What's The Latest Film You Have Seen?

lesamourai · 08-02-2008, 03:27 PM

Cronenbergs early films were certainly "cult" films. Scanners and Videodrome are basically listed under "cult film" in the dictionary. With his last two films he has proven to be more accessible and appealing to a larger audience, but for the initial 20 years of his career he pretty clearly falls under the category of "cult director."

adidasss · 08-02-2008, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lesamourai

And from an objective standpoint there is no doubt that he is the most commericially successful Russian director since Eisenstein.

Hmm, he certainly is the most renowned Russian director but I'm not so sure that any of his films actually made any money, all being art films with a specific (and by no means numerous) target audience. I don't have any hard data to back this up, but I'm pretty sure Bekmambetov's vampire thrilogy and Bodrov's Mongol have made a substantial amount of money, far out of reach of an art house film.

jackhammer · 08-02-2008, 03:38 PM

He went mainstream in 1986 with The Fly and every film since has been financed (wholly or partially) by a major studio. His first few films were revered amongst the Horror fraternity. So while those films were cult, he is certainly not a cult director.

Tarkovsky is revered as you say by scholars and film aficionados alike but to mainstream fans he is very much an unknown quantity so it that sense his name suggests a cult following.

lesamourai · 08-02-2008, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

He went mainstream in 1986 with The Fly and every film since has been financed (wholly or partially) by a major studio. His first few films were revered amongst the Horror fraternity. So while those films were cult, he is certainly not a cult director.

Certainly not a cult director? While Cronenberg may be one of the more widely know directors deemed "cult", he is still most definitely a cult director (even with the inclusion of A History of Violence and Eastern Promises). You seem to barr him from being considered "cult" because The Fly was a studio effort, but seem to be ignoring the fact that The Fly itself is very much a cult film. Since The Fly Cronenber has made Naked Lunch and Dead Ringers, two films which also have cult followings. I'm not sure what your definition of "cult director" is, but for me a guy who has been churning out "cult films" since the 60s qualifies for the title.

Quote:

Tarkovsky is revered as you say by scholars and film aficionados alike but to mainstream fans he is very much an unknown quantity so it that sense his name suggests a cult following.

Orson Welles is unknown to most mainstream audiences, is Citizen Kane a cult film and Welles a cult director? You've got a very loose definition of the term. I doubt most mainstream audiences could name a Kurosawa film, does he qualify as a "cult director" in your mind? The denotation of the word "cult" makes it applicable for use in these situations but you know very well that its connotation does not. Semantics arguments are worthless and adidasss has already stated that he could have used a better word.

jackhammer · 08-03-2008, 02:48 PM

Orson Welles is unknown? Virtually everyone has heard of 'Citizen Kane'. If not then 'The Third Man' not to mention 'Transformers:The Movie'.

A 'cult' director would be someone with a very small following and is only appreciated in small circles. Anyone with even just a vague passing in movies have heard of Cronenberg, yet name say Brakhage for example and then we are talking about a cult following.

Most movie goers would probably say 'Seven Samurai' for Kurosawa.

Anyhow to get back on track: what's the latest film you have seen:

Obviously dated but some deliciously dark humour and sense of menace. As usual with Hitch**** some brilliant trademark shots.

lesamourai · 08-03-2008, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

Orson Welles is unknown? Virtually everyone has heard of 'Citizen Kane'. If not then 'The Third Man' not to mention 'Transformers:The Movie'.

I think you're overestimating the intelligence (filmwise) of your average movie goer. I'd be willing to place money on the fact that if you walked into any random showing of The Dark Knight or The Mummy 3 only a minority percentage would know who Welles is or be able to name a film. Same for Kurosawa, whom you mentioned.

Quote:

A 'cult' director would be someone with a very small following and is only appreciated in small circles. Anyone with even just a vague passing in movies have heard of Cronenberg, yet name say Brakhage for example and then we are talking about a cult following.

I'd agree that Brakhage would be considered a cult director, along with other "pure cineasts", but just because Cronenberg has a wider cult following doesn't make him any less of a cult director. Rocky Horror Picture Show is certainly a cult film, but I'd bet more people in your average theater audience have heard of it than of The Third Man.

Quote:

Most movie goers would probably say 'Seven Samurai' for Kurosawa.

I'm sure that most theatergoers who've heard of Kurosawa would say that, but your average audience probably has very few people who've heard of him (as popular as he is).

Anyway, I watched Murmur of the Heart last night, a Louis Malle film (another cult director

)

jackhammer · 08-05-2008, 11:04 AM

Beautiful to look at and despite the languid place (and my general distaste for plummy English accents), it draws in the strands of each four sections for a touching conclusion. The beach tracking shot is a tour de force. Excellent.

cardboard adolescent · 08-05-2008, 02:29 PM

Happiness of the Katakuris

Uhm, it's a musical by Takashi Miike. Do I really need to say more?

Speaking of musicals, I watched Dancer in the Dark two nights ago and that was amazing as well (and stars Bjork).

Speaking of Bjork, I've decided that I'm going to start using her name as a colloquialism for throwing up. Pass it along.

Piss Me Off · 08-05-2008, 02:33 PM

"I drank too much and bjorked."

Could work.

jackhammer · 08-07-2008, 04:27 AM

Classic. Although I don't think I will dig out the DVD too many times. Nice Ragtime soundtrack.

08-02-2008, 03:38 PM	#1233 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	He went mainstream in 1986 with The Fly and every film since has been financed (wholly or partially) by a major studio. His first few films were revered amongst the Horror fraternity. So while those films were cult, he is certainly not a cult director. Tarkovsky is revered as you say by scholars and film aficionados alike but to mainstream fans he is very much an unknown quantity so it that sense his name suggests a cult following. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

08-03-2008, 02:48 PM	#1235 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Orson Welles is unknown? Virtually everyone has heard of 'Citizen Kane'. If not then 'The Third Man' not to mention 'Transformers:The Movie'. A 'cult' director would be someone with a very small following and is only appreciated in small circles. Anyone with even just a vague passing in movies have heard of Cronenberg, yet name say Brakhage for example and then we are talking about a cult following. Most movie goers would probably say 'Seven Samurai' for Kurosawa. Anyhow to get back on track: what's the latest film you have seen: Obviously dated but some deliciously dark humour and sense of menace. As usual with Hitch**** some brilliant trademark shots. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

08-05-2008, 11:04 AM	#1237 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Beautiful to look at and despite the languid place (and my general distaste for plummy English accents), it draws in the strands of each four sections for a touching conclusion. The beach tracking shot is a tour de force. Excellent. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

08-05-2008, 02:33 PM	#1239 (permalink)
Piss Me Off Moodswings n' Roundabouts Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: At the corner of Dude and Catastrophe Posts: 4,512	"I drank too much and bjorked." Could work. __________________ Last FM Rate Yr Music Muxtape

08-07-2008, 04:27 AM	#1240 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Classic. Although I don't think I will dig out the DVD too many times. Nice Ragtime soundtrack. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

08-02-2008, 03:27 PM	#1231 (permalink)
lesamourai Groupie Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 29	Cronenbergs early films were certainly "cult" films. Scanners and Videodrome are basically listed under "cult film" in the dictionary. With his last two films he has proven to be more accessible and appealing to a larger audience, but for the initial 20 years of his career he pretty clearly falls under the category of "cult director."

08-05-2008, 02:29 PM	#1238 (permalink)
cardboard adolescent ;) Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: CA Posts: 3,503	Happiness of the Katakuris Uhm, it's a musical by Takashi Miike. Do I really need to say more? Speaking of musicals, I watched Dancer in the Dark two nights ago and that was amazing as well (and stars Bjork). Speaking of Bjork, I've decided that I'm going to start using her name as a colloquialism for throwing up. Pass it along.