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| carrobin |
 Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 10:08 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| I haven't seen "Wendy and Lucy" either, but it sounds like the kind of film that annoys me. When characters don't give information that would prevent bad things happening to them, I find it irritating even though it usually means the film (or book, or TV show) would stop right there. The rest of the film/book/show seems artificial because of that. (The cliche of the nubile young woman who creeps through a haunted house wearing only a babydoll nightgown is a similar case.) |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 11:39 am |
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Quote: ... When characters don't give information that would prevent bad things happening to them, I find it irritating...
Car, it irritates me too. Very much. It is a weak ploy to further a story that really makes no sense. There are many examples in film of people not doing something that in real life, only insane people would avoid doing, knowing what the result would be. |
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| mo_flixx |
| Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 12:06 pm |
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Joined: 30 May 2004
Posts: 12533
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This discussion is interesting, but wouldn't it be better to wait until people actually _see_ this film to render judgment?
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 12:30 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| I'm not really referring to a specific film--it's just that Gromit's commentary brought to mind so many films/books/shows that have roused the same irritation. |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:46 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: AZ
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Quote: I was frustrated how passive Wendy was. Though in one scene, her total passivity works as a defense mechanism, at the one moment in which being a woman was shown as being more vulnerable. I suppose that part of the point was that she didn't trust people/authority, but if she just spoke up at a few key moments, things could have been arranged and worked out much better. IMO, this was especially true for the ending.
Gromit........I was happy to read your comments and to not be alone in my distaste for the film. It has been critically acclaimed for its minimalism, beauty, Michelle William's unaffected acting.
I am a dog lover with 3 big dogs.......one named Lucy (much cuter than the movie Lucy)..........so I ask you SPOILERS.....If she had a bag of dog chow in her car........(she couldn't have shoplifted that).....we saw her counting her money.......what the heck was she doing shoplifting a couple of cans of dog food? And yes why didn't she speak up about her dog being tied up at the store and let the police drive her off? She was acting like a 10 yr. old with no survival skills. And what the heck is a Honda doing breaking down? Hers looked in good condition. My sons and I have driven Hondas for years and they hold up.....you get 200,000 miles out of them. Again about the dog.......What was so wonderful about her leaving the dog at the foster home? It was a small yard. For all she knew the dog would be kept in the yard day and night with no human contact......and the owner might decide to quit fostering it.
After seeing the film I heard a woman comment: "Why did they make this movie?" And I think it's a good question. Wendy was not inspiring. I got no hint that she even enjoyed life. Did she even smile? It wasn't even a "You and me against the world" dog story.
As to similar movies.........I loved Into the Wild. Christopher McCandless had a love of life and appreciation for people and the wild that Wendy totally lacked. The girl in The Vagabond was a tough, angry, fearless type whose independence did her in. Not really likeable but she certainly wasn't clueless like Wendy. |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:04 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: AZ
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Quote: Phoenix is in meltdown mode, and it is sad, because I think he is a great actor with tremendous potential to explore his talent even more deeply.
I agree Lissa. I don't know why he went on Letterman unless he had a contract obligation. I'd compare his transformation to Brando's. Turning his back on the acting profession. I know he was raised by hippies.....and I don't know if that affects anything.......I've always liked him. |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:12 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: AZ
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Quote: It seems that some women demand that films about women follow some kind of feminist guidebook. Whereas, male film goers don't expect male characters in films to adapt to some concept of idealized manhood. In fact, many well-regarded films deal with men going through identity crisis or being unempowered. For example:
I'm not sure that's true......But Marc........maybe you'll love Wendy and Lucy. It's style is somewhat similar to Gus Van Sant's film about Kurt Cobain......So maybe Wade will love it too.
Wendy reminds me of myself as a 10 year old girl who wanted to run away from home but couldn't because I was a girl. So.....personally I would have prefered that she be more savvy and self protective (She was an adult after all.)............It's all personal. |
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| Kate |
| Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:53 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: Pacific Northwest
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| I am always interested in how successful a film can be if the characters are not liked. The Squid and the Whale was this for me. I just couldn't stand any of them and so found the film tolerable at best. Many loved it. I guess this should be in Couch. Sorry. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 4:23 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| When my cousin and I went to see "Butley," she hated the character and hated the film. I fell in love with Alan Bates and it's my favorite film. It's all so subjective... |
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| Marc |
| Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 4:55 pm |
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Joined: 19 May 2004
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Betsy,
I absolutely loathed the Van Sant movie LAST DAYS which was loosely based on Cobain. It was boring, pretentious and as hollow as its subject matter.
I did like PARANOID PARK and MILK. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 5:15 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
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| Not to mislead anyone, thematically Wendy and Lucy put me in mind of Vagabond and Into the Wild. Stylistically, it's much more like the Dardenne Brothers -- ie Rosetta or L'Enfant -- where the film follows a young down-and-out girl, in an unadorned manner, during a depressing and low-key slice-of-real-life, with limited plot. |
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| Marc |
| Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 6:00 pm |
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Joined: 19 May 2004
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| VAGABOND is one of my all-time favorites. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 6:21 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: Houston
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billyweeds wrote: Fascinating thread. But back to Joaquin Phoenix for a moment.
Joe--I never heard hide nor hair of Garth Brooks or Beyonce and their alter egos, if that's what those characters are. However, Joaquin Phoenix has gained a lot of publicity. So his "stunt" has been more "successful." That said, I's not sure it was a stunt. I still think he might be slightly or completely bonkers. In fact, I've heard some insider dope that says he's always been a little bit off the reservation.
Isn't this the opposite of what you were saying the other day? That Ben Stiller felt it was okay to make fun of him at the Ocars because Phoenix was faking it, and that you figured Stiller would know the inside dope?
Yes, both Brooks and Beyonce tried to create alter egos (Brooks supposedly to hype a movie project that never materialized). |
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| lissa |
| Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 6:34 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: my computer
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In last week's EW, Mark Harris commented on Joaquin Phoenix. He writes this:
Quote: After clips of Phoenix hit the Internet, the debate immediately centered on one issue: Was it a hoax? could he have possibly been serious? Was it some kind of bizarre performance piece? Was Letterman in on it? Was it part of a documentary being made by Casey Affleck, who is wasting his time following Phoenix around with a camera? Or were we watching another talented actor fall down a very deep rabbit hole? Is he an actual nutcase, or did he just play one on TV?
Ask Tim Roth - I have no idea. But when all of the questions people are asking about you include the words "train wreck," it'd be wise to let the next phase of your personal journey play out somewhere - anywhere - off screen. Because whether the camera lies or not, the evidence never goes away.
He is referring to Tim Roth's new show Lie to Me which apparently addresses lessons in how to spot liars by detecting the tells.
But the consensus seems to be that he shouldn't have done that, hoax or not, because it hasn't fared well for him. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 7:54 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| My theory is that Phoenix is bored with the celebrity-actor game and is tweaking it for fun. But it's too close to some of the real-life celebrity problems that fill the gossip magazines, which is why people are getting worried about him. I hope he's kidding. |
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