recent movies

[matthew.percy at utoronto.ca]

One film I would strongly recommend checking out is Lars Von Trier's _The 
Kingdom_ which is just hitting the rep cinema circuit right now(just 
played in Toronto a couple of weeks ago) as well as video.  Originally 
appeared on Danish television: wildly funny and twisted, a cross b/w 
_twin peaks_ and a slapstick _er_.  One might even say "pynchonian" in 
its representations of technology.

but, there's barely anything worth seeing on the big screen right now, 
anyhow.  I've gone the video route, picking up pretty much everything i 
can get ahold of by wong kar-wai and jean-pierre melville.  I'd really 
encourage anyone and everyone to pick up w.k-w's "fallen angels" or 
"chungking express" (recently re-released by tarantino's vanity lable, 
rolling thunder).  It's fascinating how these films attempt to construct 
a cultural identity and cultural memomry out ofthe objects and detritus 
of global capitalism.  If you get a chance to see any film by mr. wong on 
the big screen, run to it... I'd go so far as to say he's the most 
important filmmaker (esp. stylistically) of the last 10 years.

On Tue, 9 Jul 1996, Paul Murphy wrote:



> Christopher Tassava wrote:
> 
> >Speaking of recently released, subversive movies:
> >
> >Has anyone seen Jarmusch's _Dead Man_, with Depp, Farmer, et al?
> 
> Not yet, but I will, on the strength of Hoberman's review in the Voice --
> he called it "Cormac McCarthy as filmed by Tarkovsky". Some folks I know
> who've seen it hated it -- boring, pretentious, yadda yadda yadda; but
> that's what people also say about McCarthy and Tarkovsky, both of whom
> figure highly in my hierarchy of artists. (Someone on this list complained
> about _Blood Meridian_ a while back -- a really fine novel IMO, its dull
> stretches redeemed by a brilliant finish). BTW, Sayles' new one, _Lone
> Star_, is a disappointment, well-intentioned and well-acted, but somewhat
> trite (the mystery of patrimony etc.)
> Cheers,
> Paul
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>                              Paul Murphy
>                        paul.murphy at utoronto.ca
>                  ------------------------------------
>          "The earth that has grown remote to itself is without
>       the hope the stars once promised. It is sinking into empty
>       galaxies. On it lies beauty as the reflection of past hope,
>         which fills the dying eye until it is frozen below the
>                      flakes of unbounded space"
>              -T.W. Adorno, _Mahler: a Musical Physiognomy_
> 
> 
> 
>