...type of thing.

I was thinking with the recent success of the Moolaade thread maybe we could turn this into a monthly or semimonthly thing. A similarly good but obscure title is chosen every month (or whatever time period is chosen) and those who decide to participate make an effort to see the movie and then leave their comments in here.

So, before I get ahead of myself...

Any interest? If so, post in this thread...and recruit other members!

Well, I'd love to try and do this for the summer, at least. My parents have netflix so I can get rentals pretty easily. When I return to the city I probably won't be able to, though, because all of the rental places in the area went out of business an the past few years and I don't have an account for mailing rentals there. But I'll try to do it now if other people are interested.

I will warn you Rod, it takes tons of thread grooming on the part of the month's host to get people motivated. Its hard to do on a regular basis, and people get discouraged rather quickly if there is low turn-out. Here's hoping this works out, because it would be fantastic if it did!

I've got access to nearly everything via Berkeley's library, so why not? I'll never turn down a chance to watch a good film.

I'm in.

i'm in. but just don't make the film to obsecure enough for me.

my netflix (the AU version) has a very good range of foreign/independent films.

YOu guys bother me too much.

I'm in.

Thanks to the three of you for the interest!

Yeah, doing it as a summer thing could be one of the options. I have gone on and invited some additional people so hopefully we'll be hearing back from them pretty soon!

I think allowing a 2 week period in between films is the best way to go. That way people have enough time to watch each film on their own time, but the time gap isn't long enough to have people lose interest in between films. Of course I'd like to hear back from everyone as to what works best for each one of you.

In the meantime, here are three suggestions for the first film. Hopefully we can get this thing going within a week!

1. My first choice is The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. I've been a long time fan of Luis Bunuel. While I would, ideally, go with something like Los Olvidados, that might a pretty hard-to-find film. Viridiana is another option, but I think people might enjoy this one more. Of course the main object of this thing is to have people discover films they haven't already seen, so I don't know how many people have already seen the above.


Synopsis: Six highly cultivated people gather for a dinner party but never manage to sit down and eat. Their efforts are obstructed first by a simple misunderstanding -- guests arrive to find their host still in her dressing gown -- and then by a series of surreal occurrences involving international drug smuggling, surprise military exercises and bizarre dreams.

2. The Best of Youth

Synopsis: In a final period of hopeful innocence, free-spirited Nicola (Luigi Lo Cascio) travels the world and settles for a life as a successful psychiatrist, while his tragically introverted and idealist brother Matteo (Alessio Boni) joins the Italian police with the hope of righting society's wrongs. Their politics and personalities are inextricably intertwined as the world around them violently shifts and they are pushed together and pulled apart by the tides of history and their own divergent dreams.

3. Nobody Knows

Synopsis: Four siblings live happily with their mother in a small apartment in Tokyo. The children all have different fathers and have never been to school. The very existence of three of them has been hidden from the landlord. One day, the mother leaves behind a little money and a note, charging her oldest boy to look after the others. And so begins the children's odyssey, a journey nobody knows. Though engulfed by the cruel fate of abandonment, the four children do their best to survive in their own little world, devising and following their own set of rules. When they are forced to engage with the world outside their cocooned universe, the fragile balance that has sustained them collapses. Their innocent longing for their mother, their wary fascination toward the outside world, their anxiety over their increasingly desperate situation, their inarticulate cries, their kindness to each other, their determination to survive on wits and courage.


Post your thoughts and/or own suggestions!

I own Best of Youth

I love this idea, though I admit it may be hard for me to participate in August since I will be in Europe.

I can participate, but probably not consistently.

I have seen two films that you have mentioned. I strongly recommend both: Best of Youth and Nobody Knows.

I'd like for the majority to see the latter and read the thoughts.

I'm down and I'd like to watch the Bunuel film first, if only to resurrect my Criterion thread.

I'm in.

I vote for Best of Youth if we're supposed to vote for those suggestions. It's been in my Netflix queue ever since it was released. I'll move it to the top if chosen.

I also remember Nobody Knows getting some acclaim during its release but never saw it. So, that's my second choice.

Also, I'm about to receive Dirty Pretty Things and watch it for the first time this weekend probably... but I think alot of people have already seen that.

Discreet Charm! I've been meaning to see it for ages, and this will finally get me to.

But y'all better watch Moolaade, first.

My personal choice is Bourgeoisie as well.

I might add a poll over the weekend and see how people vote. Is that a good way of choosing the first film?

In yo.
Actually, I'm up for pretty much anything that doesn't involve a superhero.

the only problem with newer films/ones not yet out on dvd is that there will be a lot of people who can't see them because they will not be playing anywhere near them.

Although...The Visitor is easily my favorite movie of the year so far. I strongly recommend you go see it. We can have a mini-discussion about it within the thread in addition of whatever other first title is chosen. But more importantly, go see it!!

Again, I will pull a poll up tomorrow to pick the first title. If you have any additional suggestions this is your chance to get them in!

omg i wanna watch the visitor. i heard its good.

Rod, may I suggest a film for the next time?

I would join but my situation kind of restricts me, my video store doesn't carry any of these, I have an internet que (zip.ca) but because it takes a week to ship them here the order system is totally kapoot, they come in randomly. So with 30 movies on my list it can take me a year a more before one of them comes, or just a few days. I actually kind of like it that way.

Nevertheless I'll add these suggestions to my que.

PS Best of Youth is wonderful

I'm in! Hopefully I can get all our choices through Netflix?

sure!! if you reply before i put the poll up you can suggest something for this week, even!

Rod i think u should make Michael join in this club.

Poll added!

I have voted for Discreet Charm. I will let the poll run over the weekend and we'll have our first chosen film by Monday!

In the meantime, this would be a great time to catch Moolaade if you haven't already, before this thing begins!

yes. watch it! I agree with Rod, best film of the year so far.

Raffi. You should come join us in the Moolaade thread.