Filmbrain has his Top 11 up. I've seen one of them, but I hope to eventually see them all. Okay, maybe not The Brown Bunny (although he makes a good case for it).
I guess this is as good a place as any to post this:
Seeing as Listology's most popular topic is film, and there are always great film discussions going on at Listology, is there any interest in starting a Listology Film Club - like, members would agree to watch and discuss a certain film each month in great detail? Especially for the Netflix/Blockbuster/GreenCine/Whatever-empowered among us, I think it would be really fun to viciously dissect a revered film with so much focused energy.
Not necessarily. I'll just decide when I see what the ultimate format of the club is. Maybe I'll do it when a movie strikes my fancy. Maybe I'll do it all the time. Maybe I'll never do it. I don't know. I'll know when I see it. :-)
Two salutes in less than an hour! That's promising.
For those who have and haven't spoken, I'll elaborate on what I'm thinking, though this is all very flexible:
1. One movie a month (or perhaps bimonthly?). Members should watch the chosen title once (preferably more) with a careful eye by a given date, and then discussion begins.
2. Movie titles should be chosen democratically for their divisiveness (a discussion is more lively if not everyone thinks its a masterpiece), freshness (i.e. nothing new can be said of Fahrenheit or Passion, etc.), appeal (not everyone will be willing to tackle a 1920s avante-garde film, etc.), and accessibility (members have to be able to get their hands on it to watch it!).
3. Conversation should be pre-thought, and presented with minimal hyperlinks. The discussion should be followable without any click-aways, so quote or paraphrase what you need, and provide links for tangential reading if you desire.
That's kind of my concept of what a Listology film club could be. More thoughts? Interested parties?
Filmbrain here -- can't say I fully understand what this Listology thing is, or quite how it works, so please bear with me.
I guess I'm curious as to why you feel that way about We Don't Live Here Anymore. Was it the film itself you didn't like (direction, acting, screenplay) or just the subject/story?
Personally, I found it overwritten and overbearing with pedestrian direction. Three out of the four lead actors were effective (Peter Krause was way out of his league), but it wasn't enough to keep me caring.
First off, thanks for the info about the site. Seems like I've got a lot of poking around to do.
As for the film -- even if the direction was a bit flat, I found the performances and the general interplay between the characters fascinating. Especially the scenes in the Ruffalo-Dern house -- they felt so uncomfortable. There are few contemporary American films that seriously address "adult" relationships like this one did. (Usually we get ridiculous things like Unfaithful.)
I'm not sure I agree about how sympathetic the characters were -- but is that even relevant? Is there a need to like, or relate to characters in order to enjoy a film?
I will admit that if I had seen this film ten years in the past, I probably would have had little use for it.
That's true about Krause, though he tried his hardest to keep up!
It's not a matter of sympathy -- I've seen many films where I didn't necessarily sympathize or even like the characters. But I must be able to tolerate their presence. And I couldn't wait for these miserable people to get the heck out of my life. I just didn't feel any kind of spark or inner life within the characters that would make them feel like real people and not writer's constructs to be moved through a game of sexual musical chairs. Like I said, it's certainly not the performances I fault (well, except for Krause). It's the material the actors had to work with.
The short version, which is all I have time for right now: I found it excruiatingly boring. Not badly acted or directed, but definitely lacking a single sympathetic character or any real dramatic tension. I only have so much patience for the whining of good-looking 30-something men and women, especially when the women are apparently stay-at-home wives!
I can't chime in on We Don't Live Here Anymore until I see it, but I can help with what Listology is. The home page has a nutshell explanation in the right margin. As for browsing lists, the favorites page might be a decent place to start, but that feature is relatively new and hasn't been getting enough play to be entirely reliable yet.
I guess this is as good a place as any to post this:
Seeing as Listology's most popular topic is film, and there are always great film discussions going on at Listology, is there any interest in starting a Listology Film Club - like, members would agree to watch and discuss a certain film each month in great detail? Especially for the Netflix/Blockbuster/GreenCine/Whatever-empowered among us, I think it would be really fun to viciously dissect a revered film with so much focused energy.
Run it up the flagpole, see who salutes. I might be game, but I'm kinda liking picking and choosing my own viewing at the moment.
Would you be more keen if it was, for example, bimonthly?
Not necessarily. I'll just decide when I see what the ultimate format of the club is. Maybe I'll do it when a movie strikes my fancy. Maybe I'll do it all the time. Maybe I'll never do it. I don't know. I'll know when I see it. :-)
I'd be game.
I'm still getting my sea legs here, but I'd be up for it.
Two salutes in less than an hour! That's promising.
For those who have and haven't spoken, I'll elaborate on what I'm thinking, though this is all very flexible:
1. One movie a month (or perhaps bimonthly?). Members should watch the chosen title once (preferably more) with a careful eye by a given date, and then discussion begins.
2. Movie titles should be chosen democratically for their divisiveness (a discussion is more lively if not everyone thinks its a masterpiece), freshness (i.e. nothing new can be said of Fahrenheit or Passion, etc.), appeal (not everyone will be willing to tackle a 1920s avante-garde film, etc.), and accessibility (members have to be able to get their hands on it to watch it!).
3. Conversation should be pre-thought, and presented with minimal hyperlinks. The discussion should be followable without any click-aways, so quote or paraphrase what you need, and provide links for tangential reading if you desire.
That's kind of my concept of what a Listology film club could be. More thoughts? Interested parties?
Good idea. I'd be interested in participating.
Seems like there is ample interest! Let's begin!
I think this is a fantastic idea! I'm down.
Especially if I get to call everyone who disagrees with me a self-righteous hipster who's a blight on film culture.
Seems like there is ample interest! Let's begin!
I'd rather shoot myself in the head than watch We Don't Live Here Anymore again.
Hello --
Filmbrain here -- can't say I fully understand what this Listology thing is, or quite how it works, so please bear with me.
I guess I'm curious as to why you feel that way about We Don't Live Here Anymore. Was it the film itself you didn't like (direction, acting, screenplay) or just the subject/story?
Personally, I found it overwritten and overbearing with pedestrian direction. Three out of the four lead actors were effective (Peter Krause was way out of his league), but it wasn't enough to keep me caring.
First off, thanks for the info about the site. Seems like I've got a lot of poking around to do.
As for the film -- even if the direction was a bit flat, I found the performances and the general interplay between the characters fascinating. Especially the scenes in the Ruffalo-Dern house -- they felt so uncomfortable. There are few contemporary American films that seriously address "adult" relationships like this one did. (Usually we get ridiculous things like Unfaithful.)
I'm not sure I agree about how sympathetic the characters were -- but is that even relevant? Is there a need to like, or relate to characters in order to enjoy a film?
I will admit that if I had seen this film ten years in the past, I probably would have had little use for it.
That's true about Krause, though he tried his hardest to keep up!
It's not a matter of sympathy -- I've seen many films where I didn't necessarily sympathize or even like the characters. But I must be able to tolerate their presence. And I couldn't wait for these miserable people to get the heck out of my life. I just didn't feel any kind of spark or inner life within the characters that would make them feel like real people and not writer's constructs to be moved through a game of sexual musical chairs. Like I said, it's certainly not the performances I fault (well, except for Krause). It's the material the actors had to work with.
The short version, which is all I have time for right now: I found it excruiatingly boring. Not badly acted or directed, but definitely lacking a single sympathetic character or any real dramatic tension. I only have so much patience for the whining of good-looking 30-something men and women, especially when the women are apparently stay-at-home wives!
I can't chime in on We Don't Live Here Anymore until I see it, but I can help with what Listology is. The home page has a nutshell explanation in the right margin. As for browsing lists, the favorites page might be a decent place to start, but that feature is relatively new and hasn't been getting enough play to be entirely reliable yet.
Love your site!
Hear, hear!