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| tirebiter |
 Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 11:41 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: not far away
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Meanwhile, Stephen Hunter of the WaPo slags it, softly. His opening:
"I appreciate "No Country for Old Men" for the skill in the film craft. I understand "No Country for Old Men" for its penetrating disquisition on narrative conventions, and its heroic will in subverting them. I admire "No Country for Old Men" for the way it tightens its grip as it progresses, taking us deeper and deeper into a hellish world.
I just don't like it very much." |
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| lady wakasa |
| Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 11:41 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 5911
Location: Beyond the Blue Horizon
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mo_flixx wrote: More...
lady wakasa wrote: ...
Lust, Caution is taking a beating in the critical arena....
- Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice: "Ang Lee's sexed-up NC-17 thriller is neither sexy nor thrilling... it's amazing how something so cold is expected to generate so much heat."
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Lady, your review contains some fantastic insights.
AND to Mr. Wilonsky, I don't think the sex scenes are supposed to generate MUCH HEAT.
He really missed the point, IMO.
YES!!! This is one of the most nuanced, layered films out in recent months - and most of the domestic critics skip the universal stuff, not to mention the cultural context, and write lazy, superficial reviews.
Frankly, a lot of the reviews read like more elegant versions of one stupid (and incorrect) question asked by some kid on imdb:
fumayieshang wrote: Why was the bad guy doing it up super dirty style in every sex scene? Dam that dude was freaky
I also think it's interesting that it's the second most recommended film on the NYT website, but it's not listed in the Reader's Picks on the movies main page. But out of 49 reviews there, only one seems to come close to agreeing with MD.
The film seems to be getting some word-of-mouth, although I don't know if it's enough to keep the movie from slipping out of theaters.
Well, there's always the DVD market... |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 1:31 pm |
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Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| I will see No Country for Old Men tonight and will report. Lions for Lambs sounds bad but intriguing. It will be a must-watch DVD rental. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 1:35 pm |
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Location: New York City
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Here's a clip from Zacharek's review of Lions for Lambs. Not fair to call it a pan.
Robert Redford rips into the media, the government and our own liberal passivity in this remarkably rousing film.
By Stephanie Zacharek
Lions for Lambs is just about everything I hate in a movie: It's self-righteous, didactic, dramatically and visually static and, in places, extremely boring. But I found myself thinking about it for hours, even days, after I saw it, which is more than I can say for most of the politically themed fiction movies -- In the Valley of Elah, Rendition -- that have trickled quietly into and out of theaters this fall. |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 1:37 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
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mo_flixx wrote:
More...
lady wakasa wrote:
...
Lust, Caution is taking a beating in the critical arena....
- Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice: "Ang Lee's sexed-up NC-17 thriller is neither sexy nor thrilling... it's amazing how something so cold is expected to generate so much heat."
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Lady, your review contains some fantastic insights.
AND to Mr. Wilonsky, I don't think the sex scenes are supposed to generate MUCH HEAT.
Quote: He really missed the point, IMO.
YES!!! This is one of the most nuanced, layered films out in recent months - and most of the domestic critics skip the universal stuff, not to mention the cultural context, and write lazy, superficial reviews.
Frankly, a lot of the reviews read like more elegant versions of one stupid (and incorrect) question asked by some kid on imdb:
fumayieshang wrote:
Why was the bad guy doing it up super dirty style in every sex scene? Dam that dude was freaky
Isn't this what happened when Last Tango in Paris came out? The focus was on the rough sex.......and not the underlying emotion.......Marlon Brando's character's grief and struggle with a will to live. |
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| jeremy |
| Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 1:39 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 6794
Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)
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| Robert Redford has become the most boringly earnest film director of our age. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 1:43 pm |
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Location: New York City
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Redford has been boring and earnest for a long time. Boring is bad, but earnest need not be. It's sometimes a refreshing pleasure to encounter someone who doesn't know the meaning of the word "postmodern."
Zacharek again, in her so-called "pan":
"The didacticism of Lions for Lambs is so straightforward that it's almost audacious....The movie may use a lot of words, but it doesn't mince them, and its very directness is a relief." |
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| jeremy |
| Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 1:50 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)
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| So is the lovely Steph saying Redford doesn't have the sophistry to be subtle; that he just can't be bothered with all the shades of grey stuff or that he is being knowingly naff as a stylitic choice. |
_________________
I am angry, I am ill, and I'm as ugly as sin.
My irritability keeps me alive and kicking.
I know the meaning of life, it doesn't help me a bit.
I know beauty and I know a good thing when I see it. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 1:58 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| Robert Redford always seemed slightly boring onscreen (maybe excepting "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sting"), but when he came to our film class, his personal charisma was incredible. The guy should be a real politician, not just playing one. He's smart, funny, charming, and liberal--and even now, still fairly gorgeous. |
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| lady wakasa |
| Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 3:06 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 5911
Location: Beyond the Blue Horizon
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Befade wrote: Isn't this what happened when Last Tango in Paris came out? The focus was on the rough sex.......and not the underlying emotion.......Marlon Brando's character's grief and struggle with a will to live.
Last Tango in Paris is a really good comparison. And I don't pretend to be a good prognosticator, but I can see Lust, Caution getting a lot more cred in a few years. |
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| lshap |
| Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 5:04 pm |
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I admit I'm curious about Lust, Caution, but that doesn't necessarily translate into seeing it.
Did see Control. Fine film, although my brain kept tapping me on the shoulder and saying, "Psst...why does anyone care about another selfish, immature rock singer, and why should you be spending two hours watching him self-destruct?" I had no answer. Pretty well-made rock cliche, however. |
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| jeremy |
| Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 6:01 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 6794
Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)
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Quote: ...selfish, immature rock singer...
I would suggest there is a double dose of tautology here. |
_________________
I am angry, I am ill, and I'm as ugly as sin.
My irritability keeps me alive and kicking.
I know the meaning of life, it doesn't help me a bit.
I know beauty and I know a good thing when I see it. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 6:13 pm |
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| Why am I getting the feeling that Lust, Caution is a slightly twisted chick flick? |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 7:27 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
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Do we have any other kind?
Go see and report back.  |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 7:57 pm |
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| I think I'll pass. But that won't stop me from reviewing it anyway. |
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