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| bartist |
 Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 1:14 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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Just saw Melancholia, liked it more than any other Von Trier film I've seen by a long shot. Lushly shot on location in Sweden, breathtaking. I think the big old planet that's headed our way is a metaphor for something, the film leaves it open as to what. An objective correlate to Kirsten Dunst's depression? OK. A way to talk about death? Sure, why not. A symbol of existential despair? Yeah, maybe. Dunst seems to be a woman with superhuman powers (she can instantly count 678 beans in a jar, and is first to notice something is off in the constellation of Scorpio. She also claims to know that we humans are alone in the universe and that we basically suck and deserve to die. IOW, the life of the party) and looks quite fetching when she basks naked in the moonlight (or Melancholia-light). Mythic, existential, apocalyptic, and, as the Weed says, uneven.
Though the presence of Kiefer Sutherland gave me some hope that Jack Bauer would save the planet, possibly by beating useful information out of Dunst, those hopes were quickly dashed....though there was a touch of the man of action as he tried to evict his mother-in-law from the wedding reception and hurled some luggage. But there's really nothing to be done but put a good spin on the astronomical data and keep the wife calmed.
Still wondering why the horse was afraid to cross the bridge. |
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| Marc |
| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 10:28 pm |
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Joined: 19 May 2004
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| Congratulations to Martin Scorsese for his best director win at the Golden Globes. |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 11:38 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: AZ
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Bart..........I loved Melancholia.......basically because I love a visually beautiful film that expresses something with what it looks like rather than what is spoken. There aren't enough films like this. (not forgetting the Wagner score)
I think the metaphor is basically depression (melancholia). Von Trier is known to have suffered from this. Notice how as the end of the world approaches Dunst pulls herself together. I've heard that when a depressive decides on suicide there is a lift in mood, a relief knowing that the pain will end soon.
A wedding is supposed to be the ultimate joyful occasion......but with a mother announcing to all that she doesn't believe in marriage.....how would you expect the daughter to be able to override that influence?
How many filmmakers want to delve into what depression really feels like? |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:11 am |
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Von Trier using a Wagner score. That fits. 
When I was still in Fine Arts, probably 19 or 20 at the time, I took a few more amphetamines than were sensible. After about 24 hours I crashed. Couldn't eat any solid foods, just liquids and soup. Was completely uninterested in anything and the only emotion I had was despair. I knew that it was just a reaction after the amphetamine I had taken ran its course, so the only thing I had in mind was to ride it out. The only useful thing I got from this experience was the revelation that was, "So this is what pathological depression is like. Now I know why suicide can be an option for people stricken with it." Two and a half days later I pulled out of my zombie state and was back to normal. A similar thing came to me when I was smoking grass in Paris; "So this is what paranoia is like." |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:13 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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Golden Globes. Yawwwwwwwn.
(Except for Laura Dern winning for Enlightened. Totally deserving, and to me completely unexpected. It made the whole event worthwhile.) |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:16 am |
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| Maybe you were depressed when you were watching it? |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 11:48 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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Befade, yes it was visually expressive (Melancholia) and showing us lots of exterior things to reveal inner life. Regarding....
Quote: Notice how as the end of the world approaches Dunst pulls herself together. I've heard that when a depressive decides on suicide there is a lift in mood, a relief knowing that the pain will end soon.
I've heard that, as well, and it does work with apocalypse as metaphor for the end of her world. It's more attractive as metaphor, otherwise we've just seen the world obliterated (and the laws of physics violated repeatedly). (I'm sure SYD would have a bone to pick with the diagrams of the planet's trajectory.) |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 11:53 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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"Yawnnnnnnn."
What I saw of it, would agree, except for Gervais' opener, which was quite funny. I'm now more eager to see "Enlightened," after this and previously hearing some good things about it. I imagine INLA is happy with Streep's win. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 1:05 pm |
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Streep was great in the role, but the movie was really pretty awful.
Enlightened is a unique show and a really fine one, but one which I was verrrrry surprised to see win an award. It's really iconoclastic and destined to be a cult item, I think.
Dern gives a performance which deserves the word "great." Such a complex character is rarely seen anywhere--stage, screen, or anywhere. |
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| knox |
| Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 1:30 pm |
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The GG casts its net too wide, is part of the problem. But Gervais does open it well.
Also liked Melancholia, which I took as planet=depression, too. Interesting they don't say where it is, and with the English-speaking cast you can almost imagine it's some mansion on Long Island, but somehow you know it's Scandinavia. Not sure if Dunst is Swedish or anything, but she certainly looks it. Thought I detected Kiefer trying to slip into a slightly Nordic accent a couple times, which was odd. Agree with "uneven." Rampling was just scary, and well-done. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 2:15 pm |
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| It's The Iron Lady that you say is awful, right? Thanks. Another movie I don't have to waste time watching. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 2:47 pm |
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marantzo wrote: It's The Iron Lady that you say is awful, right? Thanks. Another movie I don't have to waste time watching.
Yes, The Iron Lady. One of the most superficial biographies I've ever seen. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 2:50 pm |
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I was underwhelmed by most of the winning performances. They were all good, but did nothing special for me. Streep, Jean Dujardin, Michelle Williams, Olivia Spencer, Christopher Plummer--none of them made my SAG nominations committee cut. I voted for Clooney in The Descendants, but otherwise scratch.
Hugo, The Artist. Blah. |
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| jeremy |
| Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 3:18 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)
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Streep's performance aside, I was disappointed by The Iron Lady. The film chose to concentrate on Margerat Thatcher's dotage, showing her career as a series of flashbacks triggered and contrasted by the levelling frustrations and failings of old age. Some may have seen this as bold, but I found this, together with the decision to concentrate on the emotional elements of Thatcher's life rather than the ideas that fired her, to show a lack of courage. I sensed that the filmmakers, luvvies to a man (and woman) couldn't bring themselves to cut into the meat of her politics, too blue and bloody for most.
Her demise as Prime Minster was essentially a political act, a modern rendering of th eassassination of Caeser. Closely associated with the Poll Tax and subsequent riots, her popularity was on the wain. Additionally, she had fallen out with key supporters in her cabinet over the nature of Britain's relations with the European Union. One of those that she'd forced to resign over an earlier dispute, stood against her for leadership of the [Conservative] party. She won the subsequent ballot, but was fatally wounded. One by one her colleagues told her to go. Wthin days she was forced to resign, and, as is custom, leave her home of the last 11 years, the Prime Minister's residence and office, 10 Downing Street. Unfortunately, the film framed theseevents as the actions of a castigated cabinet colleague taking revenge on account of his bruised feelings.
Maybe Margaret Thatcher is still too much of a polarising figure in the UK for a biopic to survive a different treatment. The filmmakers needed to humanise her, and perhpas show her brought down, to make her more palatable for the legions who still dispise her. However, it is somewhat ironic that Thatcher herself would have recoiled from such an approach. As Streep pronounced in the the film, "...Ideas are more important than feelings..." |
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I am angry, I am ill, and I'm as ugly as sin.
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| gromit |
| Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 3:44 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Location: Shanghai
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Moneybore didn't do it for me.
Fairly early on I was not engaged, checking the timer and seeing it was 24 minutes in. Was hoping the pace would pick up or it would get interesting. It seemed mostly like a paint by the numbers cliche fest. The montages were dull, the flashbacks to Beane's own career formulaic, and I'm not sure why they kept showing Beane driving in his car.
I wanted either more character development or more baseball or both. Both of which they tried sporadically. Thought it was a mistake to make such a big deal about the winning streak.
An interesting choice to use PS Hoffman as the manager. I wouldn't have thought of that, but at times he really did look the part.
Certainly not a subtle film -- often in the vein of a tv movie. For the record, I like Pitt and like sports, and was interested in a baseball film to start. |
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