My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer
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226 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 226 of 226"I would say that Top Ten lists work well for movies, as opposed to books or songs or whatever, because movies have about the right amount of pervasiveness -- enough people have seen enough of a percentage of movies so they can argue over some of them, but nobody who likes movies has seen so many movies that he isn't interested in picking up pointers on movies he hasn't seen."
Yes, Top 10 lists work best with film because the film world is essentially finite: There are X number of movies released each year, because there are only Z cinemas. No one sees them all, as you point out, but the film world isn't so ungainly that you can't get your arms around it pretty comfortably.
Books and music -- especially music in the Internet age -- aren't like that. There's just too much out there for one human being to authoritatively declare any 10 to be best. I always chuckle when I see "10 best albums of the year" lists that don't at least have some qualifier ("best hit country records," "best power-pop records," etc.).
The smart critics fashion their lists as simply "10 great albums of the decade" or what have you.
"Curious to me how a soft core porn movie like Mulholland Drive is getting so much love.
Maybe I shouldn't say anything more than that."
Given that sex has a lot to do with private fantasies and public entertainment--music and movies--, why should that be surprising? All minds are pornographic to some extent.
Village Voice decade in movies:
http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-12-22/film/the-decade-in-film-a-timeline/
Village Voice Best of 2009 Film Poll:
http://www.villagevoice.com/filmpoll/index/film/2009
http://www.villagevoice.com/filmpoll/index/film/2009
What does it tell you that KATYN scored a measly 24 while INGLORIOUS BASTERDS got 214?
Sickening.
... I realize and share, of course, the way we real live smart people react to the subplot about Dash's troubles in school. ... Which of us did not have our parents tell us to keep a low profile so as not to antagonize the other (less brainy) kids ...
Too bad we didn't go to the same high school at the same time.
Bullying you would have been a lot of fun.
Everyone will hate me for saying this, but the best drama was 2012 (critics might not understand this principle, but it is better for a film to show its audience and not tell its audience that it is deep and intelligent).
The best comedy is probably Anchorman.
Did anyone catch Of Time And The City? It's a heartbroken lament to Liverpool, the once great if grimy heart of industrial England, which is now...shit.
I saw it at Film Forum in NYC, where it played for about ten seconds. Unless it showed at some local "art" house wherever you are you probably missed it. Worth renting...if you can.
Given that sex has a lot to do with private fantasies and public entertainment--music and movies--, why should that be surprising? All minds are pornographic to some extent.
If Komment Kontrol will allow me to be so blunt: Nobody - and I mean NOBODY - would ever even have heard of Mulholland Drive if it hadn't featured Naomi Watts taking home a gold in the carpet dive.
"Yes, Top 10 lists work best with film because the film world is essentially finite: There are X number of movies released each year...
Books and music -- especially music in the Internet age -- aren't like that. There's just too much out there for one human being to authoritatively declare any 10 to be best. I always chuckle when I see '10 best albums of the year'."
I'm not so sure. For starters, there are tons of movies all around the world that never make it here. And, if we include all sorts of visual narratives--short films, documentaries, animation, student films, avant-garde cinema, amateur stuff on youtube--, we can infinitely expand the definition of 'movies', 'cinema', or 'film'.
What makes me CHUCKLE at '10 best albums' lists is the notion that there are still 10 great albums in any given year. Pop music has become formualic, standardized, technologized, and American-Idolized; I don't see the rise of great talents on the level of the Beatles or The Who. Of course, there's Cold Play--annoying as hell but lush & brilliant--and perhaps some other acts, but it's mostly crap. It's Usher, Alicia Keyes, Kanye West, Lady Gaga etc.
As for classical and Jazz music, not much new exciting stuff for eons. Lots of great musicians, but not many great composers.
And, when we talk of music albums, we generally mean youth music in the Anglo-American world, which narrows it down considerably. NPR crowd may be into 'world music' but 95% of that is Afro-pop or Afro-Latin music, so it's essentially the same boogie oogie stuff.
Btw, are albums even viable anymore? I think the first blow to albums was the cd. With the reduced disc cover size went the whole art of the album cover. Then, with the rise of Ipod and internet downloading, the music scene became song-centric than album-centric. Who listens to entire albums anymore? Prior to internet downloading, one could buy hit singles or the entire album, as only hit singles were released separately. Now, you can separately download any song on the album, so there is no need to buy the whole album if you only want a few songs. And, since it's easy to sample songs at Amazon, there's no suspense as in the old days when you bought the album, took it home, and waited with abated breath to see how the whole thing would play out. Sorry to say, even movies are becoming like this. On youtube, you can just see snippets of 'greatest scenes' instead of the entire movie. Thus, people go for the zingers than the whole meal.
Another blow to the album was the rise of the DJ. Since DJ's rummaged through all genres and mixed everything together, the idea of an album's sacred individuality was lost. It used to be Beatles were the Beatles and Snoopy Dogg was Snoopy Dogg, but now any clever DJ can splice "With a Little Help My Friend" with "Gangsta Town". Albums are no longer inviolable sacred objects but merely material to be plundered for clever new concoctions. We have a loot culture.
I caught a press conference with James Cameron regarding Avatar yesterday; his first words were: "Whiskey, Shut the Fuck Up!
I'm surprised no one's mentioned Ride with the Devil. No, not great or anything, but it's probably better than a lot of the schlock in this thread.
GREATEST MOVIE NOT MADE:
Trafalgar - on the 2000 anniversary of the battle. (i still have the script if anyone's interested)
Which inspires me to wonder: will we be getting a respectful tribute to the Plymouth Pilgrims come 2020, on the 400th anniversary of their settlement; will we get a modernist rewrite; or will we get nothing at all?
One can only hope.
Sideways really did rock, Steve. You effed up. Now, there is some sort of hipper than hip idea to diss it by some people. But it really was a neat movie about middle aged men. And I think you can see parts of yourself (as can many of us) in the characters. And that is real art. As opposed to the cartoonish Hollywood shmaltz usually.
BTW, another movie in a little the same vein (not as great, but still fun) was Hangover.
And, someone please explain how ugly Sandra Oh is supposed to any kind of sex symbol.
She'd be perfect for the role of "Camille Deng" if Tom Wolfe's "I Am Charlotte Simmons" ever gets made into a film.
Middletown Girl, I agree, the Spanish version, "Open Your Eyes," is much better. The scene at the end on the roof-top where the psychologist is clutching his head is what I usually think of when I see some libtard trying to come to grips with hbd reality -- "No, it can't be, argh!"
Have you thought about getting your own blog? I'm not interested in what you have to say but it might lead to stop clogging up the comments here.
Mr. Anon, I agree with your take on "Gladiator." But I can watch it again and again for all the pretty scenery.
I wonder, are modern movies really as bad as they seem? Or is the sense of impending doom coloring our judgment?
I'd add "Unfaithful" (2002) to the list. Not an all time great, not by any means. But very solid for the genre.
You bring up Hugh Laurie in a review of a Sherlock Holmes who engages in action movie pugilism. The odd thing is that Downey - the Hollywood action hero - is a famous health compromised midget while Laurie is a big guy in good shape who boxes for recreation.
At the Celebrity Heights site there was a lot of commentary about Downey and his shoes when Iron Man first came out. Downey attended the press conferences wearing with what appeared to be six inch platform shoes so as not to appear ridiculous while standing next to Gwyneth Paltrow.
On the contrary Laurie has had to cast tall intimidating villains (David Morse, Chi McBride) so as to appear vulnerable.
As for playing a smart guy like Sherlock Holmes, indeed Downey can play intelligent - hell, even Keanu Reeves can pretend to be smart on screen. But Laurie actually is smart. Read his crime novel "The Gun Seller" - very funny and it is note perfect for the hard boiled detective style.
All of Clint Eastwood's movies for this decade stand out... Million Dollar Baby, Flags of our Fathers,Gran Torino, and his latest Invictus.
"I'm not interested in what you have to say but it might lead to stop clogging up the comments here."
Can't be helped. Blog or no blog, if someone starts talking about movies, I'm a greased hog turned loose.
"if someone starts talking about movies, I'm a greased hog turned loose."
And this differs from otherwise...how again?
"if someone starts talking about movies, I'm a greased hog turned loose."
"And this differs from otherwise...how again?"
------
Otherwise, I'm the sonic hedgehog.
"The Maryolaters at Popery Central HQ got all pissy because the depiction of a vaginal birth was in violation of the de fide doctrine of perpetual virginity.
I had never even HEARD of the doctrine of perpetual virginity until this movie came along.
Thank God for the Protestant Reformation."
Hey Billy Sunday, I grew up Catholic and the "perpetual virginity" of Mary had to do with the belief that she never had sexual intercourse (most Protestant Reformation sects did not dispute this anyway), and nothing to do with the birth of Jesus which, of course, happened in the usual way. Many Catholic scholars have written on this subject and even in grade school I never heard such an argument as stated in the earlier comment.
Religious people are often accused of childlike qualities, but I see the same thing in those who deliberately misunderstand that in so many religious beliefs, the spiritual concept or metaphor is more important--is indeed, of utmost importance--than the physical property to which it makes reference. That is why Jesus spoke in parables. Most of his listeners already knew about the properties of mustard seeds and fish.
Oh, for the year, the newest Harry Potter wasn't too too bad. Half Blood Prince. Maybe 6th or 7th place in my little universe. I would like to place a vote for District 9 too.
Hey Billy Sunday, I grew up Catholic and the "perpetual virginity" of Mary had to do with the belief that she never had sexual intercourse (most Protestant Reformation sects did not dispute this anyway), and nothing to do with the birth of Jesus which, of course, happened in the usual way.
FALSE DOCTRINE!
HERETIC!!!
As pointed out by Fr. Angelo Mary Geiger of the Franciscans of the Immaculate, in his blistering criticism of the movie, the de fide [i.e. inviolable] doctrine of the Perpetual Virginity requires one to believe that Jesus did NOT enter the world via Mary's birth canal.
And as de fide doctrine, its denunciation is heresy.
I.
KID.
YOU.
NOT.
PS: Komment Kontrol will appreciate the fact that I have not made ANY jokes about Scotty beaming the Baby Jesus out of Mary's womb and into her arms.
No such jokes at all.
Not me.
I had never even HEARD of the doctrine of perpetual virginity until this movie came along.
Thank God for the Protestant Reformation.
You should thank God for the "Maryolaters" enlightening your ignorance, heretic, if only a very little.
Three Samurai films by Yoji Yamada.
Twilight Samurai
Hidden Blade
Love and Honor
All are superb as history and drama.
Way late to the party here, but just noticed nobody said Gods and Generals for one of the best of the decade. Anyway, Gods and Generals.
Agio says:
"Based on Daniel Woodrell's book "Woe to Live On". His more recent book "Winter's Bone" would make a fine movie...future catch-phrase from that book; "talkin' causes witnesses"."
Good call.
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