Bandy Greensacks' Monosyllabic Yowl

[Bandy Greensacks]

BANDY GREENSACKS' MONOSYLLABIC YOWL

Hi, I'm Bandy Greensacks. I like to watch moving images.

Rather than writing long reviews, I'll post mainly my initial thoughts... but I'm more than willing to have more detailed discussions.

Feel free to recommend films you think I may not have seen. I'm up for just about anything, though my list of films to watch/re-watch is fairly long at the moment.

My current top 30 (edited August 6th, 2010):

1. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)
2. Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders, 1984)
3. Big Lebowski, The (The Coen Brothers, 1998)
4. The Taste of Tea (Katsuhito Ishii, 2004)
5. Visitor of a Museum (Konstantin Lopushansky, 1989)
6. Repulsion (Roman Polanski, 1965)
7. Three Colors: Red (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1994)
8. Naked (Mike Leigh, 1993)
9. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
10. Werckmeister Harmonies (Bela Tarr, 2000)
11. Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985)
12. A Short Film About Love (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1988)
13. Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988)
14. Oldboy (Chan-wook Park, 2003)
15. Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, 1975)
16. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
17. The Godfather: Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
18. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003)
19. Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1966)
20. Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)
21. Sans soleil (Chris Marker, 1983)
22. Cría cuervos (Carlos Saura, 1976)
23. The Time of the Wolf (Michael Haneke, 2003)
24. La Strada (Federico Fellini, 1954)
25. Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)
26. Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)
27. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
28. Fargo (The Coen Brothers, 1996)
29. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
30. You, the Living (Roy Andersson, 2007)

[King Cinematic]

I pictured you as much more pretentious than that list

[Bandy Greensacks]

I pictured you as much more pretentious than that list

My number one goal in life is to be as pretentious as possible, but sometimes I fail horribly.

[Ben]

How are you on other Weir pictures outside of PaHR? The Plumber is a wonderful flick he did for Australian TV in between Picnic and The Last Wave.

[Bandy Greensacks]

How are you on other Weir pictures outside of PaHR? The Plumber is a wonderful flick he did for Australian TV in between Picnic and The Last Wave.

I haven't seen that yet. I'll have to add it to my list.

Aside from Marebito, a lesser known Japanese film, I haven't seen a film that feels more Lovecraftian in nature than Picnic at Hanging Rock. I haven't read the novel, though, so I'm not sure how much the author herself was influenced by Lovecraft.

The Last Wave was good, though I must admit that I was somewhat disappointed by it, since I didn't feel the same sense of dread I felt while watching Picnic.

[Bandy Greensacks]

Currently on my watch/re-watch list:

2009 -

Moon
Thirst (Bakjwi)
Das weiße Band (The White Ribbon)
Chloe
[Rec] 2
Trash Humpers
Enter the Void
Stolen Lives
Life During Wartime
The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle
The Cove
The Temptation of St. Tony
The Limits of Control
Glowing Stars (I taket lyser stjärnorna)
Tetro
Joueuse (Queen to Play)
Zombie Girl: The Movie
Je l'aimais (Someone I Loved)
Unmade Beds
Greta
Burrowing
I Come with the Rain
Big Fan
An Education
Arráncame la vida
Los abrazos rotos
El Traspatio (Backyard)
Sin Nombre
Antichrist
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea
Coraline
Bronson
Zombieland
A Serious Man
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
Up
Inglourious Basterds
Where The Wild Things Are
The Road
Whatever Works

Pre-2009 -

Lessons in Darkness
Spalovac mrtvol (The Cremator)
Vtackovia, siroty a blazni (Birds, Orphans and Fools)
Blast of Silence
The Long Goodbye
The Night Porter
Underground
Fucking Amal
Le Souffle au Coeur (Murmur of the Heart)
Mind Game
F for Fake
Taxidermia
Kin-Dza-Dza
The Lathe of Heaven
Angel's Egg
Eyes Without a Face
Goodbye Solo
Kiss Me Deadly
Le dernier combat
Little Children
Sauna
The Blade
Withnail and I
Avalon
Code 46
Tokyo Sonata
Shôjo tsubaki: Chika gentô gekiga
The Piano Teacher
Spider Forest
A Woman Under the Influence
Aguirre
Anti-Clock
Breathless
Einstein's Brain
Im Lauf der Zeit (Kings of the Road)
Kuchuu Teien
Pixote
Wild Strawberries
The Hidden Blade
Atama Yama
Franz Kafka's A Country Doctor
Kaidan (Kwaidan)
Songs from the Second Floor
Ostre sledované vlaky (Closely Watched Trains)
L'armée des ombres
Le deuxième souffle
Le Cercle rouge
Bob le flambeur
El espíritu de la colmena
Cría cuervos
Le révélateur
Yurîka
Au revoir, les enfants (Goodbye Children)
Ascenseur pour l'echafaud (Elevator to the Gallows)
Le Feu follet (The Fire Within)
La caza (The Hunt)
Syndromes and a Century
Huozhe
Peppermind Frappé
Atlantic City
Black Moon
My Dinner with Andre
Ggot seom (Flower Island)
Festen
Breaking the Waves
Ruang rak noi nid mahasan
Funny Games
Code Unknown
Le temps qui reste
Lilja 4-ever
Citizen X
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Blowup
Carandiru
Cleo from 5 to 7
Head-On
L'Avventura
The Battle of Algiers
The Man Without a Past
Mimino
I Was Here
Nine Queens (Nueve Reinas)
Autumn Marathon
Playtime
Surreal Estate
The Medusa Raft
Autumn Ball (Sugisball)
The Match Factory Girl
Umberto D.
My Life to Live
The Return
I Walk Around Moscow
Zerkalo
A Fei zheng chuan (Days of Being Wild)
Fa yeung nin wa (In the Mood of Love)
2046
Reconstruction
Love Me if You Dare (Jeux d'enfants)
Trouble Every Day
La Vie Nouvelle (A New Life)
Ping-pongkingen
All About Lily Chou-Chou
Dare mo shiranai (Nobody Knows)
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
The Sea Inside
Principio y fin
Valerie a týden divu
Christiane F. - Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo
The Big Heat
Murder, My Sweet
Double Indemnity
The Sweet Hereafter
Ghost Dog
Dogville
Nil by Mouth
The Night of the Hunter
The Ice Storm
The Thin Red Line
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
The New World
Gallipoli
The Conversation
Clean, Shaven
Keane
Me and You and Everyone We Know
10 Rillington Place
Finally, Lillian and Dan
Matewan
Pickup on South Street
The Asphalt Jungle
Arizona Dream
Annie Hall
Metropolis
Freaks
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Léolo
3-Iron
9 Souls
12 Angry Men
13 (Tzameti)
A Snake of June
Badlands
Black Hawk Down
Come and See (Idi i smotri)
Damnation
Down by Law
Feathers in the Wind
Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41
Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion
Female Prisoner Scorpion: 701's Grudge Song
Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable
Franklyn
Funeral Parade of Roses
Gemini
Gozu
Hadaka no shima
Eros Plus Massacre
J.S.A.: Joint Security Area
Life of Brian
Lone Wolf & Cub (all six films)
Mean Streets
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
Mouchette
Once Upon a Time in High School
Planet of the Apes
Revanche
Satantango
Soylent Green
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and ... Spring
Strange Days
Sword of the Stranger
Taegukgi
The Human Condition I, II and III
The Twilight Samurai
The Virgin Spring
The Visitor
Three Monkeys
Waltz with Bashir
Memories of Murder
Akarui mirai (Bright Future)
The Maltese Falcon
The Big Sleep
Naked
Miller's Crossing
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Lost in Translation
Witness
Suicide Club
Wings of Desire
Jesus' Son
Dead Man
Mystery Train
Marebito
Buffalo '66
Exotica
Ran
City of Lost Children
Delicatessen
Sans Soleil
Lucky People Center International
Capturing the Friedmans
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One
Phantom India

I'd say I've seen about 10% of them already, but I need a refresher on all of them.

[Ben]

Yeah, Wave is a whole different ball game mood/atmosphere wise, though there is still that Weir obsession of human's relationship to the natural/ancient world. The Plumber presents this through a character study.

I'm not sure how to compare the film of Picnic with the novel as I haven't read it. I do know it is presented as a found document, detailing the basic events that the films also follows. I read that the author had a last chapter where the mystery was resolved, but her publisher suggested to take it out.

And wow, what a list... Big, big fan of 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, Matewan, Tokyo Sonata, Dead Man, Come and See, The Visitor, The Return, Me, You, And Everyone We Know... a ton of great stuff on there so you're bound to have some good times.

[Bandy Greensacks]

Recently seen:

The Trial - 60 - Dated, and not nearly as Kafa-esque as it should have been. Not great Welles.

Ddongpari (Breathless) - 95 - Truly independent. Great emotional resonance. Director/writer/lead actor was amazing in his role. First act was a little rough around the edges, but the second and third acts were close to brilliant.

Lone Star (semi-second viewing) - 75 - I saw bits and pieces of this a while back, without really knowing what I was watching. On my second viewing, I felt the story was melodramatic and the characters were uninteresting. Amazingly smooth transitions from past to present. Frances McDormand stole the film with her lone scene.

The Straight Story (second viewing) - 93 - Truthful and emotionally resonant, though perhaps a bit repetitive. Unlike with most Lynch films, this doesn't improve on the second viewing.

Mysterious Skin - 90 - Disturbing and ultimately rewarding.

Love Exposure - 96 - Indescribable and challenging. Unlike anything I've ever seen before, and quite possibly a masterpiece. I'll need to see this again at some point to make sense of it all and decide what my final opinion is.

Star Trek - 80 - Very entertaining, though supremely unintellectual and scientifically bunk. The relationship between two key characters made little sense.

Barry Lyndon (second viewing) - 93 - Beautiful visually, though Redmond's motivations toward the end seemed questionable.

Days of Heaven - 90 - The narration was mostly unnecessary and the plot was sketchy at best, but the imagery and atmosphere were incredibly good. Am I the only one who thought that Linda Manz' narration made her sound like a little boy?

Le samourai - 82 - A good film, but not nearly as deep as some make it out to be.

Secrets & Lies (third viewing) - 94 - Not quite as philosophically relevant as Naked, but still an excellent film. The BBQ scene alone makes this a must-see.

The Double Life of Veronique (second viewing) - 96 - Challenging, philosophical and visually stunning. I prefer Rouge slightly, but this is probably my second favorite Kieslowski.

Trick 'r Treat - 65 - Next to no character development, but entertaining enough to be worth seeing. Not nearly the classic horror film some are making it out to be.

Brick - 80 - Fast-moving and entertaining, but features mumbled dialogue and hit-or-miss humor. Should have taken itself even less seriously than it did, as the serious portions seemed forced.

Behind the Mask - 65 - The mockumentary sections were very good, but the actual "film" portions were poor.

The Taste of Tea - 97 - A near perfect film. Inventive, strange, visually amazing and atmospheric. This almost immediately makes my top ten, and I'm almost embarrassed I hadn't seen it earlier.

Survive Style 5+ - 85 - Original and entertaining, but sometimes overly pretentious. The stories themselves aren't exactly unique or high concept, but the director seems to think they are. Great soundtrack and great visual style.

Next time I post a review, it'll likely include an IMDB link and at least one screen cap. Eventually, I'll come back and add those to this post as well.

[Ben]

Were you at Fantastic Fest? Breathless, Trick R' Treat and Love Exposure played there. I saw Breathless and Love Exposure this summer at the New York Asian Film Fest, and loved them. Particularly Love Exposure, yes, because it was like nothing I had ever seen before, and by god did it thrill me on every level imaginable!

Yes, Linda Manz does sound kinda like a boy and I find it all very amusing. The plot of DoH I find not to be skecthy, namely because Malick isn't too interested in plot.

I can see you're a Mke Leigh fan with Naked in the top ten and a third viewing of Secrets and Lies. What did you make of Happy Go-Lucky, if you saw it.

[Will]

What's dated about The Trial? I'm just wondering.
I don't think any one has actually said that Le samourai is a deep film.
The Double Life of Veronique, Secrets & Lies and Barry Lyndon are all fantastic films.

[Doormouse]

The Trial - 60 - Dated, and not nearly as Kafa-esque as it should have been. Not great Welles.

I think it's the most Kafka-esque adaptations of his work besides Haneke's but it's less boring.

The Straight Story (second viewing) - 93 - Truthful and emotionally resonant, though perhaps a bit repetitive. Unlike with most Lynch films, this doesn't improve on the second viewing.

Ive thought about that and I dont think I will watch it a second time to preverse my first impression.

Love Exposure - 96 - Indescribable and challenging. Unlike anything I've ever seen before, and quite possibly a masterpiece. I'll need to see this again at some point to make sense of it all and decide what my final opinion is.



Star Trek - 80 - Very entertaining, though supremely unintellectual and scientifically bunk. The relationship between two key characters made little sense.

I was really dissapointed with this.

Barry Lyndon (second viewing) - 93 - Beautiful visually, though Redmond's motivations toward the end seemed questionable.


Days of Heaven - 90 - The narration was mostly unnecessary and the plot was sketchy at best, but the imagery and atmosphere were incredibly good. Am I the only one who thought that Linda Manz' narration made her sound like a little boy?

I like the narration, it's her story really, but I can't remember if her voice sounded like a boy.

The Double Life of Veronique (second viewing) - 96 - Challenging, philosophical and visually stunning. I prefer Rouge slightly, but this is probably my second favorite Kieslowski.



Trick 'r Treat - 65 - Next to no character development, but entertaining enough to be worth seeing. Not nearly the classic horror film some are making it out to be.

I agree but I think I liked it a little more than you just a little

Brick - 80 - Fast-moving and entertaining, but features mumbled dialogue and hit-or-miss humor. Should have taken itself even less seriously than it did, as the serious portions seemed forced.

Mumbled?

[Bandy Greensacks]

Were you at Fantastic Fest? Breathless, Trick R' Treat and Love Exposure played there. I saw Breathless and Love Exposure this summer at the New York Asian Film Fest, and loved them. Particularly Love Exposure, yes, because it was like nothing I had ever seen before, and by god did it thrill me on every level imaginable!

Yes, Linda Manz does sound kinda like a boy and I find it all very amusing. The plot of DoH I find not to be skecthy, namely because Malick isn't too interested in plot.

I can see you're a Mke Leigh fan with Naked in the top ten and a third viewing of Secrets and Lies. What did you make of Happy Go-Lucky, if you saw it.

I didn't go to Fantastic Fest. I may have to check it out next time, though.

I try to see most films for the first time with friends with similar tastes, and sometimes that requires that I see them by "other means" (if we can't see them at a local theater). Of course, if I like something enough, I'll buy it on DVD or Blu-Ray.

I actually haven't seen Happy-Go-Lucky yet, and I've been meaning to for quite a while. The DVD is sitting on a table across from me at the moment, so I'll likely end up watching it very soon. I should say, though, that it looks far less interesting to me than any of Leigh's other films.

[Bandy Greensacks]

What's dated about The Trial? I'm just wondering.
I don't think any one has actually said that Le samourai is a deep film.
The Double Life of Veronique, Secrets & Lies and Barry Lyndon are all fantastic films.

The Trial feels like a particularly dated '50s era film to me (despite being from 1962). The acting is wooden, and there's no sense of impending doom or something bubbling just below the surface (which is always present in Kafka's writings). It feels like a bunch of random set pieces thrown together haphazardly and called a Kafka adaptation.

Of course, I may be underrating it, so I'll have to re-watch it at some point.

[Bandy Greensacks]

Zombieland - 80



Very entertaining, but far from original or intelligent. One of the best cameos in a long while. Great acting from Eisenberg and Harrelson. Abigail Breslin's character seemed superfluous.

[Ben]

It knew what it was and did its job well. I was very pleased. Breslin was kind of a plot device, no? She had to be the kid to get to the amusement park so they could have a destination and a shoot out, and to turn Woody Allen with a shotgun there into a bonafide hero type.

[Bandy Greensacks]

It knew what it was and did its job well. I was very pleased. Breslin was kind of a plot device, no? She had to be the kid to get to the amusement park so they could have a destination and a shoot out, and to turn Woody Allen with a shotgun there into a bonafide hero type.

I think her character would have at least appeared to be more important (and more interesting) if they had made the parallel between the relationships of Tallahassee and his dead son and Wichita and Little Rock an important plot element. It would have taken only a few moments of Tallahassee showing interest in the safety of Little Rock to work well.

It was definitely a fun film, though.

[Bandy Greensacks]

Naisu no mori: The First Contact - 85



I'm essentially at a loss for words. I've seen a lot of strange films, but this is on another level entirely. I do feel that 45 minutes to an hour could have been cut out and that it would have been well served by the shorter running time, but a large amount of it was far too weird and imaginative for it to score any lower than what I've given it.

[Kosmo Yagkoto]

Suicide Club

If you enjoy this film, I recommend you check out Noriko's Dinner Table. I found it to be very good. You have a really good list of movies to watch. I hope you enjoy it as much as you should.

[Bandy Greensacks]

Suicide Club

If you enjoy this film, I recommend you check out Noriko's Dinner Table. I found it to be very good. You have a really good list of movies to watch. I hope you enjoy it as much as you should.

I'm a fan of Shion Sono, and I actually saw Suicide Club years ago. The problem is that I don't remember all that much about it. It's one of the many re-watches on my list because of that.

I do have to see Noriko's Dinner Table, though. I've been putting it off simply because I have so much other stuff to watch.

[Bandy Greensacks]

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan - 60



Pretty much pointless, even for fans of the series. It essentially explains nothing new and leaves us with the same deus ex machina that ended the series.

[Doormouse]

Naisu no mori: The First Contact - 85



I'm essentially at a loss for words. I've seen a lot of strange films, but this is on another level entirely. I do feel that 45 minutes to an hour could have been cut out and that it would have been well served by the shorter running time, but a large amount of it was far too weird and imaginative for it to score any lower than what I've given it.

Yep, much could have been cut, but when it's good its very good. The last scene in the forest is fantastic.

[Bandy Greensacks]

Moon - 92



Very enjoyable, and much deeper than it seems to be. I watched it for a second time immediately after finishing my first viewing. Sam Rockwell deserves to be in the running for best actor at the Oscars, even if he won't be.

[King Cinematic]

second time immediately, whats so enjoyable about that?

[Bandy Greensacks]

second time immediately, whats so enjoyable about that?

I'm not entirely sure what you're asking, but if it has to do with why I watched it a second time, it's simple: the film calls for it. I did the same thing with Mulholland Dr., Primer and Memento back when I first watched them. Some may call the scripts needlessly complicated, but I don't mind putting in the time to fully understand something I enjoyed watching.

[Bandy Greensacks]

Capturing the Friedmans - 94



One of the best documentaries I've ever seen. I'm not sure whether it was entirely unbiased, but I'm left with the feeling that both Arnold and Jesse were guilty in their own way, and that the police probably planted and/or coerced falsified memories of molestation out of many of the children who had taken the computer classes.