Let the Right One In- 8/10
Didn’t blow me away, but was beautifully shot and had a much larger human element than I originally expected going into it. Very well done.
Within my circle of peers and just about anyone I have spoken with, as far as I can tell I am the only one who seems to be critical of the summer blockbuster. I do not think that it is by any means a horrible film, simply that aside from Heath Ledger’s performance, it is not worthy of the acclaim it received. I have been a fan of Christopher Nolan from his start with ‘Following’ but I honestly feel that he sold out with ‘The Dark Knight’. To begin, Nolan’s films have always been characterized by their superb dialogue, which I think he abandoned in TDK in favor of more action. In my opinion, the lack of action in ‘Batman Begins’ is what makes it such a great film. In doing so, Nolan was able to expand the dialogue in such a way that the audience was truly able to get a grip on Bruce Wayne’s personality and see him as a person rather than a superhero. In a time where shallow, commercial superhero films dominate the box-office, ‘Begins’ rose above and delivered as a film worthy of the ticket price. Additionally, I do not feel that Nolan allowed Christian Bale to act enough, primarily because of the amount of time that was devoted to action. Bale was behind the mask fighting so much that his opportunities to showcase his acting ability, which I believe to be excellent, were extremely few. This, in a sense, detracted from and lowered the human element that Nolan worked so hard to establish in ‘Begins.’
Although there were other things, these were the two that primarily bothered me about the film. Let me know what you guys think.
The Lives of Others
Pan’s Labyrinth
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Fall
4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days
Memento
There Will Be Blood
Rachel Getting Married (possibly)
Donnie Darko is a great film. It’s not going to find itself in the canon of legendary films, but nevertheless it’s a quality piece. Often mistaken for a film solely about time travel and the age old question of “If you could see your future, would you?”, in reality it provides us with a social commentary that focuses on superficiality, much akin to that of American Beauty (minus the sci-fi element).
Yes, this year definitely has been a letdown in terms of the quality of films. Last year their were a good deal of films that I was just remember sitting there and being mesmerized by: There Will Be Blood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The Orphanage, The Savages, No Country for Old Men, The Counterfeiters, I’m Not There, Into the Wild, just to name a few. This year, aside from Slumdog Millionaire and Revolutionary Road, which I have not seen but plan to this weekend, the only two I have seen that have even remotely compared were Synecdoche, New York and Rachel Getting Married. Doubt was very good, but I thought it was still lacking in several areas, especially the storyline, which I felt should have been expanded a bit more.
This is something that I have thought about as well, as I consider most of my favorite films to be ‘heavy’, ‘dark’, and ‘depressing’. More than anything, I think that it is because they are so much more realistic, and thus more moving. I believe the reason why we connect so much with these is that, as a society, we take the ‘good’ to be the social norm and thus anything else to be a deviance. As such, most of the commercial ‘crap’ that always finishes with happy, unrealistic endings is seen by most of us as being boring and unoriginal. Because it is what most people want to see, there is naturally a lack of artistry because the film has been created for the audience rather than for the satisfaction of the director.
In the end, I believe the majority of people simply look at cinema as a form of entertainment, whereas I, like many of you, view it as an art form, a means of expression which lends itself to the creator/artists ideas. Like all other forms of art, there are naturally many artists who have pessimistic viewpoints and prefer to express these through the film arena.
Yeah, I read that there’s going to be a sequel as well, and I’m quite confident that it is going to be an abomination. Apparently the only original cast member that will be in it will be Donnie’s little sister (I forget her name) and I guess the storyline is that she starts having visions of Frank as well. Definitely does not sound very promising. I can’t believe they would make another one-what a shame.
I don’t think this should be a surprise to anyone. If you look at the history of the arts, the men have made up a majority of the population. Within painting for example, we have Picasso, Matisse, Rembrandt, Chegall, etc; within music, all of the famous classical composers are male, and how many female musicians do you know of in rock that can claim the acclaim that such bands as the Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, or Bob Dylan received? None that I can think of. In my opinion, this is due to the fact that, women, being the more emotional of the sexes, are accustomed to showing and revealing their feelings naturally and on an everday basis. Men, on the otherhand, tend to keep these inside and thus use the arts as a medium to express them.
Ya come on-how you can you even consider someone who makes Transformers and The Island to be a quality filmaker? Those movies are complete commercial crap.
I really enjoyed the film, although I did not find it quite as compelling as I thought I would. Streep and Hoffman were their excellent as expected, and Adams fit her role perfectly as the ‘innocent’ schoolteacher. In found just about every aspect of the film to be great, except for the ending. I think the idea was right, but in my opinion Streep’s confession and coming to terms with the dynamics of her actions, as well the process of realizing these, should have been elaborated upon. The final scene was simple too brief for my liking, as I found myself saying “Is that really the culmination of the film?” I have no problem with John Patrick Shanley leaving the issue (whether Hoffman did molest the child or not) ambiguous, as I actually believe it strengthens the film and the audience’s perception of it when they leave the theatre. I believe this is one of those films that will only get stronger and stronger with each additional viewing. In conclusion, I thought it was a very good film, with the only main flaw being that the storyline could have been expanded a bit more.
There’s just so many. I didn’t really get into film until about 3 or so years ago (latter half of my senior year in hs), so I’m caught up on everything since then, but I’m so so far behind on the classics, aka most of the criterions. Luckily, though, I have netflix, which seems to have just about all of them, so I’m slowing getting there.
Yo no soy hispano, pero es mi especialidad y no tengo muchas oportunidades que usarlo fuera de escuela. Espero que no sea un problema para uds que yo use esto como una manera de practicar. El cine española tiene una gran historia, y si quisieras conocer más, sugeriré las siguientes películas para comenzar:
El Laberinto del Fauno (2006)-visualmente es una de las películas más hermosas que he visto
Los Diarios de Motocicleta (2004)-un buen cuento sobre Ché; Gael García Bernal es fantástico-típicamente cualquiera con él tiene mucho valor y calidad
El Orfanato (2007)- hecho por Guillermo del Toro, el mismo director del Laberinto del Fauno
Amores Perros (2000)
Yo me agradecería si uds me dijeran sobre cualquieres errores gramáticos que haga. Gracias.
I recently read a review of Last Year at Marienbad, having had no prior knowledge of it, and it seems to have captured my attention. However, I can’t seem to find it anywhere. Even Netflix doesn’t carry it, so I’m just curious if anybody has a link or something where I might be able to watch it. Thanks.
I’m in Illinois so I guess I’ll just have to wait until Criterion releases it. Even if I had the money, I don’t think I’d pay $170 for something I’d never seen, although it would be nice to have that much disposable income. Thanks for the help though guys.
I don’t believe it is so much that he hasn’t had roles lately, but rather that he has been forgotten and does truly not receive any of the recognition he deserves. It seems to me that because of ‘Dumb and Dumber’ and ‘Full House’ he has been characterized as an actor simply of comedic endeavors. However, he is actually an extremely talented performer who has taken on some serious roles and brought them to life. In recent memory, for example, the two that come to my mind most are those which he played in ‘The Squid and the Whale’ and ‘The Lookout’. In the former, he plays an English professor who seems to be failing as much in his writing as in his personal life, while in the latter he plays a blind man living alongside Joseph Gordan-Levitt in a somewhat halfway house. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel that talent-wise, when he takes the right roles, he is one of the premier actors in Hollywood.
What great films do you violently hate for no other reason than because you're a total idiot? over 3 years ago
The entire Indiana Jones series. To me they’re all still a bunch of commercial cinema devoid of any substance.
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Last movie you saw and rate it over 3 years ago
Let the Right One In- 8/10
Didn’t blow me away, but was beautifully shot and had a much larger human element than I originally expected going into it. Very well done.
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Does anyone else feel THE DARK KNIGHT is way overrated? over 3 years ago
Within my circle of peers and just about anyone I have spoken with, as far as I can tell I am the only one who seems to be critical of the summer blockbuster. I do not think that it is by any means a horrible film, simply that aside from Heath Ledger’s performance, it is not worthy of the acclaim it received. I have been a fan of Christopher Nolan from his start with ‘Following’ but I honestly feel that he sold out with ‘The Dark Knight’. To begin, Nolan’s films have always been characterized by their superb dialogue, which I think he abandoned in TDK in favor of more action. In my opinion, the lack of action in ‘Batman Begins’ is what makes it such a great film. In doing so, Nolan was able to expand the dialogue in such a way that the audience was truly able to get a grip on Bruce Wayne’s personality and see him as a person rather than a superhero. In a time where shallow, commercial superhero films dominate the box-office, ‘Begins’ rose above and delivered as a film worthy of the ticket price. Additionally, I do not feel that Nolan allowed Christian Bale to act enough, primarily because of the amount of time that was devoted to action. Bale was behind the mask fighting so much that his opportunities to showcase his acting ability, which I believe to be excellent, were extremely few. This, in a sense, detracted from and lowered the human element that Nolan worked so hard to establish in ‘Begins.’
Although there were other things, these were the two that primarily bothered me about the film. Let me know what you guys think.
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Films that changed how you looked at cinema over 3 years ago
Memento
I watched it in my junior English class and it made me realize that film was truly an art, not just some form of entertainment to pass the time.
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Obscure recommendations over 3 years ago
Mean Creek (2004)
-Brilliant screenplay and performances; some of the best drama I’ve ever seen
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WHICH MOVIES...PUT OUT IN LAST 5 YEARS...DO YOU THINK WILL ONE DAY JOIN THE CRITERION COLLECTION? over 3 years ago
The Lives of Others
Pan’s Labyrinth
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Fall
4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days
Memento
There Will Be Blood
Rachel Getting Married (possibly)
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WHICH MOVIES...PUT OUT IN LAST 5 YEARS...DO YOU THINK WILL ONE DAY JOIN THE CRITERION COLLECTION? over 3 years ago
oh whoops memento was 2001…oh well though i still think it’s criterion-worthy
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Thoughts on 'Donnie Darko' over 3 years ago
Donnie Darko is a great film. It’s not going to find itself in the canon of legendary films, but nevertheless it’s a quality piece. Often mistaken for a film solely about time travel and the age old question of “If you could see your future, would you?”, in reality it provides us with a social commentary that focuses on superficiality, much akin to that of American Beauty (minus the sci-fi element).
Go to Comment
Any Thoughts on Grand Illusion? over 3 years ago
Great, but not as good as Rules of the Game in my opinion.
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2008 - A Horrendous year for film? over 3 years ago
Yes, this year definitely has been a letdown in terms of the quality of films. Last year their were a good deal of films that I was just remember sitting there and being mesmerized by: There Will Be Blood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The Orphanage, The Savages, No Country for Old Men, The Counterfeiters, I’m Not There, Into the Wild, just to name a few. This year, aside from Slumdog Millionaire and Revolutionary Road, which I have not seen but plan to this weekend, the only two I have seen that have even remotely compared were Synecdoche, New York and Rachel Getting Married. Doubt was very good, but I thought it was still lacking in several areas, especially the storyline, which I felt should have been expanded a bit more.
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favorite funniest movie over 3 years ago
Best in Show is great, keeping on the Christopher Guest theme.
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Do great films have to be depressing and bleak to be great? over 3 years ago
This is something that I have thought about as well, as I consider most of my favorite films to be ‘heavy’, ‘dark’, and ‘depressing’. More than anything, I think that it is because they are so much more realistic, and thus more moving. I believe the reason why we connect so much with these is that, as a society, we take the ‘good’ to be the social norm and thus anything else to be a deviance. As such, most of the commercial ‘crap’ that always finishes with happy, unrealistic endings is seen by most of us as being boring and unoriginal. Because it is what most people want to see, there is naturally a lack of artistry because the film has been created for the audience rather than for the satisfaction of the director.
In the end, I believe the majority of people simply look at cinema as a form of entertainment, whereas I, like many of you, view it as an art form, a means of expression which lends itself to the creator/artists ideas. Like all other forms of art, there are naturally many artists who have pessimistic viewpoints and prefer to express these through the film arena.
Go to Comment
Thoughts on 'Donnie Darko' over 3 years ago
Yeah, I read that there’s going to be a sequel as well, and I’m quite confident that it is going to be an abomination. Apparently the only original cast member that will be in it will be Donnie’s little sister (I forget her name) and I guess the storyline is that she starts having visions of Frank as well. Definitely does not sound very promising. I can’t believe they would make another one-what a shame.
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Why I cannot see watch any of the free films? over 3 years ago
are there free films? that would be awesome
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Why I cannot see watch any of the free films? over 3 years ago
awesome! thanks a lot!
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Cinephilia and Gender over 3 years ago
I don’t think this should be a surprise to anyone. If you look at the history of the arts, the men have made up a majority of the population. Within painting for example, we have Picasso, Matisse, Rembrandt, Chegall, etc; within music, all of the famous classical composers are male, and how many female musicians do you know of in rock that can claim the acclaim that such bands as the Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, or Bob Dylan received? None that I can think of. In my opinion, this is due to the fact that, women, being the more emotional of the sexes, are accustomed to showing and revealing their feelings naturally and on an everday basis. Men, on the otherhand, tend to keep these inside and thus use the arts as a medium to express them.
Go to Comment
WHO ARE THE UNDER-RATED DIRECTORS? over 3 years ago
Ya come on-how you can you even consider someone who makes Transformers and The Island to be a quality filmaker? Those movies are complete commercial crap.
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Great Sports Films over 3 years ago
I absolutely love Cinderella Man, but I’m not sure if it could be considered Criterion-worthy or not.
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A List of Good Repertory/Specialty Theatres in Your Various Cities over 3 years ago
St. Louis
Pretty much all we have are a couple Landmark Theatres, which are quite good and get most of the independent/foreign films
Plaza Frontenac Theatre
Tivoli Theatre
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Doubt over 3 years ago
I really enjoyed the film, although I did not find it quite as compelling as I thought I would. Streep and Hoffman were their excellent as expected, and Adams fit her role perfectly as the ‘innocent’ schoolteacher. In found just about every aspect of the film to be great, except for the ending. I think the idea was right, but in my opinion Streep’s confession and coming to terms with the dynamics of her actions, as well the process of realizing these, should have been elaborated upon. The final scene was simple too brief for my liking, as I found myself saying “Is that really the culmination of the film?” I have no problem with John Patrick Shanley leaving the issue (whether Hoffman did molest the child or not) ambiguous, as I actually believe it strengthens the film and the audience’s perception of it when they leave the theatre. I believe this is one of those films that will only get stronger and stronger with each additional viewing. In conclusion, I thought it was a very good film, with the only main flaw being that the storyline could have been expanded a bit more.
Go to Comment
WHICH MOVIES...PUT OUT IN LAST 5 YEARS...DO YOU THINK WILL ONE DAY JOIN THE CRITERION COLLECTION? over 3 years ago
For the ump-teenth time, Wes Anderson’s latest film is called THE DARJEELING LIMITED, not the Darjeeling Express.
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Age / Level of education? (An informal poll) over 3 years ago
19, sophomore spanish major with a photography minor
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CONFESSIONS--FILMS YOU ARE ASHAMED TO SAY YOU HAVE NOT SEEN (YET) over 3 years ago
There’s just so many. I didn’t really get into film until about 3 or so years ago (latter half of my senior year in hs), so I’m caught up on everything since then, but I’m so so far behind on the classics, aka most of the criterions. Luckily, though, I have netflix, which seems to have just about all of them, so I’m slowing getting there.
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una pelicula hablada en español que jamas va a olvidar over 3 years ago
Yo no soy hispano, pero es mi especialidad y no tengo muchas oportunidades que usarlo fuera de escuela. Espero que no sea un problema para uds que yo use esto como una manera de practicar. El cine española tiene una gran historia, y si quisieras conocer más, sugeriré las siguientes películas para comenzar:
El Laberinto del Fauno (2006)-visualmente es una de las películas más hermosas que he visto
Los Diarios de Motocicleta (2004)-un buen cuento sobre Ché; Gael García Bernal es fantástico-típicamente cualquiera con él tiene mucho valor y calidad
El Orfanato (2007)- hecho por Guillermo del Toro, el mismo director del Laberinto del Fauno
Amores Perros (2000)
Yo me agradecería si uds me dijeran sobre cualquieres errores gramáticos que haga. Gracias.
Go to Comment
Where Can I find Last Year at Marienbad? over 3 years ago
I recently read a review of Last Year at Marienbad, having had no prior knowledge of it, and it seems to have captured my attention. However, I can’t seem to find it anywhere. Even Netflix doesn’t carry it, so I’m just curious if anybody has a link or something where I might be able to watch it. Thanks.
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Where Can I find Last Year at Marienbad? over 3 years ago
I’m in Illinois so I guess I’ll just have to wait until Criterion releases it. Even if I had the money, I don’t think I’d pay $170 for something I’d never seen, although it would be nice to have that much disposable income. Thanks for the help though guys.
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Underutilized Character Actors Working Today over 3 years ago
Jeff Daniels
I don’t believe it is so much that he hasn’t had roles lately, but rather that he has been forgotten and does truly not receive any of the recognition he deserves. It seems to me that because of ‘Dumb and Dumber’ and ‘Full House’ he has been characterized as an actor simply of comedic endeavors. However, he is actually an extremely talented performer who has taken on some serious roles and brought them to life. In recent memory, for example, the two that come to my mind most are those which he played in ‘The Squid and the Whale’ and ‘The Lookout’. In the former, he plays an English professor who seems to be failing as much in his writing as in his personal life, while in the latter he plays a blind man living alongside Joseph Gordan-Levitt in a somewhat halfway house. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel that talent-wise, when he takes the right roles, he is one of the premier actors in Hollywood.
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Underutilized Character Actors Working Today over 3 years ago
oh geez i’m an idiot…not sure why i always thought that…they do kind of look alike…thanks for the heads up
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Best Picture Oscar 2009 over 3 years ago
If I were to choose, I would select The Wrestler or Synecdoche New York, but I have the feeling the Academy will pick Revolutionary Road.
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Quote - Unquote over 3 years ago
“The language of film is universal”…i honestly don’t know who said it, but it’s always stuck with me
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