must be considered films

swedish deco film confections

bela and boris in the same film, with a story written by poe nonetheless.  the actual tale of the black cat is quite short, i remember reading it as a creepy adolescent.  despite that, it has been made into two (that i know of) full length films, both with merits to share.  i came across these swedish movie posters, and you can check out the full list here. by sv

CATEGORIES: art, musings

a deriva

 

there is a movie on netflix that is under the radar, it’s a true gem. it’s portuguese and the name is “a deriva.”  so beautiful, sensitive and stylish. writing this post makes me want to see it again. by pp.

CATEGORIES: must be considered films

luna nera

watched louis malle’s masterpiece ‘black moon’ last night.  like an alice in wonderland meets brazil meets dante’s inferno.  perhaps in this instance, it isn’t a world that is worth becoming; however, it is certainly a film worth a watch.  by sv

CATEGORIES: must be considered films

stardust memories

 

while we’re on the topic, here is a scene my personal favorite woody allen movie, stardust memories.  a perfect song from louis armstrong soothingly in the background, and allen’s stunning ode to “8 1/2” make me smile even greater each time i see it. not to mention the incredible line, “to you, i’m an atheist; to God, i’m the loyal opposition.” by sv

CATEGORIES: clips, must be considered films

the art of not blogging

oh child, spare me. everything i love about bill cunningham, is what i hate about scott schuman. they are the opposite poles in the same sector. bill is a spirit, the other pure flesh. bill is about life the other about fame. bill is about grit the other about flash. bill is about art the other about business. bill is about love… bill is humble… bill is light and the rest is darkness. in the end ,it does come to be about who you are as a person and bill is the epitome of all that i love about new york. no offense! when you become famous, you have to be able to take some shit. scott is surely loved and respected by many and i can be the one hater (not sure he can handle that). sorry i see no interest in satorialist or scott’s work nor his fame or how business smart he is. business smartness and fame mean nothing to me, if anything they tell me a bit about who you are and it’s generally not good. that brand is built on pandering to the status quo, not supporting the the fringe that feeds that status quo. when you photograph a bunch of vain editors and models after the shows you too can expect guaranteed traffic. bill just never wanted the attention or the fame or the money. i admire that tremendously. by dd

CATEGORIES: clips, must be considered films

talking about the rich, here’s (Ha-nyeo) the housemaid-2010: a remake of the 1960’s film by kim ki-young

lee jung-jae (also known as sam kang) as hoon, the rich husband

jeon do-yeon as eun-yi (the housemaid) washing the madam’s hair

byeong-sik, as “miss cho”the main maid and eun-yi (the new housemaid)

the original poster from the 1960’s film hanyeo by korean director kim ki-young

it’s not often these days that i spend two hours of my time on a film and feel happy that i did… housemaid is a great new korean film by director im sang-soo based on a remake of the original 1960’s film, praised as “marvelous… extraordinary image…” comparing the korean director to luis bunuel. the remake by sang-soo is equally amazing and up to date, not only for its sparse dialogue and unconventional story, but also for its visual style. the film competed for the palme d’or at the cannes and is worthy of your precious time. the story is about a wealthy korean family who bring on a young maid into their fold. in time, this reveals the bourgeois family’s true colors. beautifully styled and filmed on location, it’s at times surreal but never unreal. i couldn’t help but think of “the discreet charm of the bourgeoisie” while watching it, except i must confess i enjoyed this more than its french counterpart. a great recent film to indulge in if you haven’t already seen it. deserves a place in the “must be considered films” section on TS indeed. by dd

CATEGORIES: must be considered films

love, it’s the most important quality a revolutionary must possess –ernesto “che” guevara

after that post on hemingway and castro, i ended up watching the 4 hour IFC film “che” directed by steven soderbergh and starring benicio del toro (who won at the cannes film festival for best actor) as a convincing, despite slightly overweight, ernesto che guevara. the film is in spanish with an english subtitle. it’s the best film i’ve seen on che, and despite it’s high budget production, it retains the grit of the era. love the vintage documentary footage mixed in with the grainy b&w mockumentary footage and the high-def muted color film. with the UN in full swing right now it’s worth a watch just to hear che’s 1965 UN speech. beautifully romantic and idealistic. by xy

CATEGORIES: clips, must be considered films

mayan temples: the film apocalypto

 full film, bad sound (while it lasts)

but if you want to see the film properly,  get it streaming or get the dvd

here is a cheesy hollywood film, and perhaps one of the few out of a handful of films ever made on the topic. it was recommended to me by a mexican friend with mayan ancestors, and while he warned me that it isn’t great, he did say that it is the best rendition to date in film on the topic. the film is done in original mayan dialect with subtitles. i watched it in tulum on the night after a visit to the templo dios del viento (god of winds temple) which resides on a cliff facing the ocean. swimming towards it, i could imagine the spaniards first sight of the mayan ingenuity. it’s enough for any beginner to light up your interest. worth a watch. by dd

CATEGORIES: clips, must be considered films