Jake Gittes

"A goddamn mystery without a goddamn solution!" - Peter Weir quoting an American distributor who saw the film in 1975 It's very rare to see a film that walks on such a high tightrope as Picnic at Hanging Rock, and almost impossible to recall one that does it with such grace and commitment. Three girls and a schoolteacher disappear without a trace during a picnic in 1900, one of them to reappear a week later without any memory of what happened, the others never to return. No answers will ultimately be given, but the film is far from an exercise in pointless mystery, turning a sharp eye to the effects of the girls' disappearance on those left behind. It is, first and foremost, a story of how lives and relationships are destroyed by something utterly inexplicable and beyond the human comprehension, and the more time we spend with the characters, the more affecting it becomes. There's certainly more than one way to see Hanging Rock: as a symbol of adult, sexual, free world that takes the girls away from their innocence while leaving the others confused and terrified in their repressive Victorian world; or, more easily, as a manifestation of some ancient forces that "wake up" and show themselves in a modern world to frightening, devastating consequences. Both interpretations are legit, and it's even possible to combine them into one, although the second one by itself is more attractive to lovers of genre film. And true, from a certain point of view, Picnic at Hanging Rock might be the most beautiful, elegant and tragic horror film ever made. But in the end, it survives as a classic largely because it so powerfully resists easy categorizing: a horror movie without a physical threat, a mystery without a solution, a film that's erotic without being sexy, hypnotic without being incomprehensible, and endlessly suggestive without being irritating or gimmicky. Pretty much flawless.

Russia just submitted Leviathan, which seems like the best and most reasonable choice in years. Wouldn't be shocked to see it nominated.

Macbeth (1971) Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) Possession (1981) Irréversible (2002)

I much prefer Rosemary's Baby to this for one simple reason - Mia Farrow actually has a big character arc and is a much more active and vivid character, whereas Deneuve is hopelessly lost and disturbed almost from the beginning, and watching her quickly gets tedious. She doesn't feel like a person, and I don't care about her. Polanski makes the film as atmospheric and unsettling as he possibly can, and the final shot is chilling, but Repulsion is the only one of his acclaimed films of that period that didn't stay with me.

I gotta see myself some Powell & Pressburger. And some more noirs.

The Third Man Double Indemnity The Shop Around the Corner To Be or Not to Be Casablanca The Maltese Falcon Shadow of a Doubt Brief Encounter Dead of Night

I think Interstellar will take both.

Ida and Two Days, One Night seem most likely to me, but then again after they snubbed Wadjda who knows.

I agree that it's pretty average aside from Ganz's performance. Didn't leave me with much of anything besides the "Hitler was a human too!" thing, which wasn't exactly a revelation in the first place. The innocent young secretary serving as the actual main character and the eyes of the viewer is the easiest possible route they could have taken, plus it's shot like an ugly TV movie.

Don't really remember anything apart from the wave scene, which made a huge impression on younger me.

Same except I think it'll be Gone Girl in place of Foxcatcher.

I could do it, or perhaps split the presentation with someone else if they agree. Got plenty of time on my hands this week. Hope you get better as soon as possible Lisa.

Dredd as well.

1975 is probably my favorite, for now. The Mirror Jaws Barry Lyndon The Passenger Picnic at Hanging Rock Monty Python and the Holy Grail All masterworks. Worst I dunno. In the last decade probably 2008.

Master and Commander

Never seen the Swank one, but Theron's win doesn't surprise me at all. Monster isn't really a risky, challenging, alienating, or outrageously stylized movie. It's a simple story conventionally told, and Theron's performance, as good as it is, is an awards magnet if there ever was one.

For what? Both Enemy and Nightcrawler are (said to be, in the latter case) not up the Academy's alley at all.

The rom-com slate is dire these days, though. I'm all for seeing McConaughey in a romcom that's actually funny, smart, has interesting characters and doesn't go through all the familiar beats and tropes. Except where are you gonna get one of those today, at least outside of independent cinema? The guy is better off challenging himself while he's at it.

I've never seen Failure to Launch so I was not prepared for this read: http://thedissolve.com/features/forgotbusters/727-in-2006-failure-to-launch-doubled-as-a-mirror-for-/ That whole plot description is just fucked up. Couldn't believe what I was reading.

Sure. It's not complicated. If it had been well-reviewed that would have attracted people who don't normally go for that type of movie, but who could theoretically be interested. I'm one of those people, and I'm sure there's plenty of others. The legs would also be better.

Would have been even bigger if the reviews had been better.

Now that I've seen his first five, I'd say Mirror > Andrei Rublev > Ivan's Childhood > Solaris > Stalker. First two are masterpieces.

Hathaway won because she uglied herself up and managed to cry about how, uh, miserable she is for one big three-minute take. Her Fantine is barely even a character, she's more like a sentient puddle of tears. Amy Adams should have won that Oscar.

1. Chinatown (1974) 2. The Mirror (1975) 3. Apocalypse Now (1979) 4. Days of Heaven (1978) 5. Five Easy Pieces (1970) 6. Wake in Fright (1971) 7. Jaws (1975) 8. The Passenger (1975) 9. The Godfather: Part II (1974) 10. Star Wars (1977)