The pesudo-doc angle is interesting, but I've never really understood why that's always held up as the Kiarostami pinnacle. I significantly prefer Taste of Cherry, Through the Olive Trees and especially The Wind Will Carry Us. Reminds me I should get Where Is the Friend's Home? soon.
I really loved it. The sadness of Sabzian is far more interesting than the way they chose to portray it. Looking forward to checking out “Close Up Long Shot” tomorrow
Should I watch (or order of importance): Stalker A Woman Under the Influence Sunset Boulevard Le Samourai Ace in the Hole
Tarkovsky only made seven films, and all are worth watching, although they should never be binge-watched.
I’ve been very taken with Patwardhan’s work, and while it’s about India, so much of his perspective and the issues he’s chronicling unfortunately translate extremely well to a Western perspective, as the struggles and oppression share common tactics.
One of the very few I missed at the retrospective here two years ago, excited to get another chance to finally see it
i think i’ve only seen three of her films: i you he she, news from home, and no home movie (i know, not even the big one). no home movie was an extremely memorable and moving theater experience, and news from home wasn’t far behind that. i really need to track down what i can find of the rest of her filmography and dig in the arthouse screen i’d generally see films like hers on is finally reopening next month and i’m very excited. i’ve missed movies during the pandemic, as i’m not the best at sitting down at home and watching stuff without getting distracted by my phone
Fwiw I think all three of those are incredible and I probably like them all more that Jeanne Dielman. Not a slight against that film, which is undeniably a towering work, but I think she has also pushed in some other very interesting directions. There’s a sizeable collection of her stuff on The Criterion Channel, if you have access to that. On top of some of the more obvious canonical titles, they’ve also got some really great (and surprisingly hilarious!) oddities like Histoires d’Amerique and Golden Eighties.
I like the talk in here so I’m bumping. Watched Minnie and Moskowitz last night before it left criterion channel. Great “romantic” comedy. Incredible performance by Gena Rowlands. People and relationships are messy, Cassavetes excels at showcasing this, and Rowland’s gives a great monologue about the conspiracy of movies. “I think about you so much I forget to go to the bathroom!” Made me laugh and fall in love with this movie.