Last year I finished working my way through all the Best Picture winners.
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The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978)
A meditative, almost languid slice of life of late 19th century Lombard peasants. I found it surprisingly gripping -- I think because the cinematography was an amazing balancing act of being entirely understated and naturalistic while still somehow making every frame look like the work of an old master.
The Tin Drum (1979)
A very strange movie, with some incredibly uncomfortable scenes. There was a surrealism to it I liked, but it never quite leaned into that. There were some sweeping historical epic elements that I also liked, but it couldn't really commit to those either. There was a holy fool, and I love holy fools, but he isn't used very well. I dunno. Maybe don't put 11 year old actors in explicit sex scenes, even if they are playing a 16 year old?
Anyway, I'm now done with the 1970s.
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The Tin Drum (1979)
A very strange movie, with some incredibly uncomfortable scenes. There was a surrealism to it I liked, but it never quite leaned into that. There were some sweeping historical epic elements that I also liked, but it couldn't really commit to those either. There was a holy fool, and I love holy fools, but he isn't used very well. I dunno. Maybe don't put 11 year old actors in explicit sex scenes, even if they are playing a 16 year old?
Anyway, I'm now done with the 1970s.
Missing (1982)
Jack Lemmon tries to uncover what happened to his son who was disappeared in the Chilean coup, slowly realizing the extent of the US involvement and how naive his trust in his own government was. Intense and searingly painful at times. Lemmon really didn't get enough credit as a dramatic actor, because he was absolutely brilliant in this.
Oh, and since there was some surprise expressed that we still have a real video store in Seattle, here is it (minus a few rooms behind the camera) in all its glory. I'm so glad we've managed to keep it open this long -- and hopefully the tide is turning on physical media enough that maybe it can survive someday without fundraisers.
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Missing (1982)
Jack Lemmon tries to uncover what happened to his son who was disappeared in the Chilean coup, slowly realizing the extent of the US involvement and how naive his trust in his own government was. Intense and searingly painful at times. Lemmon really didn't get enough credit as a dramatic actor, because he was absolutely brilliant in this.
Oh, and since there was some surprise expressed that we still have a real video store in Seattle, here is it (minus a few rooms behind the camera) in all its glory. I'm so glad we've managed to keep it open this long -- and hopefully the tide is turning on physical media enough that maybe it can survive someday without fundraisers.
The Ballad of Narayama (1983)
There are themes of being reconciled with death, and the inexorable cycle of life, but really, this is about how brutal life as a peasant was. There is also some symbolism going on with snakes that I didn't understand.
Also, this is the first time I've seen subtitles offer verbose cultural explanations outside of anime fansubs.
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The Ballad of Narayama (1983)
There are themes of being reconciled with death, and the inexorable cycle of life, but really, this is about how brutal life as a peasant was. There is also some symbolism going on with snakes that I didn't understand.
Also, this is the first time I've seen subtitles offer verbose cultural explanations outside of anime fansubs.
When Father Was Away on Business (1985)
New bit of history I suddenly realize I'm weak on: Yugoslavia! Didn't really love it, but it wasn't as actively vile as the other one of this director I have seen, the one with a slur in the title. But still some icky scenes whose purpose I didn't understand.
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When Father Was Away on Business (1985)
New bit of history I suddenly realize I'm weak on: Yugoslavia! Didn't really love it, but it wasn't as actively vile as the other one of this director I have seen, the one with a slur in the title. But still some icky scenes whose purpose I didn't understand.
Yol (1982)
A travelogue of several prisoners granted a one week leave. I'm more impressed now that I've read the backstory, how it was written and directed (by means of detailed instructions) by someone who was in prison, who then broke out of prison to go edit it in Switzerland! And it remains controversial in Turkey, despite it outlasting the regime is was criticizing, because Kurdistan.
This also takes the prize for the hardest to acquire and watch so far. The rights remain a mess, and the only version I could find was a Scarecrow rental. On VHS. So I dug out some old friends that I had packed away when I moved for grad school in 2007 and hadn't touched since getting back in 2010. Except the emergency VCR didn't work, so I had to resort to the *backup* emergency VCR. Yay for being a packrat!
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Yol (1982)
A travelogue of several prisoners granted a one week leave. I'm more impressed now that I've read the backstory, how it was written and directed (by means of detailed instructions) by someone who was in prison, who then broke out of prison to go edit it in Switzerland! And it remains controversial in Turkey, despite it outlasting the regime is was criticizing, because Kurdistan.
This also takes the prize for the hardest to acquire and watch so far. The rights remain a mess, and the only version I could find was a Scarecrow rental. On VHS. So I dug out some old friends that I had packed away when I moved for grad school in 2007 and hadn't touched since getting back in 2010. Except the emergency VCR didn't work, so I had to resort to the *backup* emergency VCR. Yay for being a packrat!
The Mission (1986)
I'm glad this bit of history was told, but I also wish the emotional heart of the story wasn't a reformed fatricidal slave trader. And that any of the indigenous people were actual characters, not just abstract noble savages. But I guess anti-colonialism has to start somewhere?
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The Mission (1986)
I'm glad this bit of history was told, but I also wish the emotional heart of the story wasn't a reformed fatricidal slave trader. And that any of the indigenous people were actual characters, not just abstract noble savages. But I guess anti-colonialism has to start somewhere?
@attoparsec anti-colonialism didn't start with this film, and it wasn't about colonialism
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Yol (1982)
A travelogue of several prisoners granted a one week leave. I'm more impressed now that I've read the backstory, how it was written and directed (by means of detailed instructions) by someone who was in prison, who then broke out of prison to go edit it in Switzerland! And it remains controversial in Turkey, despite it outlasting the regime is was criticizing, because Kurdistan.
This also takes the prize for the hardest to acquire and watch so far. The rights remain a mess, and the only version I could find was a Scarecrow rental. On VHS. So I dug out some old friends that I had packed away when I moved for grad school in 2007 and hadn't touched since getting back in 2010. Except the emergency VCR didn't work, so I had to resort to the *backup* emergency VCR. Yay for being a packrat!
@attoparsec I still remember seeing it at the cinema, never I was able to find it
Gli ultimi otto messaggi ricevuti dalla Federazione
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Fatelə giocare offline fin da piccolə
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@Bastacosi la cosa bella è che sono stato votati da chi pensava che avrebbero faggi l'opposto, e che finalmente avrebbero messo le cose a posto.
Una volta ho sentito dire che nell'era dell'informazione l'ignoranza è una scelta. Forse non sarà vero in senso letterale, ma in questi caso è applicabile.
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@stefano i gave up caring about this when i write. people think i'm bot for years. now i'm playful with it "this post was written by .ai, skynet will end everything, pray to the machine"
so far it generates a lot of laughs
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Indagini e arresti contro cittadini palestinesi in italia. altro che sovranista, “il governo meloni obbedisce a israele e criminalizza le lotte per la liberazione della palestina”
@anarchia
Interrogatori di garanzia tra oggi, domenica 28 dicembre, e martedì, 30
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Recuperate, se ne avete voglia, qualche suo monologo su YT e limitrofi. Probabilmente lo disapproverete ma non potrete che ammirarla
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Intanto su #trenord varesenews.it/2025/12/un-cervo…
(consigliata l'apertura con ad blocker, che altrimenti il sito è inguardabile)
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@Pare fantastico!!!! Grazie mille 🙏
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@aerion 🥰🙌🥳 thanks for sharing. Self-hosting is really the best
