Movies

That reminds me, seeing Dune in imax last week was pretty amazing. There were certain scenes that just felt so transporting. But there was a little scene from part two they showed after the credits and it was almost better than anything in part one. So yeah I bought tickets for an early screening for the second one as I left the theater. It looks incredible. Part One I could tell is definitely an attempt to streamline a dense story, and it’s evident it’s only the start of something bigger. But yet it still worked for me, just maybe not as a whole complete work.
 
Rewatched Inside Llewyn Davis last night; it only grows on me with time. I think it's a tough hang, as an exploration of depression/alienation, as well as a depiction of self-sabotage combined with just not quite being good enough to break through. Also, at the time I first saw it I was participating in a standup/comedy community and while I wasn't as prickly as Llewyn I saw a lot of myself in his struggles to square the circle of financial success in art, and as I get older the movie feels like my coming to peace with that just not working out. It's a chain of disappointments, and stories like that often go down hard the first time but the corners and culs de sac are easier to abide when you know to expect them.

One weird story/structure quibble which surprised me:
I distinctly remember going home in 2013 after seeing this movie for the first time and being surprised by some internet speculation that the first scene in the alley and the final scene are the exact same occurrence; it just does not read that way for me. In my opinion, the movie thoroughly shows Llewyn trapped in cycles within and without his control; he keeps making the same bad choices which dig him deeper into the same hole.

The last few scenes, as he wakes in the Gorfiens' house, succeeds in keeping the cat from escaping, and goes to play at the Gaslight, including making the choice to play one of his Davis/Timlin compositions, which to me signals some growth on his part. To me, the exact repetition of Llewyn having "a friend out back" and it being a disgruntled spouse of someone he heckled the previous night is a deliberate repetition to indicate how consistently Llewyn fucks himself over. Plus, the Coens love repetition; it just doesn't read to me as "the first scene was a flash-forward and now here's the full scene with added context;" for me it's giving "the more things change the more they stay the same;" even Llewyn's reaction to the experience comes with some added recognition of the cycle ("au revoir.")

So color me surprised to pull up wikipedia, where the plot description explicitly casts the first scene as a flash-forward to the final scene. I know it's art: it's subject to interpretation; and, hey, the thematic purpose of either structure is the same. Still, it so gets under my skin to see such literalism; "because the dialogue is the same it's the same scene." I just don't buy it.

Shit, now I'm remembering he doesn't wake up at the Gorefiens' with any bruising after the first scene...shit shit shit
 
Bull Shannon said:
Rewatched Inside Llewyn Davis last night; it only grows on me with time. I think it's a tough hang, as an exploration of depression/alienation, as well as a depiction of self-sabotage combined with just not quite being good enough to break through. Also, at the time I first saw it I was participating in a standup/comedy community and while I wasn't as prickly as Llewyn I saw a lot of myself in his struggles to square the circle of financial success in art, and as I get older the movie feels like my coming to peace with that just not working out. It's a chain of disappointments, and stories like that often go down hard the first time but the corners and culs de sac are easier to abide when you know to expect them.

One weird story/structure quibble which surprised me:
I distinctly remember going home in 2013 after seeing this movie for the first time and being surprised by some internet speculation that the first scene in the alley and the final scene are the exact same occurrence; it just does not read that way for me. In my opinion, the movie thoroughly shows Llewyn trapped in cycles within and without his control; he keeps making the same bad choices which dig him deeper into the same hole.

The last few scenes, as he wakes in the Gorfiens' house, succeeds in keeping the cat from escaping, and goes to play at the Gaslight, including making the choice to play one of his Davis/Timlin compositions, which to me signals some growth on his part. To me, the exact repetition of Llewyn having "a friend out back" and it being a disgruntled spouse of someone he heckled the previous night is a deliberate repetition to indicate how consistently Llewyn fucks himself over. Plus, the Coens love repetition; it just doesn't read to me as "the first scene was a flash-forward and now here's the full scene with added context;" for me it's giving "the more things change the more they stay the same;" even Llewyn's reaction to the experience comes with some added recognition of the cycle ("au revoir.")

So color me surprised to pull up wikipedia, where the plot description explicitly casts the first scene as a flash-forward to the final scene. I know it's art: it's subject to interpretation; and, hey, the thematic purpose of either structure is the same. Still, it so gets under my skin to see such literalism; "because the dialogue is the same it's the same scene." I just don't buy it.

Shit, now I'm remembering he doesn't wake up at the Gorefiens' with any bruising after the first scene...shit shit shit
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Love this movie, but it is a bit of a tough hang. The music is so great.
 
Been down a video game rabbit hole since getting laid off a month ago because it's the best way to shut the mind off while still keeping it active. (This job market a thing of nightmares).

Still need to get to Maestro and American Fiction.

That said, after a heavy dose of Dying Light tonight, I watched Rocky for the first time. I have always put it off because a) i don't like boxing and b) i dont like Stallone.

Has to be among the most uneven films I have ever watched. The cinematorgraphy and production design are top notch. And there are smaller moments that really work. I also really love the portrayal of his dimwitted character-- it felt real to me and reminded me deeply of a close friend from my teenage years that I'm still in touch with.

But then there is the hamfisted American Exceptionalism, Stone looking like a St Benard begging for a treat anytime he tries to convey deeper emotion and some extremely cheesey plot mechicanisms.

Also, the dialogue fluctuates from charming, smart and real to wildly cringe.... sometimes within the same scene.

Absolutely criminal that it won best picture over Taxi Driver and Network. But also, I mostly liked it?
 
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Finally carved out an evening to watch Killers of the Flower Moon and enjoyed about as much as you can enjoy a movie about human tragedy and injustice. Lily Gladstone was so good. I also loved Jesse Plemons. I said to my wife as it just got more and more brutal that I was ready for him to show up so the wheels of justice could finally start to spin. It's a very tough watch but more movies about horrific events in our past that were whitewashed in our history need to be told. It was interesting that another such event, the Tulsa Massacre, was touched on during the film. I hope Lily wins the Best Actress Oscar since Greta Lee wasn't nominated. Both acted the shit out of their roles in two different languages.
 
Watched the Long Goodbye for the first time time last night. Only my 2nd Altman film and I enjoyed it a lot more than Short Cuts.

Probably the funniest noir film I've seen and it's influence on films like The Big Lewbowski and Inherent Vice was evident.

Think I'm gonna continue tackling 70s classics. Right now my 10 favorite are probably...

1) Taxi Driver
2) Alien
3) Network
4) Dog Day Afternoon
5) Paper Moon
6) Godfather
7) French Connection
8) Chinatown
9) The Conversation
10) The Long Goodbye

Most overrated--

1) Mad Max
2) Shampoo
3) Rocky
4) Halloween
5) Being There

Open to recs...
 
DownIsTheNewUp said:
Watched the Long Goodbye for the first time time last night. Only my 2nd Altman film and I enjoyed it a lot more than Short Cuts.

Probably the funniest noir film I've seen and it's influence on films like The Big Lewbowski and Inherent Vice was evident.

Think I'm gonna continue tackling 70s classics. Right now my 10 favorite are probably...

1) Taxi Driver
2) Alien
3) Network
4) Dog Day Afternoon
5) Paper Moon
6) Godfather
7) French Connection
8) Chinatown
9) The Conversation
10) The Long Goodbye

Most overrated--

1) Mad Max
2) Shampoo
3) Rocky
4) Halloween
5) Being There

Open to recs...
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1970s Elliott Gould is THE BEST!

A few that come to mind based on this list…

The Parallex View 1974
Three Days Of The Condor 1975
All The Presidents Men’s 1976
Nashville 1975
Five Easy Pieces 1970
Picnic At Hanging Rock 1975
American Graffiti 1973
Shampoo 1975
Being There 1979
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
1970s Elliott Gould is THE BEST!

A few that come to mind based on this list…

The Parallex View 1974
Three Days Of The Condor 1975
All The Presidents Men’s 1976
Nashville 1975
Five Easy Pieces 1970
Picnic At Hanging Rock 1975
American Graffiti 1973
Shampoo 1975
Being There 1979
Click to expand...

As a Linklater fan, I love me some American Graffiti. It and All the Present's Men are both among my dad's favorite and I was raised on them.

Did not particularly like Shampoo. Found it bland (specifically the characters) and unintentionally misogynistic. I also didn't care too much for Being There when I watched it in college after having read the book... but I might be overdue for a rewatch on that one.

Adding Parralax Views and Three Days of the Condor to the wathlist (which contains the others you mention).
 
DownIsTheNewUp said:
As a Linklater fan, I love me some American Graffiti. It and All the Present's Men are both among my dad's favorite and I was raised on them.

Did not particularly like Shampoo. Found it bland (specifically the characters) and unintentionally misogynistic. I also didn't care too much for Being There when I watched it in college after having read the book... but I might be overdue for a rewatch on that one.

Adding Parralax Views and Three Days of the Condor to the wathlist (which contains the others you mention).
Click to expand...
Also. If you have only watch two Altman films so far, besides Nashville, You should also give MASH and McCabe & Mrs. Miller a go too (though, I wouldn’t be surprised if both were already on your list).
 
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