| Author |
Message |
|
| inlareviewer |
 Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 10:08 pm |
 |
|
Joined: 05 Jul 2004
Posts: 1949
Location: Lawrence, KS
|
Apparently am not quite so completely out-of-touch with professional colleagues as I take it for granted that I am (whether that is comforting or disturbing, anybody's guess). A sampling of critical reactions to last night's Racsocast (the reader's comments are a world unto themselves)
http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2008/02/oscarcast-was-a.html
Did forget to note that it was wonderful to see Owen Wilson so apparently recovered and composed, that the set reminded me of futuristic lipsticks, that the Scary Orchestra was in mortal overdrive, and that it did seem like there was an inordinate amount of red and black, everywhere. |
_________________
"And take extra care with strangers/Even flowers have their dangers/And though scary is exciting/Nice is different than good." --Stephen Sondheim |
|
| Back to top |
 
|
| Nancy |
| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 10:47 pm |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4607
Location: Norman, OK
|
Syd wrote: mo_flixx wrote: I saw PERSEPOLIS again today. If it really has gone wide, don't miss it. It really is the best animated film of the year.
It's one of the five or six best of the year, animated or not. It really should have been up for Foreign Film at the Oscars.
I liked it too. Thought it was very inventive, with an interesting style. If you haven't seen it, try to find it. |
_________________
"All in all, it's just another feather in the fan."
Isaacism, 2009 |
|
| Back to top |
|
| Nancy |
| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 10:49 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4607
Location: Norman, OK
|
Syd wrote: Now this looks like fine entertainment. Lady W, Nancy take note.
The Machine Girl
Syd,
I'm going to have to watch this on your computer. I could only get the first 9 seconds to download. |
_________________
"All in all, it's just another feather in the fan."
Isaacism, 2009 |
|
| Back to top |
|
| Syd |
| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 11:03 pm |
|
|
Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12921
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
|
Nancy wrote: Syd wrote: Now this looks like fine entertainment. Lady W, Nancy take note.
The Machine Girl
I'm going to have to watch this on your computer. I could only get the first 9 seconds to download.
This should whet your appetite: "The life of a young, Japanese schoolgirl is destroyed when her family is killed by a Ninja-Yakuza family. Her hand cut off, she replaces it with various machines-of-death, and seeks revenge. Opens in Japan in 2008." From the look of it's the Bionic Japanese Schoolgirl meets Kill Bill meets Master of the Flying Guillotine with a little bit of God of Cookery and Planet Terror thrown in (the sushi is real finger food). Iron Man is a wimp in comparison. Even he doesn't have a drill bra. |
_________________
I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
|
| Back to top |
|
| Syd |
| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 12:57 am |
|
|
|
Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12921
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
|
| One of the films previewed before Persepolis looks promising: The Band's Visit, about an Egyptian policeman's band headed for Palestine that finds itself stuck in an isolated Israeli town, where the Egyptians and the bored Israelis make the most of it. Romance ensues. Looks like it's in Arabic, English and Hebrew, and a lot of fun. It would have been Israel's entry to the Oscars but more than half the dialog is in English. |
_________________
I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
|
| Back to top |
|
| Nancy |
| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 1:45 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4607
Location: Norman, OK
|
Syd wrote: One of the films previewed before Persepolis looks promising: The Band's Visit, about an Egyptian policeman's band headed for Palestine that finds itself stuck in an isolated Israeli town, where the Egyptians and the bored Israelis make the most of it. Romance ensues. Looks like it's in Arabic, English and Hebrew, and a lot of fun. It would have been Israel's entry to the Oscars but more than half the dialog is in English.
With English subtitles, of course. Particularly for the English parts. |
_________________
"All in all, it's just another feather in the fan."
Isaacism, 2009 |
|
| Back to top |
|
| inlareviewer |
| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 1:50 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 05 Jul 2004
Posts: 1949
Location: Lawrence, KS
|
Retrieved the avatar from the ether, whew, that's sump'n.
Ohmygod, The Machine Girl trailer is high-stare-ical. The Band's Visit did look promising indeed.
In further reconsideration of the Racsos while fending off creditors this afternevening: Was mistaken about which prepared recipient duo choked, it wasn't a short film maker (they were fabby), it was the Bourne Ultimatum sound editing team, felt shriveled for them. And would if t'were possible temper gut reactions to the Enchanted songs down about a 1/4 less ick-tion taking out-of-contextness into account -- but that's about it. It's a sugar thing. The thin line between satire (the happy working ditty) and that being satirized (the splashy production number, the gauzy love song) sounded to me fairly blurry, have been down that road with said songsmith before. Am sure it's a fun family frolic, how can millions and millions of people be wrong, and all that, thanks, but no thanks. Socrates was correct: Know thyself, don't forget where the hemlock's stored. Other Racsoreactions remain essentially unchanged. But, and it pains me to admit it, my most severely, nay, egregiously overlooked point, a spurious omission in itself, regards, finally, the chiefest, even profoundly overarching component that dulled last night's Acadacast: the incessant, redolent bleat of commercials and intramural network promos, and like Miranda Hobbes afore me, can only say god bless TiVo.
Edited 'cause I misspelled the name of a fictional character that might sue me. |
Last edited by inlareviewer on Mon Mar 03, 2008 3:11 am; edited 1 time in total
_________________
"And take extra care with strangers/Even flowers have their dangers/And though scary is exciting/Nice is different than good." --Stephen Sondheim |
|
| Back to top |
|
| Ghulam |
| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 2:15 am |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
|
| I wondered if Satrapi really had that mole on the right side of her face as seen in the animated movie Persepolis. Well she was interviewed by ABC News on Friday, and she has the mole right where we see it in the movie. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| inlareviewer |
| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 3:33 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 05 Jul 2004
Posts: 1949
Location: Lawrence, KS
|
| Such a remarkable individual. It really is a very special film. Can't wait for the deeveedee. |
_________________
"And take extra care with strangers/Even flowers have their dangers/And though scary is exciting/Nice is different than good." --Stephen Sondheim |
|
| Back to top |
|
| gromit |
| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 4:21 am |
|
|
Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
|
The Darjeeling Limited is pretty thin stuff. Three brothers meet up for a spiritual journey in India arranged by elder brother/leader Owen Wilson with a bandaged head. They are materialistic and secretive and mistrusting. They also literally have a lot of baggage, which actually forms a semi-amusing running gag and later a heavy-handed metaphor.
Otherwise the characters and their quirks come off as completely artificial. Their dialogue is filled with awkward comments and pauses. They all act as if they are emotionally stunted little boys. And there's really no interest in India whatsoever.
(I have a lot of complaints about how India and Indians were portrayed, but the focus is on the three idiot brothers who bumble through the exotic).
Wes Anderson fans may claim that the film is subtle due to its nowhere-dialogue and sketchy plot. But the meaning and message actually are heavy handed and unmissable. So basically there is a silly surface with dopey characters layered over an obvious message.
I'm sure this contrast amused Anderson and Wilson, but in my O left both elements of the film unsatisfactory.
The best part of the film were the brief scenes towards the end with Angelica Huston. She has a presence and is finally a complicated character (and then she's gone). [Natalie Portman, Bill Murray and Barbet Schroeder also cameo in and out]. There are some nice compositions of the Indian landscape, and one or two interesting camera positions, but most of the action scenes in slow-motion and edited to Kinks songs felt like Anderson re-treads.
Seems obligatory that a reviewer needs to state where he comes down on other Wes Anderson films. For the record, I thought The Royal Tenenbaums was a pretty impressive achievement, though I would have limited/eliminated one of the Wilsons characters (Owen's I think). Rushmore was okay but a bit too adolescent. I even re-watched it a few months ago due to all the praise it gets, and it played the same way, just a bit too silly for my taste. Have never seen Bottle Rocket, but would like to.Life Aquatic I thought was awful, except for the Bowie songs sung in Portuguese. Darjeeling Limited is in the LA vein, just with brighter colors and dopier characters.
For Wes Anderson or Owen Wilson fans, this might have some appeal. I read somewhere that Wes Anderson films are like Marmite -- you either love them or hate them. Which doesn't leave enough room for those who love to hate them or love things they hate. Besides, Marmite is good for you. Owen Wilson might be more like Bovril. |
_________________
Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
|
| Back to top |
|
| Rod |
| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 6:00 am |
|
|
Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 2944
Location: Lithgow, Australia
|
Meanwhile, from the Seriously Cool Department:
In pre-production
Public Enemies
Directed by Michael Mann
Starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger, Marion Cotillard as Billie Frechette, Giovanni Ribisi as Alvin Karpis, Stephen Graham as Baby Face Nelson, and Christian Bale as Melvin Purvis...
I drool. |
_________________
A long time ago, but somehow in the future...It is a period of civil war and renegade paragraphs floating through space. |
|
| Back to top |
|
| chillywilly |
| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:27 am |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 8251
Location: Salt Lake City
|
inlareviewer wrote: Did forget to note that it was wonderful to see Owen Wilson so apparently recovered and composed,
That was great. And very glad he was presenting instead of being mentioned in the memorium presentation. |
_________________
Chilly
"If you should die before me / Ask if you could bring a friend" |
|
| Back to top |
|
| tirebiter |
| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 9:23 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4011
Location: not far away
|
| Machine Girl looks totally cool, and for me, very natsukashii (nostalgic). I had a girlfriend in high school with one of those bras. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| mo_flixx |
| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 9:48 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 30 May 2004
Posts: 12533
|
I agree with Syd's review of THE DARJEELING LIMITED. Did you see the opening section of Jason Schwartzman in Paris with Natalie Portman? This wasn't on all prints.
In any case, the film came across as a pointless exercise...and yes, it _would_ be offensive to Indians IMO.
I don't think I laughed once. Some of the line readings are stiff and have a strange ring to them.
I still think BOTTLE ROCKET is my favorite Anderson film. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| carrobin |
| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 9:50 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
|
| I was glad there were lots of commercials during the Oscars. How else could I have kept up with "Pride and Prejudice"? Not to mention hitting the fridge. (Heck, I'd never fit into one of those dresses anyway.) |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
