-
Welcome
to BookAndReader! We LOVE books and hope you'll join us in sharing your favorites and experiences along with your love of reading with our community. Registering for our site is free and easy, just CLICK HERE!
Already a member and forgot your password? Click here.
'Cabaret' and other musings...
- Thread starter Irene Wilde
- Start date
Irene Wilde
New Member
Don't be jealous, RaVeN. I am working on a coffee-book as we speak which will help you, too, cultivate the style and essence of Mr. Oblivion. I shall call it "The Style & Essence of Billy Oblivion." 
Irene Wilde
Irene Wilde
Irene Wilde
New Member
I'm keeping my options open for the "deluxe collector's edition." Mr. O. has assured me he will keep supplying photographs, so that the book is comprehensive and encompasses the complete evolution of the Billy O. style. After my exhaustive research is complete, I'll be able to best determine a selection that is the definitive Oblivion "look" and devise a marketing strategy accordingly.
Irene Wilde
Irene Wilde
Irene Wilde
New Member
RaVeN, RaVeN, RaVeN....you need to get out more often. Leave that thriving, cosmopolitan, Microtropolis of yours (K-Mart's really considered high-end retail there?) once in a while and see how folks in them thar big cities live.
Irene Wilde
Irene Wilde
Irene Wilde
New Member
You are quite right, Martin. Enough about RaVeN's fashion impairment!
Anyone seen "American Splendor"? All that Cleveland scenery! Majestic!
Irene Wilde
However (she said on second thought), please read the title of this thread, specifically "And other musings." Being the Queen of Off Topic, I expect threads that I begin to wonder hither and yon.
Anyone seen "American Splendor"? All that Cleveland scenery! Majestic!
Irene Wilde
However (she said on second thought), please read the title of this thread, specifically "And other musings." Being the Queen of Off Topic, I expect threads that I begin to wonder hither and yon.
Irene Wilde
New Member
Mr. Oblivion is away from his computer today, so he can't join the fun n' games. I'm just offering you my perspective.
Now talk about "American Splendor" before I get banned for my inability to stay on-topic.
Irene Wilde
Now talk about "American Splendor" before I get banned for my inability to stay on-topic.
Irene Wilde
Irene Wilde
New Member
RaVeN said:
Well there you go! Talk about what compelling art-house critics' fave is pulling them in down at the Bijou.
Or church attendance in the UK, that seems an acceptable topic as well.
Or teen pregnancy, that one seems safe.
Irene Wilde
Martin
Active Member
You know what - I'm gonna spoil the fun yet again, and (yet again) drag it back on topic.
My top five:
5. Lost In Translation
Coming completely out of left field, this tiny little character-based film, written and directed by Francis Ford's daughter Sofia Coppola, turned out to be the best film of 2003 and the number five (and rising) on my little list here. Filmed with extreme deliberation by Coppolla, we get a real insight into human relationships and communication. The setting of Tokyo provides the film with jaw-dropping visuals and makes for easy viewing. This is a portrait of two complicated characters, played by a marvellous Bill Murray and a fantastic Scarlett Johansson, whose lives tend to veer towards depressing. The film, however, is everything but depressing - Coppolla does not allow that to happen because with the right injection of humour and wondrous cinematography you remain light-hearted about the whole experience.
4. Léon
Known in the U.S. as The Professional. The beauty of this film, evident from the very start, is the way in which it is filmed. Given a rugged feel and a very dark look, Léon follows a lot of film techniques in it's filming and makes us feel closer to the characters in this harsh reality. But, as is the case with many films in this list, it's the heartwarming story that does it for me - hitman Léon takes in a twelve year old girl, whose family have been brutally murdered by a crooked cop. With Besson's majestic plot and directing, Léon was always going to be a good film. Add to this, some brilliant performances by Portman, Reno and Oldman, and it is no wonder that this film is referred to as a classic. Léon is by far and away the greatest hitman movie of all time, and a reminder that sometimes the French can be the best at things.
3. Fight Club
I was clueless going into that movie theatre back in 1999 - some supposedly independnt flick (though starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton; so much for independence) about men taking out their aggression and frustrations by beating eachother up in murky joints. I still believe I did not blink nor breathe for the full two hours. I'd been a fan of Brad Pitt since Se7en; Edward Norton had been a favourite of mine ever since his brilliant debut in Primal Fear; David Fincher hadn't done anything wrong, period. But it's the story, written by one of my favourite authors, Chuck Palahniuk, that cliches this third position in my list. It is funny at the same time as being cynical, it is religious at the same time as being political, it is revolutionary at the same time as employing age-old philosophy - A truly beautiful mix of Intellectualism, Brutality and Nihilism.
2. Donnie Darko
A little indie flick, written and directed by newcomer Richard Kelly, and starring that other newcomer Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays a messed up kid who hallucinates about a giant bunny who's predicting the end of the world. Can't be good, can it? Well, you're wrong, because it is. Very good, indeed. Richard Kelly's utterly promising debut is one of the best things that could happen to post 2000 cinema - it's a project that breathes its own personal atmosphere and the creativity nearly drips from the screen. From the opening shot of Donnie waking up in the middle of the road to the closing credits supported by Gary Jules' fantastic remake of Duran Duran's Mad World, this is cinema magic.
1. The Shawshank Redemption
I cought the back end of this film on a dreary night quite some years ago, and boredom lead me to watch the closing hour of this film I had never heard of. I was completely blown away, even without the opening hour and a half. I went out to the videostore the very next day to rent it, so that I could watch it completely. I've watched it at least ten times, since. Everything about this film is exactly right. The direction, the cinematography, the casting, the acting, but above all the story, courtesy of Stephen King; a great story, told flawlessly, with a powerful message. There is not a lot more that you could ask for in a movie. Entertaining and inspiring. Deep, yet not complicated. A message delivered with undeniable power, and an excellent movie experience overall.
Cheers
My top five:
5. Lost In Translation
Coming completely out of left field, this tiny little character-based film, written and directed by Francis Ford's daughter Sofia Coppola, turned out to be the best film of 2003 and the number five (and rising) on my little list here. Filmed with extreme deliberation by Coppolla, we get a real insight into human relationships and communication. The setting of Tokyo provides the film with jaw-dropping visuals and makes for easy viewing. This is a portrait of two complicated characters, played by a marvellous Bill Murray and a fantastic Scarlett Johansson, whose lives tend to veer towards depressing. The film, however, is everything but depressing - Coppolla does not allow that to happen because with the right injection of humour and wondrous cinematography you remain light-hearted about the whole experience.
4. Léon
Known in the U.S. as The Professional. The beauty of this film, evident from the very start, is the way in which it is filmed. Given a rugged feel and a very dark look, Léon follows a lot of film techniques in it's filming and makes us feel closer to the characters in this harsh reality. But, as is the case with many films in this list, it's the heartwarming story that does it for me - hitman Léon takes in a twelve year old girl, whose family have been brutally murdered by a crooked cop. With Besson's majestic plot and directing, Léon was always going to be a good film. Add to this, some brilliant performances by Portman, Reno and Oldman, and it is no wonder that this film is referred to as a classic. Léon is by far and away the greatest hitman movie of all time, and a reminder that sometimes the French can be the best at things.
3. Fight Club
I was clueless going into that movie theatre back in 1999 - some supposedly independnt flick (though starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton; so much for independence) about men taking out their aggression and frustrations by beating eachother up in murky joints. I still believe I did not blink nor breathe for the full two hours. I'd been a fan of Brad Pitt since Se7en; Edward Norton had been a favourite of mine ever since his brilliant debut in Primal Fear; David Fincher hadn't done anything wrong, period. But it's the story, written by one of my favourite authors, Chuck Palahniuk, that cliches this third position in my list. It is funny at the same time as being cynical, it is religious at the same time as being political, it is revolutionary at the same time as employing age-old philosophy - A truly beautiful mix of Intellectualism, Brutality and Nihilism.
2. Donnie Darko
A little indie flick, written and directed by newcomer Richard Kelly, and starring that other newcomer Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays a messed up kid who hallucinates about a giant bunny who's predicting the end of the world. Can't be good, can it? Well, you're wrong, because it is. Very good, indeed. Richard Kelly's utterly promising debut is one of the best things that could happen to post 2000 cinema - it's a project that breathes its own personal atmosphere and the creativity nearly drips from the screen. From the opening shot of Donnie waking up in the middle of the road to the closing credits supported by Gary Jules' fantastic remake of Duran Duran's Mad World, this is cinema magic.
1. The Shawshank Redemption
I cought the back end of this film on a dreary night quite some years ago, and boredom lead me to watch the closing hour of this film I had never heard of. I was completely blown away, even without the opening hour and a half. I went out to the videostore the very next day to rent it, so that I could watch it completely. I've watched it at least ten times, since. Everything about this film is exactly right. The direction, the cinematography, the casting, the acting, but above all the story, courtesy of Stephen King; a great story, told flawlessly, with a powerful message. There is not a lot more that you could ask for in a movie. Entertaining and inspiring. Deep, yet not complicated. A message delivered with undeniable power, and an excellent movie experience overall.
Cheers
bobbyburns
New Member
fight club was a little too cool for my taste.
Irene Wilde
New Member
I enjoyed "The Professional" (as it's called here in the 'States) when it was released, but I suspected then that there was some heavy editing afoot. This has since been confirmed by talking to people who saw the European release, called "Leon." One day I'd like to see the "Leon" version, because I suspect it's a more complete film.
Fight Club, I thought, was some hip, slick, fun -- but nothing like a religious experience. Brad Pitt sometimes will choose an interesting role like this (or "True Romance" or "12 Monkeys") but not nearly often enough.
And I have to confess I'm one of those people who never thought "The Shawshank Redemption" was anything more than cute, and perhaps an homage to old-time Hollywood happy-ending films. It's a nice, harmless film, but not one I'd call an all-time favorite.
Irene Wilde
Fight Club, I thought, was some hip, slick, fun -- but nothing like a religious experience. Brad Pitt sometimes will choose an interesting role like this (or "True Romance" or "12 Monkeys") but not nearly often enough.
And I have to confess I'm one of those people who never thought "The Shawshank Redemption" was anything more than cute, and perhaps an homage to old-time Hollywood happy-ending films. It's a nice, harmless film, but not one I'd call an all-time favorite.
Irene Wilde
Ashlea
New Member
Irene Wilde said:
The european cut has been released in the states on DVD as "Leon" and it's a completely different movie. There's at least 30 extra minutes, and it makes what was more of an action film into a full, rounded, tragic drama. I recommend it, it's a beautiful work and I don't understand the purpose of the chop job.