tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post7190712762730054163..comments2024-03-17T10:11:46.952-04:00Comments on Film Experience Blog: Year in Review Pt 1: Baffling Comedy and Over Cooked DramaNATHANIEL Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11597109147678235399noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-25803869690574987422010-01-01T11:16:29.524-05:002010-01-01T11:16:29.524-05:00Without a doubt, I have to give 'over-praised&...Without a doubt, I have to give 'over-praised' shout-outs to the twin front-runners for Actress... Carey Mulligan and Meryl Streep. Mulligan was delicate and charming, yes, but I feel as though any other young starlet could have delivered a performance on the very same level. Streep's performance felt like an imitation of Dan Akroyd doing Julia Child.Amandahttp://euphoria027.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-10454121333518382022010-01-01T11:02:36.504-05:002010-01-01T11:02:36.504-05:00yesyesNATHANIEL Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11597109147678235399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-31408313815595285962010-01-01T08:44:27.200-05:002010-01-01T08:44:27.200-05:00Hi, I've been enjoying reading this blog for s...Hi, I've been enjoying reading this blog for some months now. Just wanted to make sure, if I got something right here<br /><br />"This section of the year-end review is dedicated to you-know-who"<br /><br />you-know-who is Clint Eastwood, isn't he?Dominiknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-89058509140764783882009-12-31T00:39:30.043-05:002009-12-31T00:39:30.043-05:00I didn't think that Stanley Tucci did anything...I didn't think that Stanley Tucci did anything worth nominating in "Julie & Julia." If the long-suffering wife trope is so old, then it should be the same case for the long-suffering husband (though his suffering was at a minimum, since he had his giddy wife's cooking and all to comfort him). "The Lovely Bones" looks awful, and I was really looking forward to it after reading the book. He isn't the kind of actor I would have gone for with George Harvey either. It should been more of a Dylan Baker type. Or just Dylan Baker. That could have been awesome, and he needs to be nominated for something already anyway (should have been for "Happiness").<br /><br />And I loved "The Hangover," so I don't see what's misjudged about it. I don't care about things being overhyped if the final product is worth its salt. I can cut off the computer and television when over-saturation hits a film. But it was one of the best films of the year to me, and I'd love to see it nodded in best picture this year. It's the comedy of the year and runs circles around these other comedies of the year being brandied about for one of the ten slots.Anthonynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-64735263372026954262009-12-30T22:57:32.076-05:002009-12-30T22:57:32.076-05:00"I was just unconvinced that he could play an..."I was just unconvinced that he could play anything but the wide-eyed alpha male."<br /><br /><i>Somersault</i>. He even gets a gay kiss in that one.<br /><br />Adam, what I meant about DADT is that the movie goes to great lengths to be like the series and give all of those minorities a major member and yet despite everything about this <i>Star Trek</i> being more modern and everything and can't throw in a token gay character? They don't need to make them a flamboyan drag queen like they did with the Russian dude, but something. <br /><br />Anyway, the Uhuru thing is stupid anyway because even when she's on the ship she doesn't do a damned thing.Glenn Dunkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05424659636310160482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-84449851797921656242009-12-30T21:40:17.345-05:002009-12-30T21:40:17.345-05:00I really like your analysis of 'the hangover&#...I really like your analysis of 'the hangover'. I feel justified for finding it both hilarious and infuriating. Thanks Nathaniel!!!FranklinBluthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16144210383154290715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-71022234833309200692009-12-30T20:33:02.098-05:002009-12-30T20:33:02.098-05:00I am with you on "The Cove". I am more ...I am with you on "The Cove". I am more than all for putting a stop to animal cruelty. My particular issue with the film is the message that the slaughter of dolphins is so much worse than the slaughter of cows in North America. When the "hero" of the film is told that there is no difference between the two massacres, he responds by saying that the difference is that HERE (in Japan) it's a big secret. Therefore, if they put out a commercial ADVERTISING the fact that they are senselessly killing innocent dolphins, the film crew would pack up and go home.<br />That moment stopped me in my tracks and made me realize how short sighted the message of the film was.Cory Rivardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-53012917997467500262009-12-30T19:58:31.961-05:002009-12-30T19:58:31.961-05:00Peter. No there is not. It was a joke about how aw...Peter. No there is not. It was a joke about how awesome he is no matter the movie.NATHANIEL Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11597109147678235399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-44188015476167658772009-12-30T18:51:06.252-05:002009-12-30T18:51:06.252-05:00If you're not gonna say it, I will-Invictus:)
...If you're not gonna say it, I will-Invictus:)<br />Also definitely Star Trek.Sure, it was perfectly fine and fun, but also perfectly generic and forgettable.<br /><br />Performances...while they're all good, I am unentusiasthic about upcoming Oscar nods for Sidibe, Bullock and even Streep.<br />Also obviously Freeman and Damon.(Though I'd nominate Damon before Freeman.Or at least I don't get why everyone is freaking out about Matt's nominations, but barely anyone speaks against Freeman's.)<br />And I'm convinced I missed something in Jeremy Renner's performance.<br /><br />It needs to be said I'm still missing some big movies.Nine, Bones, Crazy Heart, Up in the Air, A Single Man, Bright Star and A Serious Man being the biggest ones.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11081069477136962379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-42620737707639018242009-12-30T18:12:56.535-05:002009-12-30T18:12:56.535-05:00Um... there's not actually a Jeff Bridges movi...Um... there's not actually a Jeff Bridges movie called "Insert More Movies Here"... right?Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12987834840694434326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-47336678787176781202009-12-30T17:55:52.847-05:002009-12-30T17:55:52.847-05:00I agree with you very much about A Single Man. I t...I agree with you very much about A Single Man. I thought everything about it, with the exception of the performances, was too "staged" and none of it felt real. The film school way to describe it is perfect. I feel as if Tom Ford was watching other beautiful films and seeing what he can to do make his film beautiful, and it turn it came across as fake and unnatural. It was all technical for me, and none of it natural. Except for the performances. But of course, you said it more eloquently.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-84388059108788632682009-12-30T17:54:49.276-05:002009-12-30T17:54:49.276-05:00Stella:
No offense, but I think you're misrea...Stella:<br /><br />No offense, but I think you're misreading the film.<br /><br />The whole film is essentially an essay on the "cute girl saves sad boy" story that has permeated our culture. It is an indictment of guys who selfishly turn girls into symbols and call that love. It uses the tropes of the "genre" (ie, sad british pop music, simplified cinematic references, Zooey herself) as a Brechtian "distancer" in order to detach the audience's direct empathy...after all, the main character is the only one who doesn't realize how false and cliche his "love" is.Nate Tysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15001118772198572798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-13240671176829698452009-12-30T16:02:28.441-05:002009-12-30T16:02:28.441-05:00Oh, and I just want to defend Anna Kendrick. I tho...Oh, and I just want to defend Anna Kendrick. I thought she gave a very honest and lively performance, and she was a superb foil to George Clooney in UITA.Andreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02452693756267509615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-64222811309046225212009-12-30T16:00:29.966-05:002009-12-30T16:00:29.966-05:00500 Days of Summer.
Good LORD. Some parts were ...500 Days of Summer. <br /><br /><br />Good LORD. Some parts were cute and made me laugh, but overall it was just so transparent, from the themes to the individual scenes. I could practically hear the screenwriter say during each scene, "insert [thing] to make it quirky/original" = oddly forgettable. And don't even get me started on the fact that people are falling over each other on the IMDB board for 500 Days, proclaiming it to be a revelatory movie on love. Christ, we're in trouble. <br /><br />Zooey Deschanel - well, she is always overrated. She's a poster girl for indie cliches, not a versatile or particularly good actress.Andreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02452693756267509615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-52319639971626949802009-12-30T15:57:46.982-05:002009-12-30T15:57:46.982-05:00The Hangover sucked so much !!! Its one of the wor...The Hangover sucked so much !!! Its one of the worst comedy movies ive seen recently and people keep praising it. It sucked so get over it!<br /><br />And The Hurt Locker !! Please! Get over the Iraq War already. Its so annoying.<br /><br />Only kathryn bigelow and the editing crew should win for the film, the rest... OVERRATED !!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-20883883837609418932009-12-30T15:16:18.245-05:002009-12-30T15:16:18.245-05:00Ashley, I SO agree with you about Anna Kendrick! ...Ashley, I SO agree with you about Anna Kendrick! I just don't see what all the fuss was about. Her acting was pretty pedestrian to begin with, and I had to stop trying to take her seriously after that crying scene, where she looked as if she were trying to channel Shirley Temple.<br /><br />You know who would have been better in that role...Ellen Page! Julianne Moore would be too old to do a just-out-of-college geek.<br /><br />However, after seeing it twice, I have to say that UITA is basically overrated; I expected so much more from it. Ryan Bingham's sudden turn towards domesticity after attending his sister's wedding doesn't really fit the character, which is my big beef about the movie. As for acting, Clooney is good, but he's almost on auto-pilot for most of it. Vera Farmiga, on the other hand, is very good, and I'd be happy to see her get a supporting actress nom. <br /><br />I hope that UITA doesn't win the Best Picture Oscar!<br /><br />As for "A Simple Man," the last few minutes, the end of the last act, were a marvel of mounting tension and apprehension. However, the rest of the movie was...nothing. I'm not Jewish, and I'm a lifelong atheist, so I'm doubly not part of the intended audience.<br /><br />As for "The Hurt Locker," it didn't particularly move me. As far as "Iraq" films go, I preferred "Redacted."<br /><br />Nat, I'm waiting to see your list of underrated movies/performances. I would nominate "Two Lovers" as underrated film of the year.Bill_the_Bearnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-85760259489996393712009-12-30T15:06:18.037-05:002009-12-30T15:06:18.037-05:00I always find irritating when people criticise acc...I always find irritating when people criticise accents, maybe because my mother tongue is not English, but also because there is a lot of "world" out there that watches films dubbed in their own language ( not that I agree with the practice necessarily), and couldn't give a damn about an accent.<br />And they still love Meryl Streep...adelutzahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01500491363721543846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-30089813503478764302009-12-30T14:50:48.691-05:002009-12-30T14:50:48.691-05:00I actually didn't find Worthington soulless. ...I actually didn't find Worthington soulless. I liked his performance a lot, other than the accent. I think he was well suited to the role; I was just unconvinced that he could play anything but the wide-eyed alpha male.<br /><br />And it's not that it was THAT distracting, but I just couldn't believe that he could get away with such blatant inability on a film of this scale. With $300 million, couldn't Cameron either get him dialect training or just hire someone who was actually American or could do an American dialect, OR just let Worthington be an Aussie in the film, if it was that hard for him?<br /><br />Nothing irks me more than an actor insisting on doing an accent when it clearly detracts from his performance. Better to just not even go there.adam k.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13485604493059621307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-40434465129214246302009-12-30T14:50:35.919-05:002009-12-30T14:50:35.919-05:00Nate -- i think the fantasy sequences are crucial ...Nate -- i think the fantasy sequences are crucial to the movie, too. But i do think that Lee Daniels overdirects them... or includes too many of them. But most of the complaints I hear about Precious just don't sit right with me. I thought it was a pretty amazing film and those two performances, spot on.NATHANIEL Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11597109147678235399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-23971152909883561792009-12-30T14:26:49.483-05:002009-12-30T14:26:49.483-05:00To people who don't like the "unrealistic...To people who don't like the "unrealistic" parts of Precious: Would you really have preferred such a melodramatic story to have been presented as realism? Precious' inner fantasies are a part of her life, and to eschew them for being "distracting" seems to be missing the point. The shot of her "reflection" is a good eample...people probably saw this as heavy-handed, I saw it as blunt and heart-breaking. Even when she feels her prettiest, Precious wishes she was "white pretty."Nate Tysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15001118772198572798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-56108204792265541052009-12-30T14:23:18.061-05:002009-12-30T14:23:18.061-05:00Observe and Report = fantastic ensemble, smart dir...Observe and Report = fantastic ensemble, smart direction, problematic script.<br /><br />Rogen, Farris & Weston are all very, very, very good.Nate Tysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15001118772198572798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-29932268795971468792009-12-30T14:19:18.922-05:002009-12-30T14:19:18.922-05:00I also think Precious' performances are great,...I also think Precious' performances are great, and Sidibe is especially emotional and touching. But the movie is very distracting, especially the direction and the fantasy sequences. It's really unnecessary to really show the inner and outward states of Precious.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-21732056991489297792009-12-30T14:07:44.494-05:002009-12-30T14:07:44.494-05:00Up in the Air is definitely overrated after I'...Up in the Air is definitely overrated after I've saw it this weekend. The first 45 mins maybe brilliant, but then the wheels come off and thematically, emotionally (if there is any) it just doesn't work. Acting is just ok, not really brilliant, and I just don't get Farmiga's character. If you have a family, and don't want anyone to find out about it and just want a fling, why would you go to someone's sister's wedding?? It is definitely NOT an "timely" (I hate that word) American masterpiece.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-2418463399734746772009-12-30T14:06:27.709-05:002009-12-30T14:06:27.709-05:00i think that vera farmiga is perfectly adequate in...i think that vera farmiga is perfectly adequate in 'up in the air'... but nothing special. i mean, what did she DO in that movie, really?Billy McLellanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04345094132813517773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-73140596302272307222009-12-30T13:04:09.195-05:002009-12-30T13:04:09.195-05:00i thought precious was over done and over directed...i thought precious was over done and over directed and pretty much emotional blackmail. suffocating as well as outright boring. <br />mo'niques performance was impressive though, i admit. stil...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com