Kinda late to the Nosferatu discussion, but I just got out of the theater. I liked it more than I expected to. The only other Eggers I’ve seen is The Northman, which I wasn’t super keen on. I see some of the same cracks in Nosferatu than I saw in The Northman - he really likes his highlight reel moments e.g. The Bjork Cameo/The Valkyries scene in The Northman, both stylish and lots of fun but not really integrated into the story at all. I felt like Nosferatu did a better job weaving its highlight reel moments in.
It’s funny, I’ve seen reviews say Nosferatu’s first half was too slow and the back half was just right. I’ve seen reviews say the first half was just right and the back half was too fast. My big takeaway was “wow this was so much better-paced than The Northman” and felt like it made a big difference
I don’t think I was in a very good headspace for all of the “nature is so much more powerful than any man”/“death comes for us all” themes given the news lately. Came away from the theater depressed as hell - rivaling the time my family went to go see Toy Story 3 right after we’d had a garage sale and sold a lot of our childhood things
I haven’t seen Nosferatu but I’ve had such a strong aversion to it ever since hearing that it was being made. I will probably see it because this is the kind of thing I do, even though I don’t particularly like Eggers’ movies.
That Wicked movie is pretty funny. It’s also surprising that they turned a 3 hour musical into two 3 hour movies, but this is what we do now. Ariana Grande was great though. I am surprised it’s being talked about as winning best picture, but this is also what we do now, I guess. What’s most surprising to me is that they handmade every set but then slap on these effects to make much of the movie look like CGI. I just don’t understand why you would hire all these craftspeople to put in so much work and then make it look like absolute shit in post production, but movies looking terrible is also all the rage, I’m afraid.
We watched Home Alone 1 and 2 around Christmas with my six year old and there’s a part in both movies that made him laugh harder than I’ve ever seen him laugh. They are pretty funny! Also, our about to be president who was also our former president has a cameo in the second one, which is sort of delirium inducing.
We watched It’s A Wonderful Life and I think it’s easy to overlook how radical that movie still is. Perhaps even more now than when it was made.
I also watched Fitzcarraldo for the first time in probably twenty years. In some ways, it’s not very good and I don’t think it would have much of a reputation without the insane stories about production and the fact that he literally carried a boat up a great hill. But Kinski also is an unforgettable actor so maybe it’s all worth it, in the end.
The stage musical is sensible enough to blast through any world-building to pack in the good stuff - the songs and technical production. Any themes that are delivered are done so in broad strokes through references to characters, not so much dramatic character-building. The movie, by virtue of being a big Hollywood production I guess? is compelled to stuff itself full of context and backstory and close-up character moments.
I had a good time with the movie. It was fun! Definitely not any kind of artistic achievement, though I think. I don’t quite know why, but I love movie musicals in the same kinda way that a lot of people seem to enjoy hokey action movies.
Really surprised to see everyone dissing on The Northman lol. I really liked that one and often still think about many of the scenes.
I thought Nosferatu was a bit weaker but thought it was due to me having seen Dracula before and the Dracula story tailing off after they leave the castle. Still enjoyed it overall.
I would put The VVitch a step above both, and haven’t seen The Lighthouse yet.
On the point of Nos being similar to Bloodborne, I’m 90% sure the Bloodborne directors being heavily inspired by Bram Stokers Dracula. I’m pretty sure they sampled the movie to make some sound effects (specifically the weeping lady brain monsters)
been on a glen powell kick with this great triple feature
Hit Man - (one of Kojima’s favorite non japanese movies released in japan in 2024) is great fun with some stellar writing if you stick with it past the sorta hamfisted first act
Anyone But You - cheesy playful and slutty modern rendition of much ado about nothing with failgirl sydney sweeney being a girlboss and glen powell being such a charming jerk
Everybody Wants Some - the de facto perfect 80s fratboy party movie that is so earnest and thoughtful with its pacing and character moments that it makes you really believe fuckboys are people too
I think he lived in the Hollywood hills. Not in immediate danger but close, yeah.
Kinda had a feeling it was coming when I saw some article a little while ago that he quit smoking. The news is hitting me hard. I’m gonna find a diner to go to for lunch
As for Lynch, I confess I find his short very compelling, like Boat. They’re not as creative or original, but it was, like Mekas’ diaries (he experimented doing what a lot of talking streamers would do afterwards), but they’re unique in its daring attempts to build a different image. In that sense, Lynch is truly a cornerstone for the US culture and art, and I can see that into videogames too (Kentucky Route Zero is the first game that comes to mind in the way it fuses Americana with some vanguard art, as Lynch did fusing what Conner, Deren and others did with the formalism of the classic US filmmakers).
damn. the first movie i saw this year was a screening of mulholland drive at which the audience constantly laughed uncomfortably. and was walking around singing blue velvet to myself yesterday… he was really one of the best to ever do it.
Dang it. By far my favorite American director. Growing up the campus theater would show David Lynch’s movies with free admission for one night. The only one I was old enough to see was lost highway. It got me hooked.
I just finished a season watching of twin peaks the return this fall. I was able to enjoy it a lot more without the weight of expectation.
I stayed up until the sun came out for a week+ after watching Mulholland Drive because the man behind the diner fucked me up so badly
RIP to a real one
Also, something I’ve been trying to figure out for two years - is there literally anywhere I can watch Wild at Heart?? It’s not streaming, it’s never on Criterion Channel when all of his other movies are, even hard copies are hard to come by
My library has a dvd copy of Wild at heart, so I’d say check your local branch. Even if they don’t have it I’m sure they could source one for you from another library.
i might like to one day curate a double bill of eggers’ nosferatu and something like hideaki anno’s shin kamen rider. two guys making a New Version of an Old Thing that has been done a number of times, that they have spent their lives loving, trying to both honour legacies and offer new experiences, both about gross guys with powers.
