Monday, April 26, 2010

Robert A. Heinlein on art.




"Anybody can look at a pretty girl and see a pretty girl. An artist can look at a pretty girl and see the old woman she will become. A better artist can look at an old woman and see the pretty girl that she used to be. But a great artist - a master - and that is what Auguste Rodin was - can look at an old woman, protray her exactly as she is . . . and force the viewer to see the pretty girl she used to be . . . and more than that, he can make anyone with the sensitivity of an armadillo, or even you, see that this lovely young girl is still alive, not old and ugly at all, but simply prisoned inside her ruined body. He can make you feel the quiet, endless tragedy that there was never a girl born who ever grew older than eighteen in her heart . . . no matter what the merciless hours have done to her. Look at her, Ben. Growing old doesn't matter to you and me; we were never meant to be admired - but it does to them. Look at her." - Jubal E. Harshaw from Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein, on 'La Belle Heaulmiere by Auguste Rodin(pictured above)

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Dear Tea Party: Your protests are useless and your members are ignorant.

Now that I have that out of my system...

I went through my collection recently to sort out my Foreign Language Films by country of origin instead of the ole' alpha-num. To celebrate Tax Day here are trailers for fifteen of my favorites. I should apologize as some of the previews are low quality (resolution), just poorly made to begin with, or even homemade...though not by me.

I think quality previews are important to a films success. If you want a good example I recommend sandwiching the worst preview on the list (probably Bangkok Dangerous with it's horrible English overdub) between two of the best (Survive Style 5+, Let the Right One In, Tokyo!).



Japan:

Bright Future


Pulse(Kairo)


Rampo Noir


Survive Style 5+



China:

2046


Fulltime Killer



South Korea:


Oldboy


Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring



Thailand:


Bangkok Dangerous (please try to ignore the obnoxious English overdub)


Last Life in the Universe



Sweden:


Let the Right One In



Czech Republic:


Faust(does not do the movie justice... but only trailer i found under 9mins)



Germany:

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari



France:

City of Lost Children


Tokyo!