A Conversation for Film Club

Noi The Albino

Post 1

Edward the Bonobo - Gone.

One observation...perfectly valid...

'Okay he was a typical bored teenager, his parents or teachers did not inspire him, so he thought violence would be more fun. Thats about it, I am not one for discussing movies for ages, although I have tried. Oh it did have nice scenery.'

I think it was cleverer than that. At the start I looked at the scenery. I thought it was spectacular, rather than bleak, but somewhat monochrome and oppressive. Noi's town lies at the foot of a steep, grey mountain, but there's always a low layer of misty cloud at a hundred odd feet.

And for the a while, I was thinking 'Yawn! So what? Yet another film about teenage anomie. Sure, Noi is a fairly cool outsider - but James Dean did it better.

What saved it, though, was its relentlessness. The way the boredom and isolation and feelings of being trapped were relentlessly hammered home. Like...Noi winds up in a 'dead end' (literally!) job in a graveyard. When he tries to escape - after a botched yet amicable bank job - he tries to run away. But his girlfriend won't go with him. And his car runs out of gas. So he tries to steal a tractor, but the police catch him...and put him into a small cell - a glaringly, laughingly obvious metaphor for his general condition.

And then there are little touches which say 'Yeah, but life's like thatb for everyone'. Like his father;s drunken Elvis Karaoke. And the bank staff's tolerant, unfazed reaction to his holdup. And best of all - the reading from Kierkegaard: 'If you kill yourself, you'll regret it. If you don't kill yourself, you'll regret it.' All typical tenage angst-fodder. Of course, 'Kierkegaard' is Danish for 'churchyard'.

So...I warmed to it with all its deliberate, obvious relentlessness. Lovely touches like the father and gran getting splattered with blood...and Noi's drink of choice being a low-alcohol Malt fed to children and pregnant women...and his being welcomed into his Girlfriend's house after he tries to sneak in her bedroom window and getting tucked up all cosy on the couch (trapped in a cosy cocoon of tolerance and kindness? In fact...Noi's retreat is also a cosy cocoon in his cellar...and it is this that saves him from death).

I wonder...does he escape in the end...or does he retreat into the fantasyworld represented by the viewscope picture of the tropical beach...given to him by his gran, who possibly embodies acquiesence to the trapped existence.

Pretentious? Moi?


Noi The Albino

Post 2

Ellen

Hi Edward, I couldn't get through the beginning of Noi. It just bored me. I have higher hopes for the next film I just got from Netflix -"Closely Watched Trains". Will watch that and report back soon.

Noi didn't seem to have much of a soundtrack, which bugged me. But maybe I just didn't watch enough?

My favorite "disaffected youth robs bank film" is Run Lola Run. It is MARVELOUS! Have you seen it? Maybe I should start a thread for it.

smiley - popcorn JEllen


Noi The Albino

Post 3

Edward the Bonobo - Gone.

Ah, now...I haven't seen it (yet) - but it's the same director as the other film I e-mailed you about.


Noi The Albino

Post 4

psychocandy-moderation team leader

I'm looking forward to seeing "Noi", but it's still a way down the queue. from Edward's description, it sounds like the sort of film I'd like: if it's not schlocky, it's usually dark, surreal, or bleak. smiley - winkeye

I'll comment back when I've seen it, but it mightn't be for several more weeks. (That's the only problem with picking 50 and only getting them three at a time. smiley - winkeye)


Noi The Albino

Post 5

Researcher U1025853

Just seen Gohatto which had Takeshi Kitano in it, who was also in Kikujiro. Much preferred those to Noi.


Noi The Albino

Post 6

psychocandy-moderation team leader

Wow, I never did get back around to comment on "Noi", and that was a LONG time ago.

I quite liked it- and while I also really liked "Run, Lola, Run" a lot, I think I preferred Noi. Noi's characters seemed as bored and angst-ridden, but less shallow, somehow...


Noi The Albino

Post 7

Edward the Bonobo - Gone.

Nah...we need a bit more in the way of critical exposition than 'I quite liked it.' smiley - winkeye


Noi The Albino

Post 8

psychocandy-moderation team leader

It's been at least a year and half since I watched it, so I don't know as that I can do any better than that at this point. (And you know I hate "critiquing" things!! Being critical, on the other hand...) Maybe I'll need to watch it again first. Really, though, isn't *I* liked it all the recommendation you need? smiley - winkeye

Or in JEllen's case, a rave review from me is generally sufficient warning for her to stay away. smiley - laugh


Noi The Albino

Post 9

Edward the Bonobo - Gone.

Yeah - but you like anything so long as it's retro and gory...
smiley - run


Noi The Albino

Post 10

Wand'rin star

How did you get on with "Closely Observed Trains"? I saw it so long ago that I can't do any better than "it amused me and I liked it"smiley - starsmiley - star


Noi The Albino

Post 11

Edward the Bonobo - Gone.

Eek! I'm not sure I ever got around to it. smiley - blush

You can see why this thread needed Front Page advertising to kickstart it...


Noi The Albino

Post 12

psychocandy-moderation team leader

I don't actually think I ever got around to it, either.

I think part of the "problem" was that everyone had so many different titles on their "to see" lists, and it was difficult to pin stuff down that everyone hadn't seen and was willing to see.

I don't like any old thing as long as it's retro and gory. Seen plenty from either category that have been just plain dumb. But yeah, I do have to admit to having a soft spot for "so bad it's good" type schlock, and impenetrable art films. smiley - winkeye

I didn't mind the later suggestionm, though, of people just watching what they liked and sharing afterward. I tried a couple times during winter, and no one even read those posts. smiley - cross


Noi The Albino

Post 13

Stealth "Jack" Azathoth

I saw Noi The Albino some years ago... It was Icelandic and that was enough to make me curious. I loved it.
But Run Lola Run is just awesome, I'd like to own both but Run Lola Run would be my first choice.


Noi The Albino

Post 14

psychocandy-moderation team leader

I liked "The Princess and the Warrior" a bit better than "Run Lola Run", but I have to say I like all three films quite a bit!


Film conversation....directions

Post 15

Kelapabesar, back in The Big Durian


If nobody objects, I'd like to contribute and take something away from this thread.

My contributions to current films might be affected by the fact that I live in a place where the films often open later than they do where most of our members live, and when they do, are often heavily censored for nudity, sexuality, and occasionally politics, although violence is cool. Way cool.

Nevertheless, it is also a place with little or no respect for intellectual property rights, so the fact is that I can often pick up a DVD of a film that hasn't even been generally released, for the outrageous price of less than a dollar or half a pound, depending on the currency fluctuations.

Saw "The Hitman" tonight in general theatrical release (in one of those places where they serve you champagne while sucking up outrageously). It (the movie) was legal, which meant that any bits with tits and bum were cut out (OF the film not IN the film, if you follow me...) not terribly impressed, but what the hell).

Liked a few bits, recognised the "Bourne" franchise's legacy in the trained assassin motif, etc. but had to pee (champers, doncha know)during one of the more fanciful (swords, it seemed) fight scenes.

Wondered why a person would work so hard at being inconspicuous but nonetheless shave his head, ensuring that a three inch bar-code tatoo on the back of his head was evident to all. As I said...what the hell.

Or just how an organisation comprised of thousands of people and accessible by pretty much anyone could be reasonably described as ultra-secret. Lots of good shooting, though. And the hero is suitably expressionless.

Anybody interested in a Citizen Kane thread? or a discussion of cinematic classics? Maybe we could move in that direction. If this group is cool with that, let's do it, okay? If it's moving away inappropriately from my friend Ed's vision, forget the idea, but maybe someone would be interested in opening another one?

Just a one-time movie guy asking...


Film conversation....directions

Post 16

psychocandy-moderation team leader

I like talking about all kinds of movies. We could have separate threads for different films, or a single thread for various classics, and I'd be happy either way. I don't think Edward would mind...?


Film conversation....directions

Post 17

Edward the Bonobo - Gone.

smiley - bigeyes Vision?! When did I have one of those?

No - on you go. 'bout time someone rescued this page.


Film conversation....directions

Post 18

Stealth "Jack" Azathoth

I've only seen the trailer for Hitman, I was also struck by the bar code... I also wondered why an organisation with access to GM Assassins would, only going by the trailer, think that the best people to send to bring down one of their own were a bunch a hapless SWAT teams.

I do hope that any sexy scenes with the girl in the trailer made it past the UK censors... smiley - drool


Film conversation....directions

Post 19

Kelapabesar, back in The Big Durian

She was worth the price of admission, judging by the glimpses the Indonesian censors left for us.


Film conversation....directions

Post 20

Kelapabesar, back in The Big Durian

I just watched "Crash" again with some students for the purposes of critical analysis (and because I hadn't prepared a lecture).

The next day the students came in with the lyric sheet and a disk of "Sympathy for the Devil". They were all excited abou the way the two resonated. The lyrics certainly framed the picture well I thought, and the structure of the song performance itself, the tempo, the intensity, etc, seemed great parallels.

I ddn't bother telling this group of largely Muslim graduate-level students about my Jagger/Richards, Bible, Koran dipping theory. Didn't want to inflame the public order, dontcha know. I did try to talk about synchronicity, though.

"Just as every cop is a criminal and all the sinners saints..."


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