Listology Movie Club - Intro
I'm very glad there's so much interest in a Listology Movie Club! Because any organized gathering needs a leader, I'll elect myself 'official decision-maker' for this first month - but I promise I'll be a 'benevolent dictator.'
Goals:
1. To facilitate focused discussion of film.
2. To enjoy fellowship around a common interest.
3. To have fun.
Rules:
1. Movie Club volunteer members will watch a chosen film, preferably multiple times, within a chosen timeframe.
2. At the end of that chosen timeframe, discussion will begin with little guidance or moderation. Posts, however, should be pre-thought and edited. Hyperlinks are allowed, but should not be necessary for readers to follow one's argument (so, quote or paraphrase what you need).
3. Any Listologist may join in discussion, providing he/she abides by these rules. The purpose of 'members' is to guarantee healthy, diverse discussion on each film, so please announce yourself as a member if you can!
4. Discussion will never be 'closed' on a movie, but one new film will be chosen for discussion each month.
Movie Club members, please comment on these goals and rules so that we can refine the guidelines before we begin. Also, please give a short profile of yourselves that includes your movie viewing history and tastes so that we can collectively determine the sort of movies we'd like to view and discuss.
Last one to post is a rotten egg!
Here's my profile:
I'm Luke, 19, a cinephile of nearly 2 years - during which time I've seen films from 1894 to 2004, experimental to surreal to 'film essay' to neorealist to documentary to musical to mainstream, a few seconds in length to several hours in length. I try to appreciate 'difficult' films like Un Chien Andalou and Brazil, I can enjoy 'weird' films like The Saddest Music in the World and Dead Man, but I love artful, powerful narratives like Citizen Kane, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Seventh Seal, Rear Window, and The Matrix. I also love a hilarious comedy, like Monty Python and the Holy Grail or Better Off Dead...
Now, regarding the rules:
I think we should probably announce the chosen film for the upcoming month about a week before the timeframe in which it should be viewed, to give members a chance to queue it or request it at their library or whatever while still discussing the previous film. Then, the timeframe should probably be one or two weeks long, to give more time to aquire the film and watch it more than once. Thoughts?
And, regarding the movies to be selected:
The movies selected should be expected to illicit a variety of responses. Examples might include Spider-Man, Moulin Rouge!, and Down With Love. In keeping with goal #3, the movies should also be 'accessible' to as many participants as possible. If everyone can stomach Window Water Baby Moving, great. If not, we should keep our films somewhat more accessible. I also think it would be most interesting to choose movies that are less seen and less discussed already than Spider-Man, Moulin Rouge!, or Down With Love. Perhaps something like Night on Earth or Waking Life or Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary. Hopefully your profiles will let us all know what kinds of film everyone might be interested in discussing (that haven't been greatly discussed already). Also, please suggest your own candidates for films we watch, along with reasons for those candidates.
Keep in mind that candidates should also be accessible in that they are available on services like Netflix, or perhaps through some library systems or niche video stores.
Hi, I'm Kent, soon to be 33, and while I've been interested in film for nearly 17 years, it's only been in the past five or so that my interest has become "serious", in terms of writing screenplays and criticism. I started a blog a year ago to keep myself thinking and writing about movies.
I'll watch just about anything, but my particular areas of interest are 70s horror, 50s SF, Tarkovsky, Cassavetes, Argento, and Westerns. I tend to approach films from a screenwriting POV; as someone who studied theater in college because he couldn't hack an English major, I'm usually more interested in how a film is put together, and how it creates the effects it does, than the usual literary-style analysis of themes, meanings, etc. But I try.
My only suggestion (and it's not even a very strong suggestion) is that we pick something that's about 10+ years old -- the idea being that we find something that we can have some perspective on. But I'm sure someone can suggest something more recent that would be perfect.
Luke, I know you were just using these 3 movies as examples, but: I'd be totally okay with Night on Earth or Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary -- I haven't seen either -- but I wouldn't want to touch Waking Life with a ten-foot pole, because a) I've seen it and b) see the second sentence in the second paragraph.
Hey, I'm Steve. I'm 24 and I've been a movie fanatic since around the age of 13. Moving to within an hour of New York City (where everything is available somewhere) only facilitated this, and now I see anywhere from 250 to 300 movies every year. (This does not count viewings of movies I've already seen.) It's a sickness.
I'm a big fan of horror films, whether they be silly gory meat movies or hard-to-shake creepfests. I've also enjoyed my share of other films, whether they be goofy comedies, arty-farty indie flicks, subtitled stuff, pensive dramas or whatever else you care to think of. My taste is getting crankier the older I get.
My favorite director of all time is Luis Bunuel (with Carl Dreyer a close second). My favorite working director is Peter Jackson (and it was that way before "LOTR", thanks for asking).
I went to film school for a few years, so I know the language of cinema. And I can talk about subtext if it comes up. But I usually just judge a film on whether or not I enjoyed it. ("The Animal" with Rob Schneider... technically incompetent? Yes. Embarrasingly funny anyway? Yes.)
So far, I like your criteria. Once we get rolling, I'm sure I'll have some suggestions. (I'd love to get everyone to watch "In a Glass Cage" if I didn't suspect you'd all hate me for it.)
I certainly wouldn't hate you for suggestion 'In a Glass Cage.' IMDB's plot summary: "A pedophile paralyzed from the neck down after a suicide attempt discovers that the nurse caring for him is a boy that he molested years ago." Now, if that isn't a great hook I don't know what is.
RE: Peter Jackson. I'm soooo happy that after rumors that he's doing another epic after King Kong, Jackson recently confirmed he's doing The Lovely Bones next, instead.
Wow, that's a big frickin' spoiler there for "In a Glass Cage". Thanks, IMDb.
And trust me... I'm not sure I can watch "Cage" again, and I've seen "Audition" six times. It's one of the most hideously disturbing things I've ever seen. The gasoline injection scene alone makes it unpalatable.
Gasoline injection? *cringe*
I remain intrigued.
I definitely encourage you to seek it out if it sounds interesting. Just don't say I didn't warn you... :-)
(A friend of mine once pointed out that every time I recommend a film highly, there's a good chance it'll cause psychological damage. Wonder what that says about my tastes.)
And Jackson's doing "Lovely Bones"? Interesting. The IMDb still lists Lynne Ramsay, who also would have been a good choice. We shall see how it turns out then -- I have faith in the man.
Haha! Yes, it seems I'm also drawn to movies that might inflict psychological damage on an unstable person (Requiem, Irreversible, etc.). Don't know if I'm 'twisted,' but I sure find those who are twisted fascinating.
My only previous experience with Jackson before LOTR had been 'Heavenly Creatures,' and I thought "This is the guy they've hired to do the most epic literary adaptation ever attempted? Yikes!" What a pleasant surprise it was when it turned out so good.
Still, Jackson is on a fast track to becoming the next Speilberg, and I'd rather have him be the next Scorcese or a big-budget Jarmusch/Maddin. It's a shame I don't control him!
Very interesting idea!
I'll 'participate'.
However I've got serious doubts, if I can discuss on every movie, because I have no Netflix and the choice in 'my' library is very small.
I'll give you my profile tomorrow when I have more time.
My login ID on listology is 1922 (the year of birth of my favourite actor), but my real name is Jeff.
Now that I think about it, I find it quite difficult to define my taste concerning movies. I'm open for almost every film, and I really like a wide range of them (including Sergio Leone's Italo-westerns, Hitchcock's psycho-thrillers, Lean's epic motion pictures or Bergman's movies).
Now about my favourite director:
Here the tendency goes to Hitchcock, but there are so many other great filmmakers, like Scorsese, Kubrick, Kazan, Lean, Leone or Bergman.
I judge literary adaptation extremely interesting, because you can always make the comparison between the novel and the adaptation for the big screen.
My love for movies began after I had first seen Star Wars.
Recently seen films that intrigued me quite a lot were David Lynch's Blue Velvet and Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show.
P.S.:
1. I repeat once more that I'm not sure if I can participate on every discussion, because I have got no Netflix and the choice in the local library is limited.
2. I'd find it interesting to discuss the entire work of one particular director (it'd be sufficient to have seen only one of this filmmaker's movies. Examples of such directors would be: Ingmar Bergman, Martin Scorsese, François Truffaut, etc.)
PS #2: Certainly, discussion on a film can branch off into discussion of directors, film movements, or film criticism itself. I look forward to it. But (and I don't think this is what you were saying), I don't think we'll try to watch multiple films by the same director in a row, unless there's a big call for it.
If I had infinite time, money, and influence over people, I'd walk through 200 important films, chronoligcally by director, and discuss each one in depth (first, scene-by-scene, then on the film as a whole, then on the director's work as a whole).
Hi, I'm AJ or Andrew, whichever you prefer. I'm 18, and I've been a movie fan for as long as I could remember. My taste has evolved over time; I started off watching a constant string of bad, recent comedies from Blockbuster as a way to pass the time, then I began to see classic comedies, then my taste expanded into watching classic dramas, and then I began to get into foreign and abstract films. Now I think my taste is pretty eclectic. The films I've recently viewed that I've liked most are Miller's Crossing, Last Year at Marienbad, and Sideways, which are three very different films.
Unfortunately, at the current moment I think my participation in this club might be limited. I don't have Netflix or any mail-order movie service, and in addition, I don't have a hell of a lot of time, between classes and perpetual theater rehearsals. But I'd be happy to participate if I have enough time and if it's a movie I can get my hands on.
In the 21st century, how can a movie-lover be with a DVD-by-mail service? :-)
Do you have any good 'niche' video rental locations nearby?
Not that I know of. We do have a handful of video libraries on campus, and I've heard the regular library has a pretty good selection of obscure DVDs. But those DVDs are mainly there to augment our education, so it would help if we picked a historically significant film. I doubt the library carried Old School.
In addition, I do have some DVDs here that I haven't watched yet. I've gotten into the {bad?) habit of buying DVDs that I think I'll want to watch eventually if I see them for a good price, and then putting them off because I'm not really in the mood. So if you pick one of those, I could definitely participate as long as I have enough time.
Do you have a list of DVDs you own but haven't seen, or could you make one? It may not be possible to choose a good title that few have seen but everyone has access to, but we'll try! :-)
I'll e-mail you.
Some others (Penny, socoialretard, etc.) have expressed interest here, and I'm waiting for them to post on this thread. In the meantime, everyone, please post suggestions for the first film we view and discuss. So far, the leading candidate seems to be Night on Earth, but we haven't had many suggestions yet!
Perhaps we can find a great candidate that might be more available to those without Netflix, especially for this first round? Something a video rental place might carry, few people have seen, and might cause very different reactions? It's a tough puzzle, I know.
I went through my database and found some films from 1990-1994 that may work. Personally, I'd rather see something I've never seen, but it's easier to think of movies I have seen. :-)
Ed Wood (1994, Tim Burton)
Wolf (1994, Mike Nichols)
A Perfect World (1993, Clint Eastwood)
Kalifornia (1993, Dominic Sena)
Three Colors Trilogy: Blue, White, Red [one movie only] (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
Naked (1993, Mike Leigh)
Bad Lieutenant (1992, Abel Ferrara)
Raising Cain (1992, Brian De Palma)
Hudson Hawk (1991, Michael Lehmann)
The Rapture (1991, Michael Tolkin)
The Fisher King (1991, Terry Gilliam)
Wild at Heart (1990, David Lynch)
Joe Versus the Volcano (1990, John Patrick Shanley)
(Weird -- that's a lot of Mikes and Michaels...)
Great! These are good suggestions. I've seen many of them. Let's see what the others think...
I fully second "The Rapture". And hey -- it was just released on DVD, wasn't it?
I have some other suggestions as well, but I'll get to 'em later.
Census Bureau Data: I’m Penny, 32, I live in a medium-sized city in a landlocked state and am between jobs at the moment. Film tastes: my favorite movies show originality and a pungent sensibility--or, they just tell an interesting story really well. Directors who make me want to watch all (or at least 9/10 of) their movies include Woody Allen, Jane Campion, Hitchcock, and Tarantino.
I would be fine with Night on Earth or Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary, as long as everyone can find them. I've also wanted to see all of Kiezlowski's trilogy (I've only seen one of them) for quite a while. But I'm not ready yet to give up on choosing something that no one here has seen.
Thanks for introducing yourself!
I think it might be impossible to find a film that nobody has seen, everyone could find, and would be worth discussing, but we'll try :-)
As far as I can tell, nobody has seen Night on Earth or Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary, but I imagine those without Netflix (can we just use that term for all DVD-by-mail services like we use Kleenex to mean all face tissues?) can't get their hands on it very easily.
I have seen "Dracula". It's #10 on my best-of for '03. It's freakin' awesome.
I don't think those with Netflix can get Night on Earth very easily, as I'm pretty sure it hasn't been released on DVD in America.
*sighs* *shakes his head* Honestly, I... *sudden rage* WHAT THE @!?#@! !@?!@ #!!? @#!@ #?@!!!!
I hope everyone 'hears' this (I hope interested parties are tracking this whole page, not just individual threads).
It seems everyone is pretty satisfied with the 'structure' of the Movie Club, at least for our first run. So, let's focus on choosing a title.
Night on Earth and Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary are probably good choices, but few of us can get our hands on them!
We can probably all get our hands on Joe Versus the Volcano and possibly Ed Wood. Do these intrigue you more than they intrigue me (it doesn't help that I've seen both)?
My favorite candidates include several of Kza's suggestions: Wolf, A Perfect World, Raising Cain, Wild at Heart, and especially The Rapture.
A few titles that would be more available to all of us (but are probably more seen and discussed already) include Starship Troopers, Frailty, Saved!, and others that I'm sure you can come up with.
Discuss, and then we can get started!
Like I said, I dig the idea of starting with "The Rapture". (I need an excuse to see it again.) However, I'm open to just about anything. "Starship Troopers" ain't a bad idea either. And how about them Coen Brothers?
Ah yes, Coen. I'd say The Hudsucker Proxy might be a good candidate.
I'd favor the The Hudsucker Proxy slightly over Starship Troopers.
Luke, I have a suggestion. Since I agree that we'll probably never decide on a movie that (1) is good, (2) is easily accessible, and (3) none of us have seen, I propose an alternate solution. How about if one person just picks a movie for everyone in each month? If other people have seen it before, they can either watch it again or just go on their memory (though the latter might limit their role in the discussion). Everyone will get his / her turn, so if you don't like the choice in one month, you'll get to pick your own choice soon enough.
How's that sound to everyone?
I think the Hudsucker Proxy is a pretty good first-month choice, and I'm not immediately won over by your idea, but I'd like to know what the others think.
Speak out, Movie Clubbers!
I like the idea of either taking turns at suggesting a movie or maybe taking a few suggestions each month and putting it to a vote in a poll.
AJ's idea sound very good to me.
P.S.: I agree with you, Penny. A poll would be an excellent solution.
Let's try the poll!
Democracy is very, very slow and messy (as we've already learned here), but hopefully it will result in pleasing most people.
I wonder, though: if we each nominate one film for the poll, should we be dissallowed from voting for our own nomination? (Will everyone just vote for their choice anyway?)
In any case, my choice for the poll is Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary.
Ummm, I'll nominate Raising Cain, sure why not.
I thought that one person would make up the poll and everyone else would get to vote, but in the interests of just getting on with it, I nominate The Hudsucker Proxy.
perhaps we'll try that next time, Penny. This Movie Club is very much 'under construction.' Thanks for your nomination.
I think I'll suggest Scorsese's "The King of Comedy". It's a film that's ripe for reappraisal.
I think I'll nominate... Kazan's East of Eden.
Okay, we'll cut it off there (AJ, not sure if you were intending to nominate. You may vote if you like). In the interest of keeping this simple, and local, we'll just do this poll by discussion posts. Here are the candidates:
Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary
Raising Cain
The Hudsucker Proxy
The King of Comedy
East of Eden
Choose one, even if it's your own, and vote for it in a reply to this post!
I vote for The King of Comedy.
I vote for East of Eden.
East of Eden isn't available on DVD in America yet. I'll vote for The King of Comedy.
I'll vote for "Hudsucker Proxy", just 'cause I need an excuse to see it. (It's the only Coen film I've not yet seen.)
I'll vote for King of Comedy. I've seen nearly all the other Scorseses, but this is one of my gaps.
King of Comedy it is! Three votes for it and only one for each of the others means it must win.
So, here we go!
We'll all try to watch it (preferably more than once, time allowing) from 1-25 through 1-31. Discussion will begin (on a new page I will create) on the 1st of February!
That gives us one week (or more) to aquire a copy of the film, and a week in which to watch it one or more times. I look forward to having some insightful fun with all of you starting on the first of February! In the mean time, feel free to comment on how the Movie Club should work in general, or ask any questions you may have.
Could you maybe put up a poll (or at least have a democratic discussion) about the process of choosing movies in the future? I think there were four methods proposed:
1. We all just talk about what movies we want to see and decide together
2. One member picks a movie for a particular month, and we alternate each month
3. Same as #2, except the member puts together a list of possible movies and everyone else votes on it
4. Everyone proposes one movie and then we vote on which one we wanted to see
Which method does everyone like best? I'd like a little more structure than #1 offers, but the other three sound fine to me.
I think #3 is a fine idea for future reference.
Certainly, we can try other methods on future Movie Club selections. Since you've already 'put up a poll' in the discussion, why don't we just discuss it right now?
I think option #3 sounds best. It gives both everyone (the "member of the moment" and everyone else) the most options.
I'll try to watch The King of Comedy as soon as possible. TCM France shows on each friday one movie by Martin Scorsese, so I hope...
What a pity! TCM has already stopped its series of Scorsese films with Who's That Knocking at my Door? this friday. :(
Movie Clubbers, I think we'll try AJ's third suggestion in picking our next title. But while we're getting our hands on The King of Comedy, I'd like to ask: Should the person who makes the list of candidtaes be alloewd to vote on it? AJ suggested no, but I don't see why not. Discuss!
So everyone chose the "list" option? Go figure... I don't have a problem with the listmaker getting to vote, but maybe it would be best to reserve that vote as a tie-breaker, should we need one.
Not everyone, but myself and two others prefer the list option, so we'll TRY that next and see how it works.
I like your idea of reserving the listmaker's vote as needed for a tiebreaker.
Oh, I didn't mean to imply that the listmaker couldn't vote. I just thought that people would be able to come up with five or so films that they'd want to see equally, so they wouldn't really have a preference. But if the listmaker wants to vote, that sounds good too.
Wow, I guess my idea for the Listology Movie Club was a little ahead of its time.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised that there were enough people interested in a Listology Movie Club now.
Oh, I definitely agree. The numbers are way up in Listology participation. Jim could confirm that. I was just suprised to see the Movie Club resurrection seemingly without knowledge of my original idea.
And here I thought I was a mad genius, but really I just kicked a dead horse one more time and it woke up!
} or else {
You're a visionary, Dan!
{ else {
Back then, Listologists hadn't arisen from the primordial ooze.
I still haven't! :)
Fire. Bad.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I'll go get the jumper cables, then...
Discussion begins in just a few days. I hope you're all watching The King of Comedy!
I wouldn't usually be into this kind of thing, but as I viewed "The King Of Comedy" just last week, it's kind of kickstarted me and I think I might be up for this.. Luke, would it be OK if I just "dipped in and out" of this rather than become a proper member? I'd like to share my opinions from time to time (and who knows, it might be interesting for you guys to hear from a 14 year old) but I don't think I could maintain the "regularly managing to view the film in question" idea.
Cheers!
Of course, we would always welcome additional input!
The game's afoot!
I'm Figarocatboy, I'm 14, an obsessed cinefile who has seen the "King Of Comedy", and I just wanted to join in, so ta till the next discussion. ciao!
oh yeah, and like wezzo, and can only dip in from time to time, as the pressures of school, work, writing, and making movies in me basement are keeping me tied up
Great! Right now we've just begun discussing Heavenly Creatures. We'll choose our next title in the upcoming weeks and watch it just before April 1st to begin discussion on April 1st. Join in when you can!