tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post6829560758539158628..comments2024-03-17T10:11:46.952-04:00Comments on Film Experience Blog: Modern Maestros: Michel GondryNATHANIEL Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11597109147678235399noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-36799922035175653482010-08-06T20:39:57.489-04:002010-08-06T20:39:57.489-04:00"Be Kind, Rewind" was a much different m..."Be Kind, Rewind" was a much different movie than I expected, but I find myself thinking about it time and again and its colorful community.<br />I feel like much of the (extremely frustrating) tonal problem is due to the casting of Jack Black.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-43503830412361045522010-07-10T19:51:37.563-04:002010-07-10T19:51:37.563-04:00Michel Gondry, as you say, is in total control of ...Michel Gondry, as you say, is in total control of the visual aspects of "Eternal," like the fence disappearing piece by piece or other things being erased in quite the same way they do. And yes, he does wonders with the actors. Try putting Kaufman himself in charge of Carrey, Winslet, etc., and it wouldn't be nearly as effective. Just think of how he treated Seymour Phillip and Catherine Keener in "Synecdoche," and you can imagine what he would have done here. "Synecdoche"'s even better, IMO, but "Eternal Sunshine" is right up alongside it as a masterpiece.<br /><br />I've seen "Eternal" around 5 times, and it wasn't until I had warmed my mind up with the first viewings that I truly understood what a freaking amazing achievement it was. I haven't seen "Block Party," "Human Nature," or "Science of Sleep," but I really didn't like "Be Kind Rewind," which was somewhat miscalculated and slight. Parts are nice in it, but it shows that Gondry is best with a script by Kaufman, not himself (although his story input is good).<br /><br />You didn't mention his short "Interior Design" from "Tokyo!" which has nice touches again, but is not that good and very, very slight. It didn't exactly stand out to me (or, it seems, many other critics). Gondry, as you say, is defined by "Eternal Sunshine," which is a complete masterpiece that truly warrants viewing after viewing.Nick Duvalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00089865009208643645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-682250706412513322010-07-10T17:24:04.822-04:002010-07-10T17:24:04.822-04:00Dylan -- i need to watch that. i have the DVD but ...Dylan -- i need to watch that. i have the DVD but haven't tried it yet.NATHANIEL Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11597109147678235399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-50947983394447737842010-07-10T00:25:16.166-04:002010-07-10T00:25:16.166-04:00I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Tokyo!...I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Tokyo! I netflixed it last week and loved all three short films in it, but Gondry's especially--an altogether normal portrait of a moribund relationship, at first, with a surprising and memorable Kafkaesque ending.<br /><br />Also, I'll jump on the Eternal-Sunshine-of-the-Spotless-Mind-is-my-favorite-movie bandwagon too.Dylannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-16544120279960576742010-07-09T18:58:02.401-04:002010-07-09T18:58:02.401-04:00Rose -- stories like that are so beautiful to hear...Rose -- stories like that are so beautiful to hear. Especially if you've just watched a bad movie or written about one ;)NATHANIEL Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11597109147678235399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-18753706680903143962010-07-09T18:28:18.120-04:002010-07-09T18:28:18.120-04:00"to watch it is to be reminded why I fell in ...<i>"to watch it is to be reminded why I fell in love with the movies."</i><br /><br />Precisely. Eternal Sunshine (I can say with a reasonable amount of certainty) will probably always be my favorite movie, simply because it introduced me to how wonderful movies could truly be. I caught it on HBO at 2 am in the morning about 5 years ago with no intention of watching the whole thing (I'd never even heard of it before). But I was so mesmerized I stayed up until 4 am just to finish it. I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I had to go out and buy it the next day to re-watch it. Thus began my love affair with movies.Rosenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-35593216068761530312010-07-09T17:26:29.728-04:002010-07-09T17:26:29.728-04:00You're strong if you could watch it that much....You're strong if you could watch it that much. The characters are depressing, the implications of Lacuna are depressing, it's shot in a style meant to depress. I haven't watched it in at least a year.Volvagianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-87661602355049551112010-07-09T17:04:24.783-04:002010-07-09T17:04:24.783-04:00In the "Shooting Script" book series, Ka...In the "Shooting Script" book series, Kaufman was interviewed and his interpretation of Clementine was that of a bitch. Winslet does have a hand in reversing that, and I'm stretching here, but Gondry might have something to do with her humanization too.<br /><br />Two years ago I would watch that movie every day, even at 4 in the morning. I haven't seen it in a while because I overwatched it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-36069717823414602262010-07-09T15:42:38.317-04:002010-07-09T15:42:38.317-04:00it's especially silly re: Eternal Sunshine bec...it's especially silly re: Eternal Sunshine because Gondry collaborated with - and is credited alongside - Kaufman and another writer on the story of the film! brilliant though he is, it's not like kaufman wrote the script by himself in a cave and delivered it whole to Gondry, and then Gondry just faithfully translated the script to screen.<br /><br />all that aside, it's of course understandable why you emphasized ESoTM and Science of Sleep, but i wish you had more room to go into Dave Chapelle's Block Party. for me, it's Gondry's second best film (after ESotSM, of course), and - aside from being a gangbusters concert film - also a deeply insightful look into the creative process. and it's emphasis on the virtues of community and shared experience also definitely laid the groundwork for the charming, if uneven, Be Kind, Rewind.<br /><br />interesting that with both of his best (well, in my opinion) films, he's followed them with, well, spiritual sequels, sort of. i look forward to attempting to find the correspondence between A Thorn in the Heart, his doc about his aunt, and The Green Hornet.Joshnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-61030388923285201602010-07-09T15:37:37.100-04:002010-07-09T15:37:37.100-04:00As much as I loved Eternal Sunshine, I could barel...As much as I loved Eternal Sunshine, I could barely pay attention to Be Kind, Rewind...it was that dull to me.Kylenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-77830741974086483642010-07-09T15:31:36.689-04:002010-07-09T15:31:36.689-04:00Janice - I also think that Kaufman is that rare sc...Janice - I also think that Kaufman is that rare screenwriter who puts such a personal stamp on his scripts that it's easy for him to overshadow his directors.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13178975866741187681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-90994796383231403412010-07-09T15:02:20.448-04:002010-07-09T15:02:20.448-04:00Now why is it that normally scriptwriters are comp...Now why is it that normally scriptwriters are completely ignored in favor of the contributions of the director - but not in this instance? I'm really puzzled - what did Gondry do to piss people off, exactly?<br /><br />That said, ESOTSM is one of my favorite films of all time ("what he said" to Jose and Nathaniel). The Science of Sleep is - not. I think that was an instance of the quirkiness not really leading anywhere (it felt like quirkiness for its own sake) and the man-child central character not being nearly as endearing as Jim Carrey's Joel. Too much child, not enough man. (Hmm, maybe I have figured out the issue people have with Gondry...)Janicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08049113750769117163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-15003408721812790392010-07-09T14:55:10.228-04:002010-07-09T14:55:10.228-04:00He doesn’t intend to make Hornet in the vein of hi...He doesn’t intend to make Hornet in the vein of his previous directorial efforts. You can expect something generic as though his name isn’t attached. He wants to shed his ties to want makes him a big deal between the critics and the art crowd. <br /><br />I don’t care for his masterpiece however it’s my favorite Kate Winslet performance./3rtfu11noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-22971709865589768032010-07-09T14:08:23.903-04:002010-07-09T14:08:23.903-04:00Thank you thank you for calmly pinpointing what...Thank you thank you for calmly pinpointing what's terribly wrong about giving all the credit to Kaufman. One only has to look at Kaufman's directorial debut to understand how important visual style is in making complex ideas accessible and fascinating.<br /><br />i love eternal sunshine and the rest of his filmography often show him to be of nimble mind. No he hasn't made a movie as good as eternal sunshine and probably won't again. But then again... what filmmaker HAS made a movie as good as eternal sunshine more than once. Not too damn many.NATHANIEL Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11597109147678235399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-84615626001448696482010-07-09T14:05:40.088-04:002010-07-09T14:05:40.088-04:00I really would believe it if the idea of using fla...I really would believe it if the idea of using flashlights was in Kaufman's script. (Remember how anal he portrayed himself as in Adaptation?) Although, you're right that no screenwriter can ever take credit for a great performance.Volvagianoreply@blogger.com