28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[B-side]

Our very own Beau was selected for the Berlinale Talent Campus to report on the festival.

[Boner M]

Whoa, great work Beau.

[baby doll]

Up was just okay.

It kinda hurt me to type that, actually. I only just got around to watching it, and I had fairly high hopes.

EDIT: Up is 98% on RT!? That's mildly baffling.

If you want to be successful, just tell people what they want to hear. And the Pixar guys are masters at making ingratiating kids' movies that comfort and reassure (consider the happy ending of Wall-E, in which even apocalypse turns out to be not permanent). So naturally mainstream reviewers talk about their work as if it were the height of cinema as an art form. I didn't dislike Up or any of the other Pixar films that I've seen (Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Wall-E), but if I never saw another one of their films, I wouldn't feel very deprived.

[B-side]

Something Qrazy might be interested in: my review of Szulkin's Golem. Everyone else should give it a look, too, of course!:P

[DavidSeven]

Random 2011 movies I saw over the last several months:

The Descendants -- I liked this more than Sideways, but not as much as Election. Didn't like how the exposition was handled. It truly just felt like a lazy info dump. But the film's smaller moments were well-handled and affecting. Wasn't blown away, but it's a notch above most of its contemporaries in the BP race.

Young Adult -- Not a complete success, but I enjoyed it and wish there were more films like it.

The Artist -- It was cute. I guess I can give them points for making something commercial and accessible, but if this was released in the silent era, would it really stack up to the truly great films? I suspect not.

Beginners -- Good film. Deserves a bigger audience. Where the Laurent fanboys at?

Warrior -- Surprisingly effective. Not quite a revelation, but it's well-executed and I'd probably give an Oscar to Nick Nolte for his performance.

Sarah's Key -- It's kind of interesting until it gets really dumb. And then it gets even dumber. Avoid.

Take Shelter -- Sorry, not sold on this one. There are a couple very strong scenes at the end that almost sell me on the film, but then denouement comes and contradicts what I found powerful about them. And seriously, purposefully ambiguous endings of this nature are turning into such an indie-cliche.

Edit: I guess a good number of you have seen Beginners (and enjoyed it). Don't recall spotting much discussion of it anywhere.

[Watashi]

What did you think the ending of Take Shelter contradicted? I think a lot of people are taking the ending a bit too literally. [

Show Spoiler

I never found the final scene/shot ambiguous. I always took it as yet another hallucination by Shannon's character. The one moment he thinks he is getting better he has another attack and the realization he is never going to get any better sinks in.

]

[Watashi]

Also, like I said in The Artist thread, I don't think the director's intentions is too make it a carbon copy of silent classics. There are clear modern aesthetics employed throughout the film (including obviously the injection of sound). It's more a tribute than a copy.

[DavidSeven]

What did you think the ending of Take Shelter contradicted? I think a lot of people are taking the ending a bit too literally. [

Show Spoiler

I never found the final scene/shot ambiguous. I always took it as yet another hallucination by Shannon's character. The one moment he thinks he is getting better he has another attack and the realization he is never going to get any better sinks in.

]

Well, that's not my reading of the ending, which is why I think there's a contradiction. Of course, your reading is plausible, but...

[

Show Spoiler

...that necessitates it being yet another "the last scene is all a dream!" endings, which would make me hate it even more. Chastain is treated as an objective observer throughout the entire film's "reality." Her acknowledgment of the oncoming storm would only make sense in the film's dream logic. The scene just doesn't work for me under either reading.

]

[DavidSeven]

Also, like I said in The Artist thread, I don't think the director's intentions is too make it a carbon copy of silent classics. There are clear modern aesthetics employed throughout the film (including obviously the injection of sound). It's more a tribute than a copy.

Well, as a tribute, I found it cute and still find it lesser in ambition and quality to many silent era classics and other great films of various eras. Looking at it as a tribute does little to broaden my esteem for it.

[Watashi]

Well, that's not my reading of the ending, which is why I think there's a contradiction. Of course, your reading is plausible, but...

[

Show Spoiler

...that necessitates it being yet another "the last scene is all a dream!" endings, which would make me hate it even more. Chastain is treated as an objective observer throughout the entire film's "reality." Her acknowledgment of the oncoming storm would only make sense in the film's dream logic. The scene just doesn't work for me under either reading.

]

[

Show Spoiler

Yeah, but the "it's all a dream!" doesn't come out of nowhere. The film has been all about Shannon's dreams. Even the last scene, notice how the wife and Shannon stays calm throughout? Seems pretty weird for seeing a huge fucking tornado appearing out of nowhere. The ending is simply not just "another dream", but as a metaphor that the wife and child have come to reason with Shannon's illness and will be with him to fight him through it. There are other obvious political and financial "storm metaphors" emphasized throughout the film, but as a psychological character study first, nature-sci-fi-horror movie second, this reading makes the most sense.

]

[soitgoes...]

Something Qrazy might be interested in: my review of Szulkin's Golem. Everyone else should give it a look, too, of course!:P

Watched this a couple weeks ago, and honestly it did little for me. Same can be said about his The War of the World the following year, which was a film I had watched because of Qrazy actually. Both films came off as too cold for my liking, but I do see enough in both for me to continue to check out some more of his work.

Good review though!

[Ezee E]

Also, like I said in The Artist thread, I don't think the director's intentions is too make it a carbon copy of silent classics. There are clear modern aesthetics employed throughout the film (including obviously the injection of sound). It's more a tribute than a copy.

Yep. Been saying that it's basically someone else doing what Tarantino does for his movies.

[Ezee E]

And seriously, purposefully ambiguous endings of this nature are turning into such an indie-cliche.

Agreed. Although I also suspect it's filmmakers simply not knowing how to end their movies also.

I'll check out Beginners, haven't heard a bad thing about that one.

[Grouchy]

The Comfort of Strangers - Strange film, splendidly written and acted. People expecting a regular thriller that explains itself to the audience at the end will hate it. People who prefer cryptic monologues delivered by Christopher Walken with a fixed, evil stare will like it. I'm in the second group, in case it wasn't clear. I'm glad I watched this after visiting Venice myself. The weirdness of the plot is much more believable in the context of a city like that.

The Wave - Eh. I'd heard nothing but good things about this film for a very long time, and it was definitively disappointing. The premise is so good and yet the writing is so artificial and predictable. No effort is made to establish the characters before the experiment takes place and so when they start reacting exactly the way their stereotypes would suggest the film was over for me. I might have overrated it in Criticker (I gave it a 69) because it's technically very well made, but I wish I had simply rewatched The Experiment, a far better film about a similar subject.

[B-side]

Watched this a couple weeks ago, and honestly it did little for me. Same can be said about his The War of the World the following year, which was a film I had watched because of Qrazy actually. Both films came off as too cold for my liking, but I do see enough in both for me to continue to check out some more of his work.

Good review though!

Thanks. I wasn't blown away at first, but it all escalated so wonderfully. There are so many really memorable sequences.

[Pop Trash]

I must one of the few people on here that took the ending of Take Shelter literally, but was perfectly happy with it. I think the film always hinted at a supernatural explanation, not just one of psychosis. I viewed it like an adaptation of a really good Stephen King story, executed masterfully well.

[Qrazy]

I just watched a wonderful Czech kid's film called Kooky (2010). Step aside Toy Story, here's a grown up story about lost toys. Kooky is a teddy bear thrown out before his time who is searching for a route home.

[youtube]MBQbkbnj780[/youtube]

So only the trailer is in English, the dialogue in the film itself is Czech. It's a beautifully shot wonderfully fantastic tale filtered transparently (in it's favor) through the mind of a child. The film combines puppeteering, stop motion animation and live action to create it's world. This is a world which incorporates living toys, forest Gods and real animals to create a unique universe inside a magical forest locale. There are many quiet character moments along with plenty of chase and action set pieces. Kooky ranks up there with the best of Jim Henson, Terry Gilliam and other early 80s fantasy adventure makers.

My only major criticism is the end of the film is a little too neat and immediate, but this film is primarily about it's brilliant environment and it delivers that in spades.

The film is available on karagarga.

[Boner M]

re Take Shelter's ending: [

Show Spoiler

To me, it was Shannon's imagination/hallucination of what'd restore harmony in his family; ie, them finally seeing what he sees. Considering that the film deals with mental illness quite gravely and specifically, I find it hard to ignore the real world implications by viewing it in the supernatural realm.

]

[MadMan]

Yep. Been saying that it's basically someone else doing what Tarantino does for his movies.

I fail to see how either of that is a bad thing.

[Qrazy]

Watched this a couple weeks ago, and honestly it did little for me. Same can be said about his The War of the World the following year, which was a film I had watched because of Qrazy actually. Both films came off as too cold for my liking, but I do see enough in both for me to continue to check out some more of his work.

Good review though!

I didn't tell you to watch that though. I actually watched the first 20 minutes and shut it off because it didn't seem that great, not terrible but just didn't have the patience for it at the time.

But his Ga, Ga, Glory to the Heroes and O-bi, O-ba, The End of Civilization are both quite good.

[Mysterious Dude]

I was actually quite impressed by how authentic The Artist was as a silent film. Apart from the sound sequences (and the fact that the picture was very crisp and clear), there were few instances where it seemed to me that the framing, cinematography or editing were very different from the way films were typically made around 1927.

[soitgoes...]

I didn't tell you to watch that though. I actually watched the first 20 minutes and shut it off because it didn't seem that great, not terrible but just didn't have the patience for it at the time.

But his Ga, Ga, Glory to the Heroes and O-bi, O-ba, The End of Civilization are both quite good.

No I know you didn't tell me to watch that one, but you were the one who put the name Szulkin in my head. That's just where I went with your info. Those two would be my the ones I'd go for next, so I'll see.

[Qrazy]

No I know you didn't tell me to watch that one, but you were the one who put the name Szulkin in my head. That's just where I went with your info. Those two would be my the ones I'd go for next, so I'll see.

Next time go exactly where I tell you with my info to avoid disappointment! :lol:

If you want a break from Szulkin check out Lopushansky (for more Eastern European sci fi)... either Visitor of a Museum or Letters from a Dead Man. I've also seen Ugly Swans and it was okay but not nearly as good.

[Ezee E]

I fail to see how either of that is a bad thing.

Didn't say it was.

And Issac is correct. It also borrows cinematography tricks used in many of the black and white movies that came out after the silent era. Citizen Kane's marks are certainly there.

[soitgoes...]

Next time go exactly where I tell you with my info to avoid disappointment! :lol:

If you want a break from Szulkin check out Lopushansky (for more Eastern European sci fi)... either Visitor of a Museum or Letters from a Dead Man. I've also seen Ugly Swans and it was okay but not nearly as good.

Perfect! Ugly Swans it is!