The Green Knight

[Ezee E]

https://resizing.flixster.com/ZH4kfFzvBWuJDz2sXSGVpH65h4c=/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aW VzLzU1MTI1ZjA3LWM0NjgtNDc4ZS1i NzExLTYxZmZlYjE1MTFhMi5qcGc=

WIKI (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Knight_(film))

[Ezee E]

This may be my first **** movie of the year.

[DFA1979]

I'm planning to go see this probably Thursday or Saturday while it's still available. Looks good.

[StuSmallz]

https://youtu.be/jEfDu2s7G5I

[Ivan Drago]

Man, I just saw this again and I just don't love it as much as the Twittersphere. I thought it meandered to and from its ideas a lot to have anything poignant to say about existence, masculinity or mortality (until the end, that is), and it doesn't offer any room for viewers to meditate about their own mortality along with Gawain for such a slow movie. Plus, some of the imagery, while powerful, felt redundant more often than not. I'm sorry, but I don't need to see Gawain walking on the ground in a shot that puts him upside down on the top of the frame and the sky on the bottom to know his perception of bravery and knighthood is skewed.

That said, the film is well-shot, well-scored and Dev Patel is phenomenal in a visually-driven performance. Plus, Lowery's clever sense of humor shines through sporadically with an occasional one-liner and the film's chapter structure. And what they did to sum up all of the film's ideas in its climax was perfectly written, performed and directed. I didn't dislike the film, don't get me wrong. Some of the storytelling just felt too artsy for its own good in my opinion, and that's a paradox coming from me.

Maybe I need to stop drinking the Bela Tarr Kool-Aid.

[Ezee E]

LOVED THAT SHOT.

[StuSmallz]

I was thinking about just posting that Krusty the clown "What the hell was that??" clip in response to the overall experience, but that's really meant more for movies that are the bad kind of weird (so I'll save it for the Lamb trailer that played before the movie instead); The Green Knight, on the other hand, is the good kind, with a strong, boundless sense of imagination that produces an unexpected moment or hallucinatory image every single scene, and immerses us fully into its quasi-Supernatural Horror tone with these moments, which leaves us eagerly anticipating the next such one, rather than jarring us with them (although they still manage to be endlessly unpredictable regardless). Add on top of that the extremely vivid style (granted, it does try to be a bit too vivid at times, like during the underwater sequence), the bold, active cinematography, the balance between the solemn overall portrayal we've come to expect from Arthurian adaptations, and the generally grittier, more down-to-Earth content of the film, and an ending that manages be both utterly confounding and highly satisfying in its subversion of the storytelling tropes of typical fairly tale/morality plays, and David Lowery gives us a dark, one-of-a-kind Medieval Fantasy, one that both draws strength from the genre, while also utterly turning it on its head at the same time.

[StuSmallz]

Man, I just saw this again and I just don't love it as much as the Twittersphere. I thought it meandered to and from its ideas a lot to have anything poignant to say about existence, masculinity or mortality (until the end, that is), and it doesn't offer any room for viewers to meditate about their own mortality along with Gawain for such a slow movie. Plus, some of the imagery, while powerful, felt redundant more often than not. I'm sorry, but I don't need to see Gawain walking on the ground in a shot that puts him upside down on the top of the frame and the sky on the bottom to know his perception of bravery and knighthood is skewed.

That said, the film is well-shot, well-scored and Dev Patel is phenomenal in a visually-driven performance. Plus, Lowery's clever sense of humor shines through sporadically with an occasional one-liner and the film's chapter structure. And what they did to sum up all of the film's ideas in its climax was perfectly written, performed and directed. I didn't dislike the film, don't get me wrong. Some of the storytelling just felt too artsy for its own good in my opinion, and that's a paradox coming from me.

Maybe I need to stop drinking the Bela Tarr Kool-Aid.While I thought some of the editing transitions felt a bit rushed at times, that didn't particularly hurt my immersion in the experience, and the conversation on the symbolism of the color green was fairly thought-provoking, IMO; also, I'd say that the big topsy-turvy shot was more than just an obvious visual metaphor, but an appropriate choice to reinforce the upside-down visual motif, as well as to emphasize the increasingly surreal nature of the journey, so it worked in that regard (besides, it was just an awesome-looking shot on its own).

[Grouchy]

I really enjoyed this. Lowery does try to hard to make a picture that stands on its own, stylistically, from any other medieval film ever made, but hey, for the most part he succeeds, and the cinematography and shot composition are aces. My friend got a big laugh of the fact that a big chunk of the story turns out to be a mushroom dream of sorts but I thought it made sense on a Borgean kind of way, playing with the overarching theme of heroism and divine fate in epics.

[DFA1979]

That was awesome. I'll have to pen a review at some point but I'm very glad I saw it on the bigscreen. That Lamb movie looks nuts. Sean Penn also has a new Oscar bait type movie out, too.

[Dukefrukem]

Ummmm wife and I watched half of this last night before baby #2 started getting annoying. Far and away the best movie I've seen in 2021.... so far.

[Ezee E]

Ummmm wife and I watched half of this last night before baby #2 started getting annoying. Far and away the best movie I've seen in 2021.... so far.

Hell ya

[Peng]

A triumph of aesthetic pleasures more than of modernist re-conceived medieval tale, so much that I weirdly enjoy this in the same vein as I would a well-done, more mainstream blockbuster. Especially during the middle stretch, I feel there's a push-and-pull between the simple signposts of the original tale and the portentous arthouse pacing, so that it becomes murky and coasts by on style more than actual depth or storytelling. But that style is pretty magnificent though, creating a world of woozy, extremely tactile atmosphere that you could get lost in for days. Plus, it helps that this begins and ends very strong; I wouldn't have expected Lowery to arrive at a montage that reaches for the time-contracting sublime in the similar thematic and emotional manner as A Ghost Story, but that makes the film land on quite a powerhouse finale. 8/10

[Dukefrukem]

Especially during the middle stretch,

This is my opposite reaction. The opening and ending were pretty great, but everything with Joel Edgerton felt like a step down in energy and flow.

[Peng]

This is my opposite reaction. The opening and ending were pretty great, but everything with Joel Edgerton felt like a step down in energy and flow.

Maybe the wording was messy, but my post as a whole definitely agreed with this sentiment.

[Idioteque Stalker]

How much violence and/or sex is in this movie? My sister has a low tolerance for that kind of stuff but is super into this story. If I took her to see it I could either ruin a week's sleep or be sibling of the year.

[Dukefrukem]

How much violence and/or sex is in this movie? My sister has a low tolerance for that kind of stuff but is super into this story. If I took her to see it I could either ruin a week's sleep or be sibling of the year.

There may be some background nudity and humping at the beginning but it's minor. There's also a shot that isn't your typical sex shot later in the film that may involve some bodily fluids. Other than that it's pretty tame.

Minor act of violence which you can see coming.

[Idioteque Stalker]

There may be some background nudity and humping at the beginning but it's minor. There's also a shot that isn't your typical sex shot later in the film that may involve some bodily fluids. Other than that it's pretty tame.

Minor act of violence which you can see coming.

Cool, we’re going Wednesday!

[DFA1979]

Cool, we’re going Wednesday!

Nice, enjoy!

[Idioteque Stalker]

Didn't like it. My sister was mixed as well. Never seen a Lowery movie before, doubt I'll seek one out now. I was curious about A Ghost Story at one point, now I'm pretty sure I'd hate it.

[Peng]

Ranking:

1. A Ghost Story - 4.5/5
2. Pete's Dragon - 4/5
3. The Green Knight - 4/5
4. The Old Man and the Gun - 3.5/5
5. Ain’t Them Bodies Saints - 3.5/5

Tbh, as much as I really like this, Lowery doesn't feel like a natural match for this story. A Ghost Story is the most apt in his oeuvre of material to director, but I think it's his most divisive as well? His most accessible (that still doesn't lack in his touch) would be Pete's Dragon and The Old Man and the Gun.

[transmogrifier]

A Ghost Story is great, Pete's Dragon is boring and clunky. Haven't seen any of the others

[megladon8]

I have not yet seen a film by Lowery, and I suspect this will be my first when I get the chance to see it.

Surprised to see A Ghost Story spoken of so fondly here, as not only the trailers but the reviews and word of mouth made it seem...to use a very dirty word... pretentious.

The description of Mara's pie eating scene (and her absurd claim that it was the first time she had ever tasted pie) made it seem pretty cringe.

[megladon8]

Who would Casey Affleck have played in this? Would he have had Patel's role?

[Dukefrukem]

Oh was he removed from this due to all the allegations?

[Skitch]

Interesting...I havent seen any of his directorial efforts. His filmography is all over the place (I like that). From a Disney remake to editing Upstream Color...

[megladon8]

Oh was he removed from this due to all the allegations?

No no no.

Sorry, didn't mean to insinuate that.

I was just wondering who he would have played if he had been in it.

I assume Lowery isn't working with him anymore due to the mess. And since they've worked together so much I imagine he would have been in it if it weren't for the situation.

[quido8_5]

I loved A Ghost Story but think it is likely polarizing. To the extent that someone buys into the conceit, the more the chance they'll like it. I personally think it is masterfully done and quietly powerful.

[megladon8]

Found this disappointing.

Beautiful visuals and a few great performances (Vikander in particular does great work). But I just didn't really care.

Gawain is a tool, and never earns any sympathy. Changing the story's ending robs him of his entire arc. The mother's agendas are incomprehensible.

Some great ingredients that add up to much less than what they should have.