What film(s) have you recently watched?

[Amlux]

Post here when you watch a film that you enjoyed. Rewatches are fine too. Add ratings or not, it's just my style.

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) John Cassavetes - 4/5 [R]
I never remembered this one as strongly as I remembered Cassavetes's other more famous films from the period. The only scene I strongly remembered was the actual killing scene itself, which is simply astonishing. It's so understated and yet rich. I think the rest of the film is also great, but I think a lot of the exploration of tender parts of masculinity was done better in Husbands. Some of the burlesque show segments felt like they went on for too long, though I do understand that it's important to get a sense of how hard they work to put on a show which isn't respected for much more than an opportunity to see tits and ass.

Midnight (1939) Mitchell Leisen - 4/5 [R]
Screwball comedy written by Billy Wilder before he became a big name. It tells the story of a down-on-her-luck American girl who makes her way to Paris looking for work, but finds the city of lights to be a lot less forgiving than she expected. Through a number of hijinks, she manages to get mistaken for a countess and wrapped up in Parisian high society. A very cute movie with a nice ending.

[Alrune]

A film thread, nice!

I recently rewatched Consolations (Love is an Art of Time) (1988) by R. Bruce Elder

Following the previous part of his film cycle, Lamentations, in Consolations, the Gods have flown; but like Hölderlin's poetry, the film acts as a provisional dwelling in which the trace of the gods may be sheltered during their absence. It is loosely structured as a journey around parts of North America with quotations from various thinkers (Heidegger, Wittgenstein, Plotinus, Weil, McTaggart) interspersed as reflective pauses between the filmic images moving at high velocity. Eventually, after enough time, the flow of quotations, voice-over and images settle into a murmur of the great humane/scientific conversation attempting to give shape and order to our place in the universe, or at least a consolation in our wait for the Gods to return.
The film is long and even though its duration is an aspect of its force, the addition of some scenes feels unnecessary. But for me the whole was an actually transformative experience when I first saw it. Can't really give this a rating but I recommended it highly.

[Comfortable1]

I watched Suicide Room 8+ times. I find it that aesthetic.

[Lopadsa]

I recently watched The Merchant of Four Seasons from 1971. Fassbinder was a great director with many different styles and genres that he experimented with, but this film was very simple compared to what I've seen in the past from him. I haven't watched most of Fassbinder's early works with the exception of his debut Love is Colder Than Death which I remember not liking at the time. What I really liked about the film is that it is a great exploration of how societal pressure can drive a person into making decisions and life choices that are not in line with their core values. The cinematography is also very beautiful, probably the best I've seen thus far from Fassbinder.

[Alrune]

I recently watched The Merchant of Four Seasons from 1971. Fassbinder was a great director with many different styles and genres that he experimented with, but this film was very simple compared to what I've seen in the past from him. I haven't watched most of Fassbinder's early works with the exception of his debut Love is Colder Than Death which I remember not liking at the time. What I really liked about the film is that it is a great exploration of how societal pressure can drive a person into making decisions and life choices that are not in line with their core values. The cinematography is also very beautiful, probably the best I've seen thus far from Fassbinder.

Do you have any other Fassbinder recommendations? I saw World on a Wire some time ago and enjoyed it. Berlin Alexanderplatz has been on my watchlist for some time since I really love the source novel by Alfred Döblin. It seems like BA partially mirrors themes present in The Merchant of Four Seasons as you describe it, although Franz Biberkopf's project of discovering a core of authentic 'decency' is more of a fractured self-deception in that book.

I watched Suicide Room 8+ times. I find it that aesthetic.

I am intrigued. Can you tell me more about why you enjoy the aesthetic of this film so much? When I look it up I just find memes about it, I actually can't tell if people are watching it because they enjoy it or not, although the film itself seems very genuine.

[Amlux]

Not that poster but I love Fassbinder and would say that The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant and In a Year With 13 Moons are two of the most famous and distinctive films of his which you should watch. Fassbinder is a weird case with me though, because I've seen more of his minor and "weird" films than his more famous ones. I haven't seen Ali: Fear Eats the Soul or Fox and His Friends for example. But I love World on a Wire most. Some other "weird" minor ones which are almost as great are Chinese Roulette (with Anna Karina!), Satan's Brew, and The Third Generation (interesting perspective on terrorism, maybe inspired by stuff like the Baader-Meinhof Gang). Whity also deserves mention: a Fassbinder western!

Overall though, despite having seen several, I would say Fassbinder is one of those guys I have some of the biggest blindspots for out of all the "classic arthouse" directors.

[Lopadsa]

Fassbinder's filmography is so expansive compared to other directors that it really comes down to what you find interesting. Chinese Roulette is very underrated though I'd give that a watch. Alexanderplatz is my favorite from him although it is very dense at times. I'm still convinced Anno took alot of inspiration from the final episode for EoE.