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Thread: 28 Film Discussion Threads Later

  1. #71901
    Last Seen:
    Fantasmagorie (?. Cohl, 1908) ☆Elemental (P. Sohn, 2023) ☆
    Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian, S1 (R. Itoh, 2024) ☆
    Possession (A. Żuławski, 1981)
    Lake Mungo (J. Anderson, 2008) ☆
    Megalopolis (F. Coppola, 2024) ☆
    Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! S1 (S. Kitamura, 2024) ☆
    The Others (A. Amen?bar, 2001) ☆
    The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal (M. Downie, 2024) ☆
    Munich (S. Spielberg, 2005)

    First time ☆

  2. #71902
    I'm in the milk... Mara's Avatar
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    Inspired by a conversation over on the Discord, I have put together the list nobody asked for: my ranking of Austen adaptations! This list is not exhaustive, as I have apparently seen dozens of these, but just the list of those I think are notable. There are so many made-for-tv adaptations that I could sum up as "fine," but left no lasting impression. I did include one made-for-tv adaptation that is too good to leave off, but am not including loose adaptations like Clueless, Bridget Jones' Diary, etc, or works inspired by Austen's life instead of her novels.

    1. Persuasion (1995) Austen's most mature book is translated into a thoughtful, understated and lovely film. This is the only Austen adaption on this list that is brave enough to cast non-beautiful actors as canonically plain characters, and Root and Hinds are electric together. It's a story for adults, more introspective and melancholy than most of her work, while still being swooningly romantic. A+, no notes

    2. Pride & Prejudice (1995) The most faithful adaptation of an Austen book ever made, this meticulous miniseries could have been laborious and dragging, but is instead sparkling, hilarious and fun, thanks mostly to stellar casting from top to bottom. Ehle and Firth are absolutely the best Lizzie and Darcy of all time. The expansive run time gives the story room to breathe and explore the nuances of Austen's subplots, which work together to form an excellent whole.

    3. Sense & Sensibility (1995) One of Austen's weakest novels is given an incredible face-lift thanks to a brilliant, witty screenplay by Emma Thompson, lush direction by Ang Lee, and terrific interplay between Thompson, Winslet, & Rickman. Even Hugh Grant, an actor I generally dislike, does serviceable work here.

    4. Emma. (2020) More of a deconstruction than a strict adaptation, this stylized version of the story is heavy on slapstick and social commentary, but doesn't have much heart, with the exception of Johnny Flynn, who pulls off an unprecedented, interesting take on Mr. Knightly.

    5. Pride & Prejudice (2005) It looks absolutely gorgeous, I'll give it that. Macfadyen brings some interesting choices to Mr. Darcy, but Knightley is doing the same character she does in every period piece. She's boring. Many of the film's choices feel inexplicable (why the time period change?) and feel like they exist just to try to make the story feel different than the other 200 adaptations out there.

    6. Emma (1996) This more faithful adaptation of the novel is pretty and fun, but spends a lot of time ticking the boxes of what an Austen adaptation is supposed to be (see the three examples from the year before, 1995, above) without bringing anything new or insightful to the table. Most of the cast is fine, with a young Toni Colette being a standout as the awkward Harriet Smith.

    7. Mansfield Park (1999) This is a tricky novel to adapt, with a real soggy blanket as a female lead. I respect that the film tries to liven things up, and also to place the story within a more modern perspective on England's brutal West Indian plantations, which is paying for all the lavish lifestyle we see on screen. It works sometimes, but the more modern perspective is often at odds with the story as it is told. (If this Fanny is so self-actualized and progressive, for instance, why does she let herself get kicked around by every other character for 90% of the plot?)

    8. Pride & Prejudice (1940) This adaptation has no idea what it is doing, with attempts to simplify the plot leaving it incoherent. Setting the story several decades later does nothing but change the costumes, as no attempt is made to make the dialogue or interactions sound like they take place at any time but 1940. I will say that Lawrence Olivier is a good choice for the mannered haughtiness of Darcy.

    9. Love & Friendship (2016) This is an interesting failure. Kate Beckinsale is committed to the villainous Lady Susan, but the film can't overcome the fact that the unfinished novel doesn't have a sturdy enough plot to keep the whole thing afloat.
    ...and the milk's in me.

  3. #71903
    Producer Yxklyx's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Idioteque Stalker (view post)
    Saw Inland Empire for the first time last night, which has me thinking how I often enjoy movies about making movies. I've seen a lot, but I haven't seen them all. I would appreciate any insight you may have into the movies below based on 1) if they're good and 2) how much or how little they are actually about making movies. (Ed Wood is very much about making movies, while Inglourious Basterds is very little about making movies.)

    ...
    A Star Is Born
    Have not see any of those other films!

    Two that come to mind though:

    Beware of a Holy Whore
    Irma Vep

    and of course:

    8 1/2

    The Fassbinder has more filmmaking scenes than 8 1/2 - actually the Fellini film has no filmmaking.

  4. #71904
    Cinematographer Mal's Avatar
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    Gonna have to disagree on Love And Friendship - adored the film and its humor. But I'm not an Austen-ite, so I don't have the perspective via adaptation/text.

  5. #71905
    Last Seen:
    Fantasmagorie (?. Cohl, 1908) ☆Elemental (P. Sohn, 2023) ☆
    Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian, S1 (R. Itoh, 2024) ☆
    Possession (A. Żuławski, 1981)
    Lake Mungo (J. Anderson, 2008) ☆
    Megalopolis (F. Coppola, 2024) ☆
    Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! S1 (S. Kitamura, 2024) ☆
    The Others (A. Amen?bar, 2001) ☆
    The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal (M. Downie, 2024) ☆
    Munich (S. Spielberg, 2005)

    First time ☆

  6. #71906
    I'm the problem it's me DFA1979's Avatar
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    Mara I believe the Ang Lee Jane Austin flick was on Tubi last I checked so I may view that one. I really need to read her books first.
    Blog!

    And it's happened once again
    I'll turn to a friend
    Someone that understands
    And sees through the master plan
    But everybody's gone
    And I've been here for too long
    To face this on my own
    Well, I guess this is growing up

  7. #71907
    Quote Quoting DFA1979 (view post)
    Mara I believe the Ang Lee Jane Austin flick was on Tubi last I checked so I may view that one. I really need to read her books first.
    Pride and Prejudice is such a fun read. Killed it in a night.
    Last Seen:
    Fantasmagorie (?. Cohl, 1908) ☆Elemental (P. Sohn, 2023) ☆
    Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian, S1 (R. Itoh, 2024) ☆
    Possession (A. Żuławski, 1981)
    Lake Mungo (J. Anderson, 2008) ☆
    Megalopolis (F. Coppola, 2024) ☆
    Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! S1 (S. Kitamura, 2024) ☆
    The Others (A. Amen?bar, 2001) ☆
    The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal (M. Downie, 2024) ☆
    Munich (S. Spielberg, 2005)

    First time ☆

  8. #71908
    I'm in the milk... Mara's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting DFA1979 (view post)
    Mara I believe the Ang Lee Jane Austin flick was on Tubi last I checked so I may view that one. I really need to read her books first.
    I would argue that you don't really need to read the books first, especially with Sense & Sensibility, which is not her best work. She's not known for her plot twists, so watching the film first isn't going to spoil anything. The books just go deeper and you get more of her wit.
    ...and the milk's in me.

  9. #71909
    I'm the problem it's me DFA1979's Avatar
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    Noted, thanks!
    Blog!

    And it's happened once again
    I'll turn to a friend
    Someone that understands
    And sees through the master plan
    But everybody's gone
    And I've been here for too long
    To face this on my own
    Well, I guess this is growing up

  10. #71910

  11. #71911
    Anyone else hate it when movies succumb to the trope of "Schrödinger's C(h)a(rac)t(er)"? You know, when a character clearly dies in a movie, whether it be in a stand-alone original or part of an existing franchise, but then that movie and/or character gets iconic (or at least successful), the studio wants a sequel, and the filmmakers suddenly regret their decision to kill off them off, so they try a resurrection, either with a very flimsy explanation as to how they survived, or even nothing at all in some cases, meaning that the character is both dead according to the canon of the previous entry, and simultaneously alive in the next one; think Blade 2 with [
    ], The Matrix Reloaded with [
    ], or this scene in Halloweenwater (aka Halloween H20) where...

    [
    ]

  12. #71912
    collecting tapes Skitch's Avatar
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    Yes.

  13. #71913
    Thanks, good talk.


  14. #71914
    collecting tapes Skitch's Avatar
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    I didn't have anything to add, you already said it.

  15. #71915
    The one that really annoyed me was Kingsman 2. I didn't even see it, so I don't actually know how they managed [
    ]

  16. #71916
    Quote Quoting Mysterious Dude (view post)
    The one that really annoyed me was Kingsman 2. I didn't even see it, so I don't actually know how they managed [
    ]
    Well, according to the Wiki, [
    ] so I guess that explains it...? Anyway, we can apparently also include Avatar 2 in this trope, from the reports I've heard...
    Last edited by StuSmallz; 07-04-2022 at 06:34 AM.

  17. #71917
    I'm the problem it's me DFA1979's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Mysterious Dude (view post)
    The one that really annoyed me was Kingsman 2. I didn't even see it, so I don't actually know how they managed [
    ]
    No kidding. That's a great example.
    Blog!

    And it's happened once again
    I'll turn to a friend
    Someone that understands
    And sees through the master plan
    But everybody's gone
    And I've been here for too long
    To face this on my own
    Well, I guess this is growing up

  18. #71918
    I'm the problem it's me DFA1979's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting StuSmallz (view post)
    Anyone else hate it when movies succumb to the trope of "Schrödinger's C(h)a(rac)t(er)"? You know, when a character clearly dies in a movie, whether it be in a stand-alone original or part of an existing franchise, but then that movie and/or character gets iconic (or at least successful), the studio wants a sequel, and the filmmakers suddenly regret their decision to kill off them off, so they try a resurrection, either with a very flimsy explanation as to how they survived, or even nothing at all in some cases, meaning that the character is both dead according to the canon of the previous entry, and simultaneously alive in the next one; think Blade 2 with [
    ], The Matrix Reloaded with [
    ], or this scene in Halloweenwater (aka Halloween H20) where...

    [
    ]
    [
    ]
    Blog!

    And it's happened once again
    I'll turn to a friend
    Someone that understands
    And sees through the master plan
    But everybody's gone
    And I've been here for too long
    To face this on my own
    Well, I guess this is growing up

  19. #71919
    I'm the problem it's me DFA1979's Avatar
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    Another good example is obviously Jason Voorhees with Part 5 bombing so naturally they bring him back for Jason Lives.
    Blog!

    And it's happened once again
    I'll turn to a friend
    Someone that understands
    And sees through the master plan
    But everybody's gone
    And I've been here for too long
    To face this on my own
    Well, I guess this is growing up

  20. #71920
    Quote Quoting DFA1979 (view post)
    [
    ]
    [
    ]

  21. #71921

    Blood Simple (Coens, '84)




    Down here... you're on your own.


    [
    ]


    Final Score: 9

  22. #71922
    Producer Yxklyx's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting StuSmallz (view post)
    Anyone else hate it when movies succumb to the trope of "Schrödinger's C(h)a(rac)t(er)"? You know, when a character clearly dies in a movie, ...
    Hate is not the word I'd use. Rather fraud, cheat, manipulator. All movies can be turned into manipulation rather easily but when it's so blatant, when a director uses death to manipulate an audience but then says, no I didn't mean that, that's the lowest of the lows.

  23. #71923

  24. #71924
    Quote Quoting Yxklyx (view post)
    Hate is not the word I'd use. Rather fraud, cheat, manipulator. All movies can be turned into manipulation rather easily but when it's so blatant, when a director uses death to manipulate an audience but then says, no I didn't mean that, that's the lowest of the lows.
    It happened in Rise of Skywalker at least twice, maybe more. One of the many reasons it's one of the worst movies ever.

  25. #71925

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