[Crudblud]

Wild Palms (Various directors overseen by Oliver Stone)

It's 2007, which as we all know was a time of rampant crypto-fascism and televisual brainwashing in which people in inane sitcoms are projected onto your couch and you have sex with them through the magic of drugs. Maybe that didn't happen, maybe it did and we were too busy hallucinating cathedrals to notice, but if we were ever in that alternate future-past we would all be having nightmares about rhinoceroses and getting shouted at by Robert Loggia because of Brad Dourif's sunglasses — or something — and really, who doesn't lay awake at night wishing they could live that life?

[Foxbox]

Wild Palms (Various directors overseen by Oliver Stone)

It's 2007, which as we all know was a time of rampant crypto-fascism and televisual brainwashing in which people in inane sitcoms are projected onto your couch and you have sex with them through the magic of drugs. Maybe that didn't happen, maybe it did and we were too busy hallucinating cathedrals to notice, but if we were ever in that alternate future-past we would all be having nightmares about rhinoceroses and getting shouted at by Robert Loggia because of Brad Dourif's sunglasses — or something — and really, who doesn't lay awake at night wishing they could live that life?

I must see this.

[Vindictus]

12 Years A Slave. It was powerful, and probably the best film I've seen all year (although I haven't seen as many as I would have liked). The only thing I didn't like about it was the soundtrack, which kept distracting me as it sounded exactly like Inception. Big surprise when it turns out that Hans Zimmer scored it. He needs to do less movies.

[rooster]

12 Years A Slave. It was powerful, and probably the best film I've seen all year (although I haven't seen as many as I would have liked). The only thing I didn't like about it was the soundtrack, which kept distracting me as it sounded exactly like Inception. Big surprise when it turns out that Hans Zimmer scored it. He needs to do less movies.

I really want to see this one. I almost convinced A&A to go down to New Orleans with me for a weekend so I could try and celebrity hunt. I even had the address to the plantation mapped out on my phone.

But really, I just love the idea of New Orleans. It's so old and rich in culture.

[Foxbox]

Breakfast at Tiffany's (Blake Edwards)
I finally saw it and loved it so much that I watched it again less than an hour later.

[Crudblud]

Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman)

Second viewing, now have no qualms calling it an absolute masterpiece, and definitely one of the greatest films of our time. The late Philip Seymour Hoffman gives a masterful performance as the increasingly decrepit playwright Caden Cotard, who takes advantage of his MacArthur Fellowship grant to mount an unprecedented production which becomes a living, breathing simulacrum of his own life.

A History of Violence (David Cronenberg)

Watched it with commentary this time, the sheer volume of insight the director offers into everything going on in the film is quite staggering. The subtlety of Viggo Mortensen's performance in particular is highlighted in this viewing.

[Crudblud]

Men Behind the Sun (Mou Tun Fei)

Graphic depiction of the horrors inflicted on Chinese prisoners by the Japanese military at Unit 731. From the very beginning, it is quite obvious that this is a serious drama about political history, and I think its common mislabelling as an exploitation film is most unfortunate. The entire purpose of an exploitation film is to exploit (no, really?!) for the purposes of entertainment a particular thing, whether it's Nazi war crimes or rape or extreme violence or even the death of Bruce Lee, Men Behind the Sun, on the other hand, is more in line with Schindler's List, a serious and sincere attempt to document an historic case of extreme brutality. It's not perfect, the English dub is especially grating, but it is a harrowing and worthwhile film which has a serious message.

[Saddam Hussein]

The entire purpose of an exploitation film is to exploit (no, really?!) for the purposes of entertainment a particular thing, whether it's Nazi war crimes or rape or extreme violence or even the death of Bruce Lee

[Crudblud]

The entire purpose of an exploitation film is to exploit (no, really?!) for the purposes of entertainment a particular thing, whether it's Nazi war crimes or rape or extreme violence or even the death of Bruce Lee

<Clones of Bruce Lee>

Off the top of my head I can think of Bruce Lee Fights Back From the Grave, Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger and New Fist of Fury to go with that one. Good old Bruceploitation.

[beardo]

I don't think New Fist of Fury can be considered Bruceploitation since Jackie Chan's character in that movie was not supposed to be Bruce Lee or any of Bruce's characters, and they didn't try to make him look like Bruce either. It was just a sequel to Fist of Fury.
I know Lo Wei tried to marked Chan as "the new bruce lee" with this film, but it wasn't like the real Bruceploitation movies where they outright marketed their character AS Bruce Lee himself.

[Crudblud]

I don't think New Fist of Fury can be considered Bruceploitation since Jackie Chan's character in that movie was not supposed to be Bruce Lee or any of Bruce's characters, and they didn't try to make him look like Bruce either. It was just a sequel to Fist of Fury.
I know Lo Wei tried to marked Chan as "the new bruce lee" with this film, but it wasn't like the real Bruceploitation movies where they outright marketed their character AS Bruce Lee himself.

Oh, that's right... I'll concede that one, then. I just remembered it as Bruceploitation because of the name, I guess.

[Crudblud]

Dr Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick)

It was good.

[Foxbox]

Berberian Sound Studio (Peter Strickland)
I really don't know what was going on in this film, but it was a very enjoyable film experience.
I will see again.

[Crudblud]

Stranger Than Paradise (Jim Jarmusch)

A wonderful exploration of the state of being alone and being lonely, wanting people around oneself but wanting them to leave once they are there. The minimalist plot and languid pacing offer up a meditative 90 minutes of bizarre, absurdly funny and often poignant interactions. I really like it.

[Ghost Spaghetti]

Dr Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick)

It was good.

Love Dr Strangelove.

[Saddam Hussein]

I've just finished a marathon of those Marvel universe movies, as I had tragically fallen behind in the last few years.  The only ones I skipped over were the Hulk one and the third Iron Man, because I heard they were kind of underwhelming.  Anyway, the second Thor movie was the last one I watched, so, thoughts.  You know you've got a pathetic villain when the hero's mother, of all people, can kick his ass in a fight.  Also, Kat Dennings still isn't funny.

[Rama Set]

Hulk was actually pretty good. Ironman 3 was terrible. I liked Thor 2 more than the first; it felt like a more compelling story.

[Saddam Hussein]

The villain still sucked.  I know that Loki was a hard act to follow, but it's like they made no effort at all with him.  He was just some guy.  Some boring, uninteresting, unimpressive guy.

[beardo]

Now watch them again. All of them.

[Vindictus]

Hulk was actually pretty good. Ironman 3 was terrible. I liked Thor 2 more than the first; it felt like a more compelling story.

Why do people hate IM3 so much?