Talk About Movies: Part 4
Somehow threads merged, so here's part 4 of our ongoing movie discussion.
Count of Monte Cristo (2024, France) - really good adaptation of the GOAT adventure story. It looks fantastic, very well shot. The parts up to and including Dantes' imprisonment are a bit stronger than the rest. I think his plotting and enactment of his revenge could have been sped up a bit. There's a hunting scene which could have been almost wholly excused without having a major impact.
gran torino was amazing
hated million dollar baby, thought mystic river was meh
haven't seen the rest
yeah it was a great cast, wonderfully acted, but i just never cared about anything that happened
gran torino was amazing
hated million dollar baby, thought mystic river was meh
haven't seen the rest
Unforgiven is awesome. Not that it really matters, but it won best picture in '92. Clint Eastwood asked Gene Hackman to be in the movie and after reading the script, Hackman told Eastwood he didn't want to make another violent movie. Eastwood told Hackman to re-read it and he changed is mind. It's basically a deconstruction of the traditional Western in the way it goes about portraying heroes and villains and the characters' relationships with themselves and their own actions. It uses a ton of cliches. Sometimes they're (intentionally) hilarious and sometimes they're beautiful. Just a great movie all around.
A Perfect World is one of my favorite movies ever. 90s Kevin Costner flick. Check it out.
And yeah, Gran Torino rules. Eastwood is hilarious, and there's some remarkable symbolism in it.
Million Dollar Baby is my least favorite of the bunch, but I still love it.
Unforgiven is awesome.
It's basically a deconstruction of the traditional Western in the way it goes about portraying heroes and villains and the characters' relationships with themselves and their own actions.
Just a great movie all around.
If it's message was to 'basically' deconstruct the 'traditional Western'... it didn't do a very good job in my humble O.
While I agree it is one of the truly great westerns, there are a LOT of Films in that genre that deserve higher praise and notoriety... and most of them are known and do have praise.
What I think The Unforgiven does illustrate is that Violence and Vengeance in the west was the primary 'way of life'... and that existence itself was impossible without it, especially so for the innocent. It does this without the Veil of heroic morality or glamorous idealism that are usually present in the Western genre, and for this it does deserve overwhelming praise.
The introduction of guilt and reflection by the main protagonists (bounty hunters) was a refreshing juxtaposition when compared to the blind application of violence by the main antagonists (the Law and Societal Modernity).
I found very little true character deconstruction going on beyond a very slight backstory of the main and secondary characters.
I may have misused "deconstruction." What I was trying to say is that it uses a lot of the same cliches (to a somewhat comical level), and on it's surface, it's presented the same as a traditional Western, but the character arcs and message aren't typical of what is generally seen in the genre and are rather at odds with it.
What I like about Unforgiven is the role of the writer. At one time, the real force behind films was the screenwriter. Writers were often portrayed as tough guys or heroes.
With the advent of auteur theory,which gave prominence to the director, writers became weaker characters or outright villains.
I haven't studied this closely but I believe there is a connection. Hence the writer as sniveling coward in Unforgiven.
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oh man, i have seen unforgiven, just forgot about it
One of the best scenes in the movies is when Will & The Kid are getting paid in Unforgiven.
When Will finds out about Ned and grabs the bottle from The Kid, things are getting real. Too bad there wasn't a storm brewing in the background because bad things are coming for Little Bill.
What I like about Unforgiven is the role of the writer. At one time, the real force behind films was the screenwriter. Writers were often portrayed as tough guys or heroes.
With the advent of auteur theory,which gave prominence to the director, writers became weaker characters or outright villains.
I haven't studied this closely but I believe there is a connection. Hence the writer as sniveling coward in Unforgiven.
I love how when Little Bill asks that character what he does, the character says he writes, and Little Bill goes, "Letters?" Then later on when he mentions to Munny that he's a writer, Munny responds, "Letters and such?"
Rest In Peace actor James Earl Jones.
"This field, this game—it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again."
I've been hesitating to post this because I still don't know what I think about it. Nomadland Slow, but deliberately slow. I think I liked it.
Because I watched the documentary on the brat pack, I decided to watch the one from that era that I've never seen. Pretty in Pink. Ugh. Sucked, but not as bad as St. Elmo's Fire.
Also just finished Three Days of the Condor k, I guess. Farfetched but not any more than some of the spy thrillers these days. I did like the end where the hit man and Redford meet.
shooter is trending! #10 on paramount! lfg!!!!!!!!!!!
Shooter? I hardly know her!
Spoiler
Anyone tried Mubi? The upcoming 4k restoration of The Fall has me intrigued.
man, how things change...Demi Moore and Pamela Anderson BOTH be touted as Oscar favorites...crazy
sort any list of eastwood movie credits by almost any metric
and i'm willing to bet each will include at least a couple of bangers enjoyed by our majority vote
Roger Ebert's take on The Hitcher is wild (3:03)
