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| inlareviewer |
 Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 7:01 pm |
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Joined: 05 Jul 2004
Posts: 1949
Location: Lawrence, KS
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jeremy, thank you, an annus horribilus indeed. Hadn't quite made up my mind to be so specific, but there it is. Away From Her is quite different from Iris in its restraint of behavioral/situational focus, and the insulating/diffusing aspect of the double-casting in the earlier film.
marantzo, thank you. Shadowlands would have destroyed me at the time it came out. Can only empathize. Kramer vs Kramer was unavoidable; plus, I was younger and callower, but wholly identified with Justin Henry, for starters. That which does not quell us makes us stranger.
Edited for the copious coping-mechanism aspects. |
Last edited by inlareviewer on Tue Jan 15, 2008 4:04 am; edited 4 times in total
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| ehle64 |
| Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 7:06 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 7149
Location: NYC; US&A
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| inla -- i'm right there with you on the side of seeing films that cut so close to the bone -- I was a wreck after seeing Iris, not so much after Away From Her. I am in total agreement that Ms. Polley did an astounding job of telling the story and letting that situation be what you experience. No hammers. Iris had a few hammers knocking, but I still loved it. So sorry for your loss. |
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| inlareviewer |
| Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 7:14 pm |
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Joined: 05 Jul 2004
Posts: 1949
Location: Lawrence, KS
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| ehle: Right? The only reason Iris didn't wreck me now is because it hasn't been seen since it came out, and the parental aspects weren't then so acute. And thank you. |
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"And take extra care with strangers/Even flowers have their dangers/And though scary is exciting/Nice is different than good." --Stephen Sondheim |
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| Trish |
| Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 8:37 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 2438
Location: Massachusetts
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Recently watched Year of the Dog and Fido - enjoyed them both very much. In YOTD Molly Shannon is excellent as a very kind secretary whose loss of a beloved pet/companion leaves a gaping hole and creates/invites chaos and change in her very calm contained life. I give her high marks for creating a genuine person not just some over-the-top snl character skit. She showed some real dramatic chops.
Fido was this entertainingly quirky period film (50s) that was a lot of fun and endearing. Essentially, years after an outbreak of Zombism almost cripples the land, a company finds a way , via use of a sort of electronic dog collar, to domesticate/control zombies so they can be utilized for labor, household helps etc. One boy sees beyond a "pet" zombie's seemingly dull mind.
Highly recommend both films |
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| Earl |
| Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 9:14 pm |
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Joined: 09 Jun 2004
Posts: 2621
Location: Houston
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Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut
Saw this at a Midnight show last night on the spur of the moment. I never saw the movie on its original release, so I can only assume that the first cut is an even more confusing mess than this one.
Perhaps "mess" is harsh because there was obviously filmmaking talent on both sides of the camera. Richard Kelly wrote and directed it, and he has a good eye for making a suburban landscape appear eerie in a way that I hadn't seen before. Even in scenes of bright daylight there seemed to be an approaching darkness just on the other side of the horizon. And Jake Gyllenhaal's smile, especially when "Frank" was talking to him, chilled me to the very bone.
But what to make of the story, with all its talk of Primary and Tangent Universes? I think, after only one viewing, I might be able to come up with a path (a wormhole, if you will) that would take me directly from the early scenes of Donnie Darko (the jet engine falling through the roof) to the end scene. And my path maybe, just maybe, would be something that almost made some kind of tenous sense. But my path would not involve anything that the movie showed us in between those two scenes. The thing is, my path would not be nearly as interesting as the movie's. What's that French term? Belle melange or "beautiful mess." Perhaps "mess" isn't so harsh when used that way.
There was a guy in line last night talking loudly about the fact that the front of his Donnie Darko tee shirt was riddled with plot spoilers. From several feet away I could tell that it had lots of writing on it, but I was, thankfully, too far away to tell what it said. "Gee," he said unconvincingly, "maybe I shouldn't have worn this in case someone here hasn't seen the movie." Then loudly to all, "If you haven't seen Donnie Darko don't look at me!" I couldn't find him after the movie was over. I wanted to tell him that he needn't have bothered with the warning. You have to know what happens in a movie before you can spoil it for others. I'm not sure anyone can say with certainty what hapens in Donnie Darko. Indeed, now that I've seen it, I wouldn't mind some spoilers. |
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| bart |
| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 11:45 am |
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Joined: 05 Dec 2005
Posts: 2381
Location: Lincoln NE
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Trish, I am so glad you caught "Fido" --
"Fido was this entertainingly quirky period film (50s) that was a lot of fun and endearing. Essentially, years after an outbreak of Zombism almost cripples the land, a company finds a way , via use of a sort of electronic dog collar, to domesticate/control zombies so they can be utilized for labor, household helps etc. One boy sees beyond a "pet" zombie's seemingly dull mind."
I heaped praise on it here a month or two ago. Easily one of the two or three funniest films of the year. Guided by the delicious irony of a zombie who proves to be more emotionally responsive than the ostensibly normal head of the house. |
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| bart |
| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 11:49 am |
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Joined: 05 Dec 2005
Posts: 2381
Location: Lincoln NE
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| BTW, like the notion of YotD and Fido as a double-feature and the sort of misleading connection it creates. LOL. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 12:55 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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Earl, I preferred the director's cut as it seemed to flow better. And one thing was better explained, but I forget now what.
I gather that most DD fans preferred the original and felt the director's cut made things too explicit.
I thought it was a fun, clever film. Especially enjoyed the way Jake and Maggie played of each other. My first exposure to both of them. |
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| Nancy |
| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 3:26 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4607
Location: Norman, OK
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marantzo wrote: Kramer vs Kramer came out shortly after my divorce and never had the least interest in seeing it. I still haven't. I go to movies to enjoy myself, not to suffer.
When Kramer vs. Kramer came out, I attempted to see it. As the child of divorced parents, I found that it cut way too close to the bone. I had to adjourn to the lobby for a good chunk of the movie. I've never yet seen all of it, and never will. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 3:43 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| Kramer vs. Kramer was okay, but the nominee which I liked best then and now is Breaking Away. Being There and Manhattan also came out that year and weren't nominated for Best Picture. |
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| mo_flixx |
| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 7:37 pm |
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Joined: 30 May 2004
Posts: 12533
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I'm in the midst of my mini-Romanian film fest. I watched "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu" and have just started "12:08 East of Bucharest."
I forgot a footnote to my comments on touring Romania. I didn't see much evidence of drunks, BUT homemade moonshine (plum brandy which tastes exactly like Slivovitz) is extremely popular. Out in the country there seem to be lots of stills and you can buy a bottle for about $10. The stuff is very potent...you slug down a tiny glass before a meal. Then you drink Romanian wine (which wasn't the greatest). The beer was fine.
I bought a few bottles but was over the alcohol allowance to bring them back to the states. I gave them to my Romanian tour guide who was delighted. She knew who all the best moonshiners were, so I made sure to tell her which bottle was which. |
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| chillywilly |
| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 9:10 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 8251
Location: Salt Lake City
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| Breaking Away was an awesome film. Pretty much a coming-of-age movie that I always liked as a kid. |
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Chilly
"If you should die before me / Ask if you could bring a friend" |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 11:48 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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Away from Her is a very gracefully acted and directed film, telling a very painful story in a way that doesn't turn it into melodrama. Sarah Polley is generally very good in her first direction of a featured film. It's clear she learned a lot from Atom Egoyan, who directed her in The Sweet Hereafter, one of my favorite films from the 90s. I think she shows promise that she may surpass her mentor.
Gordon Pinsent should NOT be considered for supporting actor. He is the male lead, is in virtually every scene of the movie, and is even more the focus of the story than Julie Christie (who is also a lead). |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 11:53 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| I can't compare Away from Her to other Alzheimer's movies since I don't watch them. It's a painful subject and too easy to turn Hollywoodish. I watched this one because I like Sarah Polley and trusted her to do a good job with it (checking out the buzz first to be sure). |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 11:53 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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Syd wrote:
Gordon Pinsent should NOT be considered for supporting actor. He is the male lead, is in virtually every scene of the movie, and is even more the focus of the story than Julie Christie (who is also a lead).
So true. Christie's is more a supporting performance than Pinsent's. |
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