Take This Waltz (Sarah Polley)

[EyesWideOpen]

TAKE THIS WALTZ

Directed by: Sarah Polley

imdb page (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1592281/)

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/gothamcentral79/take_this_waltz_ver2_xxlg.jpg

[EyesWideOpen]

This is up on VOD (including amazon) for anyone interested. I'll probably watch tonight or tomorrow.

[Pop Trash]

As a bonus this apparently features FF nudity from both Williams and Silverman. Not that I'm shallow enough to care about such things when it comes to the cinematic experience. *cough*

[Spinal]

As a bonus this apparently features FF nudity from both Williams and Silverman. Not that I'm shallow enough to care about such things when it comes to the cinematic experience. *cough*

Williams doesn't surprise me. Silverman? Really? Hmmm.

EDIT: Confirmed. Pictures online. That is a whole lotta naked.

[EyesWideOpen]

Michelle Williams is an absolutely amazing actress.

[EyesWideOpen]

And if people are expecting erotic nakedness it's not. It's pretty unglamorous.

[number8]

And if people are expecting erotic nakedness it's not. It's pretty unglamorous.

I pretty much knew this when I heard Silverman talking about her (then still planned) nudity a couple of years ago. She said she was deliberately trying to put on an extra 30 pounds and a tummy so it would look more natural or whatever and not titillating.

[Pop Trash]

This reminds me of a conversation with a photo professor I had about whether it was possible to take nudes without it ever being sexual for the viewer.

His response: "no."

[Spinal]

I'm not sure why we're concerned with defining whether it's sexual or not.

[Boner M]

Michelle Williams is an absolutely amazing actress.
Yes, this is main thought I came away with too.

I thought there were a little too many script problems, esp. w/r/t the clunky-as-fuck metaphors in the early stages, but I credit Polley's direction for making them consistent with the vaguely ornate tone. I kept thinking of Tuesday, After Christmas as a recent thematic point of comparison, and though that film generally more successful, I like that Polley takes more risks and aims for more than full-blown realism. Sorta expecting her third film to be a masterpiece.

[NickGlass]

This sort of tore me apart. It's not perfect--in fact, it's aggressively imperfect (Kirby's character is very cipher-y, even if that actually works toward the significance of the dilemma) and wishy-washy--but its success within details and its effect on me are indubitable.

The scrambler scene is one of my favorites of the year--and that closing moment. Ooof, yay.

[Pop Trash]

One of my IRL cinephile friends just gave this one star on mubi. And she rarely gives anything below 4 stars. She said she hated it and wanted to walk out. It's really weird, but it makes me want to see it even more.

[Lucky]

The scrambler scene is one of my favorites of the year--and that closing moment. Ooof, yay.

Yeah, the scrambler scene is well-done. Purple Rose of Cairoesque.

This whole production feels very paint-by-numbers. The journey taken is entirely familiar and the way it is told doesn't break much new ground. There are a few brief inspired moments - the abovementioned scrambler and a handsomely shot sexual montague - but a majority of the film just passes by. At least it's pretty to look at on occassion. There's a particular shot in the first minutes of the film of our protagonist writing with a lighthouse in the background with shifting focus that will stick with me. Rogen is worth note here, too. Otherwise, I predict I'll forget this film exists in a month.

[Pop Trash]

I wrote some good thoughts on this, but then my laptop decided to go haywire and kick me offline. Bleh.

I am curious what the "clunky-as-fuck" metaphors you referred to were Boner.

[Boner M]

I wrote some good thoughts on this, but then my laptop decided to go haywire and kick me offline. Bleh.

I am curious what the "clunky-as-fuck" metaphors you referred to were Boner.
More general one-the-nose-ness than metaphors (although the lone bumper car ride at the end certainly counts as the latter). First meeting Luke Perry at a public pantomimed adultery punishment? "I'm afraid of connections"? I cringed (but admired the audacity).

[Pop Trash]

More general one-the-nose-ness than metaphors (although the lone bumper car ride at the end certainly counts as the latter). First meeting Luke Perry at a public pantomimed adultery punishment? "I'm afraid of connections"? I cringed (but admired the audacity).

:lol:

Yeah that was kinda bad, but minor. I had some issues with how contrived the meet cutes were (like not only is he on the same plane as her, he just happens to live RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET) but I feel like Polley is a pretty smart person and she was trying to set-up a situation where Williams' character just couldn't say no.

The film is also really well made in terms of dreamy atmosphere (a bit like Sofia Coppola in that regard) that I couldn't help but wonder if any of this was from a subjective viewpoint from Williams. Obviously the scrambler scene had a lot of swoony subjective romance, but I thought some of those times where she would walk outside and he would immediately be there weren't some fantasy of Williams? I dunno.

If the movie has a flaw it is (as Nick Glass put it) the cyphery, one-dimensional nature of "Luke Perry" but at the same time I admired Polley for ending the film in such a non-audience pandering way. Williams' character makes a choice, but obviously from that final scene she second guesses her choice but goes with it anyway. Possibly the most complicated female character I've seen since Lisa in Margaret and that's destined to piss off a lot of viewers.

[number8]

The montage is the standout for me. Loved how the centerpiece of the room changes from a bed to a couch.

[Yxklyx]

Really loved his - have to check our more from Polley now.

[baby doll]

I kept thinking of Tuesday, After Christmas as a recent thematic point of comparisonI hadn't thought of that, but good call. For me, that movie only became interesting near the end, but this one didn't do anything for me at all. (As another counter-recommendation, I'd cite Truffaut's La Peau douce, which is this hilarious black comedy about how difficult it can be manage an affair.)

The only mild point of interest for me was Polley's weird fixation on Canadianness at the expense of credibility. I guess I can accept that Williams' character would go to Nova Scotia for her vacation (even though Quebec City is closer, more exotic, and has just as much historical interest) and everybody watches Peter Mansbridge, but who the hell goes to see Mon oncle Antoine for their anniversary? ("1970s social realism--isn't it romantic?") Also, does the Royal even have the correct plates to project a film shot in the Academy Ratio? And a Feist cover of a Leonard Cohen song--that's really pushing it. (Incidentally, regarding the on the nose metaphors, if she's so afraid of connections why didn't she just get a direct flight? There are flights going from Halifax to Toronto every fucking day, and though I haven't looked at prices lately, it can't be that much more expensive.)


Sorta expecting her third film to be a masterpiece.Personally, I'm on the point of giving up on her completely. There's nothing in her first two movies that makes me want to see another, although the fact that Stories We Tell is a documentary seems to promise that it won't just be more of the same.

[baby doll]

There's a particular shot in the first minutes of the film of our protagonist writing with a lighthouse in the background with shifting focus that will stick with me.To me, it looked as though all the shots of the lighthouse at Peggy's cove at dusk were lifted straight from a Tourism Nova Scotia ad.

[Sycophant]

After being thoroughly taken with Stories We Tell (and having loved Away From Her since theaters), I was glad to finally be able to see this. I'm mostly with the people who feel like some of it was incredibly affecting and excellent and kind of at odds with some things that just don't land or feel somehow forced.

BTW, Rogen is really quite good in this role. Silverman, too, and I certainly wouldn't mind seeing her take on more acting parts, if she feels so inclined. Williams is great, of course, too.

Hope we have more from Polley before too long.

[number8]

Is it interesting to watch this after Stories We Tell, because of the parallels? I've been meaning to revisit it after seeing that doc.

[Izzy Black]

^^ Yep, so far all of her films are about the moral complexities of love affairs.