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| lissa |
 Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 4:02 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 2148
Location: my computer
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Thanks, inla...I think I can handle some deeply disturbing violence.
Profanity though? I may have to take a pass...are there Clift's notes? |
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| inlareviewer |
| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 4:05 pm |
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Joined: 05 Jul 2004
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Location: Lawrence, KS
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lissa wrote: Thanks, inla...I think I can handle some deeply disturbing violence.
Profanity though? I may have to take a pass...are there Clift's notes?
It's less foul-mouthed than, say, The Departed, or almost anything Mamet has ever written, but those Irish hitmen talk like Irish hitmen are wont to, or so I'm told by my bookie. At one hilarious moment Farrell (who often makes my skin crawl, but he's effective and affecting in this one) even comments on how often he drops F-bombs, peppered with same. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 4:49 pm |
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Quote: ...but really, the music was more than just skill; it was concept and it came through.
We realize that, Lissa. It was never suggested that it took anything away from the movie. Actually if the drum playing had been superb, it might have been a bit of a distraction. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 5:04 pm |
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Location: Houston
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gromit wrote: Earl with the tough choice between Mother's Milk and Christmas.
Joe, the tapes as framing device was poorly followed up on in the film and didn't add much, while slowing the pace. They could have chosen to use the tapes at the end only, perhaps as a voice-over after he was gone. Or not use them at all. Or integrate them better into the story. It's not a question so whether they were factual, but how they were employed (or not) in a depiction of the life.
I don't understand what you mean about the device being poorly followed up on. To use them at the end would have been pointless (what good would it do to learn at the end of the movie why gays moved to the Castro instead of the Height or who the people were who formed Milk's inner circle?). I thought they were well-integrated, myself, providing information that otherwise would have been forced coercively into dialogue within the movie. Can't agree about slowing down the movie, either, thought I think the movie rides along at such a quick pace, packing so much into its running time, that they do give a nice break in tempo that serves rather than detracts from the movie's energy.
gromit wrote: I thought there was a lot to like about Milk, but the conventional structure did drag it down some in my estimation. I'm not a big fan of pictures where everything revolves around the hero and we get little or no outside context -- no matter how common such films are.
Some men are worthy of study on their own, though I think we get a pretty good look into the other characters, thanks to some amazing acting that tells us a lot in subtext. But the more important issue is simply running time. The movie couldn't tell the story of Milk and White and Mayor Moscone and Scott Smith and Cleve Jones and Anne Kronenberg without running at three times its length. If they were to release such a version on DVD, I'd grab it in a second, but I can't complain when the reasons for having to center exclusively on Milk are so obvious. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 5:46 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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| inla--Couldn't agree more about Colin Farrell. I have never even remotely liked him before (well, maybe a little in Miami Vice) but then suddenly this amazing perf. He blew me away, but partially, I'll admit, because I was so surprised. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 5:47 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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lissa wrote: Thanks, inla...I think I can handle some deeply disturbing violence.
Profanity though? I may have to take a pass...are there Clift's notes?
Lissa--If you take a pass because of this, you are going to really miss out. Take the plunge, girl! |
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| Marj |
| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 6:36 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: Manhattan
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| Lissa--Got to agree with Billy. There are probably a handful of must see movies this year. The Visitor, In Bruges and Iron Man are definitely in that group. Squarely so! And as I think Gary said, the movie needed the language. It was right for these characters. Frankly, once you get into the film, I bet you'll hardly notice it. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 6:39 pm |
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| I think Lissa was kidding about the language. I may be wrong. |
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| Marj |
| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 6:40 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: Manhattan
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| Marj |
| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 6:47 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: Manhattan
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billyweeds wrote: According to Wikipedia, Ben is actually Herman's grandson, believe it or not. They say Ben's father is Frank Mankiewicz, who was born in the 1920s and is the cousin of Tom Mankiewicz, who went to Yale at the same time I did.
Ben M. is apparently about 15 years older than Ben L., who doesn't deserve the spot on the show nearly as much as older Ben. But if they put In Bruges and Iron Man on their ten-best list, they can't be all bad.
I saw the show and agree that Ben Lyon's is out of his depth here. Otoh, Ben Mankiewicz is a real up an comer. He clearly knows his stuff and it will be interesting to see where he goes from Sundays on TCM and At the Movies.
PS. I always had a feeling that Ben Lyons might be a tad young for this gig. Or perhaps just not experienced enough. |
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| lissa |
| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 7:40 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Quote: Actually if the drum playing had been superb, it might have been a bit of a distraction.
Gary - you're right.
Quote: Lissa--If you take a pass because of this, you are going to really miss out. Take the plunge, girl!
I just might - I trust your judgment!
marantzo wrote:
Quote: I think Lissa was kidding about the language. I may be wrong.
hmmmmm.....
Marj wrote:
Double-hmmmmm...
Okay, while I might not USE much in the way of language, I can take it. Remember, I'm a Sopranos fanatic!
I wouldn't let that deter me from seeing a film; with this much accolade on its side, obviously the violence and language aren't gratuitous. I'll take that plunge and report back. Unless I'm washing my ears out with soap. Then my report will be delayed.
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| Nancy |
| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 7:42 pm |
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Posts: 4607
Location: Norman, OK
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lissa wrote: Thanks, inla...I think I can handle some deeply disturbing violence.
Profanity though? I may have to take a pass...are there Clift's notes?
Well, Ralph Fiennes's character does have a one-word vocabulary, but you do get used to it. It's kind of a running joke. |
Last edited by Nancy on Mon Jan 05, 2009 7:43 pm; edited 1 time in total
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| lshap |
| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 7:42 pm |
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Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 4248
Location: Montreal
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Lissa - Now that you bring it up, Jenkins' role in Shall We Dance is very similar in tone to his amazing perf in The Visitor. As you said - subtle. As I said - layered. He has one of those faces that carries a wealth of pain, love and longing, but so deeply down that it never bursts or bulges in funny places. Like a well-packed valise.
And In Bruges was not only one of the best paced and interesting films of the year, it was also the most original*. Great characters, great story, funny, dramatic, sad, tense - it has it all. Except award buzz, unfortunately.
*Originality is a subjective term based solely on films I've seen, and in no way seeks to disparage the many other films that were either unavailable or too pretentious for me to see. |
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| lissa |
| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 8:10 pm |
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Jenkins's performance in Shall We Dance is a lot more layered (good word, L) than meets the eye. It's peripheral but pivotal and I think I'll see that one again just to enjoy the nuances.
I'm going to have to scoot up the street to Blockbuster to get In Bruges - seems to be a fairly unanimous opinion of its worth here. I don't know how I missed it, in the first place. Fiennes is one performer I try not to miss. |
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Statistically, 6 out of 7 dwarfs aren't happy. |
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 8:17 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
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| Sean Penn is truly extraordinary in Milk. Probably Gus Van Sant's best work. Enjoyed his Paranoid Park too, but Milk is a magnum opus. |
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