Recommend a movie

[thecolorsblend]

A coincidence, I guess. But I finally watched Tenet. I avoided spoilers but, somehow, picked up along the way that the movie's basic plot is sort of brain-melting stuff. And it is sophisticated, for sure. But it's not as incomprehensible as it's made out to be.

I like movies with ideas to them. So, even if Tenet was an incomprehensible mess (which I don't believe it was), it would still be worthwhile.

Anyway. Highly enjoyable movie. Well worth a watch.

[Silver Nemesis]

I didn't think Tenet was incomprehensible, but I did find much of it to be inaudible. The audio mix on the Blu-ray I watched was terrible. I've only seen it once, but if I watch it again I'll probably do so with the subtitles switched on. Other than that, I thought it was decent. I knew nothing about the plot before seeing it, except that the narrative structure had something to do with palindromes. Based on that, I was able to predict certain plot twists early in the movie. But aside from the bad audio, I thought it was a solid thriller. The whole idea of inverted entropy was interesting and Nolan put it to creative use.

It's definitely not his best work, and I'd rank it alongside Following (1998) as one of his lesser films, but it's still pretty good.

[thecolorsblend]

This is a movie where Amy Adams makes contact with an alien species and even goes on their ship at one point.

Srsly tho, rly good movie. Sort of a thinking man's first contact movie. Very talky but a highly logical storyline. Recommended.

[The Dark Knight]

It's definitely not his best work, and I'd rank it alongside Following (1998) as one of his lesser films, but it's still pretty good.

Nolan's biggest weakness is making his films feel more like scripts with their wordy, sterile atmosphere. But nobody can deny he's passionate and gives a project everything he has. I admire his commitment to innovation and creating new stories, which has been alien to Hollywood for quite some time. I also enjoy films that require thought, long after they have been seen. Tenet is definitely one of those, and for those reasons I also put it in the good category.

[Silver Nemesis]

I have a custom that at this time of year I like to re-watch some of my favourite German Expressionist films. I've been doing this around Easter for almost two decades now, and this year, out of sheer boredom, I decided to compile a list of my top twenty films from that cinematic movement. Rather than create a new thread, I thought I'd post it here. This isn't meant to be an objective ranking of the best German Expressionist films. Just a list of my personal favourites. The ordering changes from year to year, but here's how I rank them right now.

20: The Haunted Castle (1921)

This drama is one of the earliest surviving films by director F. W. Murnau. Murnau would go on to make many vastly superior movies later in his career, but The Haunted Castle offers a glimpse of his earlier work. It's mostly of interest to his fans.

19: Genuine (1920)

A supernatural horror film from Robert Wiene showcasing some of the most overtly expressionistic sets you'll see outside of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Not much depth, but visually arresting.

18: Warning Shadows (1923)

Chiaroscuro lighting is a staple of German Expressionist cinema, and few films utilise light and shadow more prominently than this one. The plot concerns a group of party guests who covet their host's wife one evening while a magician entertains them with shadow plays. The visions presented by the magician depict the possible outcomes that could result from the suitors' lust should their wicked ambitions go unchecked.

17: Destiny (1921)

An anthology film about a bereaved woman who appeals to Death to release the soul of her recently deceased lover. Death then presents her with three stories about doomed lovers: the first takes place in the Middle East, the second in Venice and the third in China. The tales are mostly romantic tragedies, but the final story also incorporates elements of fantasy, as does the wraparound narrative.

16: The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)

The second entry in Fritz Lang's Dr. Mabuse crime trilogy sees the eponymous villain continuing his reign of terror from beyond the grave. This film was cited by Christopher Nolan as a major influence on The Dark Knight (2008), and nowhere is that influence more evident than in Mabuse's nihilistic desire to spread chaos and undermine social order.

15: Vampyr (1932)

Carl Theodor Dreyer's adaptation of Sheridan Le Fanu's writing ranks among the most unsettling films of the German Expressionist movement. Oneiric soft-focus photography, combined with experimental optical effects and clever use of light and shadow, make this a nightmarish experience from start to finish. I think I'm correct in saying that it was also the first film to depict a vampire being staked.

14: The Student of Prague (1926)

Remake of the 1913 film of the same name. This version stars Conrad Veidt as an impoverished student who sells his reflection to the Devil, portrayed by Werner Krauss. Veidt appears in a double role as both the title character and his evil doppelganger.

13: M (1931)

Fritz Lang's crime thriller centres on a child killer played by Peter Lorre who is being hunted by both the police and the criminal underworld. German Expressionism was a cinematic precursor to film noir, and that lineage is strongly evident in M. This was also Fritz Lang's first talkie.

12: The Golem: How He Came into the World (1920)

The only surviving entry in Paul Wegner's Golem trilogy. Slow paced, but boasting impressive medieval sets and a spectacular finale in which a raging inferno sweeps through Prague's Jewish ghetto. Paul Wegener directs, writes and stars as the title monster.

11: Waxworks (1924)

This one's another anthology featuring three stories: the first is a comedic adventure with an Arabian Nights flavour, the second is a dark historical drama, and the third a surreal nightmarish horror story. The film's main problem is its uneven pacing. The first story comprises half the overall runtime, while the third story is less than ten minutes long. Some critics have also accused it of being superficial, arguing that it adopts the aesthetic of German Expressionism without actually expressing any underlying emotional truth. But I like it. It stars three of the biggest actors of Weimar cinema: Emil Jannings, Conrad Veidt and Werner Krauss.

10: The Hands of Orlac (1924)

Later remade as Mad Love (1935), this psychological drama stars Conrad Veidt as a concert pianist who undergoes a double hand transplant following a railway accident. He soon learns that his new appendages are those of a recently executed murderer and begins to suspect that his hands might exert a sinister influence over the rest of his body. This film is very slow, but rich in ambience.

9: The Last Laugh (1924)

F. W. Murnau's melodrama about a hotel doorman whose social status is closely tied with his job status, and the anguish that ensues when he is suddenly deprived of both. Many critics debate the preposterous ending that was foisted upon the film by the studio, but for me the ending is what makes the movie special. Emil Janning's performance is also excellent. This is one of several films on this list that I strongly recommend watching with the modern score by American composer Timothy Brock.

8: Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922)

The first (and in my opinion best) instalment of Fritz Lang's Dr. Mabuse trilogy, an epic crime saga about a diabolical mastermind who promotes chaos just for the hell of it. Mabuse's ideological motives, which are elucidated in the sequel, are left obscure in this first film. But that just makes the evilness of his actions all the more hilarious - he's basically bad for the sake of being bad.

7: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

This is perhaps the most iconic German Expressionist movie of all. It's a psychological horror film about a travelling showman, played by Werner Krauss, who commands a somnambulist, played by Conrad Veidt, to murder his enemies at night. Look out for the twist ending.

6: Die Nibelungen (1924)

This fantasy epic from Fritz Lang clocks in at almost five hours divided across two films: the first is titled Siegfried, the second Kriemhild's Revenge (I recommend The Masters of Cinema release which contains both films in a single set). The plot is based on the classic German poem that also inspired Richard Wagner's Ring cycle and influenced J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. This cinematic duology is the closest thing you'll find to a 1920s version of The Lord of the Rings, showcasing innovative special effects and epic battle scenes that are still impressive almost a century later.

The animatronic effects on the dragon Siegfried fights in the first film are particularly outstanding.

5: The Man Who Laughs (1928)

The movie that inspired the Joker. This one was shot in Hollywood, but it was directed by Paul Leni (who also directed Waxworks), stars Conrad Veidt, and contains many of the visual and thematic characteristics of a German Expressionist film, so it qualifies for the list. Batman trivia aside, it's a superb gothic drama full of haunting imagery and twisted characters.

4: Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922)

The earliest and arguably best adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. I don't think it's quite as unsettling as Vampyr (1932), but I consider it a better film overall. One thing to look out for is the way director F. W. Murnau almost always frames Count Orlok (played by Max Schreck) within some form of architecture (a doorway, window, hatch, etc), suggesting that he is a liminal being occupying the threshold between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Also note how shadows are used to convey Nosferatu's predatory movements, even when the count himself remains hidden out of shot.

3: Sunrise: A Song of Two Human (1927)

The top three films on this list could change order depending on my mood, but they are without doubt my three favourites. Sunrise was the first of several films that F. W. Murnau made in America, and it's really the last of his movies to bear the markings of the German Expressionist movement. The plot concerns a young couple experiencing a marital crisis after the husband is seduced by a wicked woman from a nearby city. The woman persuades the husband to murder his wife, and from there the plot takes several unexpected turns. It's very much a three-act story. The first act is a dark suspenseful drama about betrayal and guilt, the middle act is a sweet romantic comedy about renewed love, reconciliation and forgiveness, and the final act connects with the first by returning to the darker dramatic themes with which the story began. Ultimately it's a charming and uplifting romance that manages to be both suspenseful and funny. This is another film I recommend watching with the score by Timothy Brock.

2: Metropolis (1927)

Fritz Lang's futuristic epic remains one of the greatest science fiction films ever made, as well as the best speculative fiction movie of the silent era. The production design influenced far too many films to list, yet for me the depiction of the titular city remains unsurpassed. The standout performance is that of Brigitte Helm, who despite being only a teenager at the time of filming portrayed several different characters, including the heroic Maria and the villainous Maschinenmensch. This was one of the first German Expressionist films I ever saw back in my early teens, and I was fortunate enough to catch a theatrical screening of the 2010 restored print when it first came out. A genuine classic.

1: Faust (1926)

The fifth F. W. Murnau film to make this list, Faust is tied with Metropolis and Sunrise for the top spot. It's full of incredible imagery and set pieces, including Faust conjuring Emil Janning's Mephisto during a thunder storm, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse riding through the sky at night, a magic carpet journey over Europe, and the bookending scenes between Mephisto and the Archangel. The model work and optical effects are great, and there's tremendous pathos in the depiction of Gretchen's tragedy and Faust's redemption. This is yet another movie I definitely recommend watching with the score by Timothy Brock. There are two versions of Faust – domestic and international – and unfortunately Brock's score was written for the international cut, which is the inferior of the two. The Masters of Cinema release allows you to watch the domestic cut with Brock's music, and it mostly matches the action on screen except for the last fifteen minutes or so when it goes out of synch. Still, that's the version I recommend watching.

So those are my top twenty favourite German Expressionist films. I don't know if this list is of any use as far as recommendations go, but the top ten films are a good place for any newcomers to get started.

[thecolorsblend]

The Running Man. I need to be careful with this recommendation. Because this rly isn't a great movie. Not even by brainless Eighties action movie standards.

Because that's the problem. It's not a brainless movie. It's actually got an idea behind it. Taking place in the far flung future of 2017, the movie is basically about a gang of rebels fighting back against an oppressive police state. It's too low tech to be the og Star Wars trilogy, it's not apocalyptic enough to be The Terminator, it's not esoteric enough to Blade Runner, etc. TRM exists in a weird middle ground, needless to say. But the basic kernel of the idea behind the movie ("Totalitarianism is bad, mmkay?") was relatively heady stuff for action cinema in 1987.

It's for those reasons that I'm still surprised that some kind of sequel or expanded universe or something were never created. I've criticized sequels in the past. And no doubt, I will do so again in the future. And I'm certainly not hypocritically wishing for a sequel. I'm just saying it's astounding to me that a fairly rich concept like TRM never got any real expansion.

It isn't a great movie. And yet, I would say that it's still worth watching. It's got an interesting sci-fi concept underlying it, with the requisite sci-fi critique of society of its time. As it stands, the direction is very meat and potatoes. Which is weird since the movie had a fairly lavish budget for its time. Nevertheless, it's true. The direction by Paul Michael Glaser is simply not all that impressive. It's fair game to question what Paul Verhoeven might've done with this material. More than once during my rewatch, I could just imagine Verhoeven going to town on some scenes or some concepts or what have you. A shame, rly.

Still, this movie merits a watch. Or even a rewatch. If nothing else, hearing the line "Get me the Justice Department, Entertainment Division" in context is worth it.

[thecolorsblend]

4: Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922)

The earliest and arguably best adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. I don't think it's quite as unsettling as Vampyr (1932), but I consider it a better film overall. One thing to look out for is the way director F. W. Murnau almost always frames Count Orlok (played by Max Schreck) within some form of architecture (a doorway, window, hatch, etc), suggesting that he is a liminal being occupying the threshold between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Also note how shadows are used to convey Nosferatu's predatory movements, even when the count himself remains hidden out of shot.

This is the only item on your list I've actually seen. Metropolis has been on my bucket list for a while now. But I've not made a big priority out of it.

I don't have a ton of experience with silent film. I enjoyed Nosferatu quite a lot because I was going through a major vampire kick at the time.

Still, I would add a note of caution. Modern audiences might tire of the sheer abundance of music in most silent films. The lack of dialogue can be a hurdle for people nowadays. I would advise anybody who watches the stuff on SN's list to do all they can to contextualize those movies. They're not "bad" simply because they're so different from what we're used to today. And there are some amazing visuals in those primitive films. Stick with it and it can be an amazingly rewarding experience.

[Silver Nemesis]

Still, I would add a note of caution. Modern audiences might tire of the sheer abundance of music in most silent films.

The score can make or break the experience of watching a silent film. These movies were meant to be seen accompanied by music, and in some cases – such as Die Nibelungen and Metropolis – the original scores survive. But in most cases, the soundtracks originally written for the films of that era have been lost. When selecting a modern score, you ideally want a soundtrack that reflects the tone of the film, matches the action on screen and helps accentuate the emotions being expressed. There's nothing worse than trying to get into a silent film when the score is tonally mismatched, unsynchronised with the action, or randomly lifted from some public domain catalogue.

That's why I recommend the modern scores by Timothy Brock. I expect many of them will be remembered as the definitive soundtracks for their respective films. Here's a sample of his work on Faust. The Wagnerian tone suits the Germanic subject matter and matches every beat of what's happening on screen. It swells to a crescendo during the storm before adopting a quieter and more sinister tone during the sequence where Faust is being haunted by Mephisto. I think Murnau would have approved.

I might create a separate thread about silent movies at some point. Weimar cinema was IMO the best of that era, but there's also the early American comedies, Soviet montage cinema, French impressionist cinema and various other interesting works from that period, including the early British films of Alfred Hitchcock. It's a fertile pasture for film buffs, full of forgotten masterpieces and underrated treasures.

The Running Man. I need to be careful with this recommendation. Because this rly isn't a great movie. Not even by brainless Eighties action movie standards.

Because that's the problem. It's not a brainless movie. It's actually got an idea behind it. Taking place in the far flung future of 2017, the movie is basically about a gang of rebels fighting back against an oppressive police state. It's too low tech to be the og Star Wars trilogy, it's not apocalyptic enough to be The Terminator, it's not esoteric enough to Blade Runner, etc. TRM exists in a weird middle ground, needless to say. But the basic kernel of the idea behind the movie ("Totalitarianism is bad, mmkay?") was relatively heady stuff for action cinema in 1987.

It's for those reasons that I'm still surprised that some kind of sequel or expanded universe or something were never created. I've criticized sequels in the past. And no doubt, I will do so again in the future. And I'm certainly not hypocritically wishing for a sequel. I'm just saying it's astounding to me that a fairly rich concept like TRM never got any real expansion.

It isn't a great movie. And yet, I would say that it's still worth watching. It's got an interesting sci-fi concept underlying it, with the requisite sci-fi critique of society of its time. As it stands, the direction is very meat and potatoes. Which is weird since the movie had a fairly lavish budget for its time. Nevertheless, it's true. The direction by Paul Michael Glaser is simply not all that impressive. It's fair game to question what Paul Verhoeven might've done with this material. More than once during my rewatch, I could just imagine Verhoeven going to town on some scenes or some concepts or what have you. A shame, rly.

Still, this movie merits a watch. Or even a rewatch. If nothing else, hearing the line "Get me the Justice Department, Entertainment Division" in context is worth it.

I'd compare The Running Man to Red Heat (1988) insofar as neither of them really measures up to Arnold's finest (Terminator, Predator, Total Recall, etc), but both are still very enjoyable movies that have aged surprisingly well. I've never read the Stephen King novel on which The Running Man is based, so I have no idea how successful it is as an adaptation. Still, it's a fun action movie that was worryingly prophetic in its depiction of reality TV and fake news. It also rivals Commando (1985) for the sheer number of Arnold puns.

As with many of the things predicted in Demolition Man, yesterday's satire...

...is today's reality.

[The Dark Knight]

I may have more to say about American Psycho as a whole (novel and film) at some point later, particularly about ambiguities.

At some point later is now. American Psycho is a modern classic as relevant as Animal Farm and 1984.

The sex scenes which become mutilations treat humans like pieces of meat, rather than people. This is the detached reality of a pornography industry that pumps graphic material out into society for mass consumption.

Those in power look down upon those without it. The homeless are to be ignored or mocked because money and status matter most in the world. The rich have perfect skin and wear the best cologne, however their conduct does not rise beyond that of the vagrants they despise. Drugs and alcohol are rampantly used by both classes. However, the rich lifestyle still does not bring happiness. Superficial facades of suits and watches cloak hollow people set in a never-ending routine of gossip and one-upmanship at restaurants that amounts to nothing.

This is especially true of the current days in which we live. With social media people are more connected than ever, but this has brought numbness and social isolation. Consumption begets consumption and it is supercharged by peer pressure and groupthink which means people are never satisfied.

Most danger signs are missed because people are self absorbed and pay minimal attention to the world around them, forgetting each other's names in the monotony. Or on the flip side, danger signs are observed but ignored due to self preservation and the cold reality of business. A real estate agent reporting a series of murders inside one of their apartment isn't going to get it sold. So they say nothing.

There are about seven pages of violence in the book, and that's perfect for a character who holds a dark secret that nobody except his short lived victims become aware of. If readers get bored of the clothing and music descriptions and close the book, Ellis, through Bateman, has proven the effectiveness of this prolific serial killing career which the world has accommodated. Even when he confesses to the crimes on tape Bateman cannot escape his existence: as per the novel's final statement 'this is not an exit'.

The book is simply holding up a mirror to everyday life, showing the consequences of the signals that are sent throughout society and the cultural rot that has been created. By pushing it to the extreme the book shows how abhorrent reality really is, and the scarcity of meaningful connection with others.

In conclusion I quote the lyrics from one version of a demo song I admire: "All the little boys and girls, living in this crazy world, all they really needed from you, is maybe some love."

[thecolorsblend]

Less capes, more drama. That remains my mantra. And on that note, there's Chef. Here be spoilers, arr.

Somehow, I missed it all those years ago. But the, um, fictional subject matter seems awfully familiar somehow. I am not the first person to suggest that the entire movie is a metaphor of Favreau's relationship with Hollywood. The chef guy started out as an indie darling, he made it to the big leagues, got fed up with being micro-managed by his uncreative bosses, he struck out on his own, built his own thing and then reunited with the very establishment he once shunned, but on his own terms rather than theirs.

Favreau went back to Disney (and borderline obscene profits from the looks of things). The chef guy went into business with his harshest critic (and borderline obscene profits from the looks of things). I wouldn't go so far as to say that the movie is autobiographical. But I also won't say there's not a f**k ton of allegory going on there.

But rly, the core of the movie is Favreau's character learning how to truly be a father to his son. Because it's movies, resolving the personal conflict (father and son being alienated from each other) somehow solves the larger conflict (said father regains his career and passion).

This movie won't change your life and it won't be a religious experience. But if you're as burnt out on superheroes and conveyer belts of sequels as I am, movies like Chef will remind you (and Favreau, I gather) what it was that you loved about films and storytelling in the first place. Chef was made on a shoestring budget for love of the game and it had no real expectations attached to it.

And for me, there's a lot of value in a director making a movie because he fell in love with the material or because he has some personal connection to it.