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| bartist |
 Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 4:50 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6961
Location: Black Hills
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I post, therefore I am.
I think Portis' language is more natural to those times than that heard in Deadwood. Having married into Black Hills roots, and having a western historian on that side of family, I've been informed that the ethos there was strongly grounded in Victorian culture -- if a man was feeling that openness and freedom of the Black Hills, he might express it by oaths like "damnation" and "sons of bitches," which in those times would been potent verbal shockwaves. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| Shane |
| Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 11:54 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 1168
Location: Chicago
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| I really dug Deadwood...wish it had stuck around longer. |
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I'd like to continue the argument we were having before. What was it about? |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 12:50 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Cedar Rapids is a sweet, low-key comedy-drama about a rather naive young man who is put in a few compromising situations when he goes to a trade conference in the metropolis of Cedar Rapids. Almost naturalistic by comparison with most current comedies, it gets a lot of help from nice performances by Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, and Anne Heche. As noted, very unassuming and evanescent, but extremely likable anyway. |
Last edited by billyweeds on Sun Feb 13, 2011 7:19 am; edited 1 time in total |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 1:58 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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The Illusionist is quiet, tender, often funny, and sad. Since it's based on an script by Jacques Tati, it's fitting that the Illusionist is named Jacques Tatischeff, Tati's birth name. Although the movie is directed by Sylvain Chomet, who previously directed The Triplets of Belleville and the Tour Eiffel segment of Paris Je T'Aime, it plays more like Chaplin, and Tatischeff is a version of M. Hulot.
The Illusionist is a somewhat competent French stage magician who is getting on in years and is playing to smaller and smaller audiences, so he tries new territory, in this case rural Scotland, where he is a hit (it helps that his audience is mostly drunk), especially with the young hotel maid Alice, who is starry-eyed at his minor tricks and that he bought her a pair of shoes. When he returns to Edinburgh, she stows away, and he tries to support her as a surrogate daughter (and sort of a chaste romance as well). However, stage performers are going out of style, and he has to take menial jobs, even prostituting his vocation.
This is done is a traditional animated style with very little dialogue. What dialogue is in French is left unsubtitled, because there really is no need. The effect is close to a silent movie. The script was a valentine to Tati's daughter (though which daughter is debatable: Tati fathered an illegitimate daughter, and it could have been her or one of his legitimate ones).
There are a lot of little touches that make me think the movie may grow on me with repeated viewings. One I love: Alice is wearing a pretty blue-and-white dress that is identical to one in a shop window, so she stops to admire it. As she leaves, another poor girl looks in the window and at Alice and it's clear that she is picturing herself in that dress just like Alice would have.
I think the movie is actually too quiet. It makes it feel too insubstantial to deserve its Oscar nomination. But it certainly has an impact, and left me with a wistful feeling as I was driving home. |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 8:35 am |
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| I got a surprise the other day. Two weeks ago The Social Network opened here and that was ironic because outside of Toy Story 3 it's the only nominated film that I have seen. Last year I waited and waited for a number of the best films to get here, especially A Serious Man, but they never came. This week True Grit and The Fighter are playing and next week The King's Speech is opening. What a nice surprise. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 11:27 am |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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One of the previews before "The Illusionist" is for "Hop" which appears to be about rock and roll bunny rabbits, with no indication of a plot. From IMDb:
"The Easter Bunny is accidentally hit by a car, and it's up to the offending driver to save Easter. "
I think I'm there.
PS: Anybody else reminded of the premise of The Santa Clause? |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 12:32 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| Sounds a bit weird. Next thing you know, Fox News will be shouting about a "war against Easter." |
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| Marj |
| Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 1:59 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 10497
Location: Manhattan
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Gary - I'm suddenly catching up too, but not for the same reasons. I'll be seeing The Social Network and The King's Speech in a few days. Then next week, I'm going to see Black Swan.
I've hated being out of the loop for so long, so I'm thrilled! |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 2:02 pm |
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| I'm going to see True Grit this afternoon. |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 1:00 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
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| WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO BLANCHE? |
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Lost in my own private I dunno. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 1:53 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 14498
Location: Houston
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| BABY JANE'S GOT HER! |
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You've got a great brain. You should keep it in your head.
-Topher |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 1:59 am |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| Unless you count The Illusionist, I don't think I saw a current foreign film release from 2010. At least I saw several documentaries. |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:58 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: AZ
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| I guess I'm the only one who cares about The Blanches........ |
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Lost in my own private I dunno. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 10:25 pm |
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Hell, I care and I haven't even seen emough of the movies yet to make any nominations.
LORNE, WHERE ARE YOU? |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:08 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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marantzo wrote: Hell, I care and I haven't even seen emough of the movies yet to make any nominations.
LORNE, WHERE ARE YOU?
I care too, so
LORNE, WHERE ARE YOU????? |
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