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the first seven minutes was a wild ride
So would you recommend we watched just the first 7 mins - is it that good?
In the same way, I could recommend the amazing Atomic Blonde scene from the staircase escape to the river, or the superbly choreographed fight on ice in The Nevers.
[Poor Things]. I enjoyed the first half-hour and the final half-hour. In between I started to get quite bored because it gets to the point where it's pretty much all shagging... The very distinctive fantasy look started to grate too.
I think Willem Dafoe is attempting Scottishness ... Stone is passable at the English, but Ruffalo is not, and I soon found him quite annoyingly distracting because of it.
Hey, we pretty much agree on this one ! The cinematography, set design and costumes are all superb, and would have been captivating on IMAX. But as you said, either the novelty wears off half way, or they stopped trying, cos the wow factor definitely diminishes later on.
Dafoe's accent is terrible (why-oh-why couldn't the character have simply worked in USA for 20 years??) but I thought Stone's was spot on. Ruffalo starts off OK, but he really can't do anguish, so his performance was campy pantomime villain! Apparently, he didn't think he was right for the role but was talked into it, alongside jokes that Oscar Isaac would be better suited (and he really would have been! - superb in Scenes From A Marriage.)
The scene in which a father educates his two sons ... apparently this was BBFC cut from UK release.
it reminded me of Barbie ... agree, they are both big-named top Hollywood productions, with clumsy feminist messaging. In some ways it's good to hear, but it could and should be so much better and more barbed ... bring in Lena Dunham and Phoebe WB, for goodness sake!
The scene with the kids was indeed edited down, but not cut from the film entirely: BBFC. Makes me wonder exactly what the law is, since it could easily have been filmed in a way that the kids weren't present on set at the same time as the grownup actors, in fact probably was... and I'm reminded of the sketch in Monty Python's Meaning of Life in which a couple get down to it in front of a whole classroom of boys as John Cleese's professor narrates what's going on re stiffies and juices and whatnot. In fact I think it's Cleese and his wife that do the deed. That one was funnier.
So would you recommend we watched just the first 7 mins - is it that good?
No, it's that the film seemed to quickly change genres in a matter of minutes, something I'd not expected. Also reminds me to watch the rest of the film.
it reminded me of Barbie ... agree, they are both big-named top Hollywood productions, with clumsy feminist messaging.
I didn't feel Barbie was all feminist messaging. Yes, there was lots there and the first 30 minutes were a tad trying, but once Ken sees the real world it got interesting with him thinking that was how he should behave. In reality, neither of them were happy playing the stereotypical roles society supposedly expects and the movie showed that.
Anyone watched Apocalypse Now (1979) recently ?
A long twitter thread piqued my interest as I think I've only watched it once (as a teenager?) when broadcast on Channel 4 back in the day.
After 20 mins googling and reading and trying to follow reddit arguments, I'm even more confused on which version to watch! Generally I prefer the longest complete versions of films, and don't have romantic ideas over theatrical releases
- 1979 Theatrical 147 mins
- 2001 Redux 197 mins
- 2019 Final Cut 183 mins
- unofficial workprint 289 mins - poor quality
https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=442569
https://screenrant.com/apocalypse-now-different-cuts-versions-coppola-changes-explained/
https://movieweb.com/apocalypse-now-redux-or-regular-which-is-better/
I've seen it a few times but not (despite buying ultimate box sets on blu and UHD) for several years. I used to show off my big Dolby Pro-Logic CRT telly (4:3 ratio!) with the VHS of this because the surround effect of the village attack, with Wagner and choppers, was terrific. And usually I'm fine with extended versions, on the premise that a good film extended is more of a good film - for instance I never look at the Lord of the Rings trilogy in the shorter theatrical form now, it's extended only.
But now you mention it I can't even recall if I've seen the redux or not. What I've read of the added scenes leads me to suspect they might just be indulgent bloat - so the film has been on my rewatch pile for years. I really should get round to it again, now I have the 4k, because it's at least partially brilliant. But I have to be in just the right mood, since more often than not the Brando segments just send me to sleep. I think there's definitely a case for a version in which Sheen goes back to HQ, shrugs and says 'sorry, we couldn't find him'.
Thanks @wowbagger - and I agree on extended versions too. 👍
I think I'm gonna go for the Final Cut, for 2 reasons -
- the 4K remastering (even though I'm watching on a 1080 pj screen) that apparently also improves the audio,
- the fact that Coppola revisited the film after criticism of his Redux cut, and fixed a few things.
American Fiction (2023) - I had no idea what this was about, so it was interesting to see the directions it was taking as the story unfolded. Surprisingly LOL-worthy dialogue, subverting expectations and cliché, with some very creative director fluorishes.
I was completely absorbed for the first 2/3, but then it feels a bit rushed (probably cos we are so used to 8-hour TV series these days). Would be happy to spend more time with each of the quirky characters.
Very satisfying ending ensures a solid 8/10 from me.
90 New York Magazine - sharp and funny, with rueful family dynamics that make the film so rewarding.
80 The Guardian - a hilarious and withering satire about an African American novelist chafing against an industry.
80 Vanity Fair - a sharp and clever film.
80 Variety - a trust in the audience is what makes “American Fiction” so rewarding.
Perfect Days (2023) - slow, thoughtful film about the details and routines in daily life. Hardly anything happens in the true sense - you could write the synopsis in 2 sentences - it's almost a series of vignettes and photographs.
But we were both drawn in and mesmerised, and intrigued by the character motivations. One annoyingly ott character almost spoils things, but thankfully doesn't get much screentime. Oh, and a fab soundtrack of slow 70s rock.
Not for everyone, but a definite 8/10 from us.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3bOXZjiIGOJkfR7hKV5TKB?si=5044e5e200fb4c9f
