What did you watch today? v 22.0

Tell everyone what you watched, what you thought, and what's up next.

The first post in this thread is # 6460

And as ever, link your films please.

Replies are closed for this discussion.

Permalink Reply by Tabigarasu on June 8, 2009 at 1:23am: ...if it had been translated, a lot of emotion would have been lost, and I could just imagine how cheesy some of the English translation would have sounded. The subtitles were bad enough...

Right you are. Knald started a distantly related thread - Instant Foreign Language . I'm only fluent in Japanese, but I know enough about Asian languages to say that you have accurately described the problem on your own. They communicate in ways we've never imagined and vice versa.

Permalink Reply by beeswax on June 8, 2009 at 4:09am: They communicate in ways we've never imagined and vice versa.

I just read a novel which has a lead character who is translating a novel-within-the-novel. It's very fun to see the aggravations and subtleties that arise from trying to translate one culture for another.

Permalink Reply by Knaldskalle on June 7, 2009 at 10:54am: Dracula. A classic, that for some reason I've never seen before. It's a funny movie, I've seen the 1992 Coppola version, so I knew the story and the characters, yet the mood and atmosphere is completely different. I'm not really sure Lugosi is actually acting, he seems so... at home in the bizarre character. It's not a scary movie by any stretch of today's imagination, but interesting nonetheless. It shares the long silent moody stretches with Dreyer's Vampyr, but Dreyer is much more creative in the use of shadows. Considering the "scary" reputation of the Dracula movie Vampyr is a scarier movie - even though neither is actually scary. Sinister, but not scary. Dracula also marks my 2,500th movie rating on Netflix (I've cleared my "not interested" ratings, so it's 2,500 actual ratings).

The Bank Dick. W.C. Fields as his usual cowed incompetent drunk hypocrite. Charming enough, but the gags are stale by now. The movie is solely carried by him.

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on June 7, 2009 at 11:19am: Did you notice the armadillos in the scene where Harker is meeting the count for the first time? I don't know how many times I've seen the movie, but the last time I noticed them. They're back in the corner, shuffling around.

Permalink Reply by Knaldskalle on June 7, 2009 at 12:33pm: I did - and I also noticed the opossum a little earlier, shuffling around a sarcophagus (neither of which, of course, live in Europe, let alone Transylvania).

Permalink Reply by Sevorin on June 7, 2009 at 1:07pm: Considering the "scary" reputation of the Dracula movie Vampyr is a scarier movie - even though neither is actually scary.

I really don't like vampire movies and, aside from their obvious sexual component, can't understand why they're so immensely popular.

I haven't seen Dreyer's film in years, but one shot lingers in my mind, a shot that still makes me more than a little uncomfortable whenever I remember how I felt when first saw it. It's the moment when the woman, who is in her sickbed, looks at her sister(?) who is nursing her. The sudden smile on the sick girl's face . . .

Permalink Reply by Knaldskalle on June 7, 2009 at 5:04pm: I think the sexual element is a crucial factor for most people to watch vampire movies (at least it's dominant in the twisted love story that is Coppola's Dracula). I'm pretty sure that if you somehow remove that element vampire movies won't be as interesting to most people, at least not as entertainment. But I haven't given it much thought (or seen that many vampire movies) so there could be things I'm not taking into account. The thrill of the vampire danger combined with the "they're not real" element (the safe danger), perhaps?

The scene that sticks in my mind from Vampyr is the soldier with a wooden leg, sitting on a bench, eating his lunch and on the wall behind him his shadow is dancing. Creepy!

Permalink Reply by The Continental on June 7, 2009 at 11:24am: Well I watched the last disc of season 1 True Blood, and was disappointed with the big finale, and got a chance to reevaluate my feelings of initial enthusiasm for this new HBO series. It's real good at times and real silly at times and if I can stomach Anna Paquin for 12 more hours I may resubscribe to HBO for the new season , Maybe. 2.5to 3.stars
I watched The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004) 3.5 stars very enlightening documentary. I always knew what an film editor in movies did, but I didn't know how important what they do is, and how it relates to the artistic process.

Permalink Reply by Aces on June 7, 2009 at 3:24pm: I really liked Season 1 of True Blood. It was a 5 star show for me. The waitress annoys me and some of the silliness but I like how realistic the show is. The prejudices, politics and religious elements surrounding the vampires integration into society. Having the artificial blood being discovered by the Japanese, the "God Hates Fangs" sign in front of the church - I think those things are brilliant! With that said - I didn't like the finale either.

Permalink Reply by The Continental on June 8, 2009 at 6:43am: season 0ne 2.5to 3.stars=cause they telegrafed the killers identity episodes ahead of time. Having the artificial blood being discovered by the Japanese, the "God Hates Fangs" sign in front of the church - I think those things are brilliant!, yep it's because of Alan Ball's ironic sarcastic wit that I liked Six Feet Under and watched all 6 seasons.I like TrueBloods symbolism and don't giva shit who we offend additude ,but like six feet it can get a bit rich at times. I like the characters. The opening credit sequence and the music are the best in television.

Permalink Reply by Aces on June 7, 2009 at 2:40pm: This week on DVD:
The Penalty (1920) 5 stars - After I saw the silent film Oliver Twist on instant watch last week I did some searches on silent movies and Lon Chaney and read that in The Penalty he plays a double amputee. Using braces to tie back his lower legs he walked on his knees throughout the film. I'm sure all the classic film buffs and Lon Chaney fans will have seen this but it only has 1,457 ratings in Netflix and this is masterpiece! Some reviewers wrote that the music distracts from the film and it did for me too especially in scenes where Chaney is playing the piano. It's a silent film so you can turn the sound off if you don't like it. I think when it was shown in theaters originally a piano was played along with the film. Even if you aren't a silent movie fan this is worth seeing for Lon Chaney's amazing performance. Watch the special features. There are 2 short silents included. NF shows The Penalty as a Horror Classic but it's really a Silent Crime Drama.