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I'd like to see the return of the auteur anthology

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  • I'd like to see the return of the auteur anthology

    I was reading about NEW YORK STORIES and it got me thinking about all of the European auteur anthologies that used to be popular, like BOCCACCIO '70 and SPIRITS OF THE DEAD. Anthology films are almost exclusively horror nowadays (the only modern one that comes to mind is TOKYO!) and I think it would be a good idea to do a non-horror one for a change, using all of the interesting modern American and European directors. My dream lineup of American directors would be Richard Linklater, Noah Baumbach, Todd Solondz, Jim Jarmusch and Neil LaBute. What are some other auteur anthologies that have been made in recent years?
    Why would anybody watch a scum show like Videodrome? Why did you watch it, Max?

  • #2
    They generally don't work, it seems you get one great short film and bunch of lesser ones, but I agree that your dream lineup sounds interesting.

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    • #3
      They're probably almost impossible to sell in modern Hollywood too, I would suspect - especially given the tendency for swollen, bloated pictures that run for 2.5-3 hours.

      There were quite a few during the Asian Horror boom of the mid-2000s, like THREE EXTREMES. Then, perhaps partially in imitation of this, there are films such as V/H/S.

      If you're into Indian cinema, BOMBAY TALKIES is worth checking out. I was thinking NEW YORK STORIES was fairly recent, but it was made in 1989. (How time flies!) There's DESTRICTED, of course, and the 2012 French comedy LES INFIDELES. There's also PARIS JE T'AIME from 2006 and EROS from 2004. However, these all suffer from the inconsistency Randy mentiones above.
      'You know, I'd almost forgotten what your eyes looked like. Still the same. Pissholes in the snow'

      http://www.paul-a-j-lewis.com (my photography website)
      'All explaining in movies can be thrown out, I think': Elmore Leonard

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      • #4
        Yeah, Randy makes a good point. There's always a couple that stand out and, sometimes by default, make the others appear weaker.

        I forgot about DESTRICTED. I wanted to see it for Noe's segment, but all of the shorts (including his) were kinda pretentious and tedious. There was a lot of penises in it as well, if I remember correctly.

        RE: Hard to sell in Hollywood: I agree it would be hard to get guys like P.T. Anderson and Tarantino to deliver something that was less than 2.5 hours, haha. I can't imagine them trying to do a film that only runs 25-30 minutes!
        Why would anybody watch a scum show like Videodrome? Why did you watch it, Max?

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Matt H. View Post
          RE: Hard to sell in Hollywood: I agree it would be hard to get guys like P.T. Anderson and Tarantino to deliver something that was less than 2.5 hours, haha. I can't imagine them trying to do a film that only runs 25-30 minutes!
          Not just your P T Anderson and Tarantinos nowadays: action movies and comic book adaptations all seem obliged to hit 2.5 hours too. I'm all for films of length that need it, but today's Hollywood filmmakers need to develop a stronger editorial instinct, imo :)
          'You know, I'd almost forgotten what your eyes looked like. Still the same. Pissholes in the snow'

          http://www.paul-a-j-lewis.com (my photography website)
          'All explaining in movies can be thrown out, I think': Elmore Leonard

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          • #6
            I may be wrong, but I seem to think that Spielberg started the trend of the "bloated blockbuster".
            Why would anybody watch a scum show like Videodrome? Why did you watch it, Max?

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            • #7
              This one probably killed off a lot of interest in Hollywood...

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Matt H. View Post
                RE: Hard to sell in Hollywood: I agree it would be hard to get guys like P.T. Anderson and Tarantino to deliver something that was less than 2.5 hours, haha. I can't imagine them trying to do a film that only runs 25-30 minutes!
                On Four Rooms apparently it was quite the battle behind the scenes to get the four directors to cut their movies down for timing. I believe Tarantino refused and got his way. Which is fair as his was the only watchable one and has the long tracking shot that you wouldn't want to cut into. A while back I cut iTarantino's segment together into 2 Rooms with The Man From The South which is a more fun pairing for it.
                "Never let the fact that they are doing it wrong stop you from doing it right." Hyman Mandell.

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                • #9
                  Don't forget the anthology film that contains 40 something films from internationally acclaimed directors: Lumií¨re and Company from 1995. All directors used the old Lumií¨re camera to make a minute long silent film, as a part of the 100 year anniversary of moving pictures. Kind of a fun idea actually, but despite hard hitters like Boorman, Haneke and Wenders, the only one I remember is Lynch's:



                  EDIT:
                  At least none of the episodes are too long.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by sukebanboy View Post
                    This one probably killed off a lot of interest in Hollywood...

                    They stuck Bruce Willis on the cover? That's a big move considering he's not even credited in the film. I don't really remember the story but I think he worked unpaid on this and so in order not to lose his SAG card he had to be uncredited. :eaving him off the credits seems kind of a moot point though if he's being used in the advertising materials.
                    "Never let the fact that they are doing it wrong stop you from doing it right." Hyman Mandell.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Dom D View Post
                      On Four Rooms apparently it was quite the battle behind the scenes to get the four directors to cut their movies down for timing. I believe Tarantino refused and got his way. Which is fair as his was the only watchable one and has the long tracking shot that you wouldn't want to cut into. A while back I cut iTarantino's segment together into 2 Rooms with The Man From The South which is a more fun pairing for it.
                      Dom, have you seen it recently? It has not aged well, and it's actually pretty loud and annoying. I'd say the only good one is Rodriguez's segment, but even that one is ruined a bit by Tim Roth's awful overacting.
                      Why would anybody watch a scum show like Videodrome? Why did you watch it, Max?

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                      • #12
                        Yeah I watched it last year. I still like it. Even just for that moment where the knife comes down. Agreed on Roth though. He's just not the right guy for the role. Seems to really lack comedic instincts.
                        "Never let the fact that they are doing it wrong stop you from doing it right." Hyman Mandell.

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                        • #13
                          I watched NEW YORK STORIES and thought it was pretty good. Scorsese's segment is a minor, typically intense portrayal of an older artist trying to keep his much younger girlfriend/protege from leaving him. Amazing performance from Nick Nolte and great use of Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale". Coppola's is a weird, unsuccessful story about young kids behaving like adults. It was kind of embarrassing, actually. One of the only interesting things about it is that it was co-written by Sofia Coppola, who was only 18 at the time. I thought the costume ball was an amusing sequence, as well. By far my favourite segment is Woody Allen's, a story about a 50-year-old man (played by the director) and his problems with an overbearing mother. I thought it was hysterically funny, with a great performance by Allen and the woman who plays his mother is adorable and equally good. There's an absurd twist in the middle that takes it into surreal territory, and I thought it worked beautifully. Very, very funny and an appropriate way to finish an uneven, but interesting anthology.
                          Why would anybody watch a scum show like Videodrome? Why did you watch it, Max?

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                          • #14
                            I'd agree wholly about NEW YORK STORIES, Matt. 'Oedipus Wrecks' is the best of the bunch; Coppola's was far and away the weakest. Scorsese's was trite but well-handled, I thought.

                            Along similar lines, wasn't there also TALES OF EROTICA in the mid-1990s, with segments by Ken Russell, Bob Rafelson, Susan Seidelman and Melvin Van Peebles?
                            'You know, I'd almost forgotten what your eyes looked like. Still the same. Pissholes in the snow'

                            http://www.paul-a-j-lewis.com (my photography website)
                            'All explaining in movies can be thrown out, I think': Elmore Leonard

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Paul L View Post
                              Along similar lines, wasn't there also TALES OF EROTICA in the mid-1990s, with segments by Ken Russell, Bob Rafelson, Susan Seidelman and Melvin Van Peebles?
                              I've never heard of that one, but what a diverse lineup!
                              Matt H.
                              Senior Member
                              Last edited by Matt H.; 07-31-2016, 11:55 PM.
                              Why would anybody watch a scum show like Videodrome? Why did you watch it, Max?

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