I'm really getting into this guys work. For me his films are never boring, always compelling even if its grainy shots of a guy talking in close-up or someone just driving around. There's a lot of humanity, not in the sense of anything sentimental or "heart-warming". Although hes Godardian in some senses, he manages to keep a distance at the same time rather than push away the viewer
So many great scenes that linger in the memory - the main protagonist in "taste of cherry" being subsumed by the dust thrown up from the diggers, the motorbike ride at the end of "close-up", the repeated shots of the winding drive in "taste of cherry".
I didnt even mind the severe Brechtian ending of "Taste of Cherry". Usually, I detest those pomo turns but it was a lovely way to end the film imo.
― Neptune Bingo (Michael B), Sunday, 25 September 2016 20:59 (seven years ago) link
Where Is the Friend's Home? is as tense and nail-biting a film as Rear Window.
― aaaaaaaauuuuuuuuu (melting robot) (WilliamC), Sunday, 25 September 2016 21:06 (seven years ago) link
Indeed
― Berberian Begins at Home (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 26 September 2016 00:07 (seven years ago) link
His last film 24 Frames (finished by others) has opened in NY. Godfrey Cheshire discusses with AK's son Ahmad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZIsVjDGjHY
― ice cream social justice (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 8 February 2018 18:30 (six years ago) link
It's getting a one-time free screening on Feb. 18th in Washington DC as part of the Freer/Sackler's Iranian Film Fest. It's very experimental, occasionally repetitive but worth seeing. The film is composed of an image of a 1565 Pieter Bruegel painting followed by 23 of Kiarostami’s own still photographs, to which he added subtle actions using computer technology
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 8 February 2018 20:40 (six years ago) link
S & D: Iranian film
― curmudgeon, Friday, 9 February 2018 16:58 (six years ago) link
RIP Hossein Rezai
RIP Hossein Rezai (1978-2018) the (non)actor of Kiarostami's Through the Olive Trees. He died after a lung problem but his bigger problem was that he couldn't afford paying the £130 hospital bill. pic.twitter.com/2ap5zjZlIh— Ehsan Khoshbakht (@EhsanKhoshbakht) February 21, 2018
― ice cream social justice (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 22 February 2018 18:06 (six years ago) link
That's so sad..
― Le Bateau Ivre, Thursday, 22 February 2018 18:12 (six years ago) link
Apparently Ahmad said that Criterion would release all of Kiarostami's films in 2019? Not sure how seriously to take that, but if they do ...
https://d3p157427w54jq.cloudfront.net/uploads/2016/12/veins.gif
― "Minneapolis" (barf) (Eric H.), Thursday, 22 February 2018 18:29 (six years ago) link
Same!
― Le Bateau Ivre, Thursday, 22 February 2018 18:33 (six years ago) link
I'd settle for even just a Taste of Cherry upgrade tbh.
― "Minneapolis" (barf) (Eric H.), Thursday, 22 February 2018 18:35 (six years ago) link
^ came here to post exactly that. watched it for the first time last night. so beautiful. Shocked that Ebert hated it so much.
― flappy bird, Monday, 30 April 2018 17:25 (five years ago) link
Dear Me Of 21 Years Ago Who Didn’t Much Like TASTE OF CHERRY: You’re a fucking idiot.— Mike D’Angelo (@gemko) April 27, 2018
― Uppercase (Eric H.), Monday, 30 April 2018 17:27 (five years ago) link
I'll admit Close-Up left me completely cold, but seeing A Taste of Cherry has convinced me I need to try again. Other than that, what other films should I check out next?
― flappy bird, Monday, 30 April 2018 17:33 (five years ago) link
I'm not the one to ask, since I'd say all of them. (I am sort of excited that I still have a number to see, too, including the entire Koker trilogy.)
― Uppercase (Eric H.), Monday, 30 April 2018 17:36 (five years ago) link
what's your favorite (besides those two) ?
― flappy bird, Monday, 30 April 2018 19:39 (five years ago) link
Certified Copy, without a doubt.
― Uppercase (Eric H.), Monday, 30 April 2018 19:43 (five years ago) link
24 Frames didn't do much for me tbh
― Simon H., Monday, 30 April 2018 19:45 (five years ago) link
is there a reason why the taste of cherry guy appears to be picking up young guys for sex at the beginning? it was mentioned in ebert's review and i've never heard an explanation for it.
― adam the (abanana), Monday, 30 April 2018 22:22 (five years ago) link
Certified Copy is amazing, but whenever i recommend it to people they don't like it...
― Leaghaidh am brón an t-anam bochd (dowd), Monday, 30 April 2018 22:33 (five years ago) link
I love Where Is the Friend's House? -- found it one of the most suspenseful films I've seen, more so because it's on such a small, personal scale. But yeah, Certified Copy is amazing as well.
― WilliamC, Monday, 30 April 2018 22:36 (five years ago) link
― adam the (abanana), Monday, April 30, 2018 6:22 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
I didn't get that feeling at all. From the army guy on he was just trying to find someone to bury/save him.
― flappy bird, Tuesday, 1 May 2018 01:00 (five years ago) link
yeah iirc it was a misunderstanding
― well bissogled trotters (Michael B), Tuesday, 1 May 2018 07:39 (five years ago) link
Certified Copy was amazing. Thanks Eric
― flappy bird, Thursday, 17 May 2018 06:01 (five years ago) link
Jut saw 24 Frames. Was that Teresa Wright kissing Gary Cooper in the final 'frame'?? My eyes are bad but I'm pretty sure it was, I recognized the still even on that iMac. I totally flipped out. Movie was great btw.
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 27 June 2018 02:37 (five years ago) link
oh OK, it's Teresa Wright and Dana Andrews in the last shot of The Best Years of Our Lives. Wild coincidence for me. https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/24-frames/
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 27 June 2018 02:39 (five years ago) link
I can (maybe) understand Ebert's hate for Taste of Cherry, it was very slow, but it didn't ever feel boring and that ending was all time great
― Dan S, Sunday, 12 August 2018 23:22 (five years ago) link
I liked Derek Jarman’s Blue so much that I thought I could appreciate a story being told with just the faces of the audience to look at, a kind of forced focus to a narrative
but really didn’t connect to Shirin. maybe I’ll watch it again at some future point
― Dan S, Sunday, 19 August 2018 00:26 (five years ago) link
i think we need to repoll this at some point. what a pitiful result.
― Britain's Sexiest Cow (jed_), Sunday, 19 August 2018 00:31 (five years ago) link
yeah I agree
― Dan S, Sunday, 19 August 2018 00:34 (five years ago) link
this post from Dr.M. was brutal
Kiarostami
― Britain's Sexiest Cow (jed_), Sunday, 19 August 2018 00:39 (five years ago) link
i think we need to repoll this at some point. what a pitiful result.― Britain's Sexiest Cow (jed_), Saturday, August 18, 2018 7:31 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
yeah I agree― Dan S, Saturday, August 18, 2018 7:34 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Kiarostami Re-Poll (i.e. Try Again, ILX)
― I Never Promised You A Hose Harden (Eric H.), Sunday, 19 August 2018 16:25 (five years ago) link
Cheshire book
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/6505-godfrey-cheshire-s-conversations-with-kiarostami
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 23 July 2019 11:41 (four years ago) link
Koker came in today
― flappy bird, Tuesday, 27 August 2019 17:22 (four years ago) link
Uh, y'all, this is *wild*
as someone who met and interviewed Mania Akbari shortly after Kiarostami's death (and has been subscribed for her mailing list ever since), this came as a shock pic.twitter.com/ZUONyWBZgv— Roaming Words (@RoamingWords) June 14, 2022
― broccoli rabe thomas (the table is the table), Tuesday, 14 June 2022 21:51 (one year ago) link
fuck
― the cat needs to start paying for its own cbd (map), Tuesday, 14 June 2022 21:58 (one year ago) link
Well that's unfortunate if true. =
― Eggs Benedick (Eric H.), Tuesday, 14 June 2022 22:21 (one year ago) link
*glumly adds this to his reading list*
https://images.routledge.com/common/jackets/amazon/978036789/9780367898649.jpg
― Eggs Benedick (Eric H.), Tuesday, 14 June 2022 22:22 (one year ago) link
Waiting to see what JRo says, too.
― Eggs Benedick (Eric H.), Tuesday, 14 June 2022 22:26 (one year ago) link
At least one retort
Akbari's efforts to paint Kiarostami as an abuser are not new (many times not related to her) in the last 3 years but they were weak and fishy. Last time she shared the short movie "Leech" from Bahman Kiarostami about a fight between him and his son (brilliant short movie btw)— Soroush (@blissfulmalady) June 14, 2022
― Eggs Benedick (Eric H.), Tuesday, 14 June 2022 22:48 (one year ago) link
I’m fascinated by the numerous people on Twitter saying how much they loved Kiarostami and how deeply meaningful his work was to them but immediately they torched the bridge and proclaimed themselves done with him forever. Like, you don’t have questions about how he supposedly stole a whole movie? And that it’s about someone driving around in a car like in many of his other movies but they were this person’s family therapy sessions? And that there’s photos of him making the movie?
― Chris L, Wednesday, 15 June 2022 02:25 (one year ago) link
She makes it sound as if she went to Cannes thinking that she was going to be credited as director, and was rudely surprised when Kiarostami took credit?
― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 15 June 2022 02:46 (one year ago) link
I’m fascinated by the numerous people on Twitter saying how much they loved Kiarostami and how deeply meaningful his work was to them but immediately they torched the bridge and proclaimed themselves done with him forever.
Yeah, well, consider the platform.
― Eggs Benedick (Eric H.), Wednesday, 15 June 2022 02:54 (one year ago) link
Sounds like this all got a trial run on non-English Twitter a couple years ago but not much came of it?
― Eggs Benedick (Eric H.), Wednesday, 15 June 2022 02:55 (one year ago) link
I'm guessing the book she mentions is by Geoff Andrew, published last year... and featuring "a number of detailed interviews he conducted with both Kiarostami and his lead actress", but somehow this issue never came up?
― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 15 June 2022 03:05 (one year ago) link
That monograph is making the rounds too.
― Eggs Benedick (Eric H.), Wednesday, 15 June 2022 03:13 (one year ago) link
― Eggs Benedick (Eric H.), Tuesday, June 14, 2022 11:21 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink
this is disgusting, as are the last ten posts in this thread.
― the cat needs to start paying for its own cbd (map), Wednesday, 15 June 2022 03:42 (one year ago) link
I think the news is upsetting to say the least, and it does call into question Kiarostami's entire body of work -- not for his inexcusable personal behavior and abuse, but as I saw someone say on Twitter (naturally), if he plagiarized an entire movie in the early 2000s, then what else did he steal throughout his career? These are severe accusations, and I hope they are clarified, because although this is the first I'm hearing of it, she sounds credible and it doesn't strike me as implausible at all -- not because of anything in Kiarostami per se, but it sounds like plenty of abusive men. Just very sad.
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 15 June 2022 07:57 (one year ago) link
holy shit
― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 15 June 2022 08:27 (one year ago) link
The authorities (Letterboxd) have weighed in and are now crediting the movie to Akbari and acknowledging the gravity of the issue by giving it a new, jokey title.https://letterboxd.com/film/uncertified-copy/
― Chris L, Wednesday, 15 June 2022 12:02 (one year ago) link