PTA's DVD picks

[Jeremy Blackman]

The latest are "Joseph Campbell: The Power of Myth" and "Jazz on a Summer's Day" ...

I was surprised by the Power of Myth pick... I've seen it and it's really good, but I thought PTA had a grudge against Star Wars...

[Gold Trumpet]

Star Wars really isn't a very good example of mythology in play though. It's more comic book and bad tv than anything else.

~rougerum

[modage]

thought it might be interesting to compile a list of movies that he has talked about or mentioned for everyone to see.  (i realize gregs site has a PTA DVD PICS section, but there are numerous interviews and such that mention movies he likes.  this might be interesting.)

on the magnolia documentary THAT MOMENT, he screens 2 movies (that are mentioned in the doc), for his production crew to get the feel of what magnolia should be like. those are...

-NETWORK
-ORDINARY PEOPLE

in the article 10 (+ 2 films) that influenced Boogie Nights he names....
http://www.ptanderson.com/articlesandinterviews/neon.htm

-PUTNEY SWOPE
-NASHVILLE
-GOODFELLAS
-SINGIN IN THE RAIN
-SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER
-THE JADE PUSSYCAT
-I AM CUBA
-MELVIN AND HOWARD
-STRAY DOG
-SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS
-BAY DAY AT BLACK ROCK
-THE MERRY WIDOW

in the PTA DVD Pics section of gregs site he mentions...
http://www.ptanderson.com/dvdpicks/main.htm

-SWEET AND LOWDOWN
-MEET THE PARENTS
-DARK STAR
-CITY LIGHTS
-MON ONCLE
-M. HULOTS HOLIDAY

for those pt fanatics out there that want to see some influences (if there already isnt a single thread for this, it might be a good place to get some rental ideas.)

[modage]

in a cigarettes and coffee interview he also mentions the john carpenter "classics"

-THE THING
-HALLOWEEN

"I love John Carpenter's movies! He's the best! The Thing & Halloween are just fucking classics!"

he also  says...
"I saw Dancer in the Dark three times. I liked Almost Famous. I liked Mission Impossible 2, but I need to see it again."

-DANCER IN THE DARK
-ALMOST FAMOUS
-MISSION IMPOSSIBLE II

also mentions the Astaire/Rogers flicks...

-CAREFREE
-THE GAY DIVORCEE

and the french film...

-WHEN THE CATS AWAY

"You know what you make me wanna do?  Watch When The Cat's Away again! I know that I've changed a lot since I watched it first, but I'm sure when I watch it again I'll still have a crush on her. But you have no idea... how excellent..."

-BREAKING THE WAVES

"I've been a fan [of Watson] since 'Breaking the Waves'.  You see somebody give a performance like that, it's the same thing with Adam -- they've got balls, I want to be around them.  I want to jump off a cliff with them, someone that daring..."

-JAWS
-CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND

"My first influences were Jaws and Close Encounters. I saw them when I was seven, and I knew what I wanted to do."

-THE RECKLESS MOMENT

"There's a Max Ophuls movie with Joan Bennett called The Reckless Moment. A great little noir thriller."

in the IFC special he mentions as being fucking cool....

-TERMINATOR II: JUDGEMENT DAY

-RAGING BULL
-THE SEARCHERS

"I'd see Raging Bull and ask myself, "What was that guy watching?" OK, I'm going to see every Elia Kazan movie; I'm going to go rent Max Ophuls' movies; I'm going to watch The Searchers."

[Disco Stu]

-NASHVILLE

Just saw this and didn't like it at all. I didn't mind that there's no real narrative story, but I hate country music. I can't explain why I didn't connect with this movie though. Can anyone tell me why I didn't connect with it?

I hated it too but I'm not a big Altman fan anyway.  I thought that maybe it was like 2001 for me (which I hated upon first viewing but love now) and I needed to watch it again but I hated it even more the second time.

[chainsmoking insomniac]

I didn't think it was that bad.  But then again, I'm a fan of Altman....Short Cuts was ten times better, but Nashville was interesting because it gave you a whole new perspective on country music (which I don't like anyway, but was always somewhat curious about that world.....)
I think the performance that really stuck out in my mind was Lily Tomlin.....just this sort of quiet desperation, of wanting to get away from her ignorant hick husband...even if it was into the arms of a womanizing prick.....

[bonanzataz]

i think i like nashville better than shortcuts. it gets better with every viewing. i've only seen short cuts once though, so i don't know. i love the music in nashville.

[Victor]

-JAWS
-CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND

"My first influences were Jaws and Close Encounters. I saw them when I was seven, and I knew what I wanted to do."

dont forget Rocky, that story about his dad taking him to see it, and Little Paulie saying, I want to be like Rocky. His dad goes, you want to be an actor or a writer or a director or something like that? And Little Paulie goes, Yeah.

[Ghostboy]

I love going and watching movies that inspired other filmmakers. I still need to see Melvin and Howard...I passed over it last night at the video store in favor of Suspiria. I was in more of a horrific mood.

I think Nashville is probably better than Short Cuts; it's not just about country music -- that's just the vehicle Altman uses to show a sort of loss of innocence in American culture during that time period.

[modage]

I love going and watching movies that inspired other filmmakers.

me too. and since everyone else on this board is pt obsessed (like myself), i thought it would be an interesting and useful thread for people wanting to check out some of PTAs PICKS.  im sure there are plenty more interviews on gregs site that mention some more movies, but i just thought i would skim a few and see what i could come up with.

[kassius]

According to IMDB's, Paul's favorite movie of all-time is "NETWORK".  I have no idea if this is true, but being a huge PTA fan, I rented this movie for the first time tonight, immediately after reading about it.

I think the concept was really creative, a TV news anchor, who is about to loose his job, going into a rage and telling his audience that he will kill himself on national television.  It almost beat out "Rocky" for best picture in 1976, so I knew it couldn't be awful.  What I thought kept this film from being a classic for years to come, was how much it's aged. They talk about the price of oil and comment on news stories happening last week, when we all know it happened 20+ years ago.  I think great films have concepts that never die... although this movie did, talking about yesterdays news like it was last week, doesn't help one bit.  

I will say that Peter Finch, who played the news anchor gave an extremely powerful performance. There are a more then enough moments where he just snaps and mouths off about society, the power of media, and what it all means to us...

"You're beginning to believe the illusions we're spinning here, you're beginning to believe that the tube is reality and your own lives are unreal. You do. Why, whatever the tube tells you: you dress like the tube, you eat like the tube, you raise your children like the tube, you even think like the tube. This is mass madness, you maniacs. In God's name, you people are the real thing, WE are the illusion. "

One thing that I did notice, was how part of the movie reminded me of scenes with Jimmy Gator's character in "Magnolia".  Maybe it was just the office with Emmy statues sitting on the counter, but there was something bigger that I just can't put my finger on.  The whole movie just had that feeling.  There was also a moment were Robert Duvall walks through the office and the camera pretty much drags behind him, the all but infamous PTA shoot.

AFI rated it #66, in it's list of the all-time greatest movies.  Maybe I'm missing something magical here?

[Sleuth]

According to IMDB's, Paul's favorite movie of all-time is "NETWORK".  I have no idea if this is true, but being a huge PTA fan, I rented this movie for the first time tonight, immediately after reading about it.

I think the concept was really creative, a TV news anchor, who is about to loose his job, going into a rage and telling his audience that he will kill himself on national television.  It almost beat out "Rocky" for best picture in 1976, so I knew it couldn't be awful.  What I thought kept this film from being a classic for years to come, was how much it's aged. They talk about the price of oil and comment on news stories happening last week, when we all know it happened 20+ years ago.  I think great films have concepts that never die... although this movie did, talking about yesterdays news like it was last week, doesn't help one bit.  

I will say that Peter Finch, who played the news anchor gave an extremely powerful performance. There are a more then enough moments where he just snaps and mouths off about society, the power of media, and what it all means to us...

"You're beginning to believe the illusions we're spinning here, you're beginning to believe that the tube is reality and your own lives are unreal. You do. Why, whatever the tube tells you: you dress like the tube, you eat like the tube, you raise your children like the tube, you even think like the tube. This is mass madness, you maniacs. In God's name, you people are the real thing, WE are the illusion. "

One thing that I did notice, was how part of the movie reminded me of scenes with Jimmy Gator's character in "Magnolia".  Maybe it was just the office with Emmy statues sitting on the counter, but there was something bigger that I just can't put my finger on.  The whole movie just had that feeling.  There was also a moment were Robert Duvall walks through the office and the camera pretty much drags behind him, the all but infamous PTA shoot.

AFI rated it #66, in it's list of the all-time greatest movies.  Maybe I'm missing something magical here?

lol

[hedwig]

im confused.

[hedwig]

i actually despise "network".

Wow. I think it's awesome -- why do you "despise" it? Do you just not like it or do you genuinely hate it?

[pete]

hedwig you're like a less political version of jeremy blackman.  you both have that calm inquisitive magic going on.