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| marantzo |
 Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 8:49 am |
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I can see the similar structure to Rosemary's Baby, Marj. I saw Rosemary's Baby for the first time just several years ago. It may be that the passage of time may not have been kind to RM, but I was unimpressed. Why this movie has such a huge reputation, is a mystery to me. I found it rather silly and sort of annoying. The denouement was was more laughable than scary or dread inducing.
And I'd like to comment on the plot device that is used so much that it became hackneyed decades ago. Someone or ones who suspect something terrible and can't get anyone to believe them, or even consider that it is possibly valid. This is without a doubt a fictional device that rarely, if ever, happens in the real world. Unless you are demonstrably a raving lunatic, you will find people who will take your concerns seriously. Just think of people abducted by aliens, or to the point, possessed by demons, or channel some mystical people from thousands of years ago, or heal with the laying on of hands. There are not thousands of people who believe these things, there are millions if not more and they come from all parts of society. Occupation, intelligence and social standing don't seem to preclude any of these beliefs. So when I see this plot device used it loses a lot of my interest in the story. Lots of movies are smart enough to have one or more people actually taking these desperate pleas seriously. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 9:10 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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Totally agree with Gary about Rosemary's Baby--the movie, not the book, which is a masterpiece of suspense and horror.
The recently deceased Ira Levin wrote the novel in sort of the style of New York Magazine--as a witty Clare Boothe Luce-ish piece of Manhattan-centric trendicity. The characters were people from a show-business milieu who spoke and acted like creatures of the moment. Rosemary's husband, the key to the story, was a poor man's Robert Redford, a hopeful young leading man type with demonstrable acting skills but who needed a bit of luck, part of the show-biz game.
The movie's doom was sealed for me with the ludicrous casting of John Cassavetes in this role. Cassavetes, a talented man, carried with him an undeniable aura of menace. The minute he appeared on screen all claims to Rosemary's sanity went out the window. Why she'd stick with and believe this cobra-eyed creep was beyond me.
Polanski then proceeded to film the thing (which IMO should have been in the style of a rom-com) like a Gothic nightmare from the first scene.
A disastrous movie which has achieved a fantastic reputation. A prime example of media overkill and misperception. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 9:59 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Location: Shanghai
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Most Polanski films are fairly plodding and humorless.
R's Baby is really pretty slow and static.
Besides Chinatown -- which I think is very, very overrated -- what Polanski films do people favor?
Repulsion was reasonably good.
And I've been meaning to watch Cul-de-sac for the longest time, but it keeps getting buried by other choices. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 10:11 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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gromit wrote: Most Polanski films are fairly plodding and humorless.
R's Baby is really pretty slow and static.
Besides Chinatown -- which I think is very, very overrated -- what Polanski films do people favor?
Repulsion was reasonably good.
And I've been meaning to watch Cul-de-sac for the longest time, but it keeps getting buried by other choices.
I do honestly love Chinatown, but otherwise Polanski leaves me cold. |
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| Rod |
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 10:25 am |
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Joined: 21 Dec 2004
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Location: Lithgow, Australia
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billyweeds wrote: Polanski then proceeded to film the thing (which IMO should have been in the style of a rom-com) like a Gothic nightmare from the first scene.
I find R'sB one of Polanski's weaker films, but this sentence is just rubbish. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 11:02 am |
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Quote: The movie's doom was sealed for me with the ludicrous casting of John Cassavetes in this role. Cassavetes, a talented man, carried with him an undeniable aura of menace. The minute he appeared on screen all claims to Rosemary's sanity went out the window. Why she'd stick with and believe this cobra-eyed creep was beyond me.
That's exactly how I felt when I saw him. "Um, he can't be good!"
The first Polanski film I saw was Knife in the Water, which I saw when I lived in Europe. It was heralded with raves and won many award and of course gave a dynamite start to Roman's career. The movie left me flat, but it did have that underlying ugliness of human nature that Polanski seems to love evoking. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 11:03 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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Rod wrote: billyweeds wrote: Polanski then proceeded to film the thing (which IMO should have been in the style of a rom-com) like a Gothic nightmare from the first scene.
I find R'sB one of Polanski's weaker films, but this sentence is just rubbish.
Noted. I assume, however, that you know the meaning of "IMO." Therefore, I guess you mean that when I express my opinion it is rubbish per se. As noted...noted. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 12:10 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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gromit wrote: Most Polanski films are fairly plodding and humorless.
R's Baby is really pretty slow and static.
Besides Chinatown -- which I think is very, very overrated -- what Polanski films do people favor?
Macbeth, which I think is his best film. Tess is pretty good, but it's slow going. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 12:55 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Location: Shanghai
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How Green Was My Valley.
Not black enough for me.
I usually like Ford and there are elements of good storytelling -- a few good scenes, some brilliant compositions, and a convincing hill-village setting. But overall the film is just a treacly mess with a little sadness sprinkled in. The adult-looking-back voice-over was a bad idea done terribly.
I can't remember the last film in which I laughed more at unintentionally funny moments. I especially got a kick out of the volunteer rescue party -- a half dozen men led by a priest, a blind man and the young son of a missing miner -- going down into the shaft right after a pretty substantial explosion. The fact that they shout and swing picks into rocks added to the silliness. |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| yambu |
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 1:19 pm |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
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Location: SF Bay Area
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| Macbeth goes on my queue. And while I'm at it, so does the BBC TV's Julius Caesar, which I loved back in '79. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 2:01 pm |
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Syd wrote: gromit wrote: Most Polanski films are fairly plodding and humorless.
R's Baby is really pretty slow and static.
Besides Chinatown -- which I think is very, very overrated -- what Polanski films do people favor?
, which I think is his best film. Tess is pretty good, but it's slow going.
My wife and I walked out of Tess during intermission. |
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| whiskeypriest |
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 2:22 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 6916
Location: "It's a Dry Heat."
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gromit wrote: Most Polanski films are fairly plodding and humorless.
R's Baby is really pretty slow and static.
Besides Chinatown -- which I think is very, very overrated -- what Polanski films do people favor?
Repulsion was reasonably good.
And I've been meaning to watch Cul-de-sac for the longest time, but it keeps getting buried by other choices. |
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| bart |
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 2:42 pm |
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Location: Lincoln NE
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I love Bitter Moon.
Marj:
"Finally I saw a marvelous movie the other night. Mr. Brooks is a high class movie, movie with a wonderful performance by Kevin Costner. It's a top notch psychological thriller and some interesting twists and turns."
It's so cool that people here like Mr. Books -- very underrated and unjustly maligned. |
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2007 1:23 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
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| Saw Jesus Camp on A&E. It was one of the nominees for the best documentary Oscar last year. It is scary. I was thoroughly repelled by that fat woman preacher who was hell bent on brainwashing those "born again" kids. Although the makers of the doc are liberal, their views did not come through to any extent as a balance to the rest of the movie. Rev.Ted haggard is featured in the film as a star evangelist pastor. He had to later leave the church after being accused of having gay sex with a prostitute for an extended period of time, but that happened after the movie was released. |
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| ehle64 |
| Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2007 7:38 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 7149
Location: NYC; US&A
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Yeah. Like, right after.
After being raised a Southern Baptist Boy, the movie was all too familiar, all too creepy and IMO, deserved its Best Documentary nomination. |
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