Does it truly have to be Gwyneth Paltrow occupying every single space, from being the modern Emma to appearing in a romantic Shakespearean play, or even drifting through those grand expectations and the haunting verses of Sylvia Plath?
Please, do feel free to add anything else if I have perhaps overlooked a detail or two...
Hmm... I wonder if it will actually be that much of an impact on me, since I already have her poetry practically memorized by heart... I usually prefer to watch the film first before diving into the verse.
Plus, I really can't stand Gwyneth Paltrow, if you know what I mean...
And why on earth would she even attempt to tackle the classics of English literature? Grrrrrrr!
It’s coming soon—not quite next week, but it’s on the horizon... one of my absolute least favorite actresses, Gwyneth Paltrow, is set to play one of my all-time favorite writers, Sylvia Plath...
I can see it playing out in my mind so clearly: Gwyneth portraying her as this anemic, almost semi-autistic, frazzled neurotic constantly being manipulated by Ted Hughes...
Has anyone actually seen it yet? Please, I am dying to hear your impressions... (And honestly, please try to talk me out of my cynicism! Though, if we're being real, I rarely expect much from these Hollywood dramatizations of literary lives... at that point, it stops being about the author or the literature and just becomes some sugary, sentimental melodrama...)
I would simply love to add one little observation regarding the most undeserving winner!
Could one even begin to contemplate the sheer cinematic brilliance found when comparing Shakespeare in Love and The English Patient, especially when we place such an intense, glowing emphasis on the genius of Shakespeare himself?
First off—the jokes are tacky and cheap, but they really are funny! You might even find yourself laughing against your better judgment if you happen to be one of those "Scary Movie style low-brow humor" kind of people like I am
Second—the gags are tasteless and cheap; they aren't quite as hilarious, but they still manage to get a laugh out of you
Third—the jokes are tasteless and cheap... actually, what jokes even? I think I managed a tiny chuckle maybe twice during the entire movie....👎
Kenneth Collins8 said:...wait, which concert exactly?...
It was about four years ago while I was traveling through Chicago... I just happened to be in the area, you know? Some folks I was hanging out with that evening mentioned there was some kind of show happening—they weren't quite sure of the details, just implying it was some obscure little band... so I asked them for the name, and can you believe it?! It turned out to be Manicse!!!!!!
The moment those notes hit, I am instantly swept away by such an overwhelming wave of pure bliss and nostalgia that I find myself completely unable to string together a single coherent thought...
Ah... let me see... I suppose I really just wanted to brag about the fact that I actually saw them live!
Aha, wild indeed! Now, I certainly wouldn't want to dampen anyone's spirits, but isn't it interesting that the promoter behind this show is the very same individual who "organized" that Rolling Stones tour in Los Angeles last year? You might recall that he's currently facing legal trouble in federal court for tax evasion, not to mention all those ongoing lawsuits from fans who bought tickets for that Stones concert and never saw a dime of their money returned...
But oh well... since he has managed to pull off a few successful shows since then, can we really afford to lose hope just yet?
I found the film to be absolutely wonderful... though I wouldn't say it left anything to be desired; if anything, it felt slightly overindulgent during that opening sequence where they parade all those statistics about mobile phones, handsets, and the telephone booth, not to mention that final shot where the camera plunges through a cable, straight into a switching station, and zooms all the way out to a satellite in orbit...
(It is as if they were saying—look, we certainly delivered a gripping thriller for you, but please, don't for one second assume that is all there is to it... oh, no! We aren't shallow enough to overlook the deeper moral lessons, and we certainly hope you won't either! Now, allow us to offer a tiny bit of assistance by placing this film within a much broader and more profound context... just imagine, dear viewers, how all those telephone wires and connections could be utilized—or exploited! Hmm... are you truly, absolutely certain that no one is ever listening in on you? Hmm... yes... do think on that...)
PJ Harvey.... What an absolutely fascinating woman who produces such incredibly brilliant music.... I just love PJ Harvey! Hearing her really made my Friday feel so much more beautiful!
Oh, me too, me too! The Return isn't just some movie; it is an absolute cinematic masterpiece... Wouldn't I just love to sit down and experience it all over again?
The ending felt somewhat rushed to me, and frankly, it didn't quite match the pacing established throughout the rest of the film. Everything else unfolds so beautifully—it’s laid back, effortless, almost like a slow stroll through Central Park... the tension and mystery build up so gradually, bit by bit... and then suddenly, everything just unravels in a single three-minute scene. Bah!
Also, wasn't that moment where the excavator tumbled over a bit much? It felt slightly over the top to me...
When we talk about this "new wave," I don't believe it's merely a matter of people reminiscing about how things were supposedly better back in the day—though there is certainly a grain of truth to that sentiment! Rather, one simply cannot overlook the undeniable fact that an entire musical genre evolved into a massive cultural phenomenon... it exerted such an immense influence on the very fabric of our society and culture... The music of that era, combined with the way people congregated at iconic venues, generated such an incredible vibe that it rippled through everything; because everyone was so interconnected, its impact bled directly into literature, photography, graphic design, indie magazines, film, theater, and various art movements... And why did all this happen? It occurred because, for one brief moment in time, a massive crowd of intensely creative individuals were all obsessed with the same thing, everyone knew one another, they shared classes, and they all moved within the same social circles...
The cold, hard truth is that no other movement since then—not even what we see today—has managed to replicate that specific magic... and that is precisely what defined the magnitude of the new wave and gave it such a distinct edge over everything that followed...
(Admittedly, one could argue that this is partly because the scene has expanded so much since then, becoming so incredibly diverse and vast that it is practically impossible for a single dominant force to emerge... or perhaps more accurately, for one "most dominant" genre to exist that is powerful enough to leave such a permanent mark on the entirety of our culture... though, if I may suggest, perhaps the rise of Techno sparked a minor revolution that echoed across other fields too... but I suppose that isn't quite as relevant to our point...) 🙂
Forgive me, Chloe Morris12, but I find myself quite perplexed as to why you aren't able—or perhaps simply don't wish—to select the movies all on your own?
I truly cannot wrap my head around it.... (Unless, of course, both of them are professional film critics... in which case, I might finally understand)
I have it sitting right there on my Blu-ray collection at home. To be honest, I haven't a clue what it's actually like, because I started watching it and drifted off to sleep after just ten minutes... Truth be told, I was running a fever at the time... but somehow, I just don't feel particularly drawn to give it another shot. Still, you think it's actually any good, don't you?