FroHam Can't Say "No": The Hamster Goes Mad - A Marathon

[Sam the Cinema Snob]

What's wrong with bad horror films?

[FroHam X]

I just assumed I would get more people making me watch 20 hour films and/or films as bad as Manos. Turns yout you're all really nice and just want me to watch good movies. Except for Beavermoose, who used his powers for evil. Granted, the Frenchies make good movies, but why should I support their Frenchness?

[1SO]

Much as it would be fun to punish you with terrible movies, we'd much rather open your eyes to some great films.
One great side effect of this marathon is I'm getting a better understanding of the tastes and personalities of the many Filmspotters.

[¡Keith!]

flieger, I'm surprised you didn't make it Jerry Lewis for your main five. As it stands I won't be watching ANY Jerry Lewis.

Also, I feel like I've lucked out here. Nobody making me watch truly bad horror movies or anything like that.

less talking, more watching.

[FroHam X]

I've got Lucky Star downloaded and ready to go tonight.

[MartinTeller]

Films on other people's lists that I'm especially looking forward to reading Fro's thoughts on (there's an awkward sentence for you):

Junior
5. Moonrise

Bondo
13. High Strung (because I really hate it)

Sam the Cinema Snob
16. The Double Life of Veronique
17. Olympia
19. M. Hulot's Holiday

sdedalus
28. Make Way for Tomorrow
29. Tropical Malady
30. The Gang's All Here

1SO
31. Charade
34. El Topo

goodguy
49. Stalker (RU 1979, Andrei Tarkovsky)

Bill Thompson
53. Ballada O Soldate (Ballad Of A Soldier, 1959, Grigori Chukhrai)
54. Crash (1996, David Cronenberg)
55. Stroszek (1977, Werner Herzog)

worm@work
66. Charulata
69. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
70. Innocence

oneaprilday
71. Angel at my Table (Jane Campion, 1990)
73. The Gleaners and I (Agnes Varda, 2000)

Anteres
76. The Hidden Fortress
77. Harakiri
79. Lady Snowblood

PeacefulAnarchy
92. Dodes'ka-den (1970)
93. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1976)
94. Ceddo (1977)

A lot of those could have easily made my list.  I might steal this idea when I finish up the marathons I've got going now.

[Bondo]

Admittedly I'd peg High Strung as more of a Sam film. It suits misanthropes.

[1SO]

Martin is too new to understand the significance of Dakota Skye.

[Verite]

1. Memories of Murder
2. The Best of Youth
3. Warrendale
4. Nobody Waved Good-Bye (available on the NFB website)
5. Goin' Down the Road

Backups provided upon request.

[FroHam X]

Film #1: Lucky Star (1929, Borzage), submitted by Junior

First of all, I have to admit complete ignorance of the work of Frank Borzage. I have not seen a single one of his films, and going into Lucky Star, I was completely unaware that is was silent. No problem, I like many silent films. But I have to say, I was a little worried. In my experience, silent dramas have often been too slow for my liking. A lot of stationary shots of people wildly acting out motions. You get the idea after a few seconds, but the shot just keeps going on and on way past the point of tediousness. So it was with a little bit of trepidation that I stepped into the world of Borzage. After watching Lucky Star, all I can say is, that trepidation has been fully been replaced by a ravenous desire for more.

Lucky Star tells the story of a young girl and two men. The girl, Mary, is a precocious thing; a little devious, often silly. Tim is a fine, upstanding man who works for the electric company. He’s right an honorable. Wrenn is Tim’s opposite, a contemptuous jerk who only gets by because of his strange ability to charm those unsuspecting. And so you have the workings of a love triangle. But, before that, the two men enlist in WWI and go off to fight in France. Wrenn is kicked out of the army, but pretends as though he is still a Sergeant. Tim is far less lucky. He is nearly killed by a shell, and loses the use of his legs. When they come back from the war, Tim strikes up a friendship and blossoming romance with the young Mary. Wrenn then attempts to steal her away and marry her. Classic romantic drama.

To read the rest, continue on to my blog, just Atad.

That's right. I'm a whore. Deal with it.

[Sam the Cinema Snob]

Join the cult! Blog Links Forever!

Also, I'm retarded at commenting on your blog. 

[Junior]

Seriously, if you've been hesitant to check out Borzage or just want to hear somebody other than the usuals gush about him, go read forhamp's excellent review.

[FroHam X]

Thanks Junior. Us Epic Bros gotta stick together.

[1SO]

Read your blog and the comments that followed. First of all, welcome to the club. I hope you're keeping The Borzage Marathon bookmarked as a handy guide, and I certainly hope you're reading the writeups Me and Sam have posted as well. I'll be paying special attention to Little Man What Now and Three Comrades, since I haven't watched them and he's a director who I'd still like to see more of.

As for the ending, it's had to say because you're starting with the film I watched last. By then I was ready for Borzage's use of the "magical dress" and that touch of magical realism that make his finales so special. Is it logical? Not at all. But it's got me all choked up, and I did think the moment was properly built up with the other scenes of Tim in his cabin. [spoiler]I wanted to believe in miracles[/spoiler] and the director made me very happy.

[FroHam X]

What stuck out more wasn't the logic of it, but that it seems to disregard the theme of accepting him as he is. I still got choked up. Actually, it's very much the same intellectual problem is have with the Disney Beauty and the Beast. If the film is about accepting his inner self AND his outer self then fixing the outer self kind of goes against theme. Actually, in that sense I think the ending of Shrek has the most appropriate approach to this conundrum. I love all three films.

[Junior]

As I said on your blog, the theme isn't strictly accepting his inner self and outer self. It's about learning to love and then having that love transform the physical boundaries that he faces. The same goes in reverse for Gaynor, I think.

[FroHam X]

Yeah I totes understand that, which is why I still choked up at the end. But to an extent it does undercut a lesser though still present theme, in favour of the other.

[fransisco4]

Do we try to guess which movies you haven't seen or do you have a Criticker or something?

1.Nine Queens (2000)
2.La Soufrière (1977) Okay, this one is short, but if you won't make an exception for Herzog then I don't know what to tell you.
3.Death in Venice (1971)
4.Shoah (1985) You'll watch anything, let's make it count.
5.Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

[1SO]

4.Shoah (1985) You'll watch anything, let's make it count.
5.Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

He's been asking for it. Mean picks.

[Bill Thompson]

5.Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

He's been asking for it. Mean picks.

There's nothing mean about making Fro watch a very important horror film.