tobias
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Post by tobias on Dec 19, 2017 16:46:13 GMT
...and drop a few lines.
Me 1st (my rating in the parenthesis):
8 Women (2002) - a musical centered around a group of women and a murder mystery. Additionally the cinematography looks like candy and the cast is great (8)
My Night at Maud's (1969) - This some really bleak shit but so beautiful and so... white (10)
Quai des Orfèvres (1947) - Imagine going to the gallows on christmas for something you didn't do. Needless to say this is another bleak one by everybodys darling H. G. Clouzot (8)
Mon Oncle Antoine (1971) - The actual plot is very simple but damn, I love the scenery (9)
A Tale of Winter (1992) - The 90's version of My Night at Maud's with a female instead of a male lead, Shakespeare instead of Pascal and color instead of B/W. Contains the most realistic snow scenes I've ever seen in a film (9)
The Dead (1987) - Such a wonderful atmosphere. I wouldn't have thought anything could do Joyce's wonderful short story justice but this just about does it (9)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) - I need to mention this not because it's overlooked but because most people forget it's absolutely a christmas film, in fact an extremely christmassy film (10)
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Then there is also that Eustache film (Le père Noël a les yeux bleus) with Jean-Pierre Leud dressing up as Santa Claus to meet girls that I haven't seen yet.
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Post by pacinoyes on Dec 19, 2017 17:06:55 GMT
This might be stretching it but A Midnight Clear is a terrific war film that plays out over Christmas, and it ties into the holiday too, in its ethics and things that come up in the plot.
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Post by jimmalone on Dec 19, 2017 17:17:32 GMT
...and drop a few lines.
Quai des Orfèvres (1947) - Imagine going to the gallows on christmas for something you didn't do. Needless to say this is another bleak one by everybodys darling H. G. Clouzot (8) Indeed a great film. For me: Joyeux Noel (2005) - Don't know if that's underseen, but I'll mention it anyway, because I love it. Maybe captures the spirit of peace better than most other movies and it's always a wonderful thought that a similiar event as pictured here actually happened. Un Conte de Noel (2008) - Another scenario of a troubled family at christmas. Well written and with great performances. I'm not sure as I don't have my lists at my hand, but I think both Roussillon and Amalric make my Supporting Actor line-up that year. Lapland Odyssey (2010) - A finnish movie. I'm not sure if it is said that it really plays on christmas day, but surely in christmas season. It's about a guy whose wife demands that he buys a new television adapter, but therefore he has to make quite a journey. It's just a fun movie. |
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Post by Mattsby on Dec 19, 2017 18:28:25 GMT
This might be stretching it but A Midnight Clear is a terrific war film that plays out over Christmas, and it ties into the holiday too, in its ethics and things that come up in the plot. "We're having a snowball fight! You don't think maybe the war's over, do you?" Hahaha. Very affecting film, quietly devastating. |
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Post by HELENA MARIA on Dec 19, 2017 18:29:32 GMT
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Post by Christ_Ian_Bale on Dec 19, 2017 21:01:22 GMT
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Post by HELENA MARIA on Dec 19, 2017 21:08:25 GMT
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Post by Martin Stett on Dec 19, 2017 22:29:31 GMT
The Apartment -- I know it's a classic, but come on, nobody ever watches this at Christmastime except me. Make sure to watch it alone. In a small apartment with no Christmas tree. With no heating. And after isolating yourself from the rest of humanity for a week. Dekalog episode 3 -- One of the best of Kieslowki's erratic Dekalog series, about a woman and her former lover searching for her missing husband on Christmas Eve. Bleak, but a moving tale of love and forgiveness. The Merry Gentleman -- A beautiful little romance movie about a woman fleeing her abusive husband and the hitman who comes to care for her. I seem to be the only person that loves this gem, but I still recommend it. It has more heart than anything coming out of mainstream Hollywood. Metropolitan -- Utterly hilarious, but has a lot of darkness and despair running just under the surface Sneakers -- It is only loosely based during Christmastime, and it takes place in dry and sunny California. But if you want Christmas to merely be a fun background element to a blast of a film, it's hard to top this. Tokyo Godfathers -- To my mind, this is very nearly the essential Christmas movie. It has peace on Earth, good will towards men, slapstick comedy and drag queens. What more could you want? |
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Post by Mattsby on Dec 22, 2017 21:02:13 GMT
Who Killed Santa Claus? from 1941. It was the first film made under Germany-occupied France. The lead, Harry Baur, who gives a warm and wonderfully comic performance, was tortured to death by the Gestapo shortly after the film's release.
Baur plays a globemaker in a provincial alpine village who customarily dresses as Santa for the local kids. The village is so blanketed by snow, it's like they're in a globe of their own. There's a murder mystery snuggled within a mulligan of richly detailed villagers; the dialogue is so superbly witty and the characters' own slight plights (short of the murder order) are entertaining enough, and ultimately greatly affecting, it's easy to forgive the now-and-then chintz of some the narrative.
For those interested: it's on Film Struck! It's surprisingly rare, only 300ish votes in IMDb. Another note: I thought it was effectively uplifting -- there's a scene at the end that will un-dry your eyes -- it's really odd and kind of amusing that it was financed by Nazis!
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Dec 22, 2017 21:51:43 GMT
Stalag 17.
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Post by Martin Stett on Dec 22, 2017 22:06:32 GMT
Who Killed Santa Claus? from 1941. It was the first film made under Germany-occupied France. The lead, Harry Baur, who gives a warm and wonderfully comic performance, was tortured to death by the Gestapo shortly after the film's release. Baur plays a globemaker in a provincial alpine village who customarily dresses as Santa for the local kids. The village is so blanketed by snow, it's like they're in a globe of their own. There's a murder mystery snuggled within a mulligan of richly detailed villagers; the dialogue is so superbly witty and the characters' own slight plights (short of the murder order) are entertaining enough, and ultimately greatly affecting, it's easy to forgive the now-and-then chintz of some the narrative. For those interested: it's on Film Struck! It's surprisingly rare, only 300ish votes in IMDb. Another note: I thought it was effectively uplifting -- there's a scene at the end that will un-dry your eyes -- it's really odd and kind of amusing that it was financed by Nazis! Well, that bit of trivia isn't disturbing at all. So the Nazis killed Santa Claus. Clearly, the bastards were on the wrong side of history. |
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Post by pacinoyes on Dec 22, 2017 23:23:23 GMT
I've never seen this film Mattsby, I'll check it out - sounds fascinating, good pick!
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