Hype Movie Club

[Luigi]

Watching The Piano Teacher atm

"Hey, what's she doing with that razor..."

 

[CaptainWagner]

Road to Perdition (2002) d. Sam Mendes

This was maybe the first movie I ever watched that really pulled me into the artistry of Capital C Cinema, and later the first BluRay I ever bought, so I'm always happy to revisit it. I'm glad it still holds up - largely due to Conrad Hall's god-tier cinematography. It's a beautiful story, and a perfect play against type for Hanks in maybe his most underrated role. It feels extremely Spielbergian (mind you The Berg had an insane '02 with CMIYC and Minority Report both dropping), which stands out as odd compared to Mendes' other work, but he plays it well. I think that mix of sincere sentimentality with the gangland violence gets dismissed by a lot of the Film Twitter types, but IMO this deserves to be listed among the best of a great year for film.

Makes me think - what is everyone's take for the Best Movie Year of this decade? For me, it's neck and neck between '02 and '07.

 

[flickchick85]

Makes me think - what is everyone's take for the Best Movie Year of this decade? For me, it's neck and neck between '02 and '07.

Probably '06 for me. Children of Men and The Prestige are probably the two movies of the decade that made the biggest impression on me. But '07 would be a close second!

 

[Kane52630]

07 was truly a revolutionary year.

No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood
3:10 to Yuma
Superbad
Ratatouille
The Assassination of Jesse James
Michael Clayton
Hot Fuzz
The Mist
Atonement
Bee Movie

 

[flickchick85]

Ok y'all, I'm introducing a new type of category as we go into the new year: Genres/Eras! I won't be abandoning filmmakers or decades as potential categories, but this is just another thing to mix it up a bit. Hopefully one that can be a little educational for us all as well. So, in honor of a certain Christmas release this year, our inaugural genre category for December will be...


German Expressionism

What is German Expressionism? It was a filmmaking movement in the 1920's and 1930's marked by wild creativity and imagination, where the internal emotions of a piece were reflected in the external - from the designs, to the costumes, to the acting styles. It was a movement that outright rejected cinematic realism. This era was the primary influence on so many beloved classics today, from Blade Runner to anything Tim Burton has ever touched, as well as being a direct predecessor to the also hugely influential genre of Film Noir.

Since there are really only a relatively small handful of German Expressionist films out there - 27 according to this list ...and it's actually 26, because we've already done M (1931), so that one's no longer eligible - I'm going to say everyone gets up to THREE votes this time. So let's see how this goes. Voting will be open through Saturday. Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate!​

 

[flickchick85]

My 3 picks for German Expressionism:

Nosferatu
Metropolis
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (just because I HAVE to see if this premise is as wild as I remember it being )

 

[Kane52630]

Nosferatu
Metropolis
The Man Who Laughs

 

[CaptainWagner]

hmm.... This is exciting, as I haven't seen much from this era of film. Really liked M when we did it before.

Faust
Metropolis
Nosferatu

(I saw clips from Metropolis in film classes but we never watched the whole thing)

 

[flickchick85]

Sorry for the delay all, had a particularly crazy week. Thankfully, this one's really easy to tally. Our December selections:


Metropolis (1927)

Directed by: Fritz Lang
Written By: Thea Von Harbou and Fritz Lang
Starring: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich
What's It About? In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.


Nosferatu (1922)

Directed By: F.W. Murnau
Written By: Henrik Galeen and Bram Stoker
Starring: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach, Gustav Von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder
What's It About? Vampire Count Orlok expresses interest in a new residence and real estate agent Hutter's wife.

Anyone who considers themselves a film aficionado and has NOT seen these absolutely vital, legendary classics by the end of this month will be shamed. SHAMED! Happy holidays, y'all!​

 

[Luigi]

The Piano Teacher

Quite a haunting look at what a lifetime of repression can do to a person. Erika deserved far better than to be stuck in the life that she was given. Those last five minutes are just crushing.