Alright time for the second voting thread. I was excited to see how many people participated the first time around and also things seemed to go well (despite me never doing anything like this before).
So for our second round of the movie club we'll be basing it off of "Eastern European Filmmakers". We can broaden it to directors or writers who have lived there most of their lives but have since moved elsewhere. This should be a bit different, so lets see what you have!
ThatsAFreeThinker, I would suggest shouting out to those that have participated in the past, while simultaneously asking if they'd like to be removed from this list and then using this method moving forward. Sometimes, even when following a user or tag, a post can get missed. (edit: I added some people that I think might enjoy this) b_b, humanodon, ButterflyEffect, OftenBen, roysexton, iammyownrushmore, blackbootz, _refugee_, veen, mk, eightbitsamurai, Ave, camarillobrillo, havires, kleinbl00, ecib, insomniasexx, elizabeth, nowaypablo, lil, pigeon, rjw, StJohn, Mindwolf, Meriadoc, beezneez, longstocking, galen, theadvancedapes, ghostoffuffle, T-Dog, jonaswildman, coffeesp00ns, CashewGuy, bfv, cgod, mike Anyone shouted out to, let me know if you'd like off the list. Also, if you'd like to be on it, let me know. I hope this helps ThatsAFreeThinker, I think you are doing a great job!
My pleasure, as someone that reviews films for a living, do you have any suggestions as to Eastern European directors/films? I'd be interested in your take on it.
There are definitely people here, though at times we move a bit more slowly than other places. I think a post about the movie club is the ideal sort of situation to use the shout-out function. When I was watching the last film for the club, I felt as though I was watching it with a large group. That's pretty cool imo.
I'm aware. This is why I didn't shout-out to minimum_wage, because she has indicated in the past that she's not terribly fond of the ma. ss shout-out.Anyone shouted out to, let me know if you'd like off the list
Thanks for doing this thenewgreen I had it on my mind that I should but I have been getting killed at work lately and I really just wanted to get this posted so we could all start a discussion. I'll copy the list and keep it saved to add/subtract from for future use. Thanks again for doing the shout-outs, helping a ton!
Thank you for getting this movie club going, it's been a lot of fun thus far and I'm looking forward to this round. I'll remove/add people to the above list and you can use it moving forward. Cool?
You can take me off the list. I'm interested in this but I haven't even gotten around to watching the first movie yet. If I had more motivation I'd stay on this list, but I'm better off just moseying on through the movieclub tag at my own pace. I have the thread stickied in my feed, I swear!
Keep me in this list. I like being shouted out to. No suggestions for this one, but I'm up for watching whatever I can find on Netflix or download.
Unfortunately (or fortunately for me, haha), I am going on a ten day holiday to Croatia on Thursday so I will be unable to participate in this round. I will of course make sure to chip in for Movie Club #3 #4, judging by the quantity and quality of peoples' suggestions, we will have no lack of things to talk about.
If we really want to dedicate some time, I say we do it right and watch The Decalogue or the Colors Triliogy -also called Red, White and Blue -both directed by Polish film maker Krzysztof Kieślowski. The Decolague are a set of films based off of each of the Ten Commandments. These films are WONDERFUL, but they're the equivalent of asking a book club to read Moby Dick. (Ten times) My wife's recommendations: Vera Chytilova's film Dasies or Before the Rain by Milcho Manchevski Edit: Wife insists I add Time of the Gypsies by Serbian director Emir Kusturica
I love you, TNG. I'm a huge film buff and the Three Colors and Dekalog are some of my favorite films of all time. Nobody inspires me like Kieslowski. I have the Criterion of Three Colors, so I put my vote in for these. None are too long or esoteric for the average viewer, and the payoff is great for them and for the art film lovers. Which of the three is your favorite, by the way? I can never decide. It all depends on my mood, but I find myself watching White so often.
It's been almost 10 years since I've seen these films, but I do recall loving all of them quite a bit. As to which one I like the most? I'm honestly not sure. This is why I'd be more than happy to watch them again. It will seem like a new experience.
Totally down for Daises or one of Colors Trilogy films
Second The Colors Trilogy, specifically Red, just because I have it but haven't seen it.
Black cat, white cat by Emir Kustirica! I like the Balkan soundtrack and it s a pretty light hearted Gypsy comedy (set in a Serbian village). Love that movie and would like to hear your thoughs about it. Also maybe watch "stalker" loosely based on the Roadside piknic we read in the sci-fi club? Not too sure how easy it is to find with English subtitles tho. Speaking of great movies I m unsure you can find in English, Mihalkov's re-make of "twelve angry men" is fantastic. Can you put me on the shout out list? I watched the previous movie and red the thread but just had no time to comment.
Okay, so I have strong feelings on this subject, as my favorite director of all time is Tartovsky, and I've been doing some digging around, as I know only a few polish directors and know nothing about New Wave Czech (which, if we discount Russia/USSR, are the major film hubs besides a few outliers). Eastern European cinema has an insanely deep, rich history you could dedicate your entire life to studying These are totally not the only things to consider, but there are a few main facets in Eastern European cinema that could be focused on, and I'll provide an example or two of each. Bleak Surrealism: embodiment of later-soviet era despondency and the cultural miasma surrounding it. Notably my boy Tartovsky, Ima throw out Solaris, a beautiful post-modern sci-fi film. It's an inward-turned cultural parallel of 2001, eschewing the spectacle for self-meditation. I won't recommend any of his films for our lil club here, but Bela Tarr's Satantango is a 7-hour, slow motion on heroin, black-and-white "prosaic sublime' portrait of an entire town cast in Waiting for Godot without, well, Godot. You should watch it once in your life.
Life in the Soviet Union Man of Iron fictionalized account of Lech Wałęsa's leadership of striking workers in Polish shipyards. People were killed, shit got real. Haven't seen this one, but it's supposed to be good. On a more reactionary note, The Fireman's Ball is the New Wave Czech film, employing the actual firemen from the town it was shot in, and is a playful allegory for the absurdity of life in the soviet regime.
WW2 While everyone has cried through Saving Private Ryan and we all know that Nazis are bad and the allies are wonderful saviors, the Eastern front from beginning to end was only codified by bloodshed, horror and tragedy, with people getting passed back and forth by brutal world powers like toys to be destroyed in the hands of children. The Third Part of the Night, by powerhouse Andrzej Zulawski is set in occupied Poland during WW2. It's brutal, powerful, and the soundtrack is great. Okay, so there's Come and See which I almost don't even want to suggest because it is so horrifyingly brutal, but holy hell this movie is good. Klimov was very inspired by Tartovsky, and a lot of his style is present, but this is absolutely something he would never do. Other suggestions Andrei Rublev. Incredible, beautiful, long but totally Tartovsky's best, imo. Blue from the 3 Colors Trilogy is by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski is set in France, but is considered one of the best films ever made. It's slow and dense, though, so be warned. Underground is a rambunctious and madcamp, dark comedy romp through Yugoslavia from WW2 until the 90s, following a ridiculous cast and interjected with horror that you can't help but laugh at. It has it flaws, but I still think it stands strong. I am doing such a disservice by missing so much other shit, and, even if we go with something else, I think a nice lil overview could help set the tone. Looking forward to it! Last time was great, so I hope we keep up the momentum!
Haven't seen either, added to my (ongoing and ridiculous) list, much appreciated!
I vote for Blue, if only because I mentioned the 3 Colors Trilogy in my comment and because I watched it almost 10 years ago. I've changed a lot in those 10 years and I'm guessing I may have a different appreciation for it. Truthfully, I'd be interested in watching all of your suggestions, thank you for them. But my second choice from your list is The Third Part of The Night.
These are great films, but they are both classics in America and generally must-see films. I bet most of us have seen them already. I was hoping we would pick something a bit more out of the ordinary and less known in America. Broaden our horizons and watch something we've never seen before .
The Pianist is a hell of a film and I would certainly watch it again. I mentioned in our last #movieclub about the Grand Budapest Hotel that I don't usually like Brody, but I've been reconsidering this. I was basing that largely on the fact that I didn't like his character in the Darjeeling Limited, but I don't think I was meant to. His performance in the Pianist is unbelievably good. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a great film too but it's one that I've seen many, many times.
I don't intend on participating, but I would like to throw Taxidermia in here. It's the kind of movie I show people when I want them to question what kind of person I am. It's entertaining and fascinating, in the morbid way. From Hungary. Look no further than the ~32 second mark of the trailer - nsfw