Sunday
Nov132016
Open Thread
Sunday, November 13, 2016 at 9:05AM Good morning! New podcast coming up in quick featuring Arrival. But what's on your mind this morning? Anything cinematic?
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Reader Comments (33)
I've been pretty cynical towards superhero films recently. To the point where I felt disappointed once Doctor Strange had a record opening weekend even though I haven't even seen the film.
Good timing! I saw Arrival two days ago, and I really love it. Can you guys please talk about the ending! The person I went with thought the movie could have been shorter but personally I like the slow built up. I went to see it late afternoon and it was a full house. I was really surprised because I when I went to see Batman v. Superman (first week) it was empty. I think everyone had a good time. I overheard people talking about how they enjoyed it on the way out. There were moments where people laughed out loud and moments where the room was dead silent. Except for this one guy, who fell asleep and was snoring half way through the movie. Well... we can't have it.
Thinking about how, in the wake of Leonard Cohen's passing, I really need to see McCabe & Mrs. Miller, the biggest gap in my Altman super-fandom.
Thinking about how perfect a movie The Handmaiden was to completely escape from the US election reality with a plot that you can't help hanging on, and a story that is as subversive as it gets.
Thinking about how much I'm looking forward to seeing Moonlight this week, then listening to your podcast.
episode101 -- good to hear it was a full house.
mike -- mccabe and mrs miller is amazing.
matt -i understand the feeling
I saw Queen of Katwe. Mira Nair is an undervalued director.
Nair is a great humanist director, like Jean Renoir.
It really burns me that people dismiss and ignore the artist in their midst. Yet they are so quick to jump on the bandwagon for the latest male wunderkind with his first or second movie.
My wish list for Best Director includes:
Mira Nair: Queen of Katwe
Ava du Vernay: 13th
Kelly Reichardt: Certain Women
Adri - i remember that Allison Anders once talked about this very phenomenon way back in the early 90s when she had an arthouse hit with GAS FOOD LODGING. she was like there's no "girl wonder" template for media excitement but boy wonder for emerging male directors still resonates with everyone instantly or something to that effect.
just one of the many many many examples of our society's misogyny.
The production of The Crucible I've been working on with high school students opens this week. I still think of Daniel Day-Lewis' totally overplayed "Because it is My NAAaAAAaaMMME" line read at the climax whenever we get to Act IV; so does the director, the scenic painter, the A/V club supervisor, half the cast, and any teacher who wanders into the auditorium during that moment. The kid playing John Proctor is not going anywhere near that level of absurdity, but we can't help ourselves. The show ends and we all start shouting it out.
Our Abigail Williams also just watched the film and said "Wow. I thought I was playing her as a crazy bitch. That was something else."
So, you know, there's a reason why we told the children not to watch that film version while the adults all secretly rewatched it separately without planning to.
" Arrival" could have been shorter- the middle was slow- it's more of a character study drama that your usual alien invasion movie- the " Independence Day " crowd is not going to like it .
@episode101: I saw Arrival this weekend as well with 30+ members of my film group -- there was much love all around for this film. And not to give anything away, but a typical film trope is not what it first seems to be, which will be a clarifying key to understanding the film. Arrival explores and shares similar themes with the great sci-fi films, delving into our understanding of common humanity and humankind's place in the universe.
Arrival SPOILERS
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Don't you have time travel loops in movies? It never makes any sense. I was rolling my eyes in that General Shang scene in the future. I liked the movie till the future thing was revealed. Amy Adams was great and I think there's a nomination coming.
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End of Spoiler
I mean "don't you HATE"
Is it over for those Oscarless 80's ladies Weaver,Close,Hershey,Winger,Pfieffer,Turner & Griiffith
@ Craig
delving into our understanding of common humanity and humankind's place in the universe.
this is what space-related films should attempt to explore
this is why Interstellar is far more moving and memorable to me than Gravity
The Martian doesn't even get close to any of this stuff = a guy-flick set on Mars, basically.
saw Arrival on Friday and I can't stop thinking or talking about it.
Where the fuck is Benh Zeitlin is whats i am thinking.
@yavor: You mirror my thoughts exactly. I could have written what you posted.
@cal roth: I generally agree with you re: that particular plot device -- it's oftentimes a lazy and intellectually dishonest filmmaking technique. But in the case of Arrival, its use was central to the plot and structure, and was foundational to the overall theme. And I disagree with your assessment of the referenced scene. Just from an expository standpoint, it made sense and helped tie all the plot threads together.
Is Hellraiser really just one big anti-kink PSA? I ask this seriously. Its logic is more tenuous than that in Reefer Madness.
Saw Moonlight and was completely engrossed. Beautiful, touching film.
I rewatched Julius Caesar and can't really put my finger on why exactly Brando was nominated (but damn, he was pretty). The film belonged to James Mason and John Gielgud as Brutus and Cassius, respectively.
@MarkGordon Quick! Somebody write the script for that dream cast you just listed!
I saw Arrival & loved it. Only slightly disappointed by ****Spoiler alert*****
Jeremy Renner's 'want to make a baby?' line at the end. I thought the film and Adams had done a tremendous job of conveying her character's decision without having to spoon feed the audience.
Can't fault it other than that. Our screening at 5pm in London was also full. I also watched Damage this weekend... Miranda Richardson aside, what a load of pretentious shit. Ghost in the Shell trailer looks amazing!
My theatre of choice doesn't usually have sell out crowds, but when I went Friday evening more than half of the evening showings were sold out - and for that I am grateful.
I'm still having trouble thinking about anything other than the election. However, in cinematic terms, I'm just waiting for this all to end like A Face in the Crowd, preferably sooner rather than later.
Yavor: I wanted to love Interstellar, mostly because it was clearly TRYING to be more than Gravity or The Martian. But there's just way too much wrong with it in terms of pacing, unjustified optimism within the aesthetic and character sympathy placements (especially Anne Hathaway) within the aesthetic for me to view it as anything other than a theoretically interesting near total failure. If it were two hours long and the macro aesthetics aimed for Star Trek TOS? (Side note: That also would have saved them, what, $50-60 million?) I think Interstellar could have worked. But it didn't, so it doesn't.
The problem with " Interstellar" is that the movie had too many endings.
Loving and Manchester by the Sea were the perfect films for this post-election weekend.
@ Volvagia:
"I wanted to love Interstellar" - I had no idea what the movie was about. I only knew it was sort of about space. Watched no trailers. Read no reviews or blogposts.
Retrospectively speaking, Interstellar just managed to stay with me. Gravity hasn't managed to leave a good enough footprint.
I had to go back here because I've just seen Hacksaw Ridge and I an feeling guilty for having loved it in spite of not even being a Christian? Andrew Garfield was so good. The whole movie felt like a vintage war movie when this kid of character was acceptable. Please help me?
^^No help, Cal. Two friends of mine ("ethnically diverse" American gay couple, early '30s) saw it recently and had the same reaction. Said it was the best picture they'd seen this year. I barfed.
After thum-sucking on Twitter too long post-election I forced myself to go see Arrival.
Which was fabulous. My love for Amy Adams is back in full force.
Then today you give me this podcast - thank you.
Btw. I'm finding listening to the audio book of Lord of the Rings is cathartic for all my post election dread.
Dr Strange is very good indeed. At least an Oscar nom for visual effect is guaranteed.
Moonrise Kingdom soothes my soul alright. Young love always makes me cry somehow.
THE CROWN! Such a goddamn great TV. Claire Foy and Vanessa Kirby rock my world!
ARRIVAL is incredible and easily surpassed Sing Street to become my favorite of the year....
that is until La La Land FINALLY comes out.
RIP Lupita Tovar, age 106.
Star of Drácula (Spanish-language version).
Mother of Susan Kohner (Imitation of Life).
Grandmother of the Weitz brothers.
Why doesn't Sarah Lancashire take more roles? OMG, such a good actress. At least she got a Critics Choice nod for The Dresser (excellent performance in a heartbreaking role). And I love Vanessa Kirby (also good in The Dresser). Her performance as Princess Margaret in The Crown is terrific.
Saw Arrival and really kind of loved it, despite so flaws others have mentioned. What HASN'T been mentioned is the score. I loved the ~plink...plink...plunk~ when the team first goes inside the spaceship and throughout their interactions with the aliens. It was both menacing and mischievous, which seems both difficult to combine and entirely appropriate for what they were trying to convey.
Thought Adams was great but not sure she should be able to crack the top 5 this year. Loved her professional relationship with Renner. It so easily could have been antagonistic, with the asshole alpha male refusing to take orders from or be the sidekick to a woman, but it refreshingly avoided that drama in a low-key way.