on Tue Oct 08, 2019 11:25 am

I don't know enough about the media/academy awards to say anything regarding that.

It was shockingly good as an acting performance though, for me it feels like it can't be ignored.

by Freeza on Tue Oct 08, 2019 11:26 am

@El Gunner wrote:
@rincon wrote:
Phoenix is fantastic, should be in the running for best actor for sure. What a performance! The movie lives and dies by him.

you guys think judges/academies might shy away from giving the movie any big awards because of the big backlash it has received from some spheres of the media?

Considering Green Book won last year I think it only greatly enhances its chances.

The difference is that Joker is really good and Green Book is absolute trash

by Freeza on Tue Oct 08, 2019 11:26 am

I just hope Banderas is nominated. Really nailed back pains in that role.

by M99 on Tue Oct 08, 2019 11:30 am

Phoenix called the Oscars bullshit a few years back. That might be a problem though.

In my opinion he should win Best Actor by a landslide. Brad Pitt should win Best Supporting. Marriage Story is coming up though, Adam Driver is apparently amazing in it.

by rincon on Tue Oct 08, 2019 11:31 am

It's pretty amazing that Heath Ledger and Phoenix played the same character so well, and so differently, within a couple of years of each other.

To get to 2 totally different movies with the character played so successfully that both may get an oscar for it.

by Freeza on Tue Oct 08, 2019 11:34 am

@M99 wrote:Phoenix called the Oscars bullshit a few years back. That might be a problem though.

In my opinion he should win Best Actor by a landslide. Brad Pitt should win Best Supporting. Marriage Story is coming up though, Adam Driver is apparently amazing in it.

I don't think his peers give a shit about that. He's was nominated immediately after those comments, so I think they've been overblown.

Only other time he's had a legit chance to be nominated was for Her. But that year was overall ridiculous. And we all know Oscar Isaac was the robbed one that year.

by Freeza on Tue Oct 08, 2019 11:38 am

@rincon wrote:It's pretty amazing that Heath Ledger and Phoenix played the same character so well, and so differently, within a couple of years of each other.

That Oscar race is just ridiculous overall.

Adam Driver
Phoenix
De Niro
Dicaprio
Banderas
Christian Bale
Jonathan Pryce
Adam Sandler and
Eddie Murphy

Poor Egerton giving the performance of his life and ending up in an all time year after last year's disgraceful shit.

@rincon wrote:

To get to 2 totally different movies with the character played so successfully that both may get an oscar for it.

Second time it could happen after Godfather I&II who were also wildly different movies tonally, despite being connected. And the characters were so different, yet the same.

by El Gunner on Tue Oct 08, 2019 12:13 pm

Ad Astra
2.5/5

What do you want to be? A space exploration film, or very clearly a profound allegory of a man's psyche trying to overcome his father's abandonment as a youngster?

In the end, it does not make an impact as either. An extra half a star for trying to be inventive on that front.

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