The Film Lounge

[Coryn]

Okay, I've seen Life Of Pi now and it's really interesting how the protagonist evolved into Tiger King only 7 years later.

[St. Gloede]

Life of Pi is the prequel, so it is not that important to see Pi to get the film. Obviously a few references will be lost, and there are a couple of minor spoilers, but honestly the main reason you should see Pi first is that you just appreciate Life of Pi so much more. You already have so much attachment built up towards Pi, so when the backstory is revealed, it really means something. I don't see how it would work as well the other way around, but up to you.

[Ebbywebby]

Can I watch Life of Pi (2012) before I have seen Pi (1998) or will I miss too much of the story ?

You need to watch both Pi (1998) and American Pi (1999)

And then Pi Pi Longstocking.

[joachimt]

Can I watch Life of Pi (2012) before I have seen Pi (1998) or will I miss too much of the story ?

You need to watch both Pi (1998) and American Pi (1999)

Don't forget Pi Rates the Caribbean.

[Kublai Khan]

Can I watch Life of Pi (2012) before I have seen Pi (1998) or will I miss too much of the story ?

You need to watch both Pi (1998) and American Pi (1999)

There's also some references to the spin-off series Magnum Pi. So if you want the full experience, you have to watch it first.

[OldAle1]

Can I watch Life of Pi (2012) before I have seen Pi (1998) or will I miss too much of the story ?

You need to watch both Pi (1998) and American Pi (1999)

There's also some references to the spin-off series Magnum Pi. So if you want the full experience, you have to watch it first.

When you think about this series, it's complexity is just mind-boggling. One helpful little-known fact that will help prospective viewers is that Paul and Chris Weitz, Darren Aronofsky, Ang Lee and Tom Selleck are all, in fact, the same person.

[Coryn]

So if i understand correctly Piscine is born and shortened his name to Pi, amazing everyone at school by writing down the number pi many numbers behind the comma, he then gets attacked by pirates and has to share a rowboat with a tiger. Somehow saves himself only to become a mathematician and completely lose his mind but eventually fonds his love back for Tigers and becomes Tiger King ?

[St. Gloede]

Tiger King is NOT canon IMO. That whole reboot, trying to capitalize on Life of Pi - was just ridiculous. The tigers were never even brought up before, and then: boom Tigers! This is what happens in the age of sequels and quick cash.

[sebby]

I don't think it matters whether or not it's canon, as it was an avant-garde masterpiece that refreshed interest in the franchise and has attracted high caliber artists such as Michael Bay and Kirk Cameron to oversee the production of the new season of the Mandalorian, which as we all know is abandoning the Star Wars mumbo jumbo no one wanted in the first place and shifting over completely to the Piverse. Sorry if it's all a little too high-brow for you, Gloede.

[Kublai Khan]

Tiger King is NOT canon IMO. That whole reboot, trying to capitalize on Life of Pi - was just ridiculous. The tigers were never even brought up before, and then: boom Tigers! This is what happens in the age of sequels and quick cash.

You have to go deep into the cannon to find that everything is connected. The true fans know.

[Onderhond]

Netflix just added a Alice in Wonderland/Peter Pan cross-over prequel. Because why mess with one franchise if you can mess with two at the same time! Clearly we're not at the end of the derivative content boom just yet.

[OldAle1]

Netflix just added a Alice in Wonderland/Peter Pan cross-over prequel. Because why mess with one franchise if you can mess with two at the same time! Clearly we're not at the end of the derivative content boom just yet.

Unless they add Batman into that mix, I'm just not interested.

[dirty_score]

Netflix just added a Alice in Wonderland/Peter Pan cross-over prequel. Because why mess with one franchise if you can mess with two at the same time! Clearly we're not at the end of the derivative content boom just yet.

Unless they add Batman into that mix, I'm just not interested.

If Batman ever enters public domain I'll even do it myself.

[weirdboy]

Netflix just added a Alice in Wonderland/Peter Pan cross-over prequel. Because why mess with one franchise if you can mess with two at the same time! Clearly we're not at the end of the derivative content boom just yet.

Unless they add Batman into that mix, I'm just not interested.

If Batman ever enters public domain I'll even do it myself.

Jesus is public domain. Just sayin'

Jesus in Wonderland has a nice ring to it.

[prodigalgodson]

I'll be starting EMT training in April, which means the end of my nearly decade-long love affair with cannabis. Any recommendations for films I shouldn't miss under the influence? Tend to enjoy less intellectual, more sensually-oriented work the higher I am, and generally prefer a meditative to a frenetic pace. Experimental recommendations, especially ones available online, would be particularly appreciated.

[Kublai Khan]

The Holy Mountain (1973) might be interesting.

[weirdboy]

The Holy Mountain (1973) might be interesting.

Agreed! My thoughts had not gone in that direction but it would be a good choice.

I would also suggest something like Koyaanisqatsi or Baraka.

[funkybusiness]

I'll be starting EMT training in April, which means the end of my nearly decade-long love affair with cannabis. Any recommendations for films I shouldn't miss under the influence? Tend to enjoy less intellectual, more sensually-oriented work the higher I am, and generally prefer a meditative to a frenetic pace. Experimental recommendations, especially ones available online, would be particularly appreciated.

Not one for altered states myself so these are probably terrible recommendations. ignore if necessary.

My go-to AG/experimentalists are:
Kurt Kren (especially the Structural films, avoid the Aktion films, you'll have a bad time)
Artavazd Peleshian
Joseph Cornell (By Night with Torch and Spear, Nymphlight)
Larry Gottheim
Rose Lowder (esp. Couleurs mécaniques)
Rainer Kohlberger (probably too intense for what you're looking for)
Alexandre Larose's Brouillard Passage #14 seems like a decent high viewing, maybe?
Solomon's The Secret Garden (1988) might be good as well. a little flickery but not bad.
The Text of Light (1974) aka "Uncle Stan, why are you using an ashtray as a camera lens?"

Some narrative film suggestions:
The Hourglass Sanatorium
nearly anything by Yuri Ilyenko
Nippon no akuryo (1970, Kuroki. think early Resnais makes a Yakuza/cop film)
Tobenai chinmoku (1966, also Kuroki)
crazy colored meoldramas like All That Heaven Allows or Jin Xie's Two Sisters (1964) and Legend of Tianyun Mountain (1980)?
Eisenstein? I'm thinking Oktyabr and the Ivans.
If you're particularly affected by sound while high, maybe try Resnais's L'amour à mort. There's not a lot of discourse about this one and basically nothing about the interplay between the cinematic elements and its music, which I think is the essential aspect of the film.
Naktibalda (1973) Lithuanaian film about a boy who can't tell the difference between his dreams and reality. a gentle comedy bordering on hyperviolence shot with outrageous color schemes. by the director of the first(?) filmed adaptation of Le petit prince.
Hélas pour moi (1993) (mid 80s to present Godard really does it for me but esp. this one)
Karel Zeman?
The Horse Thief?
Phase IV (Saul Bass + ants)
weird Bergman? (Shame, The Silence, Hour of the Wolf, Fanny & Alexander tv cut with all the magical realism-esque scenes still intact).

the most meditatively paced and sensually-oriented films I can think of are Sayat Nova and El sur.

Pedro Costa said the best film he ever watched high was She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. I don't know if that's more an indictment against the film, the drugs or Costa.

[weirdboy]

If I were going to pick a John Ford film to watch high, I think I would choose The Searchers.

[peeptoad]

I'll be starting EMT training in April, which means the end of my nearly decade-long love affair with cannabis. Any recommendations for films I shouldn't miss under the influence?

[prodigalgodson]

Thanks for the considerate responses guys! Especially the decidedly non-terrible recommendations from fb. I just got back from a 16-hour day of filming after 3 hours of sleep, so my circuits are on the fritz, but I'll be back with more specific thoughts tomorrow.

[Lakigigar]

Saw the first film in three months, ugh. Luckily, i liked it. It was a rewatch of Goodfellas.

[Coryn]

https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/icm+ ... ewolf2003/

I stumbled upon this list and I can say it's probably my favorite list of movies on ICM. Never before have there been so many of my favorites on such a short list and it's strange I never though about how I like depressive movies.

[prodigalgodson]

Alright...

The Holy Mountain (1973) might be interesting.

I'm not the biggest Holy Mountain fan, but then I haven't seen it in years. I do want to get a rewatch of El Topo in before April though!

I would also suggest something like Koyaanisqatsi or Baraka.

Koyaanisqatsi's a favorite, and I'm sure I'd enjoy it high, but it kinda feels like lightning in a bottle...I'm wary of its successors devolving into soulless pretty-picture-n-music combos, but Baraka seems one of the more appealing of the bunch. This kind of stuff is definitely on the right track, but at this point I'd prefer a Benning-esque approach.

My go-to AG/experimentalists are:
Kurt Kren (especially the Structural films, avoid the Aktion films, you'll have a bad time)
Artavazd Peleshian
Joseph Cornell (By Night with Torch and Spear, Nymphlight)
Larry Gottheim
Rose Lowder (esp. Couleurs mécaniques)
Rainer Kohlberger (probably too intense for what you're looking for)
Alexandre Larose's Brouillard Passage #14 seems like a decent high viewing, maybe?
Solomon's The Secret Garden (1988) might be good as well. a little flickery but not bad.
The Text of Light (1974) aka "Uncle Stan, why are you using an ashtray as a camera lens?"

Some narrative film suggestions:
The Hourglass Sanatorium
nearly anything by Yuri Ilyenko
Nippon no akuryo (1970, Kuroki. think early Resnais makes a Yakuza/cop film)
Tobenai chinmoku (1966, also Kuroki)
crazy colored meoldramas like All That Heaven Allows or Jin Xie's Two Sisters (1964) and Legend of Tianyun Mountain (1980)?
Eisenstein? I'm thinking Oktyabr and the Ivans.
If you're particularly affected by sound while high, maybe try Resnais's L'amour à mort. There's not a lot of discourse about this one and basically nothing about the interplay between the cinematic elements and its music, which I think is the essential aspect of the film.
Naktibalda (1973) Lithuanaian film about a boy who can't tell the difference between his dreams and reality. a gentle comedy bordering on hyperviolence shot with outrageous color schemes. by the director of the first(?) filmed adaptation of Le petit prince.
Hélas pour moi (1993) (mid 80s to present Godard really does it for me but esp. this one)
Karel Zeman?
The Horse Thief?
Phase IV (Saul Bass + ants)
weird Bergman? (Shame, The Silence, Hour of the Wolf, Fanny & Alexander tv cut with all the magical realism-esque scenes still intact).

the most meditatively paced and sensually-oriented films I can think of are Sayat Nova and El sur.

Pedro Costa said the best film he ever watched high was She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. I don't know if that's more an indictment against the film, the drugs or Costa.

Kren - awesome recommendation, I've only seen a couple but Asyl I especially loved; there are a number of his films available on yt, but I'm skeptical of streaming services' ability to render subtle gradations of tone, which seem prominent in his work, as anything other than pixelated smudges (a reason I won't watch Ten Skies or 13 Lakes on there, despite those being ideal fits for this little quest)
Peleshian - I wasn't as impressed as I expected to be by Seasons (and yes I did watch it high), but I'd definitely be down to check out more of his work
Cornell - another great rec, maybe it'd be worth rewatching Rose Hobart or By Night under the influence...
Larry Gottheim - not familiar, thanks for the rec
Rose Lowder - thanks for the rec, her work looks perfect, and I've been meaning to explore it
Rainer Kohlberger - never heard of this guy, I'll give his work a go since it looks like a bunch are available online; I have a pretty high threshold for intensity and am not likely to be sent into a bad trip or anything by aggressive/unsettling imagery/editing, but thank you for the consideration
Brouillard Passage #14 - heard about this for years, I'll have to seek it out in the next couple months
The Secret Garden - Solomon in general, is a good thought, but I didn't actually care for this one
The Text of Light - one of my all-time favorites, and definitely the kind of thing I'm looking for (though I've only seen it sober)

The Hourglass Sanatorium - a fantastic idea too, thanks!; I was pretty far gone when I watched Saragossa Manuscript, and had a great time
Yuri Ilyenko - never seen anything by him and the name doesn't ring a bell, though I see he dp'd Shadows of...Ancestors; I'll have to seek him out
Kuroki - dope, sold!; don't think I've heard of him
melodramas - colorful melodramas are indeed stoner's gold, and I don't think I've seen any classic-era color Chinese films, so stoned or not thanks for the recs!
Eisenstein - nice thought, I did enjoy October a few months ago, and was incidentally high, but don't know if I enjoyed it more than I would have sober; I won't intrude on my big-screen memories of Ivan with a small-screen rewatch, but yes I do love watching aesthetic chamber dramas high
L'amour à mort - thank you, this sounds perfect too!
Naktibalda - sounds very interesting, don't think I've seen any films from Lithuania
Hélas pour moi - I have mixed feelings about watching Godard high; on the one hand it's always a thrill, and I've especially had positive experiences with Week End, La chinoise, and Film Socialisme, on the other hand in many cases I feel like I'm giving the work short shrift by being in a state where I can't fully process and retain his relentless bombardment of ideas; if this is on the less didactic side I'd especially be open to it
Karel Zeman - never heard of him, so cool; on first glance it looks like his work might not be quite my aesthetic, but I'll be sure to check some out
The Horse Thief - been meaning to see this for years anyhow, might as well make it now!
Phase IV - love this, and yes haha it would've been fun to watch high
Bergman - interesting though, not sure; I've certainly seen some of his films a bit stoned over the years, but nothing when I've been really zonked; maybe I'll finally get around to The Magic Flute, and I should watch the F&A miniseries (just seen the film)

Sayat nova - wouldn't mind rewatching this, might be a bit stiff for what I'm looking for though if I recall
El sur - excellent suggestion, was pretty stoney baloney when I watched Quince Tree Sun last year and it was just what the doctor ordered

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon - haha, I can imagine on the big-screen this especially might be a one-of-a-kind experience; sometimes lesser works by great directors pair great with weed (if that was what he was on); in my book no one makes better Hollywood movies for stoners than Raoul Walsh though

Easy Rider - dig this, and only seen it sober; The Last Movie high, however, is magnificent
Call for Dreams - thanks, never heard of this; I'm intrigued but a little wary of the aesthetic
The Trip - haha this sounds dope, will add it to the watchlist
Samsara - a natural recommendation, but as I alluded to wrt Koyaanisqatsi/Baraka, something tells me I would find this to be what my friend serriform calls E-Z art

Thanks again for the recs guys, lots to look forward to!

[Ebbywebby]

I just don't "get" Kurt Kren at all. What are the virtues there?

[dirty_score]

Cannes Film Festival & Marche Delay Until July

[peeptoad]

Easy Rider - dig this, and only seen it sober; The Last Movie high, however, is magnificent
Call for Dreams - thanks, never heard of this; I'm intrigued but a little wary of the aesthetic
The Trip - haha this sounds dope, will add it to the watchlist
Samsara - a natural recommendation, but as I alluded to wrt Koyaanisqatsi/Baraka, something tells me I would find this to be what my friend serriform calls E-Z art

Based on what you posted here I'd skip both Call for Dreams and Samsara if they seem cheap, easy and/or not in line with your visual preferences. I tend to zone more when high while watching, so Samsara fit the bill for me, but I can understand it being too obvious.The Corman film is the bomb though in my opinion and is an excellent watch while high. The club scene alone is great.

[RolandKirkSunglasses]

An Actor's Revenge doesn't take itself seriously, very fun melodrama with fabulous colour cinematography and a soundtrack switching between light jazz and 50s Hollywood romance, all set in 1830s Japan.

[funkybusiness]

@ prodigalgodson, thanks for the response. I've PM'd you. It's the button at the top of the page.
@ebby, I guess for me it's about the functionality of film, both theoretically and literally. Kren uses or abuses tried and/or new methods of thinking about film, its tools, both physical and technical, and its filmed subjects/objects and each of his films does so in a different way. He rarely repeats himself.

[prodigalgodson]

Based on what you posted here I'd skip both Call for Dreams and Samsara if they seem cheap, easy and/or not in line with your visual preferences. I tend to zone more when high while watching, so Samsara fit the bill for me, but I can understand it being too obvious.The Corman film is the bomb though in my opinion and is an excellent watch while high. The club scene alone is great.

Still kinda curious about Call for Dreams, but yeah stuff like Samsara would've been great for my stoner days where I would really get lost in the high; but for better or more likely worse I've become accustomed enough to it as a state of being that I can no longer shed that nagging critical eye.

Whereas the Corman flick just sounds like some good ol fashioned fun! He's made some camp stoner classics.

An Actor's Revenge doesn't take itself seriously, very fun melodrama with fabulous colour cinematography and a soundtrack switching between light jazz and 50s Hollywood romance, all set in 1830s Japan.

Nice, thanks for the rec! I'd like to see more Ichikawa, and haven't seen any of his color films.

[beavis]

so the IFFR is about to kick off... online
it's going to be the first year since 1999 I'll skip it (although they are spreading it out over a longer period now, might still catch some IFFR spirit later on)
only thing I might want to try to figure out how the streaming works for is the new Litvinova movie... but in my mind it is already over. Fingers crossed for other chances for that one, and anything else that proves interesting.

[St. Gloede]

If this was not on The Guardian I would have been sure this was parody....

Swedish nurse to be sole attendee of film festival on remote island: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/ ... ote-island

Scandinavia’s biggest film festival is going ahead this year despite the coronavirus pandemic, but will be hosted on an isolated island and admit only one attendee – a healthcare worker, who has been selected from 12,000 applicants.

Lisa Enroth, a Swedish nurse and film fan, was chosen to be the 2021 Gothenburg film festival’s castaway who will spend a week on the remote island of Pater Noster watching film after film.

[beavis]

Must be a dream come true. Sadly only for one lucky lady.

[blocho]

Living on an island and watching a lot of movies by one's self. By that standard, I'm five years into a very long film festival.

[Good_Will_Harding]

Last minute Golden Globe predictions. I get that they're basically the red-headed step child of the Oscars, but the ceremony full of drunk celebs is usually a hoot to watch, so might as well guess what the nods themselves are.

BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

Mank
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
News of the World
Nomadland
The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Emma
Hamilton
Palm Springs
The Prom

BEST LEAD ACTOR - DRAMA

Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins, The Father
Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods
Gary Oldman, Mank

BEST LEAD ACTOR - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Pete Davidson, The King of Staten Island
Lin Manuel-Miranda, Hamilton
Dev Patel, The Personal History of David Copperfield
Andy Samberg, Palm Springs

BEST LEAD ACTRESS - DRAMA

Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holliday
Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand, Nomadland
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

BEST LEAD ACTRESS - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Rashida Jones, On the Rocks
Cristin Milloti, Palm Springs
Meryl Streep, The Prom
Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - MOTION PICTURE

Chadwick Boseman, Da 5 Bloods
Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Leslie Odom Jr, One Night in MIami
Paul Raci, Sound of Metal

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - MOTION PICTURE

Ellen Burstyn, Pieces of a Woman
Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman, The Father
Amanda Seyfried, Mank
Helena Zengel, News of the World

BEST DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE

David Fincher, Mank
Paul Greengrass, News of the World
Spike Lee, Da 5 Bloods
Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland

BEST SCREENPLAY

The Father
Mank
Nomadland
One Night in Miami
The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST ANIMATED FILM

The Croods: A New Age
Onward
Over the Moon
Soul
Wolfwalkers

BEST FOREIGN FILM

Another Round
La Llorona
Minari
Night of the Kings
True Mothers

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Mank
News of the World
Soul
Tenet
The Trial of the Chicago 7

No clue where to start with Best Song.

[Ebbywebby]

Sacha Baron Cohen vs. Pete Davidson vs. Andy Samberg? Whew, what a clash of the titans.

[kongs_speech]

Four nods for Promising Young Woman! Best Picture - Drama, Best Director(!), Best Actress - Drama and Best Screenplay. Fuck yes.

[outdoorcats]

They really went ahead and nominated Minari for Foreign Language Film. Yikes...

[Good_Will_Harding]

They really went ahead and nominated Minari for Foreign Language Film. Yikes...

They pulled that with The Farewell last year and probably cost it some (well deserved imo) Oscar momentum. The average Oscar voter only has enough interest (or brain space if we're being honest) to pay attention to a single non-English language film per awards season, and with Parasite steamrolling the competition last year, banishing The Farewell to compete in the "foreign language" category, your average Hollywood dope probably thought "Well I already watched ONE foreign language film this year, I can't possibly be expected to watch more?" and skipped it outright. Hopefully Minari fares better this time around.

[outdoorcats]

I'm just surprised given many had said they would boycott the show if they did it. Especially after it was pointed out their "more than 50% not in English rule" is apparently bullshit, as they nominated Inglourious Basterds in the regular categories (and Basterds has a smaller percentage of English scenes than Minari).