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This is a West German ensemble film about a loosely connected group of travelers who are stranded at West Berlin’s Tempelhof airport one night in 1962 due to fog. While obviously an allegory for the city’s experience of being suddenly surrounded by East Germany—which, if we pursue the analogy, here is presented as professional and personal annoyance that allows our characters to indulge in industry-specific narcissisms—the movie can also be enjoyed on the level of script and character. What happens when you suddenly have a stretch of free time? You often squander it. There’s a great talking-past-each-other adultery scene, and the musical numbers at the end are joyous and lightly surreal. When I saw it in the theater everyone was smiling and laughing, which is not typical of Germans. I’m able to access it on YouTube with English subtitles from Germany (for now).
Jun 6, 2024
Related Recs
Honestly bro I had no idea wtf was going on in ts but the wardrobe was A1 and scene locations were mad cool. It also is the same dude who did Possession, ik a lot of you mfs on this app like that one. Starring Romy Schneider of “La Piscine” fame, also features a sleazed out performance by Klaus Kinski, it’s ab a photographer who likes some actress but her sherm bf is unhinged and manipulating her idk I got tired of reading subtitles. Overall it‘s a great movie to watch if you want to take a picture of ur screen to throw on ur IG story to make ppl think ur mad esoteric and knowledgeable ab late 20th century European cinema.
Mar 18, 2024
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Scrolling through some of my recently watched…Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)16th century conquistadores driven to madness in the Andes. You can tell that these dudes were in the shit while filming. Always thought of this film as the original Apocalypse Now. Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski. Good stuff.Badlands (1973)Seen It many times. Timeless visual beauty and performance chemistry between Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek. Terrence Malick’s directorial debut. Love it.Network (1976)This screened the other night in LA while I was out of town so I rented it for the twentieth time. As relevant now as it was then. A stone-cold masterpiece. Paddy Chayefsky won an Oscar for screenplay, but it lost best picture to Rocky. Taxi Driver was also nominated. What a year!Tess (1979)Just saw this for the first time. One of Polanski’s best. Feel like he was inspired by Barry Lyndon.Year of the Jellyfish (1984)A French friend recommended this one. I think it’s kind of cherished by some as a trashy cult classic. But if you’re looking for a film full of gorgeous, topless French women on vacation in San Tropez in the 1980s, this is for you!The West (miniseries) (1996)I rewatch Ken Burns documentaries all the time. Jazz, Country Music, Baseball, Lewis & Clark, all of them. I’ve seen each one multiple times. The West is remarkable. A comprehensive deep dive into 19th century American history. 20-hours replete with unmistakable, soothing Burns-esque narration and somber songs of the old American frontier. Fascinating, harsh and profoundly sad.
May 30, 2023
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I watched it sometime last week. It’s been eating at me ever since. Elliot Gould walks through a feverishly shot world with a cool that permeates in my head. With dialogue that is messy and mesmerising and characters that walk the line of plausibility and absurdity, Altman's LA is hedonistic dream. Him and Gould make being an out of place loser a lot cooler than it is.
Feb 6, 2024
Top Recs from @lauren-oyler
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Made from “immature pine cones”—great phrase—this is just what it sounds like. I encountered it for the first time in Tbilisi, and it seems like it’s sort of hard to find outside the region (as far as I’ve tried), but it’s worth it. I’d never thought about immature pine cones before, but they’re delightful in texture and size.
Jun 6, 2024
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These are the most French perfumes you can possibly imagine: niche and completely over-the-top in terms of scent, price, and packaging (sorry, flacons). They have a collection of perfumes inspired by paintings, which are printed on the bottle. For other scents, you can replace the cap—which I think must always come with a tassel around the neck—with a small classical bust, which I believe is also theoretically aligned with the perfume’s notes. This costs an additional 100+ euros or something, so I did not do it on my bottle of Invasion Barbare, which I bought only partly for the name. It makes you smell like George Clooney and stays on for about 20 hours.
Jun 6, 2024
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Even if you’re not a huge fan of lap swimming, indoor pools are often really special examples of national architecture—my favorites are from the first half of the twentieth century—and it’s surprisingly interesting to observe the pool etiquette of different cultures. Italians, while somewhat impatient and in-your-face on land, are incredibly courteous and respectful of relative speed in the water; they’re gracious and accommodating if you need to pass them. In Milan I always make a point to go to Piscina Cozzi, which had a huge Maurizio Cattelan mural on the back wall featuring a tacky Ophelia in red lipstick. It was there in October of last year, but I think they’ve since taken it down, which is a shame, but apparently he swims there, too.
Jun 6, 2024