28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Watashi]

Didn't care for the direction in A Single Man. Makes the film too much like watching a series of carefully framed photographs set to orchestral music. Excellent acting by Firth and Moore makes it kind of work though.

The over-direction and fantastic score really makes the film and suits the flamboyantness of everything. Take away both of those and your left with something pedestrian.

[Watashi]

I think I'll be one of the few who checks out the new Eastwood film this weekend. It doesn't look good, but eh... its Eastwood.

[Spinal]

Eastwood is the reason I assume it's probably not good.

[Ezee E]

The over-direction and fantastic score really makes the film and suits the flamboyantness of everything. Take away both of those and your left with something pedestrian.

Exactly.

[balmakboor]

I'll just say that few movies have filled me as fully with love for its passionate moviemaking the way A Single Man did. And few movies have left me as anxious to see a director's next movie. The below scene has often been cited as an example of "over direction." I think it is one of the most beautiful and intoxicating scenes I've ever watched.

[baby doll]

If you reedited A Single Man so that it said "A film by Wong Kar-wai" instead of somebody known as a fashion designer, and dubbed it into Cantonese, we'd all be praising it for its style.

[soitgoes...]

If you reedited A Single Man so that it said "A film by Wong Kar-wai" instead of somebody known as a fashion designer, and dubbed it into Cantonese, we'd all be praising it for its style.

Having an all white cast speaking Cantonese in 60's era LA would be stylistically intriguing, I have to admit.

[baby doll]

Having an all white cast speaking Cantonese in 60's era LA would be stylistically intriguing, I have to admit.

It's no worse than making a film set in Casablanca where everybody's speaking English.

[soitgoes...]

It's no worse than making a film set in Casablanca where everybody's speaking English.

Poor example, the lead actor who everyone (an eclectic mix of internationals) interacts with is an American, it isn't as if he is French or Moroccan, but I understand what you're trying to say. Hollywood has always been at fault for keeping subtitles to a minimum. Memoirs of a Geisha would have been a good comparison. They even cast Chinese to play Japanese.

[baby doll]

They even cast Chinese to play Japanese.

I'll let you in on a little secret: First, Asians can't tell other Asians apart. My former girlfriend was on a plane from Malaysia to Seoul, and when the stewardess started talking to this one guy in Korean, he got really mad because he was Japanese. Also, they think all white people look the same.

[megladon8]

But, Americans have HUGE penis.

Asian penis...so small...



/South Park reference

[transmogrifier]

Crap. Even I can tell Japanese, Chinese and Koreans apart with a 95 per cent accuracy.

[baby doll]

Crap. Even I can tell Japanese, Chinese and Koreans apart with a 95 per cent accuracy.

Yeah, if you listen to them talking, it's not hard. But it's not like gaydar, where you can spot one at a distance.

[megladon8]

Crap. Even I can tell Japanese, Chinese and Koreans apart with a 95 per cent accuracy.

[transmogrifier]

Yeah, if you listen to them talking, it's not hard. But it's not like gaydar, where you can spot one at a distance.

Even without hearing the language. And though I make the odd mistake (usually the older the person is), I would expect actual Koreans to be better than I. It's certainly not the case that "they can't tell one another apart"

[transmogrifier]

I travelled around Asia with that card for the first 3 years, of course. How else would I know?

[megladon8]

The couple of Asian friends I have, have said that yes, they can tell each "sub race" of Asians apart from one another with few mistakes.

Latinos, however, cannot tell each other apart from my experience, except for some Mexicans who have a very distinct look (and sometimes stature).

Similar to how it's fairly easy to differentiate, say, Russians, or Swedes. But it's just about impossible to tell Scottish, Irish, English and Welsh people apart just by looking at them.

[baby doll]

I travelled around Asia with that card for the first 3 years, of course. How else would I know?

Fine, but how can you spot a Korean? And I don't know about the skin tone thing, since Koreans tend to vary wildly based on whether their ancestors were farmers or rich people.

[baby doll]

Similar to how it's fairly easy to differentiate, say, Russians, or Swedes.

Russians and Swedes, of course, but what about Russians and Ukrainians, or Swedes and Danes?

[megladon8]

Fine, but how can you spot a Korean? And I don't know about the skin tone thing, since Koreans tend to vary wildly based on whether their ancestors were farmers or rich people.

I couldn't tell a Korean apart just by looking at them, but I find their language very distinct.

I know it'll sound terrible to say this, but a lot of their intonations sound kind of "whiny" to a western ear.

[transmogrifier]

Fine, but how can you spot a Korean? And I don't know about the skin tone thing, since Koreans tend to vary wildly based on whether their ancestors were farmers or rich people.

Don't know - never quantified it.

I was only kidding about the 95% accuracy. I'm much worse than that. But Koreans don't seem to have a problem.

[baby doll]

Don't know - never quantified it.

I was only kidding about the 95% accuracy. I'm much worse than that. But Koreans don't seem to have a problem.

It's kind of a sensitive issue though, just because of the lingering anti-Japanese sentiment in the country. People were so pissed off when Japan put it in their school textbooks that they had control of these incredibly small, depopulated islands that are basically just big rocks in the middle of the sea. It was this big thing all over the news, like Japanese colonialism was again rearing its ugly head.

[transmogrifier]

I couldn't tell a Korean apart just by looking at them, but I find their language very distinct.

I know it'll sound terrible to say this, but a lot of their intonations sound kind of "whiny" to a western ear.

Korean is very whiny. Most Koreans recognise this though and aren't offended when you point it out.

[baby doll]

Korean is very whiny. Most Koreans recognise this though and aren't offended when you point it out.

The Korean "yes" is pretty whiny (naaayyyy), but I don't know about Korean in general. Then again, the extent of my Korean is, "Kim-chi da guseyo," so I'm hardly an expert.

[megladon8]

Korean is very whiny. Most Koreans recognise this though and aren't offended when you point it out.

It was just an observation I didn't want to sound like something derogatory.

Korean sounds whiny, and German often sounds quite angry to me.

And no matter how much Spanish I learn living here in NYC, I cannot keep up with actual Spanish-speaking people. They speak so fast I don't know how they are even able to understand each other!