FBG Movie Club - DotM: Denis Villeneuve (1 Viewer)

[KarmaPolice]

Month 1: Steven Spielberg
Month 2: Billy Wilder
Month 3: Martin Scorsese

80s and I were talking and liked the idea of tying in the DotM sometimes with newer releases that would be popular and fresh in people's mind. We will pivot away from the gritty streets of New York to the realm of big blockbusters. We will see how this goes with directors who are newer and might not have as many movies to check out. This guy is probably on a lot of people's list for favorite newer director, so let's get a little Candian flavor to the club and watch the movies of...

Month 4: Denis Villeneuve

• Watch 1-2 of Villeneuve's movies. I didn't know how to break this one up for better discussion.

Influences:

• HERE is a list of Denis' 29 favorite movies that I found. I like that there are some great tie-ins to previous months. There are Spielberg movies, he has some favorite movies in common with Marty and Billy, and there are some interesting ideas for supplemental viewing.
• Watch or rewatch older versions of his remakes/sequels: Dune or Blade Runner. Maybe the Sicario sequel for a contrast there?
• Seek out another Canadian director's movies. Cronenberg was on his list, I see some Egoyan in his earlier movies, etc..

 

[KarmaPolice]

I didn't get to a 2001 rewatch last month, but thought that might be my bridge to April since it's on Denis' list as well.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Enemy is a very high concept film that I assume not a lot of people have seen (since it made about 11 dollars at the box office), but is pretty interesting.

 

[The Gator]

GOAT

 

[Eephus]

Arrival is leaving Peacock and Paramount+ in just over an hour

Hopefully it'll turn up somewhere else tomorrow

 

[KarmaPolice]

Arrival is leaving Peacock and Paramount+ in just over an hour

Hopefully it'll turn up somewhere else tomorrow

Of course.

 

[KarmaPolice]

He doesn't have many movies, so I would like to dig more into some special features on discs this month. Raging Bull commentary was awesome, and I have the 4Ks of Arrival, Dune, and Blade Runner 2049 to dig through.

 

[Eephus]

I'm going to need some persuading on Villeneuve either from you guys or the movies themselves.

I've only seen a few of his movies. Dune and Sicario were OK I guess but neither blew me away. I didn't care for BR 2049 at all. I preferred the original by a wide margin which for a anti-Ridley guy like me is saying something. Science Fiction has never been my jam so I may have reach back further into Villeneuve's catalog.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I think an interesting conversation for the month would be what I typed above - do people think he's the best young director or one of them? If not, who else we have in the mix?

 

[KarmaPolice]

I'm going to need some persuading on Villeneuve either from you guys or the movies themselves.

I've only seen a few of his movies. Dune and Sicario were OK I guess but neither blew me away. I didn't care for BR 2049 at all. I preferred the original by a wide margin which for a anti-Ridley guy like me is saying something. Science Fiction has never been my jam so I may have reach back further into Villeneuve's catalog.

Have you seen Arrival? I like it better than the more epic sci-fi he tackled.

My favorites of his are his earlier movies - Prisoners I think are great. I like Sicario a lot more than you, and Arrival is my other favorite. I need to rewatch BR 2049 this month as that's the most recent one that I remember the least.

 

[krista4]

Ooooooooo, this one I can get into!

 

[krista4]

HERE is a list of Denis' 29 favorite movies that I found. I like that there are some great tie-ins to previous months.

Is there supposed to be a link?

 

[Keith R]

I've seen most of his movies, which I didn't know until I saw his filmography. Arrival is far and away his best IMO

 

[Eephus]

Is there supposed to be a link?

Dudley Do-Right (1999) Official Trailer - Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker Movie HD

Dudley Do-Right (1999) Official Trailer - Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker Movie HDSubscribe to CLASSIC TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u43jDeSubscribe to TRAIL...

www.youtube.com

 

[Ilov80s]

Enemy is a very high concept film that I assume not a lot of people have seen (since it made about 11 dollars at the box office), but is pretty interesting.

Enemy is so weird

 

[Ilov80s]

Arrival appears to be the only big movie of his I haven’t seen so that’s top of my list. I also want to rewatch Blade Runner, Sicario and Incendies since I haven’t seen them in awhile.

I saw Prisoners for the first time last year and thought that was incredibly good. Highly recommend for anyone into dark crime thrillers.

 

[KarmaPolice]

HERE is a list of Denis' 29 favorite movies that I found. I like that there are some great tie-ins to previous months.

Is there supposed to be a link?

Yes.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Enemy is bonkers but ultimately pretty good.

I will be watching Prisoners for sure and probably Incendies as well.

I did not care much for Sicario. I'm a BIG fan of his sci-fi stuff.

 

[Don Quixote]

He’s a bit of a blind spot for me. I don’t think I’ve seen any of his movies. I don’t watch too much sci fi; may fall closer to the Eephus side of the camp when I watch, but will give him a try.

 

[Ilov80s]

He’s a bit of a blind spot for me. I don’t think I’ve seen any of his movies. I don’t watch too much sci fi; may fall closer to the Eephus side of the camp when I watch, but will give him a try.

He’s not all sci-fi. Sicario is about an FBI drug task force. Prisoners is about a father hunting down his kidnapped daughter after he’s unsatisfied with the efforts of the police. Incendies is about a pair of twins who head back to their mother’s home country to untangle the violent web of their family roots.

 

[Eephus]

Arrival is leaving Peacock and Paramount+ in just over an hour

Hopefully it'll turn up somewhere else tomorrow

Arrival arrived on Apple TV+ today if that helps

 

[KarmaPolice]

He’s a bit of a blind spot for me. I don’t think I’ve seen any of his movies. I don’t watch too much sci fi; may fall closer to the Eephus side of the camp when I watch, but will give him a try.

He’s not all sci-fi. Sicario is about an FBI drug task force. Prisoners is about a father hunting down his kidnapped daughter after he’s unsatisfied with the efforts of the police. Incendies is about a pair of twins who head back to their mother’s home country to untangle the violent web of their family roots.

Even the sci-fi has a range of tones and styles.

 

[Keith R]

Polytechnique (on Tubi) - Saw this on a whim yesterday. Far outside his sci-fi wheelhouse, this was about a real-life shooting at a college campus in Montreal in the 1980s. Other than being filmed in black-and-white, this is extremely similar to Gus Van Sant's Elephant (which was not based on a specific shooting but significantly influenced by Columbine). We see events and the aftermath from multiple vantage points. Somewhat predictable, though I don't know how a movie about this subject matter could avoid that. Ultimately, there's a lot here but one could pick either this or Elephant to watch; I didn't need to see both. Nevertheless, it is done well and the fact that this compares well to Elephant should be seen as a compliment to Villenueve.

 

[Ilov80s]

I didn't get to a 2001 rewatch last month, but thought that might be my bridge to April since it's on Denis' list as well.

Today is the anniversary of its release

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I didn't get to a 2001 rewatch last month, but thought that might be my bridge to April since it's on Denis' list as well.

Today is the anniversary of its release

2001 is like a monolith itself to me. Every time I watch it I think it's the LAST time I need to watch it. I'm never all that impressed by the story (I do like the technical aspects though). Then a couple years later I find myself drawn back to it.

 

[Ilov80s]

I didn't get to a 2001 rewatch last month, but thought that might be my bridge to April since it's on Denis' list as well.

Today is the anniversary of its release

2001 is like a monolith itself to me. Every time I watch it I think it's the LAST time I need to watch it. I'm never all that impressed by the story (I do like the technical aspects though). Then a couple years later I find myself drawn back to it.

I agree. The more I watch it, the more I am fascinated by it, the more I am amazed by it and the less I understand it.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I didn't get to a 2001 rewatch last month, but thought that might be my bridge to April since it's on Denis' list as well.

Today is the anniversary of its release

2001 is like a monolith itself to me. Every time I watch it I think it's the LAST time I need to watch it. I'm never all that impressed by the story (I do like the technical aspects though). Then a couple years later I find myself drawn back to it.

I agree. The more I watch it, the more I am fascinated by it, the more I am amazed by it and the less I understand it.

For me, it's more that every time I watch it I understand less what the big deal is about it. I don't think it's nearly as profound as it's made out to be or the Kubrick acolytes want it to be.

I do think 2010 is a nice compliment to it - particularly the interaction between Chandra and Hal.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I didn't get to a 2001 rewatch last month, but thought that might be my bridge to April since it's on Denis' list as well.

Today is the anniversary of its release

2001 is like a monolith itself to me. Every time I watch it I think it's the LAST time I need to watch it. I'm never all that impressed by the story (I do like the technical aspects though). Then a couple years later I find myself drawn back to it.

I agree. The more I watch it, the more I am fascinated by it, the more I am amazed by it and the less I understand it.

For me, it's more that every time I watch it I understand less what the big deal is about it. I don't think it's nearly as profound as it's made out to be or the Kubrick acolytes want it to be.

I do think 2010 is a nice compliment to it - particularly the interaction between Chandra and Hal.

I never understood it as being hailed because the movie or it's themes are profound, it's more that it's a master class of directing. Ties in last month with talks about Raging Bull. I also think it holds up better than some because the fear of AI is still a common and very real theme.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I will say that I am struggling a tad with this month's movies. Maybe it will help if I start the discussion with a question: what makes a Denis Villeneuve movie a Denis Villeneuve movie?

It seems the more I watch Arrival the less I am in love with it. For me it tails off at the end and a lot of the things going on feel a bit "yada yada yada..." plot wise. Similar feeling last night watching Prisoners. Great idea that has it's moments but something doesn't quite land. Ditto with Sicario. Again, I feel I am being a little bit nit-picky, but I guess where I land is that I think Denis is very good, but he's not in the upper tier for me. Each time while I am watching the movie I get a familiar vibe of a movie that I'd rather be watching. For example, when I was watching Prisoners, I was thinking about similarities between that and The Vanishing (Spoorloos) .

I guess it's this feeling of all of the movies being B+ movies and struggling with not being able to answer the question above is what I am encountering. It's making me double back to the question I asked earlier - is Denis the best or one of the best recent directors and if not who would be higher? When I wrote that names like Ari Aster, Greta Gerwig, Robert Eggers, Damien Chazelle, and others were floating around in my head.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

I thought that Prisoners was excellent.
Tense, emotionally draining and a great cast.

I really liked Arrival, too. I probably need to watch it a second time.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

A tangent, but I would recommend the story called The Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang, which is what Arrival is based on. I think that Villanueve did a better job with the material than I anticipated, but the story is awesome. Really all of his stories are awesome, but this is the most relevant one here…

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Starting with Polytechnique, Villeneuve became known for a visual style based on long takes, precise mise-en-scene, steady camerawork, periods of wordless silence to emphasize moody atmosphere, and deep-focus, high-contrast cinematography. Amongst a core theme of Villeneuve's films are characters who struggle with their identities in worlds of isolation

 

[the moops]

t seems the more I watch Arrival the less I am in love with it. For me it tails off at the end and a lot of the things going on feel a bit "yada yada yada..." plot wise.

Just watched Arrival again on my flight down to Belize (look at me!). I think it was the 3rd time I watched it. It had been several years since i last saw it and I am more in love with it now than i was years ago.

The whole daughter dying in the future thing and the predicament it portends is such a great storyline that is really well done. I may watch it again on my way back home in fact.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

t seems the more I watch Arrival the less I am in love with it. For me it tails off at the end and a lot of the things going on feel a bit "yada yada yada..." plot wise.

Just watched Arrival again on my flight down to Belize (look at me!). I think it was the 3rd time I watched it. It had been several years since i last saw it and I am more in love with it now than i was years ago.

The whole daughter dying in the future thing and the predicament it portends is such a great storyline that is really well done. I may watch it again on my way back home in fact.

I’ll send you to Belize

 

[KarmaPolice]

t seems the more I watch Arrival the less I am in love with it. For me it tails off at the end and a lot of the things going on feel a bit "yada yada yada..." plot wise.

Just watched Arrival again on my flight down to Belize (look at me!). I think it was the 3rd time I watched it. It had been several years since i last saw it and I am more in love with it now than i was years ago.

The whole daughter dying in the future thing and the predicament it portends is such a great storyline that is really well done. I may watch it again on my way back home in fact.

That part and storyline is still very good. I agree on that.

This time around I was just getting into how they figure out the language, and that is the part that I don't love and feel they hit the FF button a bit on.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Queueing up Prisoners...

 

[KarmaPolice]

Queueing up Prisoners...

Will this be a first watch for you?

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Queueing up Prisoners...

Will this be a first watch for you?

Yes

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Queueing up Prisoners...

Will this be a first watch for you?

Yes

Excellent movie.

 

[The Gator]

I'll be throwing on Lawrence of Arabia either tonight or tomorrow. With teh ties to Dune and this thread, it's time I watch it lol

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I'll be throwing on Lawrence of Arabia wither tonight or tomorrow. With teh ties to Dune and this thread, it's time I watch it lol

The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.

 

[Ilov80s]

Queueing up Prisoners...

Will this be a first watch for you?

Yes

Excellent movie.

I would like to see Hugh Jackman in more roles like this. He plays an unhinged dangerous brute quite well.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Incendies is on Tubi. Just watched it for the first time. All I can say is holy ****, that was kind of amazing.

I don’t want to give too much away because the unfolding of the story is really a big part of the experience, but I will say that the parallel storylines and the way the story is told is fantastic and the cinematography in the Middle East is remarkable. And talk about a story of struggling with identity.

 

[jwb]

I liked Dune part 1 a lot, but otherwise I missed many of Villeneuve's films, so this will be good. I am watching Sicario today (had the bluray forever, just never got around to watching it), Arrival bluray arrives tomorrow, Prisoners looks fascinating, as well as a few others.

 

[The Gator]

I'll be throwing on Lawrence of Arabia later tonight or tomorrow. With teh ties to Dune and this thread, it's time I watch it lol

Got ready to start this about 11pm Saturday only to find out it's 3:45

Watched it yesterday and yeah, totally see the Dune inspiration. Even chuckled when Lawrence was shaving and Sherif(i think) says, "now that water is wasted"

 

[Long Ball Larry]

• Seek out another Canadian director's movies. Cronenberg was on his list, I see some Egoyan in his earlier movies, etc..

Dead Ringers is on Peacock, plus Tubi, freevee, pluto and roku channel.

 

[Keith R]

• Seek out another Canadian director's movies. Cronenberg was on his list, I see some Egoyan in his earlier movies, etc..

Dead Ringers is on Peacock, plus Tubi, freevee, pluto and roku channel.

Been looking for an excuse to finally see Dead Ringers (the movie). Though I don't really see similarities between Villeneuve and Cronenberg

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Villeneuve has style. Cronenberg has...A style.

 

[Don Quixote]

Trying Sicario tonight to give him a shot. Some nice cinematography from Deakins, but this script and plot is kind of weak and not really grabbing me.

 

[Tick]

I think he's great. Incendies is the movie that seems to have stuck with me the most, which surprises me. His scifi movies are beautiful.