Comments on: On Annual ‘Best of’ Lists…. http://jaspersharp.com/blog/news/2009/12/on-annual-best-of-lists/ writer & film curator Sat, 14 Apr 2012 22:19:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: logboy http://jaspersharp.com/blog/news/2009/12/on-annual-best-of-lists/comment-page-1/#comment-2386 logboy Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:30:48 +0000 http://jaspersharp.com/blog/?p=210#comment-2386 loads probably. even dedicating ourselves primarily to japan, we're going to miss out on films from there that might interest us - i keep a list of japans releases that i can track online, but it's hard to sense entirely what's within it, even when you construct it bit by bit over the months. even if there's a subbed release of it somewhere, as things just don't always register thanks to bizarre trailer editing practices (pop tunes on heartbreaking dramas?) and lacklustre website / press coverage too (magazines give good reviews relative to what they primarily watch, very little outside that sphere hits home to lots of publications). like you say : too - many - films. having said that, i can't say that i can do much more than pick up empire and total film, hope that something from there sinks in when i look at the selection on at the one cinema i regularly go to : i've seen quite a lot of stuff from outside of my main interests that beats what i'll have spent more money trying to see from japans output, but i still think there's the positive benefit of having a primary interest, in that it's what generally suits me best rather than always specifically what's most successful the majority of the time. loads probably. even dedicating ourselves primarily to japan, we’re going to miss out on films from there that might interest us – i keep a list of japans releases that i can track online, but it’s hard to sense entirely what’s within it, even when you construct it bit by bit over the months. even if there’s a subbed release of it somewhere, as things just don’t always register thanks to bizarre trailer editing practices (pop tunes on heartbreaking dramas?) and lacklustre website / press coverage too (magazines give good reviews relative to what they primarily watch, very little outside that sphere hits home to lots of publications).

like you say : too – many – films.

having said that, i can’t say that i can do much more than pick up empire and total film, hope that something from there sinks in when i look at the selection on at the one cinema i regularly go to : i’ve seen quite a lot of stuff from outside of my main interests that beats what i’ll have spent more money trying to see from japans output, but i still think there’s the positive benefit of having a primary interest, in that it’s what generally suits me best rather than always specifically what’s most successful the majority of the time.

]]> By: Jasper http://jaspersharp.com/blog/news/2009/12/on-annual-best-of-lists/comment-page-1/#comment-2385 Jasper Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:46:29 +0000 http://jaspersharp.com/blog/?p=210#comment-2385 It's also sad to think there's so much out there that we're all missing. Like I always say nowadays, there's too many films out there at the moment. I think there's a lot of people out there who would really like Vacation, but outside of a few festival screenings, they won't get the chance, and by this time next year it will be forgotten. Glad to hear there's a subbed DVD of it floating around though. I hope it finds the audience it deserves. But there's a great example - I know about it because it's Japanese, but how many great films from Russia, China, Uruguay or wherever else have slipped me by? It’s also sad to think there’s so much out there that we’re all missing. Like I always say nowadays, there’s too many films out there at the moment. I think there’s a lot of people out there who would really like Vacation, but outside of a few festival screenings, they won’t get the chance, and by this time next year it will be forgotten. Glad to hear there’s a subbed DVD of it floating around though. I hope it finds the audience it deserves. But there’s a great example – I know about it because it’s Japanese, but how many great films from Russia, China, Uruguay or wherever else have slipped me by?

]]> By: logboy http://jaspersharp.com/blog/news/2009/12/on-annual-best-of-lists/comment-page-1/#comment-2384 logboy Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:07:41 +0000 http://jaspersharp.com/blog/?p=210#comment-2384 think you're spot-on. critics can be serving readers better by giving pointers as to what's out there, rather than trying to select the best of what was once a more limited range. sure, there's always much more out there, but i think we've nudged towards a scene that allows more freedom than before, and it's into territory where we're able to build more of a selection for ourselves that's individual - downside is, this takes a lot of effort, of course. haneke's 'white ribbon' - which i caught digitally projected last week - has a habit of being a bit too multidimensional. fine, i quite like it this time around (didn't like cache that much), but it's better to be a bit more clear-cut with at least one central idea, instead of permanently or singularly grey. it's got a similar vibe to lee chang-dong's ability to portray more than one complete interpretation over the course of the narrative : only lee manages it with more clarity and devastation, thanks to his searing selectivity. 'white ribbon' seems to be about choosing the most evil end of the age spectrum - adults or children - but never makes it easy to decipher into a clear argument for one or the other. perhaps this suits a lot of people, but i find it frustrating. 'vacation', which is edging towards too modest for my tastes, wraps up into a (slightly) too contrived whole, but it very powerful as something that bridges concept art philosophy and inspired understanding of human nature. very much worth seeing - there's already a legit subbed taiwanese dvd of this out there. think you’re spot-on. critics can be serving readers better by giving pointers as to what’s out there, rather than trying to select the best of what was once a more limited range. sure, there’s always much more out there, but i think we’ve nudged towards a scene that allows more freedom than before, and it’s into territory where we’re able to build more of a selection for ourselves that’s individual – downside is, this takes a lot of effort, of course.

haneke’s ‘white ribbon’ – which i caught digitally projected last week – has a habit of being a bit too multidimensional. fine, i quite like it this time around (didn’t like cache that much), but it’s better to be a bit more clear-cut with at least one central idea, instead of permanently or singularly grey. it’s got a similar vibe to lee chang-dong’s ability to portray more than one complete interpretation over the course of the narrative : only lee manages it with more clarity and devastation, thanks to his searing selectivity. ‘white ribbon’ seems to be about choosing the most evil end of the age spectrum – adults or children – but never makes it easy to decipher into a clear argument for one or the other. perhaps this suits a lot of people, but i find it frustrating.

‘vacation’, which is edging towards too modest for my tastes, wraps up into a (slightly) too contrived whole, but it very powerful as something that bridges concept art philosophy and inspired understanding of human nature. very much worth seeing – there’s already a legit subbed taiwanese dvd of this out there.

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