What movie did you watch last night? (15 Viewers)

[aoboa]

Michael Clayton - really liked it.

 

[coast to coast]

Ditto. Thought it was great. I saw the neighbours as a nice parallel to Margot and her sister; despite appearences they were more of a family unit. Looked lovely and dialogue was terrific.

Probably why I'd like to watch it again. I thought we were gonna get some crazy Boo Radley action in the second half of it - purely cos it was the last thing you'd expect from this director... I thought he may have been deliberately introducing some kind of spooky/thriller/white-trash vs "high-brow"-fucked-up family thing in the end, just cos it would've been an unlikely turn.

Then nothing really happened with them. Still very good though. Margot is such an unbearable cunt, excuse my french.

 

[Charlie Bucket]

So disappointed.... not a single pair of tits.

you should watch this, then

 

[Moods For Mallards]

Probably why I'd like to watch it again. I thought we were gonna get some crazy Boo Radley action in the second half of it - purely cos it was the last thing you'd expect from this director... I thought he may have been deliberately introducing some kind of spooky/thriller/white-trash vs "high-brow"-fucked-up family thing in the end, just cos it would've been an unlikely turn.

Then nothing really happened with them. Still very good though. Margot is such an unbearable cunt, excuse my french.

I hated this film, having absolutely loved The Squid and the Whale and enjoyed Kicking & Screaming.
Maybe he needs to change tack at this point. It was pointed out to me afterwards that it was a portrait of the mother as baddy to compliment the last film which had the dad as the bad guy.
Fair enough.
But I think there was a certain balance about Jeff Daniels. He is unequivocally awful but he is also great to watch, entertainingly disastrous as a person.
Margot, on the other hand, is not only awful but boring and cloying, without any humour to relive her spitefulness. What makes this bad is that I think I was supposed to be laughing at her in the same way as I was laughing at Jeff Daniels. It just doesn't work.
You're just left with the petty wrangling of unpleasant, privileged people.
I hated the kid and was delighted when the neighbouring savage child attacked him. Cut your hair!
Jack Black was sympathetic and tolerable, until he is turned into a buffoon at the end, pathetically running away from the girl's father, wailing. I don't think he would have acted in this way. He would have been terrified but not in such a hammy, idiotic way.
I think I now get that Noah Baumbach had a troubled (comfortable) upbringing and he liked to talk about masturbation with his parents. Now he needs to make a detective movie or something with the Dillinger Escape Plan providing the soundtrack. Maybe it could feature a character who didn't go to an Ivy League university.

 

[Moods For Mallards]

I also saw You, The Living and Funny Games U.S. yesterday. I'm not entirely sure that the former was trying to say but it was obviously trying to say something. Maybe that if we don't cheer up a squadron of planes will rain firey death upon our cities.

Funny Games. Overall, brilliant. I haven't seen the German version, but I gather that it's an exact replica.
I understand the use of the talking to camera and the rewind bit as devices to make a point to the audience about its complicity in screen violence, etc. but it did ruin the sense of suspense. Perhaps Haneke wanted to ruin the suspense - "screw your suspense, I'm going to give you a dressing down for enjoying this". Fair enough.

 

[travispickle]

I also saw You, The Living and Funny Games U.S. yesterday. I'm not entirely sure that the former was trying to say but it was obviously trying to say something. Maybe that if we don't cheer up a squadron of planes will rain firey death upon our cities.

Funny Games. Overall, brilliant. I haven't seen the German version, but I gather that it's an exact replica.
I understand the use of the talking to camera and the rewind bit as devices to make a point to the audience about its complicity in screen violence, etc. but it did ruin the sense of suspense. Perhaps Haneke wanted to ruin the suspense - "screw your suspense, I'm going to give you a dressing down for enjoying this". Fair enough.

Haneke would be completely anti-suspense alright; he doesnt' want you to become involved in this film dramatically; he wants you to ask what you're watching it for.
I loved the original and I must say I'm bewildered and disappointed that he's remade it shot for shot for the american market. It seems to go against everything he (it seems to me) stood for artistically.
Having said that, the more people see his films the better.

 

[travispickle]

I hated this film, having absolutely loved The Squid and the Whale and enjoyed Kicking & Screaming.
Maybe he needs to change tack at this point. It was pointed out to me afterwards that it was a portrait of the mother as baddy to compliment the last film which had the dad as the bad guy.
Fair enough.
But I think there was a certain balance about Jeff Daniels. He is unequivocally awful but he is also great to watch, entertainingly disastrous as a person.
Margot, on the other hand, is not only awful but boring and cloying, without any humour to relive her spitefulness. What makes this bad is that I think I was supposed to be laughing at her in the same way as I was laughing at Jeff Daniels. It just doesn't work.
You're just left with the petty wrangling of unpleasant, privileged people.
I hated the kid and was delighted when the neighbouring savage child attacked him. Cut your hair!
Jack Black was sympathetic and tolerable, until he is turned into a buffoon at the end, pathetically running away from the girl's father, wailing. I don't think he would have acted in this way. He would have been terrified but not in such a hammy, idiotic way.
I think I now get that Noah Baumbach had a troubled (comfortable) upbringing and he liked to talk about masturbation with his parents. Now he needs to make a detective movie or something with the Dillinger Escape Plan providing the soundtrack. Maybe it could feature a character who didn't go to an Ivy League university.

I completely disagree with you on almost all of this. I enjoyed the film and felt it warrants repeated viewing. I don't think he set out to make the mother a "baddy" in this, as opposed to the Father in Squid and the Whale. That's just too simplistic and the film to me is more complex than that. She's an unlikeable character, but not a "bad" person as such. Her tragedy perhaps (if she has one) is being so self-absorbed that she can't see how unlikeable she is. Certainly some things didn't work (i.e. Jack's running away) but it did bring some light relief.

 

[Moods For Mallards]

I completely disagree with you on almost all of this. I enjoyed the film and felt it warrants repeated viewing. I don't think he set out to make the mother a "baddy" in this, as opposed to the Father in Squid and the Whale. That's just too simplistic and the film to me is more complex than that. She's an unlikeable character, but not a "bad" person as such. Her tragedy perhaps (if she has one) is being so self-absorbed that she can't see how unlikeable she is. Certainly some things didn't work (i.e. Jack's running away) but it did bring some light relief.

I think it is definitely a counterpoint to the sympathetic portrayal of the mother in The Squid and the Whale. You know, they're pretty blatantly autobiographical and the ma does get the easier ride in the last movie. I think he tilts the scales a bit in this one. I'm not saying they are exactly the same people or anything.

 

[coast to coast]

I don't see how they can both be strictly autobiographical, but there are definite overlaps and similarities. I still enjoyed it but I did think that the neighbours angle was going to develop into something else altogether, something atypical of a Baumbach film (well, of the three I've seen) but it didn't.

I only gave it three stars on the way out if you know what I mean.

Still I don't see why he has to make drastically different movies every time, not many directors do.

 

[Corey]

What the fuck is going on here?

 

[Corey]

What the fuck is going on here?

See it.

 

[nofriendo]

Charlie Bartlett

utter bollocks

 

[travispickle]

Savage Grace - Terrible
El Orfanato - Really really good!

 

[xsteox]

.|..|.|..|.|..|.|..|.|..|.|..|that is all

 

[classic seanc]

The Battle of Algiers
Everything else seems derivative now.

 

[travispickle]

I've got that coming up in college soon; looking forward to seeing it!

 

[Ellie_M]

i watched Sicko the new michael moore film. it looks as i imagine a film made by joe duffy would look... full of "and would you say you were devistated?" "did you turn to the drink"

 

[classic seanc]

I've got that coming up in college soon; looking forward to seeing it!

What do you do in college?


BTW everybody, I rented this DVD for one week, FOR FREE, from my local public library. Use your local library folks!!

 

[travispickle]

What do you do in college?


BTW everybody, I rented this DVD for one week, FOR FREE, from my local public library. Use your local library folks!!

I'm doin film, drama and lit degree part time. That's cool, didn't know libraries did fillums.

 

[Eddie Gorilla]

slackers.
fuck sake.