tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post1016754798889946060..comments2024-02-10T01:22:29.316-08:00Comments on Hugo Stiglitz Makes Movies: Revisiting 1999: The Films That Just Don't Hold UpKevin J. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-46512951609415449972009-04-12T20:55:00.000-07:002009-04-12T20:55:00.000-07:00Sam:Thank you so much for stopping by and commenti...Sam:<BR/><BR/>Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. Your kind words and contributions are much appreciated on this blog.<BR/><BR/>I'm sorry we disagree on something as big as A Clockwork Orange, but I've tried giving the film a number of shots...it just never worked for me.<BR/><BR/>I agree with you that The Sixth Sense has some great moments in it, but I think compared to how revered the film was in 1999 to how one thinks about it now...there's no comparison: it doesn't hold up to that kind of praise. Still, it's a good movie.<BR/><BR/>I think that's one thing I failed to make clearer is that some of these movies I still enjoy or think are good, I'm just saying that they don't quite live up to how I thought of them back then or how much praise certain films were receiving ten years ago.<BR/><BR/>A perfect example is American Beauty. I don't hate it as much as it may seem after reading my remembrance of it, and I definitely don't think it's as bad as those who so often rail against the film. I just think that some of the scenes are so convenient for the plot and take the easy way out (the misunderstood blow job scene where Chris Cooper thinks his son his giving oral sex to Spacey's character felt like something off of Fox television) and that's what I meant by the film seeming sitcomy. The aesthetics of the film are as good as any from 1999, but that's always been my beef with Mendes, whether it be American Beauty, Road to Perdition, or Revolutionary Road; I've felt like all of his films feel too paint by numbers in the narrative department, but each film is a home run visually; however, for me, a truly great film must be both visually masterful and contain a narrative that makes me care. Mendes' characters always come off as cold and flippant to me, and I never really care about them.<BR/><BR/>I do think the best character in the film is played by the actress who gives the best performance in the film: Annette Benning is fantastic in American Beauty.<BR/><BR/>Thanks again Sam for your thoughts. I hope you drop by again and contribute masterfully to the conversation like you did here.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-44872557053698637652009-04-12T14:40:00.000-07:002009-04-12T14:40:00.000-07:00Interesting discussion here and superb essays on w...Interesting discussion here and superb essays on why this group doesn't (or indeed ever) resonated with you.<BR/><BR/>THE SIXTH SENSE is one Shyamalen film that I would give a pass to. Spew your venom as the rest of his oeuvre, (although oddly enough I rather liked THE VILLAGE, going against the grain) and leave his debut film be. It still has some potent shocks, and holds it's own within the constrictions of this genre. But again, it has some issues too, as you most eloquently elaborated on.<BR/><BR/>I also do not believe your 17 year-old crush on AMERICAN BEAUTY was an adolescent weakness, nor a failure to process it "sitcom" qualities. For me it holds up compellingly, as many of it's observations of small-town America are dead-on, particularly the behavior of Spacey's character. It has become 'fashionable' the last 5 or 6 years to trash this film, but the generally-superlative reviews it received upon release in my view were well-deserved.<BR/><BR/>A CLOCKWORK ORANGE is an out and out masterpiece, and one of the greatest films of the 1970's, as well as one of Kubrick's absolute tour de forces, along with 2001, and oddly enough, THE SHINING. The other films mentioned here by him as all most fine, but mere warm ups for the BIG THREE.<BR/><BR/>I am between Kevin and Andrew on EYES WIDE SHUT, but I suspect it's reputation over time will ascend. I agree that the gimmicky BLAIR WITCH, the pretentious DOGMA, the grating AMERICAN PIE, and the others which were no good in the first place.<BR/><BR/>Your writing and topic are first-rate. Wonderful discussion.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-27048810780577586042009-04-10T11:20:00.000-07:002009-04-10T11:20:00.000-07:00I think I take Kubrick as a package in the sense t...I think I take Kubrick as a package in the sense that I can appreciate what it is he does...with all of his films. But I don't really want to revisit or spend extended amounts of time with a lot of his films. I think I like Barry Lyndon so much because of the innovative way he lit the film, and the beautiful music and cinematography.<BR/><BR/>I remember watching a brilliant seminar on American Film with Martin Scorsese (I think the BBC did it) and he made a great point about Barry Lyndon: it's like a ballet. The way the actors move with the music, the way the film is so deliberate in its pacing; all reminded Scorsese of a ballet.<BR/><BR/>I have to agree with him, and I think I can best explain my appreciation of Barry Lyndon (and 2001 for that matter) in those terms. The film is hypnotic and I always get sucked into it while I watch it. The same goes for 2001. With Eyes Wide Shut, I always snap out of my reverie about half way through the movie (or after his initial visit to the strange orgy), it doesn't quite hold me in as fierce a daze as Barry Lyndon and 2001 do.<BR/><BR/>I foolishly left off Dr. Strangelove as a Kubrick film I greatly admire, but other than that I have the same problems with The Shining and Full Metal Jacket that I did with Eyes Wide Shut: they just lose me after awhile.<BR/><BR/>The Shining works great as sort of a whacked out comedy, but it's way too long. Full Metal Jacket is the epitome of a film that grips you from the opening scene, but then that grip loosens and subsides as the story moves from boot camp to Vietnam, I just stopped caring after that -- there had been a lot better made Vietnam movies then what was being shown in Full Metal Jacket's final half; it was the boot camp stuff that made that movie so fascinating, and I think a lot of the time people praise the entire film based on how brilliant the opening 30+ minutes are.<BR/><BR/>A Clockwork Orange never did it for me. I find the film horribly boring and excruciating to get through. I always find myself trying to give the film another chance, but I can never get through it without my mind wandering towards something else.<BR/><BR/>I like his earlier stuff: The Killing, Paths of Glory, etc. and I shamefully admit that I've never seen Spartacus or Lolita.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-67046040446808640662009-04-10T11:17:00.000-07:002009-04-10T11:17:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-57103559655934845672009-04-10T11:04:00.000-07:002009-04-10T11:04:00.000-07:00Yeah, Kubrick is one of those directors whose shee...Yeah, Kubrick is one of those directors whose sheer languidness either works for you or it doesn't. It is interesting that you like Lyndon but are bored with EWS. Most cinephiles seem to take Kubrick as a package: They either enjoy his filmography as a whole or they don't. "Splitters" who have strongly divergent opinions depending on the individual film seem to be rare, at least among American film-goers in my experience. Wonder why that is?The Caustic Ignostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08573539801150336099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-64144090737904340482009-04-10T10:32:00.000-07:002009-04-10T10:32:00.000-07:00Andrew:Thanks for the comments. It was only about...Andrew:<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the comments. It was only about five years ago that I still heralded The Blair Witch Project as a great horror film, but I've soured on it after a viewing within the last few years. It's not because of the rough edges or the fact that it's not scary, I just think with my personal criteria for these films it just doesn't hold up when I know all the beats to the song. I can appreciate the craft and skill that went into making such an old fashioned horror film that relies solely on sound to scare the viewer, but it all just feels so familiar to me. But I can definitely see where you're coming from.<BR/><BR/>Now, as for Eyes Wide Shut -- It just never grew on me. I've seen the film three times and I'd like to think I've given it a fair shake. There are some immensely eerie elements to the film (the sub plot with piano player, the creepy music, Pollack's character), but I've never been one to be entertained by Kubrick's plodding stories; which is odd considering I think Barry Lyndon is one of the best films I've ever seen! I know I know...it probably doesn't make much sense, but I've just never been a huge fan of Kubrick's style -- I totally get the effect he's going for in his films, but it just doesn't do it for me.<BR/><BR/>Eyes Wide Shut does have one of the best final lines I've seen in a movie, though.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-37042461488909381152009-04-10T09:56:00.000-07:002009-04-10T09:56:00.000-07:00Good list, and great job explaining the problems t...Good list, and great job explaining the problems that you see with these films.<BR/><BR/>I gotta respectfully disagree on two of these: Blair Witch Project and Eyes Wide Shut. BWP isn't exceptional cinema, but I'm always struck by how well it <I>does</I> hold up for me as an evocative horror story. It's so rough around the edges compared to its descendants, and there is so little about it that <I>feels</I> calibrated (no matter how finely calibrated it might actually be). Its sheer indie shoddiness works fantastically in its favor to create that immersive authenticity that sells the whole thing for me. I watch it about once a year during the Halloween season, always late at night with all the lights turned out and the sound way up. And it always scares the bejeezus out of me.<BR/><BR/>EWS has actually improved for me with time. I was modestly pleased with when I saw it in theatrical release, but I've gradually come to see it as a minor masterpiece in a oeuvre littered with masterpieces. I guess YMMV.The Caustic Ignostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08573539801150336099noreply@blogger.com