Your favourite books/TV/films from your country
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Topic: Your favourite books/TV/films from your country
Posted By: Logan
Subject: Your favourite books/TV/films from your country
Date Posted: June 17 2016 at 15:55
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Feel free to expand on the categories. I thought it might be interesting to see what people's favourites are from the country they reside in (or native country) -- co-productions that involve other countries are fine. Me, CANADA. And I'm just doing one for now as I'm short on time (could add lots of films easily as I'm a fan of Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan and Don McKellar, and in TV, well there's LEXX....And in books, Mordechai Richler), Book: Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (2003) (it's the first book in a trilogy)
Film: Jesus of Montreal (1989) directed and written by Denys Arcand:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLfINF6ln4c" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLfINF6ln4c Television show: The Newsroom (1996 and various other years), created by Ken Finkleman:
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amazon wrote:Replies:
Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: June 17 2016 at 17:18
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books: Thomas Mann - Dr. Faustus Heinrich Mann - Der Untertan (title translated as "Man of Straw", "The Patrioteer" and "The Loyal Subject"; the latter is the most correct translation of the title) Alfred Döblin - Berlin Alexanderplatz Günter Grass - Das Treffen in Telgte ("The Meeting at Telgte"). I much prefer this little novel to "The Tin Drum" Heinrich Heine - Deutschland. Ein Wintermärchen ("Germany. A Winter's Tale") movies: Volker Schlöndorff - "Die Blechtrommel" ("The Tin Drum") Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau - "Nosferatu" Fritz Lang - "M" Rainer Werner Fassbinder- "Chinesisches Roulette" Werner Herzog - "Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes" ("Aguirre, the Wrath of God") -------------  A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: June 17 2016 at 17:24
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U.S. book a tough choice but I guess Norton Juster for The Phantom Tollbooth. And of course Maurice Sendak for anything Film probably JFK TV show gotta be the original Star Trek , and Wild,Wild West a personal favorite. I've got a thing for film & tv of the 50s and early 60s, probably because they were all in reruns when I was a kid and were so much better than anything new in the 70s & 80s. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: Vompatti
Date Posted: June 17 2016 at 18:43
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Films: Mikko Niskanen - Kahdeksan surmanluotia Aki Kaurismäki - Likaiset kädet Mika Kaurismäki - Arvottomat Matti Ijäs - Katsastus Erik Blomberg - Valkoinen peura Risto Jarva - Työmiehen päiväkirja Books: Kalervo Palsa - Eläkeläinen muistelee J. K. Ihalainen - Kuume Pentti Saarikoski - Hämärän tanssit Timo K. Mukka - Täältä jostakin Väinö Kirstinä - Pitkän tähtäyksen LSD-suunnitelma Kari Aronpuro - Aperitiff, avoin kaupunki |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: June 17 2016 at 19:23
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Hope not quoting still renders this easy followable for browsers. Jean: I like all of those films too, The Tin Drum and Aguirre... being particular favourite films of mine. I've liked many Herzog and Schlöndorff films. As for one of Schlöndorff's with English, I found his The Ogre featuring John Malkovitch excellent. As for the Gunther Grass Tin Drum novel, it's one of my favourite novels. It's very unusual for me to love a film adaptation of a book I like so much, but I adore the film. I actually enjoy his whole Danzig trilogy (The Tin Drum, Cat and Mouse and Dog Years). I must read The Meeting at Telgte. David: Haven't heard of that novel, intrigued, will research. I also like Wild Wild West and Star Trek a huge amount. If I were to choose but two favourites, I'd go with the classic Twilight Zone and Outer Limits (great writing and stories, and so creative) -- for me those shows have never been bettered. Kendall: Mielenkiintoinen , voisin vain käyttää Google Lähetä Artikkeli otsikot . |
Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: June 18 2016 at 00:49
"The Meeting at Telgte" is a parable on the "Group 49", an assembly of German authors that formed shortly after WW2. Grass dates the meeting 300 years back: the authors meet towards the end of the Thirty Years' War. Grass obviously saw himself as Grimmelshausen in that projection. I had no idea who these authors all were, but Friede helped me on that topic ------------- A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: June 20 2016 at 12:22
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Thanks, Jean, even if I don't get the references, it sounds like something I'd really like. The next one of his I want to locate is The Rat. I'm doing a second list now from Canada: Book: Robertson Davies - Fifth Business (1970) Like with Atwood, before I have chosen the first book of a trilogy cause good (and bad) things come in threes (well, not so much good with films in my experience)
Films (since I said that co-productions are okay, a multinational fave of mine directed by a Canadian icon of cinema): Dead Ringers (1988) - David Cronenberg My favourite film he directed, and I like lots of his. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xmheE3L19c" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xmheE3L19c
TV Show: LEXX started in 1997 (a co-production, I like the initial mini-series particularly) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWNTtlSbyVg" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWNTtlSbyVg
Anyone else want to share their cultural treasures (I use that term loosely, especially since I listed Lexx ;) )? http://www.revolutionsf.com/article.php?id=1088" rel="nofollow - Canada Makes Formal UN Apology for Lexx |
Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: June 20 2016 at 15:32
Ahh sh*t. Just lost a huuuuge post  Throwing in the towel. ------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: June 20 2016 at 15:53
| Damn, that's such a shame. I was really hoping you'd post here; would have loved to see your picks. |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: June 20 2016 at 16:28
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Two German SF-series. The first is from 1966 (three years before I was born). It is however a cult classic and had many reruns, so I saw it as a kid. Here the first episode with English subtitles (horribly translated though): The intro is very much like the intro to the original "Star Trek", though both series were developed independently. The second series had two seasons, one in 2007, the other in 2011. It was loosely based on the "Star Diaries" by Polish author Stanislaw Lem. Ijon Tychy speaks with a fake Slavic accent. His companion is a so-called "hallucinelle", a female holographic entity. Here episode 2 with English subtitles: -------------  BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: June 21 2016 at 13:27
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Thanks, those look good. Definitely going to watch all of that first one at some time. I want to share two films, both of which I would have included in my first post had I decided to do more than one of each (saw both in the theatre when they came out and both had a big effect on me). Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter (1997) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7w-dPZI_LY" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7w-dPZI_LY The trailer sucks, maybe I'll remake the trailer one of these days. They did a poor job with the trailer, but it is a very moving and powerful film. Like my Cronenberg choice, it is something of an oddity in these people's oeuvres. Egoyan, like Cronenberg and Arcand, is a huge name in Canadian cinema. The movie takes place in BC (my province). Like Les Revenants which I do go on about, it involves a bus accident with children. It's based on a novel that I haven't read.
And from Don Mckellar, Last Night (1998) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0skcGu6A01w" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0skcGu6A01w
Speaking of Don MCKellar who has made some other great stuff as well as been involved with lots of great stuff as an actor and or/writer such as Road Kill, Highway 61, the Red Violin, Blindness (not a great adaptation of what was one of the best novels I've read in recent years to be honest), was in Existenz (Cronenberg) and Exotica (Atom Egoyan) -- so these guys work together. He also starred in and wrote some of Bruce McDonald's (another leading light in the small world of English-speaking Canada) Twitch City (1998 to 2000 -- strong years here): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_upgJ-RYWbA" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_upgJ-RYWbA Then there's Made in Canada which was a highly enjoyable show, but I had a very negative experience with it (and it's far too late to deal with those issues now). As for book: was going to go with a Mordecahi Richler, but I'll go with the American/Canadian William Gibson. He moved to Canada to escape the draft as a conscientious objector (or draft dodger to some). Going with Neuromancer (1984 which won the Philip K. Dick Award, the Hugo award, and the Nebula award ):
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Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: June 25 2016 at 13:57
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Let's see if I can make it through this one... I'll start out with two of each - maybe swing back and add some more at some point. Literature-wise I've always been a bit of a classic fan and to those of us who enjoy the more out there provocative, then there is no better Danish novel than Tom Kristensen's 'Hærværk'  The story is like a sophisticated take on the movie 'Leaving Las Vegas'. A guy basically decides to drink himself to death....yet it is also full of beautiful language and pocket philosophy that more than ever feels like it taps into our modern era zeitgeist. There's a sense of detachment running through this equivalent to that one comes across in Camus' writings, but one I ultimately feel is warmer and more tangible. Dan Turèll - Vangede Billeder  I remember reading this back when I was in high school. It influenced the way I think about society and how all people have their individual place. The plumber is just as important as the big shot lawyer...especially if you've just returned from your virgin visit to an Indian restaurant. 'Vangede Billeder' is a collection of anecdotes and small town stories from around the area I myself grew up. Dan though grew up in the 50s and he tells us about the milk man, post man, butcher and the local winos in a heartfelt and very lovable manner - making one think of all these characters as part of the all-important city family. It's about as down to earth as any novel I've ever read, but his language and uncompromising style elevates the whole to this wonderful perspective, from where everything seems crystal clear. I love Dan. Most of us Danes are on a first name basis with uncle Danny as so many have come to know him. Hi s subsequent crime series is also highly recommended in which he interjects his love of the beatniks, jazz, 60s music, Donald Duck and a profound love for the underdog - the persona non grata. TV series...yeah you already know this but here I go again. Lars Von Trier's breathtaking 'Riget' is about as good as it gets. I am so proud that my father worked on it, and I know he is too. I know you've seen it, so I'm just going to do some anecdotes for the fun of it. Fun fact #1 The camera men worked their collective arses off trying to mirror Lars' vision - spent countless of hours conjuring up this particular colour scheme/filter in the pictures. At the end of it, Lars, merely took these rolls of film and threw them in an acid bath - completely neglecting all of their hard work....yet the effect it had was brilliant and brought to the series an eerie feel of grain and mud that echoed the surroundings and actors oh so beautifully. My father taught me a great lesson pertaining to this little stunt of his. I thought it was cruel and downright disrespectful to the camera men, but he told me 'but David - this is what a great director has to be able to do in order to come as close to his own vision as possible. in the end it is his baby. Film making, or at least, great film making is not about democracy. You can take hints and ideas from other folks involved and use them to whatever effect you wish, but in the end you have to be ready to cut lose the surplus 'fat' - the stuff that derails the overall story/plot/feel'. This is something that has stayed with me ever since. I'm not sure most modern filmmakers adhere to this philosophy...or maybe they're just allergic to their own vision? Who knows? Fun fact #2 On one particular occasion they were filming on the 12th floor - the neonatal ward. They'd set pretty much everything up...but somehow forgotten about Lars' fear of heights...or whatever one wishes to call it. They had to postpone the whole thing and had folks drive all the way back to DRs drama headquarters in order to fetch lord knows how many feet of chord and a monitor, so as Lars could sit on the main floor in front of a screen with a walkie talky and direct his actors some 12 floors overhead  It all worked out in the end though...'1864' Probably one of the most hated modern tv series here in Denmark, but I happen to love it. Most have bashed it for it's overt supernatural turns, but they seem to forget, that most of these stories were taken directly from Danish soldiers' own letters. Some of these men literally believed in magic, and the way it is shown up on the screen is downright beautiful to these eyes. I love the acting - the way it shifts from modern times, where we follow this punk girl's inner journey - going from a lost cause that steals and lies her way out of anything - to a proud young woman that stands up to the world and more importantly: to herself - and to the old days of gunfire, battles, Danish fascism and the almost drunken stupor in which it holds it's inhabitants as captives. Films? 'Cecilia’ by Hans Chr. Nørregaard. This is basically a dramatisation of Steen Steensen Blicher's famous novel, in which we follow the girl Cecilie, who falls in love with her neighbour. A boy who is of lesser stature and therefor is well beneath her according to her father. The movie depicts her horrendous journey into madness and woe - yet delivered in a poetic way that exposes her parents double standards and as such the hypocrisy of the world and it's tendency to categorise everything according to wealth or class. I will never forget this movie - I've never seen blood this red. 'Midt i en Jazztid' by Knud Leif Thomsen. Adapted to film from the book by the same name (also a highly recommended read now that I think of it - especially if one is keen on jazz). Funnily enough this movie pokes around at some of the same subjects as the aforementioned flick, but whereas <span style="line-height: 18.2px;">'Hosekræmmeren' takes place on the meadows of Jutland, farm country, MieJt</span><span style="line-height: 1.4;"> tells it's story in the heart of Copenhagen 1930(ish). It deals with class differences and how these appear to the youngins of the day - though delivered poetically through a jazz beat. The heart beat of the city. </span> ------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: July 03 2016 at 13:13
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I thought of what the best Danish album might be after listening to Burnin' Red Ivanhoe w/ Povl Dissing - Elefantskovcikadeviser today. It is certainly up there for me, but then again there's also Steppeulvene - HIP, Kim Larsen - Værsgo' and Povl Dissing's own debut album Jeg Er En Tosset Spillemand....all of which probably goes waaaay over foreign heads and ears - especially Dissing's vocals that to the untrained ear sound awfully close to an astma patient on the wrong meds. ------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: July 03 2016 at 13:27
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Just saw your June picks now, David, thanks for persevering. I love the sound of your choices, and, well, we've talked von Trier before, but he's one of my very favourite directors. EDIT: I was planning to save Kids in the Hall for a later post, and then forgot. This was a very significant sketch comedy TV show from Canada (I guess the other comedy that was really well known here is SCTV): This is one of my favourites from Kids in the Hall. Any time I have sausages, I always think of this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sON0He2mTC8" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sON0He2mTC8 |
Posted By: TeleStrat
Date Posted: July 03 2016 at 16:54
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TV shows that I'm following on network and cable... Blue Bloods (Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg) Elementary (Johnny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu) Ray Donovan (Liev Schreiber, John Voight) Blacklist (Megan Boone, James Spader) Fargo (various) The Americans (Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys) The Last Ship (Eric Dane, Rhona Mitra, Adam Baldwin) Veep (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kevin Dunn, Tony Hale) The Outsiders (David Morse, Thomas M. Wright, Gillian Alexy)
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Posted By: ClemofNazareth
Date Posted: July 03 2016 at 19:40
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American authors (tried to focus on ones that are more known here than elsewhere): Ray Bradbury - everything Kurt Vonnegut - everything Lewis B. Puller, Jr. - Fortunate Son Hunter S. Thompson - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the Rum Diaries, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 S.E. Hinton - the Outsiders, Rumblefish, That was Then This is Now, Tex Television: the Daily Show (with Jon Stewart) Sesame Street The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (Canadian-American) All in the Family Soap Taxi Friday Night Lights Joan of Arcadia M*A*S*H Films: the Wizard of Oz A Few Good Men Philadelphia Fargo Unforgiven Broken Flowers Frozen River Winter's Bone What About Bob? Music-themed films: FM Heavy Metal (Canadian-American) Standing in the Shadows of Motown Anvil! the Story of Anvil (Canadian-American) Woodstock This is Spinal Tap the Blues Brothers ------------- "Peace is the only battle worth waging." Albert Camus |
Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: July 03 2016 at 20:28
Same here David. ------------- ...that moment you realize you like "Mob Rules" better than "Heaven and Hell" |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: July 03 2016 at 21:14
^ watching Jason and the Argonauts from '63 now ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: MortSahlFan
Date Posted: March 01 2018 at 16:04
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My favorites from the US Movies -Harry and Tonto -Nashville -They Shoot Horses, Don't They? -Network -One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest "A Catcher in the Rye" - I mostly read biographies - Mort Sahl, Marlon Brando, Bill Hicks, John Cassavetes are interesting.. I should mention Frank Capra - who is probably the best director from here. TV -- "The Larry Sanders Show".. I am curious to see how "Roseanne" will be when it re-boots this month. |
Posted By: Mortte
Date Posted: March 07 2018 at 22:47
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Books: Marko Tapio: Arktinen Hysteria I & II Veijo Meri: Manillaköysi Anu Kaipainen: Arkkienkeli Oulussa Aleksis Kivi: Seitsemän Veljestä Kauko Röyhkä: Kaksi Aurinkoa Joni Skiftesvik: Pystyyn Haudattu Movies: Aki Kaurismäki: Mies Vailla Menneisyyttä Mika Kaurismäki: Tyttökuningas Mika Rättö: Samurai Rauni Reposaarelainen
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Posted By: MortSahlFan
Date Posted: March 08 2018 at 08:36
I like both brothers, but Aki is one of about three living directors who I'd consider favorites. -Shadows in Paradise -Ariel -Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana -The Bohemian Life Matti Pellonpaa is one of my favorite actors, and I'm always trying to find movies with him in it by the brothers, but maybe in the future. |
Posted By: omphaloskepsis
Date Posted: March 08 2018 at 10:25
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Catch 22......................... Joseph Heller Sirens of Titan.................. Kurt Vonnegut Blood Meridian ..................Cormac McCarthy Moby Dick.........................Herman Melville A Confederacy of Dunces...John Kennedy Toole The Sound and Fury..........William Faulkner Infinite Jest.......................David Foster Wallace The Long Goodbye.............Raymond Chandler IT.....................................Stephen King Boys Life...........................Robert McCammon The Terror ........................Dan Simmons The Narrows......................Ronald Malfi Hyperion Series..................Dan Simmons Breakfast of Champions......Kurt Vonnegut Picture This.......................Joseph Heller The Wisdom of Insecurity...Alan W. Watts Personality Types Enneagram... Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: March 08 2018 at 10:51
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Thanks for reviving this; really great to see what people like and to notice so much that I love in people's lists. Kurt Vonnegut is one of my absolute favourite authors, and I have quite the Stephen King collection. I think that if I were to choose one King it would be his collaboration with Peter Straub, The Talisman. My first of his was Pet Cemetary. I love his Bachman Books and read Rage and The Long Walk especially many times over back in the day. Catch 22 is one of my wife's very favourite novels, and she hot me into Cormac McCarthy (starting with The Road which gave me nightmares). As for Aki Kaurismäki, he was of my favourite directors too for a number of films. I haven't seen anything of his in years. The, to use the English, Man Without a Past film I loved. |
Posted By: omphaloskepsis
Date Posted: March 08 2018 at 11:02
I totally read you. I've read Vonnegut and King "wall to wall". Pet Cemetary may be King's scariest novel. "The Long Walk" is wonderful. Never met a Vonnegut or Heller novel I didn't like. You must have a peach of a wife! What's the catch?
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: March 08 2018 at 11:03
The only Catch is that we've been together for 22 years. Seriously, I got lucky, but she could have done much better. |
Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: March 08 2018 at 11:23
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TV: La Petite Vie Film: Elvis Gratton - Le king des Kings Book:  ------------- |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: March 08 2018 at 11:48
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I guess Austrian books don't count, so Kafka, Meyrink and Kubin are out. Books: Gisbert Haefs - Troja (German for "Troy"; it is a novel). Hermann Hesse - Der Steppenwolf. Erich Maria Remarque - Der Funke Leben ("Spark of Life") Irmtraud Morgner - Leben und Abenteuer der Trobadora Beatriz nach Zeugnissen ihrer Spielfrau Laura ("The Life and Adventures of Trobadora Beatrice as Chronicled by Her Minstrel Laura"). Stefan Heym - Der König David Bericht ("The King David Report"). Morgner and Heym are authors from the former GDR and wrote their novels in the 70s. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Mortte
Date Posted: March 08 2018 at 12:38
About Kaurismäki, he made his latest movie last year, named the Other Side Of Hope. Haven´t seen it. Man Without a past is also my favourite from him.
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: March 08 2018 at 13:04
I should out Kaurismäki's latest. I read about it because of it showing at the Vancouver International Film Festival as I recall. He's commonly considered to be one of the greatest living film directors (well, especially in Art House film circles). Love the Dark Tower series. I love everything Ive read that is Vonnegut. Slaughterhouse 5 is terrific. Sirens of Titan was at one time my favourite when asked. I was obsessed with Kurt Vonnegut, Phillip K. Dick and Stanislaw Lem at one time (those authors are interlocked in my mind as I was heavily into those three at the same time in my life). |
Posted By: Mortte
Date Posted: March 08 2018 at 13:16
| ^It was my high school times when I read Vonnegut last time. I think with the Slaughterhouse I read then Player Piano, the Sirens of Titan, Mother Night, Cat´s Cradle & God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. I really loved those all, but since then I haven´t read him. I am now reading Solzhenitsyn (you know I really love also some Russian writers, also Bulgakov, Gogol, Dostoyevsky) First Circle, then I am going to read book about Leonard Cohen, but after those books I think I will read some Vonnegut! |