The Chorus Canon • Page 3

I had stopped going as much the last few months before, because I was kinda sick of being around the people lol, but I have spent so much time there over the years. Quite a few retrospectives where I saw nearly the entire program. I obviously miss it now that it doesn't exist. I'm curious to see what the programming looks like when it comes back.

Japan Sinks 2020 is the only series I've seen, which was nice but not nealy as visually creative. I've been curious to catch the Ping Pong series for a while, so glad to hear it's so good.

 

I loved Devilman Crybaby but while I appreciated a lot about Mind Game, overall I wasn't into it. Same for Night is Short, Walk on Girl, they both kind of annoyed me more than anything. Always wanted to try Ping Pong and Tatami Galaxy.

 

wait a sec - adam sandler, the important auteur, thought everybody

 

Should have Hubie Halloween in there

 

half sincere inclusion, half a test to see if anyone was actually reading it

 

I control f’d adam sandler to check then didnt read any of it lol

 

I haven’t sat down with it yet but I am very happy to see it

 

oh I didn't include Hubie specifically. Some people, Malick, the Coens, Soderbergh, Sandler, have such great bodies of work and were tough to narrow down.

 

Haha I mean Sandler in general

 

I assumed Sandler was a sincere inclusion. I'd have replaced Click with something else though, but that's nitpicking.

 

Auteur lol

 

???

 

Adam Sandler is technically an auteur. The directors of his films are mostly just serving for his brand of comedy. We are used to the idea of directors serving as the driving force in film production, but there are many examples of producers, writers, and even actors being the main creative force in a movie. It used to be more common when movie stars were more important, but it happens quite a bit in comedy.

The term auteur does not have a value attached; it does not mean the person is particularly talented or good. Michael Bay is an auteur, as is Uwe Boll.

 

Auteur theory and the debate around it is kind of a headache because both sides are too absolutist in their framing of the issue.

Yes, film is a collaborative medium and yes, there is usually someone who is the main driving force in the filmmaking process and it is usually the director, given the nature of the job. However, almost all of the great directors have longstanding relationships with writers, editors, cinematographers, and actors that shape their projects, and there are examples where the director is not the lead creator. As a general rule, if a director gets hired to make something that is already forming, it isn't going to be "their" film. When you talk about the mega-franchises, the producers are the creative heads of the film, as they are using the film as a brand extension and a way to sell merchandise and continue the series. Writers like Aaron Sorkin and Charlie Kaufman have very distinctive voices, which is why you can see many recurring trends in movies they didn't even direct and how it continued when they became directors. Some movie stars are the centerpiece of the movie, and the director is there to serve them.

Going back to Adam Sandler, Jack and Jill is "an Adam Sandler movie", while Punch-Drunk Love is "a Paul Thomas Anderson film".

However, auteur theory is probably the most "correct" way to analyze films because, when it comes to the truly great films, there is usually a director with a particular vision.

 

idk what to call Soderbergh if not an auteur

 

Steven Soderbergh is a very unique case where he has been able to put his signature on his mainstream films. It has gotten him into trouble in the past, which is what got him fired from Moneyball and contributed to his brief retirement.

 

I’d be interested in seeing some people tackle some categories not covered in that giant @Nathan post. (I know @Meerkat said she was thinking about making a queer women list, which would be cool if she’s able to.)

Maybe someone could tackle musicals? Also wonder if there should be another animation section beyond Hollywood & anime, for things like Persepolis & the Tomm Moore films.

(Also, I know mentioning comic book films in this thread is a little lame, lol, but I kinda wish Lexi Alexander’s Punisher: War Zone had made the cut in Nathan’s post.)

 

@Tim there are some older films I want to see just to really cover my bases but I'm definitely committed to getting it done. There's a lot of blind spots mostly just due to accessibility. It's definitely something I'd be updating and adding to as time goes on but still want to come out of the gate with as complete a collection as possible

 

I could probably try musicals

 

i’ll do garbage crime movies

 

What are considered the greatest short films? Unless someone points one out to me, I never even really think about them outside of when theaters play the Oscar nominees

 

I thought about doing musicals as a category, but included a couple Gene Kelly, Jacques Demy, and West Side Story to start out. I haven’t seen War Zone!

 

This should be easy since it’s just CATS (2019) six times

 

Sub in Grease 2 once and I agree