View Poll Results: THE BABADOOK

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  • Yay

    25 89.29%
  • Nay

    3 10.71%
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Thread: The Babadook (Jennifer Kent)

  1. #26
    The Pan Scar's Avatar
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    I'll try it again, but, eh, I don't know.
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  2. #27
    Quote Quoting Scar (view post)
    I'll try it again, but, eh, I don't know.
    I liked it well enough, but it is really blunt and obvious in its subtext. It's well directed, but it doesn't have much meat on its bones. And I didn't think it was scary at all, because it was so obvious what was happening.
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  3. #28
    Super Moderator dreamdead's Avatar
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    I found this one more unsettling than scary, which is certainly a layer of horror, just a different one than I expected. Davis is solid here, and working an entirely different register than in Miss Fisher's..., and Kent's structure allows for a more overt subtext, so I didn't especially mind this.

    Instead, I found some of the child's acting mannerisms to be too off to truly register. There are moments, such as his early freakout in the car, where it didn't quite feel pitched at the right level. Also, once it reaches its third act and the Babadook morphs into its real threat, a lot of the unsettling design that Kent achieves through the first two-thirds of the film start to deteriorate into a more typical film.

    That said, a lot of the design choices and structure are good, and it's massively more interesting than typical horror films even when it hits the third act shift.
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  4. #29
    Quote Quoting dreamdead (view post)
    Instead, I found some of the child's acting mannerisms to be too off to truly register. There are moments, such as his early freakout in the car, where it didn't quite feel pitched at the right level.
    Yeah. He improves in the latter half of the film, when the tantrums begin to subside. His expressions of horror and dismay scan as more authentic.

    At the end my heart kinda broke when [
    ].
    Yes. The complexity and novelty of the mother-son relationship is one of the film's greatest virtues. Another example: when the magician hand gesture from the beginning of the film comes back into play near the end, during that same pivotal scene, it was very affecting.

  5. #30
    Small criticism: the repeated use of some kind of dinosaur roar sound effect was a really ill-advised bit of foley work. I read somewhere that the effect in question is from the Godzilla films, but I'm not sure if that's true.

  6. #31
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
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    Hrm, this was okay I suppose. I think both Oculus and It Follows are significantly better examples of good modern horror movies, though.

  7. #32
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    What a wretched film. No dramatic drive and no momentum. Just that same thing over and over again. The scares were laughable and it was totally confused in its themes. Absolutely terrible and totally amateur. One of the worst films I've seen in recent memory.

  8. #33
    Kung Fu Hippie Watashi's Avatar
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    To be fair Davis, how many films have you seen in the last 5 years? Like two?
    Sure why not?

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  9. #34
    Winston* Classic Winston*'s Avatar
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    Loved it.

  10. #35
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Watashi (view post)
    To be fair Davis, how many films have you seen in the last 5 years? Like two?

    3. Maybe 4.

  11. #36
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Watched it on Netflix last night. Terrified me.
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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    I work in grocery. I have not gotten sick. My fellow employees have not gotten sick. If the virus were even remotely as contagious as its being presented as, why haven’t entire store staffs who come into contact with hundreds of people per day, thousands per week, all falling ill in mass nationwide?

  12. #37

  13. #38
    collecting tapes Skitch's Avatar
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    The scares and construction was well done, but I hated every single character. A lot of the choices the characters made constantly had me going, "Whaaaaaa?? Who would do that??" And yes, I "get" the metaphor of the film.

  14. #39
    Moderator Dead & Messed Up's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Skitch (view post)
    The scares and construction was well done, but I hated every single character. A lot of the choices the characters made constantly had me going, "Whaaaaaa?? Who would do that??" And yes, I "get" the metaphor of the film.
    But Skitch, if you dig deeper, there's a really cool metaphor about grief.

  15. #40
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    Yes! I'm no longer that only "nay" vote!
    Last edited by Irish; 08-03-2016 at 08:39 AM.

  16. #41
    collecting tapes Skitch's Avatar
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    The mom is quite possibly the worst parent of all time.

  17. #42
    The Pan Spinal's Avatar
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    I like the first page of this thread a lot better than the second page.

    After I saw The Shining recently, I read that one of Stephen King's criticisms of Kubrick's film is that, by casting Jack Nicholson, you know from scene one that he's going to go nuts. And so it kills some of his intended horror in seeing a basically decent person lose control. I kept thinking about that as I was watching the last half hour of this movie and marveling at how Kent and Essie Davis get that part right. Extraordinary performance. Yes, the kid is annoying, but that is purposeful! It fuels Amelia's emotions and struggle to be a decent mother. I thought this was just about perfect.
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  18. #43
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    That's a really great analogy Spinal.
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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    I work in grocery. I have not gotten sick. My fellow employees have not gotten sick. If the virus were even remotely as contagious as its being presented as, why haven’t entire store staffs who come into contact with hundreds of people per day, thousands per week, all falling ill in mass nationwide?

  19. #44
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
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    Whoo hoo, I was on the first page.

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  20. #45
    Since 1929 Morris Schæffer's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Skitch (view post)
    The mom is quite possibly the worst parent of all time.
    Which is kind of the point I believe. I thought the movie was scary and atmospheric and tremendously Well acted, although its visualization of grief and how that never goes away somewhat on the nose, espesh come the final scenes.
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  21. #46
    I'm the problem it's me DFA1979's Avatar
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    Crap review of it I wrote back in 2015 that I still agree with: https://madman731.wordpress.com/2015...jennifer-kent/
    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

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