Otto Parts wrote: Wed Feb 02, 2022 4:29 pm I'm about 2/3 of the way through the 7-hour Hungarian movie "Satantango." Grim as hell, funny at times, moments of brilliance. And I will always stan the director's cut of "Until the End of the World," vastly superior to the shorter theatrical version. In other tremendously long foreign films, I somehow let "An Elephant Sitting Still" get away, hopefully it will return to CC before long.

In movies of reasonable length, I also just noticed the restored version of the reggae film "Babylon" has returned, I missed that first time around.

Satantango is fantastic. Have only watched it all the way through twice, first time on a 4xVHS tape bootleg and then the Facets DVD that came out in the 00s.

I’ve never seen a Douglas Sirk movie—it’s a pretty major blind spot—so I’m planning to watch at least Imitation of Life from the collection that just went up.

Otto Parts wrote: Wed Feb 02, 2022 4:29 pm I'm about 2/3 of the way through the 7-hour Hungarian movie "Satantango." Grim as hell, funny at times, moments of brilliance. And I will always stan the director's cut of "Until the End of the World," vastly superior to the shorter theatrical version. In other tremendously long foreign films, I somehow let "An Elephant Sitting Still" get away, hopefully it will return to CC before long.

In movies of reasonable length, I also just noticed the restored version of the reggae film "Babylon" has returned, I missed that first time around.

I'm a long movie guy. too and have become more of one since the pandemic began, for obvious reasons. Although, one of the last films I saw in a theater before covid was Satantango, which I forced my parents to attend with me because they were visiting at the time and it was the only day I could see it. They thanked me profusely afterward. Very fond memory. I don't know if you've encountered this minor time paradox, but I find that a four hour films feels shorter to me than a three hour film. Something about when they get to that length where you get into a rhythm and stop wondering in the back of your head how much time is left, because there is soooo much time it doesn't matter. Co-sign on the director's cut on UTEOTW. All the stuff that got cut out of the theatrical cut is the best stuff! And incredible work from Robby Muller. I liked An Elephant Standing Still a lot. A lot. I think it's on Kanopy (as is Satantango and Tarr's Damnation) if your library is signed up. It's free if you do.

andyman wrote:

Clyde wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 3:02 pm

scrotescape wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 8:29 pm been watching the hitchcock marathon

vertigo really got me

anybody have trouble with the channel playing?

I have been trouble with exactly one film playing, which is Peppermint Frappe. It never loads for me! I had my sister try it out and she had no issue. Boy, I would really like to watch it again. Everything else plays fine.

Delete all your cookies for the site and log back in?

First thing I tried! Everything else plays fine, just that one won't load! Will somebody else check to see if they have the same issue?


(edited to fix some minor but appalling typos)

I’m the same way with long movies, though I haven’t seen any Tarr. You get into a weird meditative state.

Speaking of such movies, Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman is on Criterion, and it’s wonderful.

While we're recommending long films, the last movie I saw in a theater before the pandemic was Rivette's CELINE AND JULIE GO BOATING, which is a little under half SATANTANGO's length, but just flew by for me. Was posted to the Criterion Channel about a year ago. Totally delightful all around and much weirder than I expected.

Watched Downtown '81 the other night and really dug how silly it was.

Clyde wrote: Thu Feb 03, 2022 2:12 pmI don't know if you've encountered this minor time paradox, but I find that a four hour films feels shorter to me than a three hour film. Something about when they get to that length where you get into a rhythm and stop wondering in the back of your head how much time is left, because there is soooo much time it doesn't matter.

Wood Goblin wrote: Thu Feb 03, 2022 2:54 pmI’m the same way with long movies, though I haven’t seen any Tarr. You get into a weird meditative state.

Maybe this is true but also with movie length it's all about pacing. There are 90 minute films that crawl, and 3 hour films that whizz by or are so captivating that you never think of the time (e.g. The Wolf of Wall Street, Cloud Atlas).

Then there are films like Angel's Egg (1985 Oshii Mamoru) which is 70 minutes but feels like 2 hours, in a good way. Or Assault Girls by the same director, 60 minutes but the way it's composed it feels like a full length movie.

I will rarely watch more than one movie in one day while I can easily watch an entire season or more of a tv show in one day...

Fuckin' time, how does it work?

kokorodoko wrote: Mon Feb 07, 2022 4:39 pmThere are 90 minute films that crawl, and 3 hour films that whizz by or are so captivating that you never think of the time (e.g. The Wolf of Wall Street, Cloud Atlas).

Or, approaching that runtime: Blade Runner 2049! Couldn't understand all the complaints about its length, for the same reason.

Happened to notice the other night that there's a restored version of Marguerite Duras's India Song on the Channel now. Think this version started making the rounds in 2021? At any rate it blows the bootleg DVD version I watched of it out of the water, to the point that it's nearly a completely new film.

India Song is a slow one, NOT recommended if one doesn't care for longish, voice-over-driven, vaguely Marienbad-type stuff. But it's worth seeing at least once if one's game for that.

If you are a baseball fan, you've got to watch Richard Linklater's "Inning by Inning: Portrait of a Coach":

https://www.criterionchannel.com/inning ... of-a-coach

Or watch it even if you're not particularly interested in baseball, highly recommended either way!