The Chorus Canon • Page 2

Yeah the original is in a different class but I love Soderbergh’s for what it is separate of that

 

From a sci-fi standpoint, the idea of a story of a planet that interacts mentally with humans is fascinating, and both versions explored it well in their own way

 

I’m excited to see what others put here; with all the free time I’ve had this year, and crazy fast internet, I’ve drastically increased the amount of movies I’ve watched, so with several more months of lockdown left I’m looking forward to watching more

 

It’s gonna take me a while to compile my list and then just to read @Nathan ‘s post

 

well none of us can follow that fuck

 

I'll say that at least something by Satoshi Kon belongs in the anime section. Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, and Paprika are all incredible

 

Jumping off from the Tarkovsky/Solaris discussion, something I have thought a lot about is ranking the canon in tiers of accessibility. When I first started trying to explore the history of film I kept running into films that I thought were wildly overrated or didn't fully understand because I really was not ready for them. Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev was a tremendous bore, and I thought that Lynch's Mulholland Drive was a nonsensical mess. In time I learned the error in my ways, but it took some time. Andrei Tarkovsky is like the final boss of cinema; once you can get on his wavelength, nothing is going to be too hard for you.

 

tarkovsky was really on his own level. the only one who could top himself was himself, between that and stalker

 

Tarkovsky is probably the biggest name I've really struggled to connect with. His films are always gorgeous but I find myself just getting bored by the end. Ivan's Childhood definitely worked for me more than Stalker or Mirror did but it's also been years since I watched those so maybe I'd appreciate them more now. Have yet to see Solaris.

 

I watched and loved Tarkovsky's films so many years ago that he's now just kinda tucked away in the back of my mind and not someone I think about that often. But I had to rewatch Andrei Rublev for a Soviet and Russian Cinema course last semester and it completely blew me away. Prior to, it was probably the only one of his films that I didn't "get." Or at least I didn't see why so many placed it above his other works. Among its many qualities, I was in awe of how incredibly he was able to reconstruct the period setting of the film - a rare film that feels like a(n impossible) document of the time in which it is set. The only other film that I can think of that has accomplished the same for me is Frantisek Vlacil's Marketa Lazarova. An incredible feat imo.

 

What are his most accessible films? I’ve put off watching anything by him specifically because I expect it to be a chore. Same with Bela Tarr

 

Bela Tarr is the other one I've struggled with.

 

Ivan's Childhood is the most accessible, but least representative of his work. Stalker and Solaris are more "fast paced" than a lot of his other work.

 

It was my third or fourth time watching Andrei Rublev that it started to click for me. Like you said, it really did feel like it was of the era, even though we know it was filmed in the Sixties. That may have been what made it such a slog to begin with. When you compare it to the American films that were period pieces at that time, its accomplishments are much more obvious.

 

i had tickets to see Stalker on the big screen at TIFF lightbox back in march which would of been my first time seeing a Tarkovsky film, but then the pandemic hit and i didnt go. I'd watch at home but i know my attention is real bad here so im holding out for theatres to open again.

 

Since I doubt many people are going to be in the mood to make lists as expansive as Nathan’s right off the bat, and since we probably don't want this to just devolve into a thread of lists anyway, how about we just use his categorizations as a jumping off point for discussing different groupings. Like we can (try to) have more narrow discussions on specific genres, eras, directors, countries, etc. And instead of simply listing our favorites, we try to delve deeper into the merits of the films, how they exemplify that category, or don't exemplify it but should be included anyway based on some other kind of significance.

If we're thinking of these as canons then a big part of that is the initial step of even defining the boundaries of said canons

 

I've been putting off Andrei Rublev for awhile. Some directors I can go on a run and watch a few of their films in a week, Tarkovsky is one where I spread out viewings. I think I'll delve into it relatively soon.

 

I haven't seen any Satoshi Kon, thanks for the rec. I liked anime a lot in middle and high school but that was the peak of my interest, I keep up with a little bit but not much so there's lots I haven't seen.

 

finally a thread where I can talk about Three Men and A Little Baby (1987)

 

the Every Frame a Painting video on him is one of my favorites. It does a great job explaining how amazing he was at using the medium of animation to create compelling editing/transitions, which also ties into his work thematically as all of his movies are about the blurring of the distinctions we try to draw in our lives

 

Perfect Blue is one of my all time favourites.

 

They play Tarkovsky all the time, usually to packed houses, so I would bet you'll get your chance sooner rather than later. Seems like something they would program to draw people back in when they open back up.

 

tbh if we're talking anime, Masaaki Yuasa is someone who doesn't get discussed enough. I discovered his work last year and the creative on display in Mind Game is astonishing. He is someone who completely embraces the infinite possibilities of creating images from scratch.

 

this is good to know. i cant wait for things to get back to normal so i can start doing my weekly TIFF viewings again. Was really getting into a habit for a while.

 

Not a movie, but Ping Pong the Animation is the best there is when it comes to animation.