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Post by Maolsheachlann on Jun 7, 2021 20:45:26 GMT
Today was the first day the cinemas reopened in the Republic after their second Covid closure. I went to see A Quiet Place 2 in the Odeon in Stillorgan (formerly the Ormonde). As it happens, A Quiet Place (the original) was the last film I saw in the cinema.
It was really excellent, as was the original. It's set in a post-apocalyptic future where America (and, one presumes, the whole world) has been ravaged by extraterrestrial creatures who locate their prey by sound. The few survivors have to remain as quiet as possible to avoid being eaten.
It was gripping and suspenseful all the way through, with beautiful cinematography and lighting.
I have a theory that all good horror must involve both dread and allure. Post-apocalyptic stories are terrifying for obvious reasons. How petrifying would it be if the TV and radio went silent and all the familiar supports of our civilization were gone? And yet, I think we all cherish a fantasy of returning to small, self-contained communities, an end to mass production and electronics, etc. etc.
The film was written and directed by John Krasinski, who played Jim Halpert in the US version of The Office. There's something indefinably conservative about the guy. He tends to play gentlemanly, rather old-fashioned characters. His marriage (to English actress Emily Blunt) seems very stable, and he went to Catholic school, though he seems to avoid talking about religion or politics. Both Quiet Place films are focused on the survival of the family unit, and the first features a heroic and self-sacrificing father. We even see the family say grace (silently).
As for the cinema-going experience, it is one of my life's great joys. It reminds me that not all technological advances are bad, even in terms of culture.
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Post by cato on Jun 8, 2021 13:37:03 GMT
Painting, printing records/CD ,digital recording,photography are all advances that can convey trash, every day entertainment or sublime masterpieces. The medium isn't always the message. (Probably misinterpreting Mc Luhan.)
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Post by Maolsheachlann on Jun 8, 2021 13:39:27 GMT
Painting, printing records/CD ,digital recording,photography are all advances that can convey trash, every day entertainment or sublime masterpieces. The medium isn't always the message. (Probably misinterpreting Mc Luhan.) Yes, but cinema is so much more than a medium! Even the best film gains something when seen on the big screen, and bad movies can gain a lot. |
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Post by cato on Jun 8, 2021 14:38:39 GMT
Painting, printing records/CD ,digital recording,photography are all advances that can convey trash, every day entertainment or sublime masterpieces. The medium isn't always the message. (Probably misinterpreting Mc Luhan.) Yes, but cinema is so much more than a medium! Even the best film gains something when seen on the big screen, and bad movies can gain a lot. Agreed 100% . There's also a welcome discipline in the cinema. You can't (though some do) be on a phone, make tea , change channels etc. And there is the relative hush and solemnity. |
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Post by cato on Oct 22, 2021 18:09:53 GMT
The new James Bond film No Time to die is a great yarn and a good enjoyable film over all. I went to see it in the wonderfully 1920s style Stella Cinema in Rathmines which is the premiere cinema in the capital nowadays.
There are PC elements as one would expect ( but not oppressively so) , Bond is a world weary sceptic who comes out of retirement to save humanity from a biological weapon attack. Sounds familiar? It's also about roots , family, settling down and saying goodbye. I was quite moved by it really. I ll miss Daniel Craig.
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Post by Stephen on Oct 27, 2021 10:58:07 GMT
The new James Bond film No Time to die is a great yarn and a good enjoyable film over all. I went to see it in the wonderfully 1920s style Stella Cinema in Rathmines which is the premiere cinema in the capital nowadays. There are PC elements as one would expect ( but not oppressively so) , Bond is a world weary sceptic who comes out of retirement to save humanity from a biological weapon attack. Sounds familiar? It's also about roots , family, settling down and saying goodbye. I was quite moved by it really. I ll miss Daniel Craig. d |
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Post by cato on Oct 27, 2021 11:15:00 GMT
On a more elitist note I have been watching the movies of Andrei Tarvovsky at home recently. Andrei Rublev is his loosely historical account of the famous Russian iconographer which is well worth a watch if only to see his depiction of the miseries of late medieval Russia. Its a useful antidote to those who glamourise the Middle ages compared to our own time.
Its very much steeped in Orthodox Christianity but not uncritically. Amazing to think he thought the Soviet censor would pass it for general release. I think it was shown once at a film show . Brezhnev is reported to have stormed out of a private sitting in disgust. Like all Tarvovsky's films it's very art housey and needs a couple of viewings but it stays in your memory and is worth repeated viewings.
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Post by assisi on Oct 27, 2021 16:38:22 GMT
On a more elitist note I have been watching the movies of Andrei Tarvovsky at home recently. Andrei Rublev is his loosely historical account of the famous Russian iconographer which is well worth a watch if only to see his depiction of the miseries of late medieval Russia. Its a useful antidote to those who glamourise the Middle ages compared to our own time. Its very much steeped in Orthodox Christianity but not uncritically. Amazing to think he thought the Soviet censor would pass it for general release. I think it was shown once at a film show . Brezhnev is reported to have stormed out of a private sitting in disgust. Like all Tarvovsky's films it's very art housey and needs a couple of viewings but it stays in your memory and is worth repeated viewings. Solaris is one of my favourite novels. I saw his version of Solaris as a teenager and enjoyed the movie without really understanding it. I have heard 'Stalker' get mentioned every once in a while and wouldn't mind seeing it when in the mood for something a little serious and bleak. |
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Post by cato on Oct 27, 2021 17:46:38 GMT
On a more elitist note I have been watching the movies of Andrei Tarvovsky at home recently. Andrei Rublev is his loosely historical account of the famous Russian iconographer which is well worth a watch if only to see his depiction of the miseries of late medieval Russia. Its a useful antidote to those who glamourise the Middle ages compared to our own time. Its very much steeped in Orthodox Christianity but not uncritically. Amazing to think he thought the Soviet censor would pass it for general release. I think it was shown once at a film show . Brezhnev is reported to have stormed out of a private sitting in disgust. Like all Tarvovsky's films it's very art housey and needs a couple of viewings but it stays in your memory and is worth repeated viewings. Solaris is one of my favourite novels. I saw his version of Solaris as a teenager and enjoyed the movie without really understanding it. I have heard 'Stalker' get mentioned every once in a while and wouldn't mind seeing it when in the mood for something a little serious and bleak. Nostalgia has a good beginning and end. The bit I'm between I am not sure of!The Sacrifice has an ending you won't forget too. I plan to watch Stalker soon. |
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Post by kj on Oct 27, 2021 20:43:55 GMT
Nostalgia has a good beginning and end. The bit I'm between I am not sure of!The Sacrifice has an ending you won't forget too. I plan to watch Stalker soon. I love Nostalgia. It is my favourite Tarkovsky. The funny thing is that having rewatched it a couple times recently I share your reservations about the middle. I understand the meaning of the sub-plot with the translator, but her character is insufferable. Also the scene at the Capitol with the "mad" man is way over the top and too didactic for me. But the lead performance by Oleg Yankovsky is masterful and hauntingly graceful. The movie is up on YouTube last time I checked for anyone interested. I admit to not having gotten much from Stalker, which in Tarkovsky circles is seen as a kind of blasphemy. I found The Sacrifice a bit too "talky". So as not to be taken as a snob I actually think the 2001 Steven Soderbergh remake of Solaris with George Clooney is a very good movie. |
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Post by Maolsheachlann on Oct 27, 2021 22:41:10 GMT
Nostalgia has a good beginning and end. The bit I'm between I am not sure of!The Sacrifice has an ending you won't forget too. I plan to watch Stalker soon. I love Nostalgia. It is my favourite Tarkovsky. The funny thing is that having rewatched it a couple times recently I share your reservations about the middle. I understand the meaning of the sub-plot with the translator, but her character is insufferable. Also the scene at the Capitol with the "mad" man is way over the top and too didactic for me. But the lead performance by Oleg Yankovsky is masterful and hauntingly graceful. The movie is up on YouTube last time I checked for anyone interested. I admit to not having gotten much from Stalker, which in Tarkovsky circles is seen as a kind of blasphemy. I found The Sacrifice a bit too "talky". So as not to be taken as a snob I actually think the 2001 Steven Soderbergh remake of Solaris with George Clooney is a very good movie. I couldn't get into the Solaris remake at all. I saw it in the cinema and I must admit the time crawled. I like movies with lots of dialogue. Never saw the original. |
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Post by cato on Oct 28, 2021 9:48:59 GMT
Nostalgia has a good beginning and end. The bit I'm between I am not sure of!The Sacrifice has an ending you won't forget too. I plan to watch Stalker soon. I love Nostalgia. It is my favourite Tarkovsky. The funny thing is that having rewatched it a couple times recently I share your reservations about the middle. I understand the meaning of the sub-plot with the translator, but her character is insufferable. Also the scene at the Capitol with the "mad" man is way over the top and too didactic for me. I was wondering how they filmed that scene beside the Capitol in Rome. I believe the Italians have lots of imitation sets they use for film scenes. Tarvovsky is fascinated by fire scenes , part of the attention he pays to the traditional four primal elements. |
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Post by cato on Oct 28, 2021 9:57:56 GMT
I love Nostalgia. It is my favourite Tarkovsky. The funny thing is that having rewatched it a couple times recently I share your reservations about the middle. I understand the meaning of the sub-plot with the translator, but her character is insufferable. Also the scene at the Capitol with the "mad" man is way over the top and too didactic for me. But the lead performance by Oleg Yankovsky is masterful and hauntingly graceful. The movie is up on YouTube last time I checked for anyone interested. I admit to not having gotten much from Stalker, which in Tarkovsky circles is seen as a kind of blasphemy. I found The Sacrifice a bit too "talky". So as not to be taken as a snob I actually think the 2001 Steven Soderbergh remake of Solaris with George Clooney is a very good movie. I couldn't get into the Solaris remake at all. I saw it in the cinema and I must admit the time crawled. I like movies with lots of dialogue. Never saw the original. The Sacrifice struck me as resembling a one set play for most of the film. It is over talky but is also a suitably dark and foreboding depiction of an apocalyptic ending of Civilisation. We never see the horror and destruction that occurs off set but our imagination provides the details. We are also waiting in dread for news or something to happen. The final fire scene is a strange mix of the fascinating, horrific and the comic. Seeing a real wooden house burn down is curiously almost hypnotic . I am not a great fan of Beckett but the Sacrifice struck me as being quite similar to his themes at times. |
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Post by kj on Oct 28, 2021 10:42:54 GMT
I was wondering how they filmed that scene beside the Capitol in Rome. I believe the Italians have lots of imitation sets they use for film scenes. Tarvovsky is fascinated by fire scenes , part of the attention he pays to the traditional four primal elements. The Sacrifice struck me as resembling a one set play for most of the film. It is over talky but is also a suitably dark and foreboding depiction of an apocalyptic ending of Civilisation. We never see the horror and destruction that occurs off set but our imagination provides the details. We are also waiting in dread for news or something to happen. The final fire scene is a strange mix of the fascinating, horrific and the comic. Seeing a real wooden house burn down is curiously almost hypnotic . I am not a great fan of Beckett but the Sacrifice struck me as being quite similar to his themes at times. I had a debate with a friend about the Capitol scene and whether it was the real place or not. It does look incredibly realistic, plus there are shots with the steps leading down to Palazzo Venezia and the traffic below. Also the statue of Marcus Aurelius in the actual Campidoglio is a replica, but is it still likely the authorities would have allowed it to be set ablaze? I tried finding out online but came up empty-handed. I believe The Sacrifice was Tarkovsky's homage to Bergman, hence its theatrical talky nature. The only Bergman movies I like are The Seventh Seal and particularly Winter Light. His later ones after he had lost all interest in religion are a bit too soap opera for me. Winter Light seems like an appropriate movie for the current religious state of Ireland. |
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Post by cato on Oct 28, 2021 11:17:03 GMT
I had a debate with a friend about the Capitol scene and whether it was the real place or not. It does look incredibly realistic, plus there are shots with the steps leading down to Palazzo Venezia and the traffic below. Also the statue of Marcus Aurelius in the actual Campidoglio is a replica, but is it still likely the authorities would have allowed it to be set ablaze? I tried finding out . I had the same thoughts too! The Vatican bans most filming of its territory so movies like Dan Brown's productions, Netflixes The Two Pope's and Paolo Sorrentino's Young Pope series have built their own replicas. |
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