Comments for theFilmsaurus

Comment on 2011: A Directory of Essential Cinema by Dad

Dad — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:09:48 +0000

Nicely done
Want to guess how many of these I’ve seen?

Comment on What’s Playing in NYC (Turkey Edition) by Michal Oleszczyk

Michal Oleszczyk — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:07:17 +0000

Liked that one a lot; hope to see more vids on your site in the future! Very envious of the chance all New Yorkers have of seeing A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY, btw.

Comment on 2000s – present by Matt Drum

Matt Drum — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 09:51:44 +0000

That is a fascinatingly eclectic list. I’m intrigued that one person could be responsible for those choices. I don’t always agree – who would want to – but I love the diversity.

Comment on 1980s by Jaime N. Christley

Jaime N. Christley — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:38:09 +0000

I’d like to think that all good films will eventually be uncovered and appreciated properly.

It’s been several years since I’ve seen an Allen film from that period (I think it was either ANOTHER WOMAN or a 2nd viewing of CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS); personally, I think he’s going through a renewal at the moment – MIDNIGHT IN PARIS might be my favorite film of his.

Comment on 1980s by Scott

Scott — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:09:40 +0000

Thank you for the response. Personally, I think that ZELIG, PURPLE ROSE, and HANNAH do fall under the latter category, but I guess the near-universal disdain for Mr. Konigsberg that I encounter among regular people also includes a fair number of cinephiles.

Comment on Directors Who Can Do No Wrong #3: Stanley Kubrick by Jaime N. Christley

Jaime N. Christley — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:41:53 +0000

You know, this actually started as a selfish project for my own “to see” needs. And it eventually turned into the biggest “to see” list around!

Two fairly recent – and excellent – films that I likely would not have discovered without this: Rivette’s DUELLE and Robert Parrish’s THE PURPLE PLAIN.

Comment on Directors Who Can Do No Wrong #3: Stanley Kubrick by Craig Simpson

Craig Simpson — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:56:25 +0000

The only thing Kubrick’s needed rescuing from is the present, i.e., the initial reception of middling reviews that have greeted nearly all his films. I remember Rosenbaum mentioning that sometimes the reception has divided along tribal lines: the Chicago critics liking “Eyes Wide Shut,” for instance, while many of the New Yorkers complaining that Kubrick’s version of their city looking nothing like the real thing.

I like Boetticher a great deal. Ed Howard introduced me to his work last year. I’m grateful to all you guys for putting the names out there; regardless if I ultimately like the movie or not, it’s often something interesting. You keep my Netflix queue constantly filled and ever expanding.

Comment on Directors Who Can Do No Wrong #3: Stanley Kubrick by Jaime N. Christley

Jaime N. Christley — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:45:52 +0000

Speaking for myself, I love Kubrick – with the exception of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE – and lots of highly visible cinephiles do, too. Namely Jonathan Rosenbaum. I guess my assessment was an attempt to gather together SK’s standing within the community that inspired this project, and my overall audience. I know it’s divisive…and will likely remain so.

History’s a funny thing – now we’re rescuing some of the guys that didn’t particularly need rescuing at the time. But context makes things more complicated – auteurists had/have to “save,” for example, Budd Boetticher from his originally assigned status as a hired-gun B-movie specialist and proclaim him a visionary. Kubrick made followed THE KILLING with PATHS OF GLORY and never needed rescuing ever again.

Comment on Directors Who Can Do No Wrong #3: Stanley Kubrick by Craig Simpson

Craig Simpson — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:38:38 +0000

We’ll have to respectfully disagree on auteurism (admirable rescue missions notwithstanding) and as a matter of personal taste I often find mistakes and missteps more interesting than perfection, but I can’t quibble with your assessment of Kubrick. Of course the odd thing about Stanley K. is while he created capital-A “Art,” his films were also box-office hits (“Barry Lyndon,” of course, the exception, and one of my favorite of all his works). To me, that’s what makes him fascinating and unique.

Comment on 1980s by Jaime N. Christley

Jaime N. Christley — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:08:23 +0000

Well, this is a bit of an alt-canon, and as such I drew from cinephiles who don’t really regard W.A. in either of the two ways that they’d qualify for inclusion here, i.e. (1) underrated and in need of greater appreciation, or (2) indisputably great.

If you want to see W.A.’s ’80s period (specifically RADIO DAYS, HANNAH, ZELIG, CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS, etc) put on a pedestal, you can go…. almost anywhere!