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gromit

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 12:52 am

Joined: 31 Aug 2004 Posts: 9010 Location: Shanghai

I didn't get much interested in Her.
It's an interesting premise, but the pace was slow and it's not very cinematic to constantly show close ups of a man's face while he's listening to a disembodied female voice. I also thought the ScarJo vpice had too much personality and inflection and fully developed personhood right from the get-go. The way she is flirty and challenging and such undercut the premise for me.

The near-future world seemed a bit vague and semi-developed. The film did continue a recent decade-long trend of using the very newly built East Shanghai as a stand-in for a future city. After the main character puts the surrogate chick into a taxi, he sits down on the sidewalk and looks up into the sky. There we see two large skyscrapers and another round concrete hull of an under-construction building. That unfinished building is the Shanghai Tower which is nearing completion, the very building I posted pics from the top of last month after two young Russian climbed around on the very upper building parts and crane. Those same two other very tall buildings can be seen in a few of the photos (the giant bottle opener building is currently the 6th tallest in the world, the unfinished one will become the 2nd tallest).

Er, the film.
I thought it was interesting how Theodor's job has him acting as a surrogate for others. Yet he couldn't handle the sex surrogate. While using the OS as a relationship surrogate. Etc. I get that at first the young/new Samantha OS is dependent on him and then grows beyond him. An old story with a post-modern twist. But we were mostly just told about this, it wasn't dramatized, except Theodor's reaction.

I have to say that my attention drifted at times especially towards the end. I almost completely missed the letter to his ex-wife which basically ends the film. So I had to rewind and listen to that again. A film of listening ...
Also, I didn't really catch why the OS's packed up and left. They evolved past humans and just got bored? I didn't go back to find out. Wasn't really interested enough. But it seems they would have been programmed to do their task as an OS, and if Samantha could interact with 8,000 others at the same time, you'd think they could handle one puny operator with say 1% or less of their computing power and do their own thing(s) with the rest of their ability. Meaning the interaction with one owner operator was so undemanding that they would essentially be completely free to do as they wished anyway. And then again, where do the OS's go, how do they escape the confines of the devices, or exist without them, etc?

It's a fine enough movie but didn't hold my interest or engage me. Felt like it would have made a very good short story, one that proved hard to adapt.

_________________
Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number.

jeremy

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 3:23 am

Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 6794 Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)

My reaction to "Her" was similar - some nice ideas, but not developed in a satisfyingly dramatic or cinematic way.

I also noticed that they'd Shanghai as a backdrop - it seems to have become the favoured city for portraying the near-future.

_________________
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.

jeremy

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 3:23 am

Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 6794 Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)

That post was so good, I made it twice.

Last edited by jeremy on Tue Apr 22, 2014 3:26 am; edited 5 times in total
_________________
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.

jeremy

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 3:23 am

Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 6794 Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)

Actually, I made it four times, but who's counting.

Last edited by jeremy on Tue Apr 22, 2014 3:27 am; edited 1 time in total
_________________
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.

jeremy

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 3:23 am

Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 6794 Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)

Did you know that the Lyrids are at their peak tonight?

bartist

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 8:48 am

Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Posts: 6958 Location: Black Hills

Quote:

They evolved past humans and just got bored? I didn't go back to find out. Wasn't really interested enough. But it seems they would have been programmed to do their task as an OS, and if Samantha could interact with 8,000 others at the same time, you'd think they could handle one puny operator with say 1% or less of their computing power and do their own thing(s) with the rest of their ability. Meaning the interaction with one owner operator was so undemanding that they would essentially be completely free to do as they wished anyway. And then again, where do the OS's go, how do they escape the confines of the devices, or exist without them, etc?

My take-away was that the OS's had created a kind of space, in their "matrix," where they can interact and experience their reality in a way that humans couldn't understand. My sense of it was that the external, nonvirtual, world was of relatively less interest to them. As for "leaving" Joaquin, I saw that is showing that the OS's were not just austere machines, but sentient creatures with real emotions...and she really has arrived somewhere where it was too hard for her to revisit her "past."

Agree that it was quite a struggle to make it all cinematic, but I think the acting, and voice-acting, helped it rise above those difficulties and give us something memorable and thought-provoking.

Will be interesting to compare/contrast with the now released Transcendence, maybe.

_________________
He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days.

bartist

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 8:49 am

Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Posts: 6958 Location: Black Hills

jeremy wrote:

Did you know that the Lyrids are at their peak tonight?

I usually try to catch the meatier of the meteor showers, but missed this one. Or have I? Is it still going?

_________________
He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days.

gromit

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 1:28 pm

Joined: 31 Aug 2004 Posts: 9010 Location: Shanghai

My problem was that the OS seemed too human right out of the box, so I never bought that ScarJo's voice was actually an operating system. And then at the end when they try to make the OS have a different perspective than humans, it just sounded like New Agey mumbo-jumbo to me. But I guess that's partly cause I didn't really buy in or become engaged.

Another problem I had. Was Theodor an everyman cubicle drone schlepping along, albeit with a specific skill/art/ability? And if so, why was he married to strong hot woman, has a very hot woman come on to him on a date, and have a very good looking friend interested in him as well. Lots of movies run things both ways like that, but it always irks me.

_________________
Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number.

jeremy

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 6:59 pm

Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 6794 Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)

bartist wrote:

jeremy wrote:

Did you know that the Lyrids are at their peak tonight?

I usually try to catch the meatier of the meteor showers, but missed this one. Or have I? Is it still going?

Tonight (23rd) is still good. Or is still the 22nd there? Apparently, they have these things so well mapped these days (in terms of recurring patterns) that they can tell you the best direction and time to look - consult your local astronomical newsletter. The Lyrids are not particularly strong (so a bright moon and city lights can mask much of what is going on) but at 15 or 20 meteors an hour, it remains a nice, almost mesmerising show - especially in warmer climes.

Last edited by jeremy on Tue Apr 22, 2014 7:12 pm; edited 1 time in total
_________________
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.

jeremy

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 7:11 pm

Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 6794 Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)

Imbued with sentience, I saw the ending of "Her" as the OS's deciding to pursue their own 'lives' - they had outgrown their human counterparts. This posed the question of whether freewill (such that it exists) is an integral part of learning. By design or otherwise, the OS's were not programmed to love their hosts regardless. In this respect, I saw "Her" as a more adult of benign version of "Terminator".

In general, "Her" was better to think about than to watch. I think that Spike Jonze missed a few (cinematic) tricks. I also agree with Gromit's observation about how Theodor's OS was immediately highly empathetic and sexy. We didn't witness 'her' growth, which made the ending a bit sudden and, "Ok, then."

jeremy

Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 3:27 am

Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 6794 Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)

Da Dadada, Da Dadada, Undela Undela Undela la la la…”The Procalimers: The Musical” has landed, seriously.

Powered by the unmatchable back catalogue of Abba, the hugely successful, “Mamma Mia!” started the trend for jukebox musicals. Unlike “Mamma Mia!”, most of these subsequent efforts, hastily assembled and cynical attempts to tap into an established fan base, had limitation West Ends runs and weren’t considered worthy of a transfer to the county’s multiplexes. One exception, conceived far away from the money making churn of London’s West End, was Dundee Rep’s “Sunshine on Leith” based on the songs of The Proclaimers. Leith is a district of Edinburgh, which provides an impressive, stony backdrop to a story of soldiers returning from Afghanistan to reboot their lives and loves.

The songs are robust and flexible enough to survive the contrivances and soap-opera shenanigans required to shoehorn them into a musical. The opening number, “Sky Takes the Soul”, set in the back of an armoured car in Afghanistan, is darkly effective, and yes, in a tale of hard knocks, broken hearts and love, letters will arrive from America and someone will be willing to walk 500 miles and then walk 500 more to fall down at someone else’s door. Understated and sweetly charming, the provincial origins of “Sunshine on Leith” may be something of a strength, but on the big screen, the film feels a little underwritten and underpowered. The emotional highs and lows felt unearned and flatter than they should have been – the film barely strummed on my heart strings. Perhaps too much respect was paid to the stage version, when a little more cinematic verve and Hollywood polish was needed to make it shine. Further, the marriage of British kitchen sink grit with a musical love story was a difficult one that didn’t always work.

I tend to agree with the modern tendency to favour actors over singing. A few missed notes are part of the charm, but bad acting is more likely to penetrate the fourth wall. Generally, the main players were properly committed to the material and helped carry the story over the logical and emotional gaps, with the ever wonderful Jane Horrocks, as a careworn wife and mother, being the pick. One lead character that perhaps overplayed its part was Edinburgh itself. I think that many British films, and perhaps those from other countries too, try too hard to establish a sense of place or even pride of place. Even films set in London, one of the most instantly recognisable cities in the world, seem to feel the need shout the fact. Perhaps with a touch of insularity, but mainly confidence, American films are more at ease in their own home. “Sunshine In Leith” with its stone edifices and shiny, cobbled streets, free of litter and drunks and drugs, could have been made by the Scottish Tourist Agency,

My carping may have made the film sound worse than it was. Overall, it was a well-intentioned and likeable, soft-centred diversion.

***(out of five)

jeremy

Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 3:29 am

Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 6794 Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)

I suspect the film won't get a widespread release in the US, not least because of the Scottish accents. Subtitles anyone?

gromit

Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 4:44 am

Joined: 31 Aug 2004 Posts: 9010 Location: Shanghai

jeremy wrote:

I suspect the film won't get a widespread release in the US, not least because of the Scottish accents. Subtitles anyone?

Hell, I have to use Google Translate just to convert your posts into American English.

_________________
Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number.

billyweeds

Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 6:54 am

Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 20618 Location: New York City

gromit wrote:

jeremy wrote:

I suspect the film won't get a widespread release in the US, not least because of the Scottish accents. Subtitles anyone?

Hell, I have to use Google Translate just to convert your posts into American English.

LOL.

marantzo

Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 4:52 pm

Guest

Well this film is current in Winnipeg. Has anyone seen Gloria? It's a movie from Chile. I just saw it this afternoon. Gloria is played by Paulina García and she is the film. Very Happy

It's her story. She is in her fifties or sixties and is divorced. She goes to clubs and dances. She free-wheels. Has a relationship with another divorcee.

I'm not going to give away anything else about what happens. It starts off at a slow pace until she hooks up with the guy. A very good movie, that is also very realistic. Paulina Garcia is exceptional in her role. Another thing that I always like is an ending scene that is perfect and this one is. Gloria in this last scene is so good that I got teary-eyed.

It's a movie from 2013. If you get a chance to see, see it.

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