joyfulgirl
Blue Crack Addict
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2001
- Messages
- 16,690
Nice take on To the Wonder: They live by night: To the Wonder: “I write on water the things I dare not speak”
I look forward to it.
I look forward to it.
Movie Reviews part 13: How many movies will Jessica Chastain star in?
- Thread starter purpleoscar
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Lancemc
Blue Crack Addict
Nice, thanks for that. Ebiri is one of my favorite contemporary film critics.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
Sadly the Criterion of Trafic is out of print. There's a UK disc but it isn't part of the BFI Tati collection (which has everything else for like £20). May pick it up anyway.
Or it might be better to just spend the same money to update my Play Time to Blu-ray...
No spoken words
Blue Crack Supplier
I'm not at all familiar with this cat, so I might need to check his stuff out. Sounds like it'd be up my alley.
And, thanks for posting that, Joyful. Interesting read. Can't wait to see it.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
You will definitely appreciate this one.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
There are three big Kubrick films I have yet to see:
Lolita
Spartacus
Barry Lyndon
Please rank these so I can place them accordingly in my netflix queue. Thx
EDIT: Shit, wrong thread. Oh well, this one is busier anyway.
Lolita
Spartacus
Barry Lyndon
Please rank these so I can place them accordingly in my netflix queue. Thx
EDIT: Shit, wrong thread. Oh well, this one is busier anyway.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
Lolita is dead last for me in any list of Kubrick's films.
Not a very good adaptation, turning the whole story into a black comedy at the expense of its tragic nature, and Peter Sellers is allowed to run rampant without any regard to how it fits into the larger piece.
Spartacus is a work-for-hire, with Kubrick having come onto the production later, and it's more "compromised" than his other works, but it still very well done.
Barry Lyndon isn't for everyone in terms of the deliberate way it's paced and shot, but it has a lot of enthusiastic defenders.
1. Barry Lyndon
2. Spartacus
3. Lolita
Not a very good adaptation, turning the whole story into a black comedy at the expense of its tragic nature, and Peter Sellers is allowed to run rampant without any regard to how it fits into the larger piece.
Spartacus is a work-for-hire, with Kubrick having come onto the production later, and it's more "compromised" than his other works, but it still very well done.
Barry Lyndon isn't for everyone in terms of the deliberate way it's paced and shot, but it has a lot of enthusiastic defenders.
1. Barry Lyndon
2. Spartacus
3. Lolita
Lancemc
Blue Crack Addict
Yeah, Barry Lyndon by a considerable margin there. One of my Kubrick favorites overall, really. Haven't seen Spartacus in years, though I suspect it's adequate Hollywood spectacle. Agree with Laz entirely regarding Lolita too. There's a later version of the novel with Jeremy Irons which is pretty fantastic though.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
Lance and I are two in a small minority of cinephiles who prefer Lyne's adaptation.
Irons + Morricone is enough to win out over Kubrick.
Irons + Morricone is enough to win out over Kubrick.
deep
Blue Crack Addict
I don't know if you will allow me into you elite group
but Lynne's Lolita was my first exposure to the work, very good all the way around, then I read the book and understood why it was at the top of the list of the best 100 books of the last century.
As a big Kubrick fan, I finally got a chance at his film, I could not finish it. The worst Kubrick I have ever seen and dilution of source material
but Lynne's Lolita was my first exposure to the work, very good all the way around, then I read the book and understood why it was at the top of the list of the best 100 books of the last century.
As a big Kubrick fan, I finally got a chance at his film, I could not finish it. The worst Kubrick I have ever seen and dilution of source material
No spoken words
Blue Crack Supplier
Lyndon >>>> Lyne, though.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
I'm surprised at the vitriol for Kubrick's Lolita because the reviews/ratings I've seen online have been very positive, and yet it does seem like the kind of storyline that would bring out the worst in Kubrick. The novel is a challenge all on its own, walking a tight rope between humanity and horror, and there isn't a great deal of room to improvise without upsetting that balance.
Seems there's consensus for Lyndon followed by Spartacus. I'll go with that, thanks.
Seems there's consensus for Lyndon followed by Spartacus. I'll go with that, thanks.
No spoken words
Blue Crack Supplier
If nothing else, Lyndon is absolutely gorgeous. Enjoy.
Lancemc
Blue Crack Addict
Resnais' new one, You Aint Seen Nothin' Yet is fucking gangbusters. Holy shit am I in love with this film. No words. So compelling, so beautiful, so powerful, so fun and weird. Feels like a career-capping piece, but hopefully it's not. Dude's turning 91. Fucking hell.
So a few words, then.
So a few words, then.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
It's gonna be tough for him to top Wild Grass, as I have a very, very high opinion of that film.
Lancemc
Blue Crack Addict
I adore Wild Grass and Private Fears both. This is on the same tier at least, though more similar to Melo in general pace and tone, until the end at least.
No spoken words
Blue Crack Supplier
Do you think he had this in the back of his head during production?
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
Moonrise Kingdom
On initial reaction alone, I'd say a pretty strong 7 or 7.5/10. It's not my favorite of his films, but it's definitely worth the watch. I suppose my big problems with the film were the horrible effects for the lightning, fireball and ragging rapids as well as the super easy sappy ending.
Doesn't mean I didn't find the ending adorable though.
Quite pleased.
On initial reaction alone, I'd say a pretty strong 7 or 7.5/10. It's not my favorite of his films, but it's definitely worth the watch. I suppose my big problems with the film were the horrible effects for the lightning, fireball and ragging rapids as well as the super easy sappy ending.
Doesn't mean I didn't find the ending adorable though.
Quite pleased.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
Really stiff dialogue and acting too, which is nothing new for Wes.
I found the plot extremely playful though, and it was interesting to see a Wes Anderson film end without much ambiguity. A rather unimaginative effort, but I had fun with it.
I found the plot extremely playful though, and it was interesting to see a Wes Anderson film end without much ambiguity. A rather unimaginative effort, but I had fun with it.
deep
Blue Crack Addict
saw it in the theater when it came out
I was a bit underwhelmed because it got such strong reviews, the narrator bothered me, did not fit for me.
also, I have liked at least 3 of his other films much more, and this was being touted as one of his best. I did go back for a second viewing, it did grow on me a bit, I had it at a 7, now would go to 7.5
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
Silver Linings Playbook
Synopsis: A witty, well-paced film with extremely capable acting falls apart in an embarrassing third act. It's so horrible, I was led to consider that it may have been a cynical parody of rom-coms. A waste of 75 quality minutes. I rant in greater detail about this in the spoiler tags, so if you haven't seen it, there's no real reason to continue reading.
6/10
Synopsis: A witty, well-paced film with extremely capable acting falls apart in an embarrassing third act. It's so horrible, I was led to consider that it may have been a cynical parody of rom-coms. A waste of 75 quality minutes. I rant in greater detail about this in the spoiler tags, so if you haven't seen it, there's no real reason to continue reading.
First of all, everyone responsible for marketing this film should be fired. The trailers, tagline, hell, even the title did nothing to prepare me for what I was about to watch. The first 60 or so minutes of this film are brilliantly paced, witty, humorous and occasionally poignant. It was nothing like the generic Bradley Cooper rom-com I had envisioned. I'm by no means a fan of his acting, but his literally bipolar performance and his character's progression throughout the film are the main reason to watch. It's a delight seeing him interact with the measured DeNiro. Hell, the acting throughout this film is extremely competent. Great casting too; Jennifer Lawrence plays sarcastic, cynical ho better than I had imagined.
It's just a shame about the plot. The film fires on all cylinders as long as the characters are the main focus. Watching two people slowly kill each other for an hour sounds like a trudge, but I had a wonderful time. The character of Tiffany had so much energy and zeal despite her baggage that she made a terrific foil. As "friends," I could make sense of their relationship. Once she became the Love Interest, however, the film went off the rails because nobody would ever last in a relationship with either of them. Pat's last marriage (to total bitch Nikki, who is rightfully told off by Pat in his most mature moment of the film) was terrible, and now we're expected to cheer when he finally hooks up with a character as screwed up as he is? I didn't cheer. Especially not after we discovered how manipulative and conniving she is. Really just a bear of a character all around, it turns out. Jennifer Lawrence turns in a very good performance, but it only goes so far when the writing for her character is such a mess.
What really hurt the movie for me though wasn't that its ending scanned like particularly gooey fan fiction (it did), but how readily the latter portion of the film fell back on well-worn rom-com tropes and moronic plot devices. A dance competition? A bet to win back all of DeNiro's money? Getting the exact score needed to win said bet? Fuck off. Fuck you, David O Russell. You may win Best Adapted Screenplay for something that wouldn't pass muster in a creative writing class. Too many plot holes. Too much suspension of disbelief required. I felt dumber watching a movie that, for a while, actually felt challenging and memorable. It's disconcerting that so many critics tossed a perfect score at what was clearly a shoddily written movie. It doesn't take a seasoned critic or perceptive eye to notice the flaws here.
If the focus had rightfully been on the characters instead of forwarding a series of inane vignettes that were ultimately meant to convince us that two damaged characters are perfect for each other, and should, like, totally get together, this could have been a fantastic movie worthy of a Best Picture nom. What we've been given is not.
It's just a shame about the plot. The film fires on all cylinders as long as the characters are the main focus. Watching two people slowly kill each other for an hour sounds like a trudge, but I had a wonderful time. The character of Tiffany had so much energy and zeal despite her baggage that she made a terrific foil. As "friends," I could make sense of their relationship. Once she became the Love Interest, however, the film went off the rails because nobody would ever last in a relationship with either of them. Pat's last marriage (to total bitch Nikki, who is rightfully told off by Pat in his most mature moment of the film) was terrible, and now we're expected to cheer when he finally hooks up with a character as screwed up as he is? I didn't cheer. Especially not after we discovered how manipulative and conniving she is. Really just a bear of a character all around, it turns out. Jennifer Lawrence turns in a very good performance, but it only goes so far when the writing for her character is such a mess.
What really hurt the movie for me though wasn't that its ending scanned like particularly gooey fan fiction (it did), but how readily the latter portion of the film fell back on well-worn rom-com tropes and moronic plot devices. A dance competition? A bet to win back all of DeNiro's money? Getting the exact score needed to win said bet? Fuck off. Fuck you, David O Russell. You may win Best Adapted Screenplay for something that wouldn't pass muster in a creative writing class. Too many plot holes. Too much suspension of disbelief required. I felt dumber watching a movie that, for a while, actually felt challenging and memorable. It's disconcerting that so many critics tossed a perfect score at what was clearly a shoddily written movie. It doesn't take a seasoned critic or perceptive eye to notice the flaws here.
If the focus had rightfully been on the characters instead of forwarding a series of inane vignettes that were ultimately meant to convince us that two damaged characters are perfect for each other, and should, like, totally get together, this could have been a fantastic movie worthy of a Best Picture nom. What we've been given is not.
6/10
Yup, saw SLP two nights ago and agree with the third act wreckage in what's otherwise a good movie.
Too much weak plot introduced as an arbitrary obstacle when all they needed was to figure out how to keep Cooper and Lawrence bouncing off each other. More date nights. Whatever. But it was nearly worth it just for Lawrence delivering that monologue and then popping open a beer.
You can tell how bolted-on the gambling plot is when you plot out what would've happened if De Niro didn't have a dream of opening a stupid restaurant or whatever, and it basically ends up in the same point of C + L realizing through dance they're good for each other and Nikki's a pinhead, albeit far more efficiently with less wheel-spinning.
New Oscars Bylaw: No movie can be nominated for Best Director with a swirling 360* pan around the two leads kissing at the end of the film.
You can tell how bolted-on the gambling plot is when you plot out what would've happened if De Niro didn't have a dream of opening a stupid restaurant or whatever, and it basically ends up in the same point of C + L realizing through dance they're good for each other and Nikki's a pinhead, albeit far more efficiently with less wheel-spinning.
New Oscars Bylaw: No movie can be nominated for Best Director with a swirling 360* pan around the two leads kissing at the end of the film.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
One glance at a plot synopsis is all it takes to know the film will inevitably hit a wall, because there's no saving that second paragraph:
It's not David O Russell's fault that the plot of the novel he adapted is completely asinine. But I think he should have intervened with the ending, Kubrick style, and streamlined the film, focusing, as you said, on making us care about the unlikely relationship of Pat and Tiffany.
Pat (Bradley Cooper) recently has been released into the care of his parents (Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver) from a mental heath facility eight months after he was arrested for nearly beating the man who was having an affair with his wife to death. Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, Pat is trying to get in shape and reading books to convince his adulterous wife that they need to get back together.
By chance, while at a friend house for dinner, Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who recently lost her husband in an accident. The two form an instant but unusual bond with each other. She promises to help Pat deliver a letter to his wife if he helps her in a dance competition. Things get serious though when Pat’s dad places a bet on how well the two place in the competition.
By chance, while at a friend house for dinner, Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who recently lost her husband in an accident. The two form an instant but unusual bond with each other. She promises to help Pat deliver a letter to his wife if he helps her in a dance competition. Things get serious though when Pat’s dad places a bet on how well the two place in the competition.
It's not David O Russell's fault that the plot of the novel he adapted is completely asinine. But I think he should have intervened with the ending, Kubrick style, and streamlined the film, focusing, as you said, on making us care about the unlikely relationship of Pat and Tiffany.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
I agree with most of the above criticisms, yet the film won me over anyway.
Having said that, I really took issue with the conventional ending, and the generic way it was shot. Not just the 360 but the tracking shot around the living room at the end.
Seriously flawed but the actors carried me through, I guess.
A screenplay win here would be unfortunate. I wouldn't be crazy about Russell winning for Direction, either, but anyone over Spielberg for me.
Having said that, I really took issue with the conventional ending, and the generic way it was shot. Not just the 360 but the tracking shot around the living room at the end.
Seriously flawed but the actors carried me through, I guess.
A screenplay win here would be unfortunate. I wouldn't be crazy about Russell winning for Direction, either, but anyone over Spielberg for me.
Lancemc
Blue Crack Addict
I guess it's time I got around to watching some of these Oscar movies. Namely SLP and Argo. I soooo don't want to though, especially since I probably won't get a chance to actually watch the Oscars this year until after the fact.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
I wouldn't bother, honestly. SLP is far from essential viewing, so unless you have a date that wants to see it there's no need.
I haven't seen Argo yet, but everyone calling it "good" but not "great" leaves me uninterested. The films with more divergent opinions tend to be the most rewarding.
I haven't seen Argo yet, but everyone calling it "good" but not "great" leaves me uninterested. The films with more divergent opinions tend to be the most rewarding.
Lancemc
Blue Crack Addict
Yeah, I generally agree. Love when films of interest like those coming out of the Berlinale right now get really divisive reactions, the new WKW and Dumont in particular. Something like Argo just seems like epically safe by-numbers Hollywood prestige, and whatever.
Lancemc
Blue Crack Addict
Then again I have screeners for both, but I guess I could still spend those four hours on something better.
