Match Cut Director Consensus - Neil Jordan

[Sven]

Couldn't find anything really informative about the Butcher Boy in the archives. Anyone wanna provide reasonings/links/etc...? I am very curious. It is such a strong, unique film.

[baby doll]

The Good Thief - 10

Really, dude? I thought this was mega-forgettable. I mean, it's a watchable enough heist film, but it's no Bob le flambeur.

[origami_mustache]

Breakfast on Pluto - 5.5

[Raiders]

Really, dude? I thought this was mega-forgettable. I mean, it's a watchable enough heist film, but it's no Bob le flambeur.

I think I prefer it to the French original. Better atmosphere and Nick Nolte.

[baby doll]

I think I prefer it to the French original. Better atmosphere and Nick Nolte.

Well, I'm as big a Nick Nolte fan as anyone, but he can do this sort of thing in his sleep. I think he's hitting a lot of the same notes here as a smooth talking gambler that he hit in Scorsese's Life Lessons as a smooth talking painter, and in Alan Rudolph's After Glow as a smooth talking plumber. As far as atmosphere, I can barely recall Jordan's film, but the opening shots of early morning Montmartre in Melville's film are vividly imprinted in my memory, and almost upstage the rest of the movie.

[dreamdead]

In the Company of Wolves - 5
Mona Lisa - 9
The Crying Game - 10
Interview with the Vampire - 6.5
The Butcher Boy - 8
The End of the Affair - 9

I'll get to The Butcher Boy and The Crying Game this week.

[Sven]

Really, dude? I thought this was mega-forgettable. I mean, it's a watchable enough heist film, but it's no Bob le flambeur.

I have to admit, I have not seen the original. But Jordan's version is as stylish and entertaining as conceivable. And to suggest that Nolte is the same as in Life Lessons or Afterglow is to do yourself a disservice because it implicitly suggests that you are simply not as attuned to the nuances (or maybe pathosese) of Nolte as the likes of myself and others. Granted, he's definitely got a schtick, but the man transcends pigeon-holing, if only for his brute imagination. However I still concede that the roles are distinctly different.

However, I'm very happy you liked Breakfast on Pluto. It's getting moderately trashed here, and it's a-makin' me sad.

[Sycophant]

Oh, man. It's been like "Oh, I totally meant to check out that guy's films at some point" season in these consensus threads for me lately.

[Rowland]

Reverse Shot had a Neil Jordan Symposium a few years back, with lots of reviews of his entire body of work and an exclusive interview:

http://www.reverseshot.com/legacy/index.html

[Rowland]

Reading their piece on The Good Thief made me laugh aloud, as I'd completely forgotten about Ralph Fiennes' role in the picture:

"A movie that tosses in an unbilled Ralph Fiennes as a pretentious, ill-tempered art fence is a movie that’s having fun, especially when he’s ordering the knifing of a fake Picasso and hissing dialogue like “What I do to both of your faces will definitely be cubist. We’ll call it the New Aesthetic…without an anesthetic.”

[Sven]

Reverse Shot had a Neil Jordan Symposium a few years back, with lots of reviews of his entire body of work and an exclusive interview:

http://www.reverseshot.com/legacy/index.html

What's the point of calling it a "symposium" if you're only going to have one negative and moderately poorly written review for In Dreams. Also, even though it's a somewhat bad movie, the review for High Spirits is embarrassing.

[Sven]

Also, even though it doesn't have anything to do with Neil Jordan, Jeff Reichert's year end "get over it" review of Grizzly Man is one of the worst reviews I've ever read. Bah. I'm going to go lay down.

[Raiders]

What's the point of calling it a "symposium" if you're only going to have one negative and moderately poorly written review for In Dreams. Also, even though it's a somewhat bad movie, the review for High Spirits is embarrassing.

It is a symposium in the very definition of the word given the topic is Neil Jordan and the reviewers are submitting their arguments (reviews). There is also more than one negative review and considering you barely dislike any of his films, why would you wish more than a few? Should they make sure to assign people to dislike movies ahead of time?

[Derek]

It is a symposium in the very definition of the word given the topic is Neil Jordan and the reviewers are submitting their arguments (reviews). There is also more than one negative review and considering you barely dislike any of his films, why would you wish more than a few? Should they make sure to assign people to dislike movies ahead of time?

I just enjoy the irony of Sven's consistent ragging on ReverseShot and Slant whenever anything they write is mentioned.

[Sven]

Mainly, I'm thinking that the idea of a Director's Symposium is to feature a variety of positions about each entry. At least attempt to achieve some semblance of totality. Just as I dislike reading the negative In Dreams review, I'd love to see a negative review of The Butcher Boy or Mona Lisa. There's just not a lot of unity here, despite their (nonsensical) opening paragraph to their We're No Angels/Not I piece. Don't mistake me, there's some good writing here, but the examples I chose were certainly not it.

And Derek, I think this is the first time I've ever even commented on ReverseShot.

My lay down was real nice, btw.

[Derek]

And Derek, I think this is the first time I've ever even commented on ReverseShot.

Pretty sure I remember you commenting about them several times when Rowland's provided links, but I could be mistaken. 'Twas only joking regardless.

[Sven]

Pretty sure I remember you commenting about them several times when Rowland's provided links, but I could be mistaken. 'Twas only joking regardless.

Well, I've certainly joked (as we all have by now, I would think) about Rowland's proclivity for posting links. But I did, just to fact check myself, do some research and the only thing that THIS database has me saying indirectly about ReverseShot is that I was pleased when Rowland posted a defense of Kaufman's Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

At any rate, joke duly noted.

[Grouchy]

The Company of Wolves - 8
The Crying Game - 9
Interview with the Vampire - 6
The Good Thief - 7
Breakfast on Pluto - 8

[B-side]

The Brave One- 5

[dreamdead]

Edited in The Crying Game.

Forgiving a little too pun-erific opening song, and perhaps Dil's sudden ease of firing the pistol at the film's climax, this is wonderful. Considerate in its national and gender politics, saturated with a celebration and then a critique of the ways in which cinema frames the feminine, quietly evocative in its framing and lighting, and solidly performed across the board (love Davidson and Broadbent especially). I find this film actually remains quite powerful in many of the gender issues, and could easily see revisiting this more academically.

[dreamdead]

I can't see the overly negative critiques for The Butcher Boy, either. It sets its portrait of a subjective perspective on interpretation early and sustains that sentiment. As such, while the idea of Francie thinking of everyone as aliens is a bit hard to swallow, it is nonetheless fully realized and followed through. I like how steadfast Francie is to his beliefs, holding onto childhood pacts with all of the fervor (an idea that seems intentional given the imagery elsewhere) of a religious believer. It's an interesting parallel, and lends the film extra weight as a critique of childhood flights of fancy.

Perhaps the best moment here for me is the bravura fantasy sequence where Francie and Joe watch the bomb go off and investigate the remnants of the town. Truly a stunning moment, and Jordan captures the grotesque beauty wonderfully.

[soitgoes...]

I will deal with this tomorrow. I had a busy past few days.

[soitgoes...]

Here's your results America!
The Crying Game - 7.75 (16)
Mona Lisa - 7.75 (10)
The Company of Wolves - 7.5 (12)
Michael Collins - 7.5 (4)
The Good Thief - 7.44 (9)
The End of the Affair - 7.3 (5)
The Butcher Boy - 7.208 (12)
Breakfast on Pluto - 6.667 (9)
Interview with a Vampire - 6.0 (16)
In Dreams - 5.8 (5)
The Brave One - 4.929 (7)
Average - 6.895

The Rest:
The Miracle - 8 (1)
We're No Angels - 7.75 (2)
High Spirits - 5.0 (1)

Champion of Jordan - Sven
Runner-up - Raiders

[Sven]

Champion of Jordan - Sven
Runner-up - Raiders

Back up, son. There's a new boss in town. Never forget this.

[thefourthwall]

Those seem low to me. Clearly, I need to halt my attempts at being more discerning and differentiating more between films and go back to sheer enthusiasm for most movies. 10's for all his films!