The film is roughly divided into three chapters:
Intro - not that funny, but Laurel eats an egg in real time. Interesting
Slapstick - Billy Gilbert out the window, simple but chucklesome
End - rear projection car chase, no stakes but aims for funny
It's almost a parody, frankly, a film made with a glossy and smug sincerity whereby the viewer either doesn't buy into the po-faced earnestness and the whole thing feels like a show, or its just downright grating. The cinematography and editing have a lot to answer for here, as the look of perfect shininess is at odds with the supposedly private and intimate nature, so heartfelt moments look like a Hallmark movie; or, cutting from Batiste having the time of his life to his wife's struggles with leukemia. These choices make the film feel both inauthentic (at a performance level) and ugly (humanistically). We are reminded how great and humble Batiste is, but the greatness is rarely shown - we don't actually see that much of the symphony's genesis or development. What we see is a cloying performer desperate to be seen as great, which is bad enough, but obviously even worse when considering we are also dealing with a cancer survival story.
Yeah, his wife is dying, but will he win a grammy??
The worst genre to capture on a shoestring, and it doesn't help when the directors insistence on the dop is to have the sun directly in front of the camera. An incoherent mess, sloppy and undignified where plot is almost irrelevant
What a gorgeous, funny, moving film - the deft art of sympathy. A film that skillfully notes how being a dick or a bully or a hardass is easier, but being kind and empathetic and gentle is infinitely more rewarding. I laughed, and then I cried, and then I smiled. Giamatti truly brilliant, Sessa an absolute find, and Randolph a passionate presence despite the weakest character in the film (only in that it's the least subtle)
Harrowing, necessary argument for documenting horrors in an age where "Fake News" is a go-to reason to reject of such atrocities. However, there's just a constant undercurrent of Western pandering (English narration, cut to American news outlets to prove with second hand footage what we've just seen first hand) in its presentation amongst the awful scenes that means it loses a certain touch of authenticity of intent if not truthfulness
Copy & paste thoughts from John Wick 3 - good action photographed with style and grace, but too many stupid bits about lore, too drawn out & a distinct lack of consequence that means whilst the fights are fun it's hard to *care*. Only now add a frankly ridiculous runtime to the growing list of issues. If there's another, I shan't be in the audience
One of the directors more humanist, warm examinations on life - a gaze upon those usually on the periphery, we find camaraderie and family and routine without ever drifting into sentimentalism
"I get it. It takes all kinds" says one character (doesn't matter who) right before the interfaith exorcism, and thats as deep as this movies message gets. After an ok, tense-ish first half it quickly devolves into creaky callbacks and muddled intersectional claptrap, as if pleasing a nodding dog audience is more important than character development or meaningful scares.
Ps that Chris girlboss monologue is tragic - a momentary beg for a goodboy sticker betrays numerous characters and emotional beats of the original, Chris included. Without spoliers, she discusses not previously being allowed in a room because of "patriarchy"...but when she is allowed in the room and something happens, I was dying for her to say, "oh maybe THATS why they didn't let me in"
"Take me instead of my nephews, please. I won't even scream out"
"But I want you to scream out!'
Oland makes a fantastic villain here, in a film that does a lot with a little. Intriguing hook at the start, and although middle section gets rather talky and slow the climax really ramps up - the mastermind and the detective engaging in a bloody battle of wits.
Incisive look at how we use Storytelling as a reflection of reality, and how the moment it turns from life to art it becomes something different, something to be picked apart and criticised and judged, or; how a certain look can turn tragedy into comedy, how it presents a veneer so that we can laugh at someones dreams and passions without guilt (Mike Shcanks presence here a clear judgement on American Movie and films of that ilk)
"Woe to the man who is different, who tries to break down walls and barriers. Woe to the man who tries to stretch the imagination of man - he shall be mocked and scourged by the blinkered paradigms of morality"
What an absolute killer jump that monster introduction is! The Rodans screeches and swoops are terrifying, even if some other effects are...quaint.
Like it's perfect cousin Godzilla, it is not subtle in its messaging, but very powerful nonetheless, with an ending just as mournful and resonant.
A great satirical examination of Britain and the rampant capitalism ideal, McDowell is amazing a picaresque happy go lucky protagonist who, after 3 hours if love and death and war and religion, loses his smile. So subtle a commentary amongst the bombast, but we'll done and wonderfully scored by the Alan Price songbook
To escape the obvious criticism that its another Sandler/Netflix joint that is just about him jetting off to sunny locales and accidentally making a film in between cocktails, this had to either be really funny or have an actual intriguing mystery at the centre. It does neither
"Love is a loathsome business" - raucously funny, damned sexy and also quite poignant at times, but each is finely balanced that the emotions don't clash, but rather dance with one another
Its well intentioned & has a few moments of poignancy, but is so flat & unengaging in both visual style and writing that (Hopkins's fantastic cameo aside) it comes across as a failed acting exercise - decent actors struggling to overcome unwieldy and unreal dialogue.
Keeps threatening to go somewhere interesting but never does - the Totter/Taylor relationship is never fleshed out, the new craze of Psychotherapy via sleep Hypnosis is introduced & quickly abandoned, and crucially we learn straight away who the baddie is & thus half the tension is dissipated. Those are the big things it flubs, but also more intricate details like PTSD & betrayal, possible avenues but barely touched upon. Quite the missed opportunity
A fascinating mess. For the first time in Chazelle's filmography it feels like the style is overwhelming the substance, both because the style is so much but because the substance is incredibly tame. There is no heart to the film - Manny is ostensibly the lead, but what does he represent? He dreams of working in the film business, a dreamer who gets his wish, & it turns out he had nothing to say. There was a vague idea but no vision, no purpose (cough, Mr Chazelle). When Manny becomes "part of something bigger", all it does is corrupt and degrade him. Is this the films idea of Hollywood, a place that is shiny on the surface, and corrupting underneath? Nellie the starlet is a muddled character who *I think* we're supposed to sympathise with, but its hard to tell. Other than one scene of her displaying some talent, she gorges in the city's excess without remorse and squanders her talent, without a real reason as to why. Her scene berating the hoity toity is, frankly, dreadful as it's purpose appears to be a takedown of the fatcats but she's so artistically empty that it comes off as petulance. Conrad is the closest to a rounded character, perhaps because of Pitts personal baggage and charisma ("I've had a good run" carries some weight for an actor on the cusp of cancellation). Each of these characters are chewed up & spat out by an uncaring and cruel Tinseltown, ending with a literal descent into the city's bowels, rat eating and murder. 3 hrs of Hollywood's excess and cruelty and destruction of mind & soul is capped by - a montage of cinema at its finest. What's the message?! It was all worth the pain because we got Tron? The film's structure is that of a Scorsese crime flick, Goodfellas or WoWS - 1st half cool and indulgent, 2nd half sad and bloody, the good times coming at a cost - but then why have a "aren't films great" montage, and other nodding references to classics like Gone with the Wind and The Terminator? Its a damp squib of a criticism, never fully daring for excoriation of the industry (of which its a part, of course), choosing instead a slap on the wrist and an agreement we all loved seeing Avatar on the big screen. To further highlight the films fear of true criticism, it broaches the darker aspects of this time - sexism, racism etc - by touching on them but not in a truly authentic way, such as depicting blackface, but by a reluctant black man (as opposed to a willing white man as was the reality). What we are left with, then, is an indulgent bloated film that is mildly critical of the system that bore it, but still mildly in awe of it - sixty-feet high white capital letters hoisted into the Hollywood Hills for all to see, only they read "the film industry was crazy, but hey, Singin' in the Rain is good too". We knew this without the shit and piss and vomit and blood. We already have Singin' in the Rain.
A personal film about a struggling family-run rescue centre, that also happens to be about everything. In small ways we explore the terrible state of the world, human devastation both environmentally and personally, and whether hope is futile. Numerous shots combine human existence (both positive and negative) in the foreground before the shots focus shifts & we see, for example, a snail or salamander in the background - we all share this world. Scenes of nature struggling to cope with manmade garbage & our constant interference, like that of a turtle crawling over a trash heap, are as mortifying as any shot you'll see in fiction. The film doesn't hammer this point home to induce tears, but subtly shows how we are all connected & that if our world grows more hate-filled & divisive this pain inevitably flows to all that breathe.
Tonally inconsistent, a weird blend of romance, whimsy and horror but never quite successfully doing any, so that the ending is both confused and rushed, but a strong cast helps somewhat
It captures the humour, the heartache, the romance, the grandeur that is required to sell this tale. I think a few (more modern) criticisms of the play itself are fair and the film does nothing to address these. But, as an adaptation, it's as good a one as we're likely to ever get
Comments 1 - 25 of 40
Movie comment on County Hospital
CakeofSugar
The film is roughly divided into three chapters:Intro - not that funny, but Laurel eats an egg in real time. Interesting
Slapstick - Billy Gilbert out the window, simple but chucklesome
End - rear projection car chase, no stakes but aims for funny
Movie comment on American Symphony
CakeofSugar
It's almost a parody, frankly, a film made with a glossy and smug sincerity whereby the viewer either doesn't buy into the po-faced earnestness and the whole thing feels like a show, or its just downright grating. The cinematography and editing have a lot to answer for here, as the look of perfect shininess is at odds with the supposedly private and intimate nature, so heartfelt moments look like a Hallmark movie; or, cutting from Batiste having the time of his life to his wife's struggles with leukemia. These choices make the film feel both inauthentic (at a performance level) and ugly (humanistically). We are reminded how great and humble Batiste is, but the greatness is rarely shown - we don't actually see that much of the symphony's genesis or development. What we see is a cloying performer desperate to be seen as great, which is bad enough, but obviously even worse when considering we are also dealing with a cancer survival story.Yeah, his wife is dying, but will he win a grammy??
Movie comment on Conquest
CakeofSugar
The worst genre to capture on a shoestring, and it doesn't help when the directors insistence on the dop is to have the sun directly in front of the camera. An incoherent mess, sloppy and undignified where plot is almost irrelevantMovie comment on The Holdovers
CakeofSugar
What a gorgeous, funny, moving film - the deft art of sympathy. A film that skillfully notes how being a dick or a bully or a hardass is easier, but being kind and empathetic and gentle is infinitely more rewarding. I laughed, and then I cried, and then I smiled. Giamatti truly brilliant, Sessa an absolute find, and Randolph a passionate presence despite the weakest character in the film (only in that it's the least subtle)Movie comment on 20 Days in Mariupol
CakeofSugar
Harrowing, necessary argument for documenting horrors in an age where "Fake News" is a go-to reason to reject of such atrocities. However, there's just a constant undercurrent of Western pandering (English narration, cut to American news outlets to prove with second hand footage what we've just seen first hand) in its presentation amongst the awful scenes that means it loses a certain touch of authenticity of intent if not truthfulnessMovie comment on John Wick: Chapter 4
CakeofSugar
Copy & paste thoughts from John Wick 3 - good action photographed with style and grace, but too many stupid bits about lore, too drawn out & a distinct lack of consequence that means whilst the fights are fun it's hard to *care*. Only now add a frankly ridiculous runtime to the growing list of issues. If there's another, I shan't be in the audienceMovie comment on N.U.
CakeofSugar
One of the directors more humanist, warm examinations on life - a gaze upon those usually on the periphery, we find camaraderie and family and routine without ever drifting into sentimentalismMovie comment on Town & Country
CakeofSugar
Warren Beatty was one of the most beautiful people in cinema history, and all he wanted to be was Woody AllenMovie comment on The Exorcist: Believer
CakeofSugar
"I get it. It takes all kinds" says one character (doesn't matter who) right before the interfaith exorcism, and thats as deep as this movies message gets. After an ok, tense-ish first half it quickly devolves into creaky callbacks and muddled intersectional claptrap, as if pleasing a nodding dog audience is more important than character development or meaningful scares.Ps that Chris girlboss monologue is tragic - a momentary beg for a goodboy sticker betrays numerous characters and emotional beats of the original, Chris included. Without spoliers, she discusses not previously being allowed in a room because of "patriarchy"...but when she is allowed in the room and something happens, I was dying for her to say, "oh maybe THATS why they didn't let me in"
Movie comment on The Drums of Jeopardy
CakeofSugar
"Take me instead of my nephews, please. I won't even scream out""But I want you to scream out!'
Oland makes a fantastic villain here, in a film that does a lot with a little. Intriguing hook at the start, and although middle section gets rather talky and slow the climax really ramps up - the mastermind and the detective engaging in a bloody battle of wits.
Movie comment on Storytelling
CakeofSugar
Incisive look at how we use Storytelling as a reflection of reality, and how the moment it turns from life to art it becomes something different, something to be picked apart and criticised and judged, or; how a certain look can turn tragedy into comedy, how it presents a veneer so that we can laugh at someones dreams and passions without guilt (Mike Shcanks presence here a clear judgement on American Movie and films of that ilk)Movie comment on Marat/Sade
CakeofSugar
"Woe to the man who is different, who tries to break down walls and barriers. Woe to the man who tries to stretch the imagination of man - he shall be mocked and scourged by the blinkered paradigms of morality"Movie comment on Sora no daikaijû Radon
CakeofSugar
What an absolute killer jump that monster introduction is! The Rodans screeches and swoops are terrifying, even if some other effects are...quaint.Like it's perfect cousin Godzilla, it is not subtle in its messaging, but very powerful nonetheless, with an ending just as mournful and resonant.
Movie comment on O Lucky Man!
CakeofSugar
"What's there to smile about?"A great satirical examination of Britain and the rampant capitalism ideal, McDowell is amazing a picaresque happy go lucky protagonist who, after 3 hours if love and death and war and religion, loses his smile. So subtle a commentary amongst the bombast, but we'll done and wonderfully scored by the Alan Price songbook
Movie comment on Murder Mystery
CakeofSugar
To escape the obvious criticism that its another Sandler/Netflix joint that is just about him jetting off to sunny locales and accidentally making a film in between cocktails, this had to either be really funny or have an actual intriguing mystery at the centre. It does neitherMovie comment on Sommarnattens leende
CakeofSugar
"Love is a loathsome business" - raucously funny, damned sexy and also quite poignant at times, but each is finely balanced that the emotions don't clash, but rather dance with one anotherMovie comment on The Son
CakeofSugar
Its well intentioned & has a few moments of poignancy, but is so flat & unengaging in both visual style and writing that (Hopkins's fantastic cameo aside) it comes across as a failed acting exercise - decent actors struggling to overcome unwieldy and unreal dialogue.Movie comment on High Wall
CakeofSugar
Keeps threatening to go somewhere interesting but never does - the Totter/Taylor relationship is never fleshed out, the new craze of Psychotherapy via sleep Hypnosis is introduced & quickly abandoned, and crucially we learn straight away who the baddie is & thus half the tension is dissipated. Those are the big things it flubs, but also more intricate details like PTSD & betrayal, possible avenues but barely touched upon. Quite the missed opportunityMovie comment on Babylon
CakeofSugar
A fascinating mess. For the first time in Chazelle's filmography it feels like the style is overwhelming the substance, both because the style is so much but because the substance is incredibly tame. There is no heart to the film - Manny is ostensibly the lead, but what does he represent? He dreams of working in the film business, a dreamer who gets his wish, & it turns out he had nothing to say. There was a vague idea but no vision, no purpose (cough, Mr Chazelle). When Manny becomes "part of something bigger", all it does is corrupt and degrade him. Is this the films idea of Hollywood, a place that is shiny on the surface, and corrupting underneath? Nellie the starlet is a muddled character who *I think* we're supposed to sympathise with, but its hard to tell. Other than one scene of her displaying some talent, she gorges in the city's excess without remorse and squanders her talent, without a real reason as to why. Her scene berating the hoity toity is, frankly, dreadful as it's purpose appears to be a takedown of the fatcats but she's so artistically empty that it comes off as petulance. Conrad is the closest to a rounded character, perhaps because of Pitts personal baggage and charisma ("I've had a good run" carries some weight for an actor on the cusp of cancellation). Each of these characters are chewed up & spat out by an uncaring and cruel Tinseltown, ending with a literal descent into the city's bowels, rat eating and murder. 3 hrs of Hollywood's excess and cruelty and destruction of mind & soul is capped by - a montage of cinema at its finest. What's the message?! It was all worth the pain because we got Tron? The film's structure is that of a Scorsese crime flick, Goodfellas or WoWS - 1st half cool and indulgent, 2nd half sad and bloody, the good times coming at a cost - but then why have a "aren't films great" montage, and other nodding references to classics like Gone with the Wind and The Terminator? Its a damp squib of a criticism, never fully daring for excoriation of the industry (of which its a part, of course), choosing instead a slap on the wrist and an agreement we all loved seeing Avatar on the big screen. To further highlight the films fear of true criticism, it broaches the darker aspects of this time - sexism, racism etc - by touching on them but not in a truly authentic way, such as depicting blackface, but by a reluctant black man (as opposed to a willing white man as was the reality). What we are left with, then, is an indulgent bloated film that is mildly critical of the system that bore it, but still mildly in awe of it - sixty-feet high white capital letters hoisted into the Hollywood Hills for all to see, only they read "the film industry was crazy, but hey, Singin' in the Rain is good too". We knew this without the shit and piss and vomit and blood. We already have Singin' in the Rain.Movie comment on All That Breathes
CakeofSugar
A personal film about a struggling family-run rescue centre, that also happens to be about everything. In small ways we explore the terrible state of the world, human devastation both environmentally and personally, and whether hope is futile. Numerous shots combine human existence (both positive and negative) in the foreground before the shots focus shifts & we see, for example, a snail or salamander in the background - we all share this world. Scenes of nature struggling to cope with manmade garbage & our constant interference, like that of a turtle crawling over a trash heap, are as mortifying as any shot you'll see in fiction. The film doesn't hammer this point home to induce tears, but subtly shows how we are all connected & that if our world grows more hate-filled & divisive this pain inevitably flows to all that breathe.Movie comment on Practical Magic
CakeofSugar
Tonally inconsistent, a weird blend of romance, whimsy and horror but never quite successfully doing any, so that the ending is both confused and rushed, but a strong cast helps somewhatMovie comment on Romeo and Juliet
CakeofSugar
It captures the humour, the heartache, the romance, the grandeur that is required to sell this tale. I think a few (more modern) criticisms of the play itself are fair and the film does nothing to address these. But, as an adaptation, it's as good a one as we're likely to ever getMovie comment on Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story
CakeofSugar
Some favourite moments:His swearing in
"Get an injunction against the New York Times. Its a new York, Jewish, communist, left wing homosexual news paper. And that's just the sports section"
"Its important to win the war and win the peace. Or, at the least, lose the war and lose the peace. Or win part of the peace, maybe two peaces"
"We bombed Laos for a strategic reason. We not happy with how it's spelled"
"Can we cover his face with a flag?"
"I wanted to marry him, put the pressure on, so he used his influence...and got me drafted"
Plus, the cutting between George Wallace and the Klan audience
All in all just quintessential early Woody - clever jokes mixed with stupid ones, visual gags and sly editing. Take the Zelig and Run, if you will.
Movie comment on She's Having a Baby
CakeofSugar
Mildly funny, with the odd quirky beat that doesn't always work, but the "Chain Gang" needle drop for the ovulation scene is practically perfectMovie comment on Tsubaki Sanjûrô
CakeofSugar
"Aren't you tired of being stupid, yet?"Everyone's a bafoon except for genius Mifune, but it all makes for frolicking fun
Showing items 1 – 25 of 40