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9015. Jenerator - 2/27/2014 12:06:48 AM With movies, there has to be some sort of resolution. If I watch hours of people suffering, I want for: (1) the bad guys to get it; and (2) some sort of victory or benefit for the sufferer(s).
I know 12 Years A Slave was based on a true story, but that doesn't make it more enjoyable. The poor man suffered and suffered and suffered. I wanted ANY of the villains to get what was coming to them. But they didn't.
Contrast that with Django Unchained, a much more violent film in terms of gore. At least Django was able to pay back his captors and right a wrong. And who can resist Christoph Waltz?
I loved him in Inglorious Basterds which was a similar movie, and one I enjoyed infinitely more than 12 Years.
Now, Schindler's List was arguably the most powerful movie I have ever seen. I cried through most of it and was in a daze for days after. Even in that horrible story, there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
Anyway, 12 Years is probably the most realistic portrayal of slavery I have every seen, and the actors were superb, but it was horribly depressing and the story offered only two minutes of relief. 9016. judithathome - 2/27/2014 12:28:29 AM If you like Christoph Waltz, you need to see him in Carnage...you'd like it because it involves parents of school children....possibly some like you run across while teaching. 9017. arkymalarky - 2/27/2014 2:12:42 AM I agree Jen. I can appreciate the story and its value in being told in film. I can read the story and read about the movie. But reading and watching are two different things. I'm moved and disturbed at what I read, but watching realistic violence or emotion is too intense for me. I was bothered by Revolutionary Road because the characters' tragic relationship was too believable. Had they ceased to love each other or had they resolved their suffering in some way.... But both stayed tormented by themselves andceach other to the bitter end. 9018. judithathome - 2/27/2014 2:43:44 AM I agree about RR...very tough movie. 9019. alistairconnor - 2/27/2014 8:00:40 PM I hated Django. Really hated. The fantasy "resolution" is part of that, it just looks like a cheap alibi to me. To be clear, I think it's the first Tarantino film I've watched to the end (I found I enjoy his cleverness, much as I enjoy clever ads, but that's not what I want in cinema). I'm not impressed by his aesthetics, and the graphic violence just bores me. It doesn't excite me (as it no doubt excites many, why else would he do it?) and it doesn't horrify me; it disgusts me.
It was all cardboard cut-out characters. Christoph Waltz was adorable, but I was disturbed that we were directed to adore this guy who murders people for a living. And his suicidal act at the end was completely out of character. Django himself had no personality at all.
I think I will have a look at the McQueen movie. The reasons people have for disliking it make me hopeful about it. 9020. judithathome - 2/27/2014 8:37:56 PM Alistair, I think you'd like Carnage...I'm pretty sure the "types" in it are in France, too. ;-) 9021. judithathome - 2/27/2014 8:59:03 PM Listening to a panel discussion on NPR radio about the Oscars...one guy said it turned him off to get the "for your consideration" letter with the movie 12 Years A Slave that had what looked like a hand written phrase at the end saying "It's time...."
Trying to guilt-trip a vote out of people...like a vote for this movie could make up for the past sins of a nation.
9022. Jenerator - 2/27/2014 11:37:01 PM Judith,
I will definitely check out Carnage. You are the second person to recommend it. Thanks. :)
Alistair,
I think you'll enjoy 12 Years A Slave. It IS a more civilized, nuanced story and the acting and directing (as well as costuming and set decoration, etc.) are top-notch. I suspect you will leave feeling depressed, but the movie resonates. 9023. judithathome - 4/25/2014 7:40:23 PM Here's a chilling look at what could easily be a huge problem in the not too distant future...Young People Don't Know How To Have A Conversation
Recently I stood in front of my class, observing an all-too-familiar scene. Most of my students were covertly—or so they thought—pecking away at their smartphones under their desks, checking their Facebook feeds and texts.
As I called their attention, students’ heads slowly lifted, their eyes reluctantly glancing forward. I then cheerfully explained that their next project would practice a skill they all desperately needed: holding a conversation.
Several students looked perplexed. Others fidgeted in their seats, waiting for me to stop watching the class so they could return to their phones. Finally, one student raised his hand. “How is this going to work?” he asked.
9024. Ms. No - 4/26/2014 6:59:29 PM I thought Tarantino handled Django masterfully. It's absolutely a blaxploitation revenge flic, BUT it also has some incredibly stark moments of "Hey, I know you're enjoying all this bread and circus and I sure enjoyed making it, but at the end of the day I have a message for you: There are no words for how incredibly wrong this part of our history was. Full stop. Now, back to the blood geysers and one-liners."
When it counts, he really makes it count. The most visceral scene of the movie shows you nothing: no blood, no gore, no nudity. The focus is on an individual who then becomes the representative for an entire people. It's the least explicit moment in the film and the one that is most arresting. 9025. arkymalarky - 5/18/2014 3:44:43 PM on my way to the IMAX to see Godzilla. Can. Not. Wait. 9026. judithathome - 5/18/2014 6:12:00 PM You have my sympathy! 9027. arkymalarky - 5/18/2014 6:41:38 PM EVERYTHING a great Godzilla movie should be down to the very last second. Fantastic! 9028. alistairconnor - 5/21/2014 5:06:02 PM Jen, I saw "12 years a slave" recently, and you're right, I liked it. A powerful historical document. The lack of catharsis, of bad guys getting theirs, stems directly from its accuracy -- it is an autobiographical account, and (though I haven't read the book) seems to be an accurate transcription. This makes the structure unsatisfactory in terms of film, but that's because real life is like that... Northup was betrayed by people he trusted, he didn't act heroically, the bad guys got away with it, and people wonder why there are unresolved racial tensions in the USA... 9029. arkymalarky - 5/21/2014 10:08:28 PM As opposed to the resolved ones elsewhere.... 9030. arkymalarky - 7/14/2014 4:21:52 AM I just love Napoleon Dynamite. 9031. arkymalarky - 7/14/2014 4:22:14 AM I just love Napoleon Dynamite. 9032. Ms. No - 7/14/2014 4:12:51 PM Watched The Professional last night with my folks --- they chose it and had never seen it before. I had forgotten how much I liked it -- and how funny it was.
I was also pleased because one of my current favorite bands, Alt-J, has a song titled after a line from the film and I hadn't realized it until I watched it again.
"This is from Matilda." 9033. wabbit - 7/14/2014 10:16:57 PM Jean Reno, be still my heart...I've had a crush on him forever. It's beyond explanation.
9034. Ms. No - 7/14/2014 11:41:29 PM What's to explain? He's infinitely appealing. And that voice!
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