I've been lazy...

Haven't been keeping up with this, but I'm determined to at least document the films I've seen if I don't have the energy to write a little blurb about them. Eventually I'd like to write something substantial per blog entry, and not only focus on films.. I'll have to slowly work into writing mode again.

So the films, to the best of my recollection, that were omitted in the past 10 or so days of non-blogging are:

The Man in White - Takashi Miike - 2003
Color me unimpressed. Standard Yakuza revenge flick without the absurd craziness I hoped for out of Miike.

Turkey Shoot - 1982
A trailer from another film blog turned me on to this one. Unfortunately the trailer turned out to be way better than the actual film. B-style most dangerous game, probably not inebriated enough to fully enjoy its lack of subtlety. Olivia Hussey is always worth watching though. Trailer here.

I'm A Cyborg, But That's OK - 2006
How could a film set in a Korean Mental institution and in which the main character believes she is actually a Cyborg possibly turn out dull? Well it was, for the most part, pretty dull and forgettable. I did enjoy some of the senseless irrationality, and seeing Koreans yodeling in Switzerland was kind of cool.

Britannia Hospital - Lindsay Anderson - 1982
I enjoyed If... and Oh Lucky Man, but this one I just couldn't finish.

Iluzija aka Mirage - 2004
Quite possibly the first Macedonian film I've seen. Fairly banal unfortunately, charting the hopes and eventual downfall of young Marko. A fairly intelligent kid that has the following going for him: bullied at school, has an alcoholic + bingo-addicted father, near catatonic mother, an older sister with a seemingly two-word vocabulary: nerd or fag, and his only friend in the world is a chess-playing, gun-totting thief named Paris. With advantages like these, who wouldn't succeed? It's all pretty standard and the ending seemed like an over dramatic afterthought that really made little sense. The film was worth watching for exactly 2 reasons: a small slice-of-life from unknown Macedonia, and a score that featured some music by Erik Satie.

Purfume: The Story of a Murderer - Tom Tykwer - 2006

Sublime. Absolutely breath-taking, exhilarating... the finest film I've seen in quite some time. This one deserves an entire post of its own, complete with photos, analysis... the works. It's exceptional how well an essentially visual medium can portray the sense of smell. Did I say brilliant yet?!? An instant favorite!!

Goya's Ghosts - Milos Forman - 2006
A disappointment. Doesn't live up to the expectations set by Amadeus. Goya's inspirations are flightily covered from his anti-Papal cartooning, to his depictions of the French invasion of Spain, and the eventual "liberation" by British forces. A subplot drives the drama forward, in which a wealthy merchant's daughter (Natalie Portman) is summoned by the inquisition on a ridiculous charge and suffers tremendously. Portman succeeds in being alternately beautiful and hideous as the story progresses. Javier Bardem's role was masterfully played. Unfortunately the whole thing seemed rather flat, intellectually dull and altogether uninspired... well, except for the part where Brother Lorenzo is forced to admit to his Darwinian roots.