stone monkey, on 10 December 2013 - 11:15 PM, said:
QuickTidal, on 10 December 2013 - 10:58 PM, said:
Disagree, one of the big threads ion the book is DEFINITELY reincarnation. That's actually the entire point of the birthmark...what book were you reading?
And dude, why say people "didn't understand something" because their subjective view of it differs from yours?
There's a pretty major clue as to why they can't be reincarnations because, based on their ages, Luisa Rey and Timothy Cavendish have to be alive at the same time i.e. during the early 70s. Of course, that's only the case if you're working from the assumption that Luisa isn't fictional.
So yeah...
I think the birthmark coupled with Mitchell's comments about the narrative being about "echoes, eddies and cross-references"...speak loudly to reincarnation, if not directly.
"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora
"Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone." ~Ursula Vernon
I agree the book definitely has a re-incarnation theme, however I think it is left partly ambiguous so you don't have to accept it. The movie beats you on the head with it using the same actors again and again. Beyond the re-incarnation theme though I think the book is dealing with how history/story repeats itself and how mankind as a whole is going through a slow enlightenment (the slow enlightenment of one souls I think is an allegory for this larger theme), parts of humanity is compassionate other parts are exploitative. The most obvious comparison is the first story and the neo-seoul story compared the first shows how humanity keeps slaves and through one act of compassion one man grows to learn its wrong. Never shown but we know that slavery is eventually abolished (in theory anyway). Skip ahead a few hundred years and slavery is back though, humanity has arguably taken a step back but again we have some humans who still see it as wrong. This theme is also co-expressed through the constant changes in heights (literally I mean) they take through the book, ascending hills, descending tunnels etc etc becoming more enlightened but sometimes slipping back down. The story arguably for some has more weight when you realize the privileged man who accepted slavery but then fought to end it after an act of compassion by a slave, is the slave that needs rescuing in the later story. Even if you don't though the idea is clear, be careful how you treat your fellow man, one day it could be you.
The other stories are also about exploitation just in a different way, blowing up a nuclear plant to make oil more valuable, or keeping an old man a prisoner in a care facility to profit from his money. In both cases we see the dark and light in mans soul.
Haven't watched cloud atlas yet, its on my list of things to watch, basically when I get the tv alone, its not the kind of I want to sit through listening to questions the whole way through. (thoroughly enjoyed the book)
having not seen the adaptation I don't know how they dealt with it. I thought myself that it was about
Spoiler
the ability of man to place themselves above others by devalueing others worth. (Bear with me, bad with remembering names) especially in neo seoll where its considered dangerous that the autobots can become self aware, that they might have something as individualistic as a soul, that would elevate their "worth" in the grand scheme of life. Its easier to trod down on something you have convinced yourself and everyone else is worthless.
the cyclical feel of the story (for me) reinforced this, started and ended with the destruction of cultures by a violet marauder. For all man kinds advancement, we ended slavery, so the big business put their profiteering needs above others, we blow up the world, the corporations have pushed further, creating the autobots to do the work, setting citizens above these 'souless' automons. For all we advance, we're still a horrible species that can and will continue to look down on others to justify any action we want to further our own ends (in a very broadly speaking sense) until we roll right around to our post apocalyptic dark ages where the man with the Biggest sword is king yet again (not a karsa sword, but that could well be the case were he a large fellow)
but that was my take on it, intend to watch it over the holidays, and will then comment and try keep this thread on rails
recently have watched:
We're the Millers -
an acceptable comedy, not breaking any molds for sure and well it was somewhat predictable most of the way through. That said it was enjoyable enough because of the occasional surprise and the jokes were well enough executed. And Jen Anniston is looking well for her age, and is a passable stripper.
Seeking a friend for the end of the world-
Really enjoyed this, simple fare, and again predictable, but not in an annoying way.
Carrell steps slightly beyond his usual socially inept 40 year old loser, but not too far. His character is likeable a d Kiera Knightly didn't iritate me at all because she was playing a square jawed strong woman type, she was a quirky pot head square jawed type.
this review is going nowhere. Suffice to say its not entirely what I expected, there's no set piece hits, its not that kind of show, its a nice little slow easy going comedy without the belly laughs. But a little smile on my face most of the way through.
Lincoln Lawyer -
Seen it before, enjoyed it this time round as well
McCaughnahey (sp?) showing he actually can do more than take his top off and make women swoon. Solid performance from all the cast, though Ryan Phillipe (sp?) steals the show for me for some reason, just his personality switches depending on who he's talking too.
definitely watchable.
Gatsby-
have never read the book, nor knew anything about the great gatsby before popping the dvd in the tray.
Loved it, small cast and limited locations make two actors that I don't overly like look very good (Di and Maguire).
No idea how it matches to the source material but its made me want to read the book, for the first half hour, forty five I couldn't really think of a point to what was going on at all but it came together very nicely and the finish up was perfect for me, no loose ends and a fitting picture of how feckless people really can be.
I've actually watched a ton of films recently but I struggle to recall such things on a short term.
This post has been edited by Macros: 19 December 2013 - 07:50 PM
Upon the recommendations of a few friends, I just sat through watching UPSTREAM COLOR. That is probably in the top ten most pretentious, filmic pieces of unintelligible pointless twaddle I've ever seen.
Now, I understand why some people like it as a "sensory experience"...but it's buried in a plot that wants you to think it's clever, and it's not. Terribly stilted dialogue (though I assume that's part of the point). The score was lovely though...so there's that. Otherwise, not at all my bag.
I get what it's about...and why Carruther's made it...but man I did NOT like that.
"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora
"Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone." ~Ursula Vernon
Funny. I quite liked it and thought it one if the more affecting movies of the year. Saw it months ago and still think of it.
You might like Lootera, if you can get a subbed copy.
Yeah, most of my film friends loved the shit out of it...and so I went in HOPING I'd like it...even though I thought the trailer made it look like Malickian style stuff that I don't normally go for. I'm kind of sad I didn't care for it. It actualy began with some solid promise...but once the second "stage" (I guess) of the organism took place with Jeff Meeting Kira (?)...it just went off the rails for me.
I will be buying that soundtrack though. Carruther's outdid himself there.
I'll look up Lootera though. (Watched trailer...no subtitles, but it looks pretty good, will defo look out for it)
This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 20 December 2013 - 03:17 AM
"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora
"Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone." ~Ursula Vernon
Wow, I gave David O. Russel a lot of leeway from SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK...but HUSTLE was just bad. Tortuously long AND bad.
I mean it's serviceable and has some good performances...Jennifer Lawrence (even though her part is smaller) is the standout.
But man, it drags, and contains long conversations that don't concern plot...and I dunno I never felt attached to any of the characters.
Just all around rough.
Oh, and for a movie that takes place in the late 70's...the soundtrack could have been EXCELLENT....and it's pitiful.
Additionally the film starts in media res...for no apparent reason. It literally catches up to the scene a half hour to 45 minutes in...and then continues to run for another 2 hours. It's like David O. Russell decided that he wanted to use such narrative trickery and didn't know how. Seriously, there is a scene a while later in the film that would have been a PERFECT mid-story point to catch up to...when I got to that scene I thought very loudly in my head "Why the fuck didn't we start HERE?!" Anyways, irritating use of that trope.
This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 21 December 2013 - 02:19 PM
"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora
"Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone." ~Ursula Vernon
I finally saw THE ROAD last night. I know, its old, but I saw it and can check it off. I thought it was great, but the kid calling his dad "Papa" the whole time was jarring. Been a couple years since I read the book, so not sure how they line up, which is fine with me. I liked both.
Theorizing that one could poop within his own lifetime, Doctor Poopet led an elite group of scientists into the desert to develop a top secret project, known as QUANTUM POOP. Pressured to prove his theories or lose funding, Doctor Poopet, prematurely stepped into the Poop Accelerator and vanished. He awoke to find himself in the past, suffering from partial amnesia and facing a mirror image that was not his own. Fortunately, contact with his own bowels was made through brainwave transmissions, with Al the Poop Observer, who appeared in the form of a hologram that only Doctor Poopet could see and hear. Trapped in the past, Doctor Poopet finds himself pooping from life to life, pooping things right, that once went wrong and hoping each time, that his next poop will be the poop home.
HER was quirky, a tad strange and oftimes uncomfortably awkward...I'll wager that was the point though...but overall it's quite good. Great production design and cinematography, and a hipster-esque near future setting. It asks a lot of itself and of people's inner turmoil about connections and relationships, but ultimately is uplifting-esque...I mean it's not AMELIE-level uplifting...but decent.
"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora
"Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone." ~Ursula Vernon
Wow, I gave David O. Russel a lot of leeway from SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK...but HUSTLE was just bad. Tortuously long AND bad.
I mean it's serviceable and has some good performances...Jennifer Lawrence (even though her part is smaller) is the standout.
But man, it drags, and contains long conversations that don't concern plot...and I dunno I never felt attached to any of the characters.
Just all around rough.
Oh, and for a movie that takes place in the late 70's...the soundtrack could have been EXCELLENT....and it's pitiful.
Additionally the film starts in media res...for no apparent reason. It literally catches up to the scene a half hour to 45 minutes in...and then continues to run for another 2 hours. It's like David O. Russell decided that he wanted to use such narrative trickery and didn't know how. Seriously, there is a scene a while later in the film that would have been a PERFECT mid-story point to catch up to...when I got to that scene I thought very loudly in my head "Why the fuck didn't we start HERE?!" Anyways, irritating use of that trope.
The opening scene is used to show three things - that one character is not a good con man, that the actual con man solves problems and that the FBI is involved. It sets the table from the get go and then back-fills on the characters until we get to the catch-up and proceed to the rest of the story.
Which scene were you thinking of as the better catch-up point?
I quite liked this movie. It's not a perfect movie or going to change things, but it's an ensemble of some very, very interesting characters played extremely well by all actors involved. Seriously, every performance in this movie is stellar - with Jennifer Lawrence being the highest point. She's setting up to be the next Meryl Streep with this run. I knew when I saw Winter's Bone that she was incredible, but she's stuck it out with some not-Winter's Bone-level-awesome screenplays and still done great work. She's going to be around for a long, long time (I hope).
Cooper, Adams, Bale, Renner and more all deliver crazy good performances. It's like if Casino mixed with Burn After Reading. The comedy isn't going to make you delirious with laughter, but every laugh is well done and fully earned. The drama is the same. Very good movie.
I do question the voiceover moments and wonder if they were strictly necessary, but I'm not calling this a perfect movie, just a very good one.
I survived the Permian and all I got was this t-shirt.
Just saw AMERICAN HUSTLE myself. And I'm really on the fence with this one. Acting was awesome all around, but like QT I didn't feel like I got attached to any character. I think that's because the narrative doesn't really make sense. Russell wasn't sure what he was going for when he shot it, IMO.
It does deserve an Oscar for epic fucking hair though. LOL
OK, I think I got it, but just in case, can you say the whole thing over again? I wasn't really listening.
The opening scene is used to show three things - that one character is not a good con man, that the actual con man solves problems and that the FBI is involved. It sets the table from the get go and then back-fills on the characters until we get to the catch-up and proceed to the rest of the story.
Which scene were you thinking of as the better catch-up point?
I quite liked this movie. It's not a perfect movie or going to change things, but it's an ensemble of some very, very interesting characters played extremely well by all actors involved. Seriously, every performance in this movie is stellar - with Jennifer Lawrence being the highest point. She's setting up to be the next Meryl Streep with this run. I knew when I saw Winter's Bone that she was incredible, but she's stuck it out with some not-Winter's Bone-level-awesome screenplays and still done great work. She's going to be around for a long, long time (I hope).
Cooper, Adams, Bale, Renner and more all deliver crazy good performances. It's like if Casino mixed with Burn After Reading. The comedy isn't going to make you delirious with laughter, but every laugh is well done and fully earned. The drama is the same. Very good movie.
I do question the voiceover moments and wonder if they were strictly necessary, but I'm not calling this a perfect movie, just a very good one.
I think my issue is that we don't need that table setting really, all of those things they show you in the opening scene also are expressed/shown before the 45-min catch up mark.....so it makes them quite pointless...at least to me.
As to which part I'd rather they'd have started with, if they were going to start mid-story:
Spoiler
You open it like LOCK STOCK...with the narration freeze framing on everyone and giving a brief explanation who they are, including the "sheik" stand-in...and then you open on the DeNiro table scene (the only tense one in the whole film) do the whole arabic speaking test bit, and cut to (** months earlier) before revealing how the end of it played out.
I also totally agree on the performances. 100% amazing across the board for everyone. The acting it top notch...it was the overwrought, mostly tensionless script that let me down and Russell's attempt at Scorsese style direction which felt jarring.
I'm quite conflicted about the whole thing really. LOL
This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 28 December 2013 - 01:25 PM
"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora
"Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone." ~Ursula Vernon
Help
stone monkey, on 10 December 2013 - 11:15 PM, said:
(Watched trailer...no subtitles, but it looks pretty good, will defo look out for it)
