tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post1888047195527476579..comments2024-03-13T06:28:44.715-04:00Comments on And So It Begins...: the Directors: Paul SchraderAlex Withrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-63385769765170904442018-08-09T16:14:58.984-04:002018-08-09T16:14:58.984-04:00Mishima is an absolute classic that more people ne...Mishima is an absolute classic that more people need to talk about. That film stands entirely on its own. Never seen anything like it.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-47217836637851725552018-08-09T16:14:27.747-04:002018-08-09T16:14:27.747-04:00Holy shit that is AWESOME. I am so happy you liked...Holy shit that is AWESOME. I am so happy you liked the film so much, it was so brazen in its approach.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-85072859336498094872018-08-09T16:13:58.415-04:002018-08-09T16:13:58.415-04:00I hope you get to see First Reformed soon too! It ...I hope you get to see First Reformed soon too! It is so singular in its vision, and unlike anything Schrader has done before. I really hope Hawke is remembered come awards time.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-41667386735397211742018-08-05T22:44:11.836-04:002018-08-05T22:44:11.836-04:00So happy you loved First Reformed and Mishima. Eas...So happy you loved First Reformed and Mishima. Easily my favorite biopic. Mishima is a fascinating figure. Lukehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03231911249238795602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-12391361416968897592018-08-03T10:16:58.970-04:002018-08-03T10:16:58.970-04:00I just saw First Reformed yesterday and it blew my...I just saw First Reformed yesterday and it blew my mind. I couldnt tell were the whole thing was going and the script was absolutely brilliant. I am currently doing a write up on it atm its my favorite movie of the year s.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13987831438787776712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-22613413038347612352018-07-30T04:34:30.176-04:002018-07-30T04:34:30.176-04:00The only one of these i have watched is Light of D...The only one of these i have watched is Light of Day and that is only because i was a huge Michael J. Fox fan as a kid. I have always wanted to check out American Gigolo though. I'm also really looking forward to checking out First Reformed. I hope it gets released here soon.Henrik J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12675100900709348187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-8556455933171445442018-07-23T16:40:57.465-04:002018-07-23T16:40:57.465-04:00OH, and Affliction. I would very much appreciate h...OH, and Affliction. I would very much appreciate hearing your thoughts on Affliction.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-42305032435173927812018-07-23T16:40:32.526-04:002018-07-23T16:40:32.526-04:00Isn't it?! I love that Schrader's most rec...Isn't it?! I love that Schrader's most recent film is one of his best. Truly, First Reformed is visually nothing like anything he's done before. What a refreshing change of pace.<br /><br />And I'm glad you're a fan of American Gigolo. That movie is so '80s.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-57414183291420345332018-07-23T16:39:11.274-04:002018-07-23T16:39:11.274-04:00Thanks so much, Tyler. I always appreciate you che...Thanks so much, Tyler. I always appreciate you checking out the site and offering your thoughts - it means a lot! I would be <i>very</i> interested to hear what you think of Schrader's "man in a room" films, including First Reformed. There is so much Winter Light in that film, I hope you enjoy it.<br /><br />And I saw your tweet about your watchlist for that festival. PLEASE let me know what you think of Climax. I'm so excited for that one.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-65056124624284376172018-07-22T05:11:20.322-04:002018-07-22T05:11:20.322-04:00Of those, I've only seen American Gigolo, I li...Of those, I've only seen American Gigolo, I liked the visually stylized way the story was told which seems to be the case for other of his 80s films too. I'll use your post as a reference point for which Schrader films to check out. Look forward to First Reformed, great when older filmmakers have a second wind!Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09395044055566348346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-50176927290403756442018-07-21T17:31:12.658-04:002018-07-21T17:31:12.658-04:00I'm seeing First Reformed at a local film fest...I'm seeing First Reformed at a local film festival next month, and believe it or not, it will be my first Schrader film. Not sure how I've managed to go so long without seeing any of these, but I absolutely loved reading this and it has definitely inspired me to bump up a lot of these on my watchlist. Amazing work, as usual. Love seeing this kind of in-depth breakdown, especially for filmmakers who don't get the level of attention they deserve.Tylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759761229945466986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-20367963561113148282018-07-19T15:08:09.426-04:002018-07-19T15:08:09.426-04:00Sure thing! I've heard Schrader on a lot of po...Sure thing! I've heard Schrader on a lot of podcasts recently discussing First Reformed, and he's dove into his "man in a room" theme a few times. I think it's such an interesting theme.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-58977441643279468722018-07-18T18:17:04.305-04:002018-07-18T18:17:04.305-04:00Thanks for taking the time to flesh that out for m...Thanks for taking the time to flesh that out for me, I was piecing it together but I guess I wanted a few more sentences to make sure I fully got it and you provided. Thank you again. JackalsIIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14354017921443889442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-81073067207539039032018-07-18T15:53:31.875-04:002018-07-18T15:53:31.875-04:00Thanks so much for the push on this one! Afflictio...Thanks so much for the push on this one! Affliction... man, that film hits so damn hard. It just doesn't let up. I am so very pleased that Coburn won the Oscar. Nolte should've too, in fact.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-28222329431063628152018-07-18T15:52:44.394-04:002018-07-18T15:52:44.394-04:00As Schrader puts it, he keeps going back to this t...As Schrader puts it, he keeps going back to this theme in his work of an emotionally isolated man sitting in a room, trying to figure out his life, potentially plotting something violent, and usually writing his thoughts down. The man is usually engaged in some sort of rare profession that occupies his time at night. Many, if not all, of these theme traits apply to Taxi Driver (which Schrader wrote), American Gigolo, Light Sleeper, The Walker and First Reformed. And it's no coincidence that the latter four are four of the best films Schrader has made.<br /><br />So, basically, man in a room is a theme Paul Schrader keeps going back to in his work, to excellent results. Make sense?Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-89418292104542257292018-07-18T15:46:22.364-04:002018-07-18T15:46:22.364-04:00That Canyons piece is sooo nuts. (Thanks for linki...That Canyons piece is sooo nuts. (Thanks for linking, Void!) But I remember Schrader saying he enjoyed the story, because he knew it would motivate more people to see the film. That movie is such a damn let down; really a shame.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-39580899833072909142018-07-18T15:44:58.058-04:002018-07-18T15:44:58.058-04:00SO happy you're a fan of American Gigolo as we...SO happy you're a fan of American Gigolo as well. I honestly didn't like that film very much when I first saw it (I was clearly too young), but man, that is one hell of a self-assured movie. I adore it.<br /><br />That's such a cool little tidbit about Light of Day. I <i>really</i> wanted to like that film more.<br /><br />That box set is insane. In. Sane. If I didn't own most of his movies already I would consider buying it. Shit, who the hell am I kidding... I'm STILL considering buying it.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-86814857414666384092018-07-17T17:25:32.593-04:002018-07-17T17:25:32.593-04:00Actually, it was the NY Times and he did mention t...Actually, it was the NY Times and he did mention that article in his <a href="http://www.andsoitbeginsfilms.com/2013/08/the-canyons.html" rel="nofollow">review</a> of that film. thevoid99https://www.blogger.com/profile/03055459287396592446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-38988511565177120192018-07-17T17:11:23.408-04:002018-07-17T17:11:23.408-04:00And, reading through, I predicted we'd agree o...And, reading through, I predicted we'd agree on Affliction. His absolute best.<br /><br />Pumped to catch First Reformed wherever I can.Mark Woollonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05072777957640381767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-2456196574283385212018-07-17T17:06:15.469-04:002018-07-17T17:06:15.469-04:00YES YES YESSSS
hoping you would cover Schrader at...YES YES YESSSS<br /><br />hoping you would cover Schrader at some point. Huge favorite of mine.Mark Woollonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05072777957640381767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-42023417200617563662018-07-17T11:16:30.859-04:002018-07-17T11:16:30.859-04:00Amazingly, or surprisingly, I've only ever see...Amazingly, or surprisingly, I've only ever seen Cat People and I was mostly watching it for Annette O'Toole, who I thought was great in the film. I need to check out these other films. <br />I've heard of Light of Day and the nonsense of that film in snippets. I've been curious to watch Canyons (to watch the mess of that film, I supposed) and I really wanted to watch Auto Focus, I just never made the time to do so. I've, of course, heard the one thing people talk about with American Gigolo that you didn't even hint at (very classy!). <br />I'm not sure I fully understand the "man in the room" genre, I recognize and seen many of the films you reference but I don't think I full grasp it. Google was no help. JackalsIIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14354017921443889442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-85684160241984085592018-07-17T07:59:42.774-04:002018-07-17T07:59:42.774-04:00I haven't seen a lot of his films but your qui...I haven't seen a lot of his films but your quick reviews of them sold me on quite a few. I kind of love the drama around The Canyons. Was it the NY Post that wrote that amazing piece on how Lohan acted on set? I've read it more than once. Same with the drama surrounding the Exorcist prequel. I tend to prefer Harlin's version until the last 10 minutes when I assume he walked away from the camera and someone who hated him made some changes. Brittani Burnhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07975067259283007280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784665635104956142.post-6528796133924100222018-07-16T19:34:12.122-04:002018-07-16T19:34:12.122-04:00Paul Schrader is a fascinating individual and cert...Paul Schrader is a fascinating individual and certainly an underrated filmmaker who deserves more respect. For me so far...<br /><br />1. American Gigolo<br />2. Light Sleeper<br />3. Auto Focus<br />4. Cat People<br />5. Light of Day<br />6. Witch Hunt<br />7. The Canyons<br /><br />Here's something we NIN fans know about <i>Light of Day</i>. A young Trent Reznor appears in the film as part of a synth-pop group covering Buddy Holly's "True Love Ways". It's odd to see him in pre-NIN era but he was in worse bands before that. <br /><br /><i>Mishima</i> is the one I want to see the most as I have it in consideration for next year's Blind Spot.<br /><br />I do remember seeing <i>Witch Hunt</i> on HBO a long time ago but I don't remember what happened in that film. <i>The Canyons</i> had a nice look but I found it to be boring as it's my least favorite film of his so far.<br /><br />I really want to see <i>First Reformed</i> as I heard it's not just this major return to form but also its comparisons to <i>Winter Light</i>. BTW, did you hear about the new Bergman box set that is coming? That I think should be your ultimate Xmas present.thevoid99https://www.blogger.com/profile/03055459287396592446noreply@blogger.com