I walked in late, and I regret it! I could have given more insight into almost every movie you discussed. Walter, you are so hilarious!! I could not get enough of your laughter. And how you describe your family sitting together to watch movies…epic!
I enjoyed your discussion, especially about the role music plays. I agree with you, Ben, about the disconnect regarding the music in White Lotus. It's quite interesting. This is also true of The Perfect Couple with Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber.
During the session I mentioned that Joaquin Phoenix had two major bad guy characters and two major good guy characters the 2nd being Jesus in a film that got minimal distribution in the United States but a lot in Europe due to the film depicting a romantic relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
I thought I would mention a couple of more things about it here. The film was a co-production of an Australian and American film company, and was the 2nd film to have both Phoenix and Rooney Mara, who played Magdalene. Their first film together was "Her". During the filming of "Mary Magdalene", Phoenix and Mara fell in love and got married. There is a forthcoming film they will both be in, Polaris.
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I know of three other films on controversial religious subjects that got wide distribution in Europe and virtually zero distribution in the United States.
1) "Pope Joan" is based on a novel by an American novelist (Donna Woolfolk Cross), about the controversial medieval legend of a woman who was passing as a man in a Benedictine monastery who gets elected Pope. There is still not full consensus on whether this story is true. The film was a German production filmed in English, and it played at about half a dozen film festivals in the United States, but never saw a general release and last I checked was not available on streaming or home media in America. I own a Blu-Ray of the film that I ordered from England. It is superb!!
2) Abel Ferrara's film "Mary" is about the religious experiences of an actress playing Mary Magdalene in a stage play, which should be controversial. Ferrara has openly encouraged Americans to find pirated illegal copies of the film. He is incensed at the absence of an American release. Again, I have a Blu-Ray ordered from England.
3) Most dire is "Sister Smile" a 2009 Belgian film about the REAL story of "The Singing Nun" whose story had been filmed much earlier with Debbie Reynolds in the lead. Sister Luc Gabriel endured much hardship later in life, eventually committing suicide with her female lover. If you want her FULL story this is the film to watch. Never distributed in the United States. (The much more upbeat film with Debbie Reynolds seems to be mostly forgotten.) Once again, I own a blu-ray ordered from England.
I walked in late, and I regret it! I could have given more insight into almost every movie you discussed. Walter, you are so hilarious!! I could not get enough of your laughter. And how you describe your family sitting together to watch movies…epic!
Thank you Yolanda!
I enjoyed your discussion, especially about the role music plays. I agree with you, Ben, about the disconnect regarding the music in White Lotus. It's quite interesting. This is also true of The Perfect Couple with Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber.
2nd comment.
During the session I mentioned that Joaquin Phoenix had two major bad guy characters and two major good guy characters the 2nd being Jesus in a film that got minimal distribution in the United States but a lot in Europe due to the film depicting a romantic relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
I thought I would mention a couple of more things about it here. The film was a co-production of an Australian and American film company, and was the 2nd film to have both Phoenix and Rooney Mara, who played Magdalene. Their first film together was "Her". During the filming of "Mary Magdalene", Phoenix and Mara fell in love and got married. There is a forthcoming film they will both be in, Polaris.
=-=-=
I know of three other films on controversial religious subjects that got wide distribution in Europe and virtually zero distribution in the United States.
1) "Pope Joan" is based on a novel by an American novelist (Donna Woolfolk Cross), about the controversial medieval legend of a woman who was passing as a man in a Benedictine monastery who gets elected Pope. There is still not full consensus on whether this story is true. The film was a German production filmed in English, and it played at about half a dozen film festivals in the United States, but never saw a general release and last I checked was not available on streaming or home media in America. I own a Blu-Ray of the film that I ordered from England. It is superb!!
2) Abel Ferrara's film "Mary" is about the religious experiences of an actress playing Mary Magdalene in a stage play, which should be controversial. Ferrara has openly encouraged Americans to find pirated illegal copies of the film. He is incensed at the absence of an American release. Again, I have a Blu-Ray ordered from England.
3) Most dire is "Sister Smile" a 2009 Belgian film about the REAL story of "The Singing Nun" whose story had been filmed much earlier with Debbie Reynolds in the lead. Sister Luc Gabriel endured much hardship later in life, eventually committing suicide with her female lover. If you want her FULL story this is the film to watch. Never distributed in the United States. (The much more upbeat film with Debbie Reynolds seems to be mostly forgotten.) Once again, I own a blu-ray ordered from England.