NathanGordon

For whatever reason I've completely avoided There Will Be Blood, and I'm realizing now that I don't really enjoy the work of PTA much at all. I recognize the greatness of his body of work, especially the momumental performances he's drawn out of some incredible actors (Hoffman especially, although he was preternaturally gifted) but the dramatic density and gravity of the stuff just isn't to my personal taste.

He's so consistently fucking amazing. It would be interesting to hear them debate the merits of The Skin I Live In, especially for whatever passes for Devin's take on the sexual politics of the film (and Amy's bemused response).

I'm probably your age -- I absolutely hated Prodigy and Chem Brothers and the pop electronica of the time. It was basically the equivalent of today's brostep. My friends and I all liked The Orb, Future Sound of London, 808 State, Aphex Twin, not to mention all the great Chicago house and techno that I danced to at warehouse parties back in the early 90s. True hackers would be listening to Amiga tracker music, though! I had a computer with a modem back then, and I spent hours on my headphones with this stuff.

Not sure if anyone would disagree with this. What is there to say about it, except for fawning praise?

Personally I find Lars Von Trier to be so self-serious as to be ludicrious at times. Antichrist is so completely over the top that the tone is confusing. Whereas Solondz is uncomfortable in its very plausible humanity (most of the time). I think it's much easier to relate to Solondz's characters. Welcome To The Dollhouse is classic, you're missing out. Happiness is pretty essential as well. The rest I can take or leave, but they've all got some very good performances.

But the pendulums, man! They're swinging! Coming atcha from all sides like a whirling dervish, all fists and elbows! Earwolf is going down!

It's funny, but I suppose it's a brand of comedy that is an acquired taste. It's not "scary", but it's disturbing and horrifying at times. I don't think the film is advocating rape or misogyny, but it's certainly in line with the exploitation/VHS horror aesthetic of the era. This isn't to excuse that at all, and it could offend sensitive viewers -- in which case, the entire genre would probably disagree with you. Gordon didn't include some more gruesome elements from the original story, including multiple children being killed and eaten. I'd argue that the film establishes a very dark, funny tone from the beginning, when Herbert West reanimates a cat. I don't think Re-Animator is ever mean-spirited. Amatuerishly made -- it was Stuart Gordon's first feature film, made for $800,000. So yes, there's a charming low budget feel to it, but the film is also wildly inventive and has some very creative special effects. This is by far the part of the film I enjoy the most, and one aspect I think most viewers should be able to appreciate. I'm curious what you think about Raimi's The Evil Dead, which is a very close parallel, not only for creative independent horror but also because it contains a scene of sexual assault -- a scene Raimi chose not to include in Evil Dead 2 (essentially a remake).

Ghost World is really not all that amazing, especially when compared to its source material. It's a well done coming of age story. Crumb is quite special though, not only for its ostensible subject, but for the story it uncovers through the lense of "biography about counter culture cartoonist".

Todd Solondz vs Mike Leigh, perhaps? Happiness against Naked?

Smigg, you forget you're reporting from the future. It's still late night here. Do we have any idea what the next episode is going to be? I would have guessed the Lifetime movie Mother May I Sleep With Danger, but I think the window for that has passed.

Jesse Eisenberg is fine; we know he can act in other movies. He didn't write or direct himself in this mess. It's entirely Zach Snyder and his producers. That dream sequence made no sense to me as a person with only casual DC comic knowledge (basically just their movies). Not just because Bruce wakes up from the same dream three times(!!), but because the events didn't seem to connect with the rest of the story. Who was the guy who suddenly showed up and said he was too early? I've heard it was the Flash, but it didn't look like the tv show Flash. The computer files with the other JL heroes felt hilariously shoehorned in there, almost like you were watching DVD bonus features.

Totally agree -- Ninth Configuration has got to be one of the most underrated films ever. Didn't Blatty approve a different Friedkin cut? Or are you referring to the footage that was apparently lost or destroyed? In the grand scheme, final act meddling aside, Legion is a very strong horror film. George C Scott is fuckin incredible to watch.

Fine, I'll start. Banner, preferably when helping refugee children and being sensitive and shit Vision, in his civilian clothes Vision and Wanda, together (I... will just watch...) Magic Red Lady/Wanda Archery Man (honestly his personality and humor are just right, also he has kids) Blidow Quick Man/Pietro Blanther Loki Ant Guy (big mode only) Shakespeare In The Park Man (he'd have to keep his mouth shut though) Stark (same; actually he could just keep the helmet on) Stark on a bender Cap . . . Everyone else Spiderman, all versions

If there's an onscreen couple with less chemistry than Anne Heche and Tommy Lee Jones in Volcano, I'd like to know.

There is such a massive body of analysis and criticism on Tarkovsky already; I prefer it when this podcast covers films which have a chance of not having everything said about them already. That said, I love Stalker more than my children (I don't have children) and almost slapped a guy for admitting to watching half of Andrei Rublev on his fuckin cell phone.

Okay, I admit I wasn't looking at his face. His hair looks pretty weird, too. Man's got some bone structure though.

Wait, are we complaining about this? He looks fine as fuck. Did someone really say he looks "untoned"?

Considering that you're the only dissenting comment so far, I think you're the one that needs to make an argument.

I don't understand how you could say this is "lesser Miyazaki"; that's like saying Casino is "lesser Scorsese". It seems like the no votes are saying Kiki is pleasant but not as fantastic or dazzling as Spirited Away or Mononoke. This is an attitude often represented here (and one I'm guilty of myself) when the obvious canon film is pushed aside in favor of a second or third favorite. But these choices lead to much more interesting conversations -- I mean, I'd like to hear someone argue that Spirited Away *isn't* a sublime masterpiece. I see Kiki and Totoro as companion films; both represent Miyazaki's idealized vision of a peaceful, pastoral, pre-war life which he never found as an adult. Film Crit Hulk really nailed it when he talked about Miyazaki's cynicism, which many fans wouldn't believe is there but is actually critical to understanding his work. The reason these beautiful worlds he's created exist is precisely because he's disillusioned with the real world, in which people hurt, die, and ruin goodness. You can see hints of this in his early films (people sometimes note an undercurrent of darkness in Totoro) until it comes to full bore in Princess Mononoke. The two films also both feature girls on the cusp of adolescence, making choices and gaining a degree of independence; in many ways similar to a Disney Princess® but without the need to provide a suitably bland Prince to drive the story (which is one failing of Howl's Moving Castle). I loved it when Devin was handwaving away some aspect of the story and Amy injected with "Now see, here is this thing where you were never a teenage girl." Which is funny, but very true -- how telling is it that Devin was uncomfortable with the upskirt angles (which are totally not gratuitous or meant to be titillating at all). Who is the one sexualizing a little girl here? I think it speaks to a real weakness in film criticism by men who are talking about women- (and especially) girl-centric stories. I don't mean to unnecessarily invoke claims of sexism, that's not the point at all. Maybe I'm reading ahead too far here. Also, I want to say that Kiki and Miyazaki in general have a wonderful and distinctly Japanese sensibility, as seen in the works of Ozu, or movies like The Makioka Sisters or Ran. That pastoral nature is a large part of it, to be sure, but also in how measured the films are, how closely they align with traditional Japanese aesthetics of form, order, and simplicity. This is something a Pixar cartoon, with all of its narrative economy, will never do.

omfg Ramsey is brilliant Sometimes I hate modern reality tv programming but then there's moments of pure beauty like that.

This movie is almost Stuart Gordon's masterpiece (that would be From Beyond) but it's so iconic, influential, and inventive that it's a slam dunk. No question. How much fun is Jeffrey Combs in this? I want to watch it again right now!

This is not true, and this sort of baseless accusation does neither filmmaker or film any service. To be honest, I'm in agreement with Devin on anime despite loving many classics of the genre; on the whole, I find the bulk of it embarrassing and puerile at best.

I remember getting a drink with my girlfriends after we'd just seen The Avengers, and were discussing who was the hottest dude. (It depends on your facial hair preference, really.) We all agreed Mark Ruffalo was handsome in a kind of disheveled, sensitive way, and that we were probably drawn to him because he's damaged/troubled. One of my friends was like "It's Loki, how is this even a contest?" and it really made me think how, much of the time, I don't even consider someone attractive if their morality doesn't vibe with mine. It's crazy how much this influences perception of beauty, although bad boy/evil is a turn on for many -- still, I'd never fuck a Republican, no matter how hot they are.

Disney has the licensing rights, they have an exclusive deal with Netflix; therefore there are no Ghibli movies streaming anywhere (legal).

I've heard a couple of anime fans point out Nolan and Aronofsky using Kon as inspiration; it's important to remember he also drew a lot from other Western filmmakers, especially Hitchcock and Kubrick. Perfect Blue is in many ways a standard thriller, but it's what Kon does specifically with the medium of animation to enhance the story that makes it a masterpiece, and probably his best work. Paprika is a gorgeous film, but flawed. I was shocked to learn of his death back in 2010. Although animation fans have always championed his films, I think that his body of work is still underrated among cinephiles and general audiences. This probably has more to do with the perception of Japanese anime as a medium, as well as an attitude of "lol japan is so weird" that's founded in Orientalism.