Tokyo –Ga (1985)

Director – Wim Wenders. Documentary following Wim Wenders as he travels to Japan in search of the country seen in the films of Yasujiro Ozu. It is apparent that this is Wenders first visit to Japan, and although some of his thoughts are insightful an equal amount of his discussion is obvious. A couple of interesting interviews with one of Ozu’s primary actors Chishu Ryu and cameraman Yuharu Atsuta give some interesting insights to Ozu’s film making. Essentially Wenders search for the Japan of Ozu’s films struggles to see past the Americanisation of the post war era, there is some beautiful night footage of the city, and some delightful observations on documenting footage in the modern age (of the 80’s). I found the documentary interesting, although Chris Markers “Sans Soleil” (1982) might be a better introduction to Japan, the interviews give some good insights to Yasujiro Ozu’s camera placement and directing style.

Directing style 7/10 Enjoyment 6/10

 
Advantegeous by Jennifer Phang (2015) USA // for LARGE grabs here's a link //
Great flick - as previous - also done by a woman director. Sci-fi at its best... an underrated gem =)
 

 
what makes a mother?
 

@matthere put Black Sun in watchlist, thanks buddIO =)

 
Fiting article, with videos What It Takes to Be a Great Director on PB

 
2 good jail flicks (where not only main character shines) with 2 Mr. musicians

• Robert M. Young's Short Eyes from 1977 with Curtis Mayfield - popcorn has it
 
• John Hillcoat's first feature Ghosts... of the Civil Dead with Nick Cave - probably one of the best films treating the subject of... confinement and its institutions

Steve Buscemi's Animal Factory also has nice OST by the great John Lurie, but he's not acting in it :-(
He's doubling with Tom Waits in Jarmush's Dawn by Law though, but IMO we cannot consider this pearl a film about prison

Other recent (last decade) very good ones but without musicians, (orderd by my personal taste) :P A prophet, Hunger, Dog Pound, Bronson, Starred Up and Cell 2011 (we always need a spaniard) and as I think it I'll say it: Shashank is one of the most overated films of all time. Wrapping up with my 5 list (might have forgotten some):

Un Condamné à Mort S'est Échappé ou Le Vent Souffle Où Il Veut - on the individual's will power
Ghosts... of the Civil Dead - on the institution, madness
Un Prophet - how do you "make" a prophet? Prison!!!
Papillon - on friendship // Carandiru - SA
Cool Hand Luke - on spirit // Runaway Train (this last one would need long explaining; prison goes on outside)

@kurth
Cannot believe you jumped over either Bresson, Ozu, Pasolinni or/and Tarkovsky :P
There's so much I don't know that I should be ashamed... well with time. Despite that I mirror myself in much of your comment.
Bill Viola works (earlier ones) is something every soul making video should see, i.e. The passing and I do not know what it is I look like... big influenciators. Some of his image installations are also breathtaking. Zen to it.

As a side note I really don't know if Runaway Train is a great flick or not... we go a long way so I lost perspective... or should I said gained a subjective relationship instead? Anyway just a personal jail flick list.

I believe - and have big chance of being wrong - that if thread is to be saved from ego-shoping-list and end with mine is bigger BS, it is better to focus on less is more; guess I might sound hypocritical, I made mine and now I'm saying it's wrong (WTF SOB?!!)... but that list works in the context of my 2 proposals.

personally ...I think you can skip everyone before eisenstein...

Amongst the candy-mud there is pretty good cinema being done today.
What can we learn/extract/permeate/surprise ourselves with?

 
I'll give U an example. I was absolutely taken away by Glass Chin. I didn't expect much and surely the film has holes and strange decisions, but the dialogs, the boxer relationship with the buddhist girl, acting and particularities of each character, some scenes and general concept behind first action layer were so refreshing... inspirational. The shower scene and the dialog in bed (in despite of all that's going on) are very touching without being cliché, reasuring, mature. That is a presence of mind that I greatly appreciate in a work, being a masterpiece or not ,-)

 
PS
Didn't know Kuro wrote original script, that makes it even cooler, thanks bro =)

@kurth How you dare infidel?!!! {monkey threatening with plastic wrench} Chaos/destruction is perfection too :P
Ozu... I need to see more, despite I have almost all his films... it is so damn good that takes very long for me to digest/process them (there's also a time for ceratin stuff, if I had watched Tôkyô Monogatari before the death of my father... I wouldn't have grasp half of it, strong grounded soul-materia Ozu produced) and as if that wasn't enough I promised myself that some flicks I would first watch projected onto a big canvas, in a room full of people... well, some people at least ,-) Bresson is all good, B&W and his 1.66 Eastmancolors too, he really is and as he didn't make so many. Just to pick one... Une femme douce... As a footnote, some years ago I had flu and don't know why went on and edited all UFD's dialogs out, you would not believe how much meaning those few words have and yet how crazy (good) looked the film without them, have to upload that shit one of these dias.

Now, you tell one flick (extra points if from last decade) you liked it and want to share with us, yes?

 
PS
That's what I said, Kurosawa built the train with his bare hands :P

+1 for N.B. Ceylan
A pigeon sitting on a branch...?, some people are lucky +)

PS
C'won you could at least see one each season, to honor Ozu
Ok @kurth , here's one picked just 4 U, think you may appreciate the humorous irony: Force Majeure

@eyefi Ese aifi, no fit, comoê to chulo, que paza tío?!!! Ahí no más papito, mírome tu recomendasión personalisada y me busco otra servesita que esta ya se me vaca bar, gra A sias ,-)

Acá madrid 40 grados, no birra, destilando sudor. all of Víctor Erice.

Far from sol, pozuelo nightmare, Grey Gardens for the greasy summer

Uff, the suburb drama. I wish you the best mon ami and as hard as it is for me to say, you gotta jump to the Ninth Configuration ASAP

@maxr....saw tokyo story but i'll have to give it another shot....saw force as well - how'bout....the white dawn p kaufman ....kusturica underground ..... m leigh's naked ....alain tanner Les années lumière

Lord of the Rings sagas.

Visually great. I kinda thought that 60fps thing was just for publicity. Maybe somebody can explain why that was necessary, or at least what it was trying to achieve. If something beyond that, I mean hearing about it made me think about framerates (as, yes I am an amateur filmmaker-sort-a-wanna-be).

I saw the green screen-making-ofs somebody posted on this forum. Really well-done results; use of depth of field makes it look really convincing.

Two Towers pacing really dragged at the end. Kinda sabotaged the climactic battle at Helm's Deep.

Full disclosure: I didn't see the last 2 Hobbit movies. 1st one only.

I heard about the changed ending. I read the Hobbit book so long ago: I only realized the significance of it recently. It's relation to technological convergence is especially significant now with all these dang smart phones and potential self-learning AI.

Not that I dig the aquarian hippie movement.

Side-note: don't know if anyone saw this on youtube: