Come and get your drink, and take this opportunity to choose a film for everyone to watch.
January 31, 2014
Bar’s Open
Uborka
your weird cousins
Come and get your drink, and take this opportunity to choose a film for everyone to watch.
Well, I could rewatch The Big Lebowski over and over. So I’m going to suggest that film, and the drink can only be a White Russian.
A film for everyone to watch, eh? Do we have to watch them back to back? Because I was thinking of the Seven Samurai, which is rather long, and I didn’t want you to think I was being cheeky. It’s not just a good film. It’s one of the best films ever made, and yet there are fools out there bumbling about in a state of never having seen it. Time for you to reverse this, should you number amongst them. Yes, it’s in Japanese. Yes it’s 3 and a half hours long… but I assure you, unless you’re in a particularly uncomfortable chair, it won’t feel like it. It may also seem like I’m being worthy, urging you to watch a foreign film, made in the 50s, and frankly, it was inevitable that I would, but I have also chosen a straight forward adventure story. Not some grim study of how the bastards grind you down, but a band of misfits defending a village from bandits. It also happens to have a brilliant sound track.
I’ll stop. Here’s the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnRUHtSgJ9o
Mine’s a pint.
Well, in light of my usual request for a pint of Kamikaze, I’d have to suggest “Tora Tora Tora”. But that’d be silly.
Other than that, I’d suggest something like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (mainly because I haven’t seen it in ages) or Blues Brothers (ditto)
And please/thanks for the drink, too 🙂
I recommend Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom as a tonic to what has turned out to be an exceptionally cold and miserable winter. I’ll have a tequila sunrise please.
How about the very lovely Robot & Frank, accompanied by stolen Dom Perignon, served by a robot butler.
One of my favorite cinematic oddities are the films of Jacques Tati, many of which are on Netflix. They’re delightfully silly and full of visual comedy, but also contain some biting commentary on French culture and societal norms of the time. They barely require any knowledge of French since there’s relatively little dialogue. My favorite is Mon Oncle (1958), his first to be in color. It’s so incredibly funny. I haven’t yet watched Play Time (1967) yet so would be happy to watch/talk about that one.
Another genre I don’t know well so would love some coached introduction to: anime, particularly the Studio Ghibli films like Spirited Away.
What if we nominated two or three films in different genres, so that people could watch along/comment only if it’s likely to be their sort of film? That way we could have a few posts on deck and more varied chatter?
I would second Robot & Frank if it’s easily accessible, because I love Frank Langella and I’m not seeing him on stage in LEAR this year, much to my detriment.
Aaaaand I failed to order a drink through all that palaver.
Given that I’m barging fashionably late and highly opinionated to the film nominations in a way that’s so very like a Gallic field gun …. I shall have a French 75 please.
I’ve just been moving the office wormeries around, so I think a mudslinger cocktail is in order.
For films I’ve just dropped a few suggestions I the film club post comments, but I will always second the blues brothers. Also haven’t seen the Thomas crown affair for a while – we could do original and remake comparisons (on this rare occasion my vote is for the remake)
Oh Krissa. Mon Oncle is one of my very favourite films because it was one of my Dad’s very favourite films and I have so many happy memories of watching it with him. When I think about it I can still hear him laugh.
And now I’m crying in the office. But in a good way.
So I would like to second Mon Oncle and raise a glass of good single malt to my Dad, who I miss every day.
Pix, our dads had a shared excellent taste then, since mine also introduced me to Tati, and Mon Oncle in particular. I’ll just leave this marvelous clip for you (and everyone else) to enjoy, and I’ll raise my glass as well to hilarious dads who we will always miss.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgU3SYxYAXE