ironcrane7 said:The cast is potentially incredible, but aside from Wahlberg, nobody else felt natural in this movie. It’s mostly just the result of poorly timed scenes (Wes Anderson has a similar issue with his actors).
I guess I don't quite get what you mean by "natural," though. Since it's more of a satire than some hyper-realistic drama, maybe that sort of stylized acting is actually what they were going for? I don't know, personally I thought everyone did a great job—it seemed like they were having a blast on set. And I'm a little confused by the "poorly timed scenes" comment; the whole movie has its own specific (maybe manic?) rhythm from start to finish. It almost feels like the director wasn't even trying to "time" anything in a traditional sense. Also, one quick question, did this movie ever even hit our theaters (or even streaming)? I haven't really been keeping up.
Sandra King86 said:My colleague... Amerikanka She recommended that I check it out. I guess... maybe it's smart enough for you? Just a little friendly advice here: you’re probably going to lose any argument if you rely on generalizations. I guess it just makes things harder to defend. 😉 Besides, if you actually managed to settle things with ironcrane7 without getting into a massive blowout... I guess that says quite a bit about how much you've matured. 🤣
😕 😕 😕 I guess you really need to work on your reading comprehension. Maybe just slow down and try to actually process what’s being said next time? I guess I should probably mention that we really need to stick to the main point here. It feels like the conversation is drifting a bit, and maybe it would be better if we just stayed on topic so things don't get too cluttered. I mean, it might help us all stay focused, but that's just my two cents. Look, if points A and B are actually bothering you, then honestly, feel free to just walk away like I said before.
Look, if you actually have something insightful to contribute to this specific thread, then go ahead and say it. If not, I guess maybe you're the one who should just back off.
It’s not just ironcrane7, either. It seems like a whole bunch of people pretty much despise this movie, especially here in the States. I don't know, maybe it's because the film presents certain philosophical concepts in such a pop-comedy style while simultaneously poking fun at them—it feels like it sits somewhere in that middle ground between Charlie Kaufman and Slavoj Žižek. Maybe there isn't much of a traditional plot, but I guess that doesn't matter all that much to me. Personally, I think there are at least twenty, if not more, truly brilliant scenes in there, ranging from that weeping old lady in Spain to Wahlberg riding his bike to go fight a fire 😁. The casting was also excellent, I think.
Why on earth doesn't this brilliant movie have its own dedicated thread? (Unless it does and I'm just blind and missing it from the list). Seriously, what a bunch of absolute jerks.
I really thought > was my top pick for the best film of 2004, but after sitting through >, I’m honestly not so sure anymore. And man, that > score again!
Alex Ramirez12: out hud - let us never speak of it again With out hud's new album, I guess there are moments where it feels like they actually went to produce Annie, but then other times, it's like they’re hovering somewhere right in the middle of 'your silent face' and 'house arrest.' It honestly sounds brilliant in this sort of early 80s house-pop way, though I suspect we might see some pretty *harsh* reactions from certain (former) fans.
ironcrane7: radio dept - deliverence From the new EP, this is probably one of the better things RD has ever done. To me, it feels almost like Junior Boys doing a cover of The Cure, over and over and over again...
It might not be the absolute best collection ever made, but I guess it was definitely the most played...
Joshua Taylor - louden up now 50 foot wave - 50 foot wave ep annie - anniemal bark psychosis - codename:dustsucker claro intelecto - neurofibro the double - palm fronds erlend oye - dj kicks federico aubele - gran hotel buenos aires fennesz - venice a Girl Called Eddy - a Girl Called Eddy the go! team - lightning thunder strike the heavy blinkers - the night and i are still young junior boys - Last EXIT 9. The Walkmen - Bows and Arrows 8. Panda Bear – Young prayer 7. The Arcade Fire - Funeral 6. Devendra Banhart - Nina rojo 5. Morrissey - you ara The Quarry 4. Stereolab - margarin Eclipse 3. Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing in The Hands 2. Animal Collective - Sung Tongs 1. Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans lucien & luciano - blind behaviour max richter - blue notebooks m.i.a. ft. diplo - piracy funds terrorism vol. 1 the music lovers - words we say before we sleep ricardo villalobos - the au harem d'archimede Triosk - moment Returns v/a - secret love: a view on folk by jazzanova&resoul
Album of the month... maybe The Music Lovers - Word WE say Before WE Sleep The debut from an Englishman working temp gigs in San Francisco. It’s got that Scott Walker/Tindersticks/Morrissey Style vibe going on, and I guess it might just become a lost classic
Track of the week The Go Find - Summer quest beneluški Think this is the American answer to Postal Service/Dntel and that whole scene. Honestly, it feels like the best thing coming out of Morr Music right now, i think
An upcoming single of the week that I just can't seem to download, ugh Hood - Lost you ep
It’s pure eyecandy propaganda. I mean, visually, the movie looks absolutely stunning, but I also find the whole "collective over the individual" rhetoric that Hero pushes to be incredibly hard to swallow.
top 20 king creosote - kenny and beth's musakal boat rides the blood brothers - burn piano island, burn meanwhile back in the old USSR - my elixir; my poison sufjan stevens - greetings from michigan mars volta - de-loused in the comatorium the stills - logic will break your heart stars - heart new pornographers - electric version cursive - the ugly organ shack - here's tom with the weather the jealous sound - kill them with kindness radio dept. - lesser matters turin brakes - ether song richard hawley - lowedges exploding hearts - guitar romantic free french - it's not me, it's you rooney - rooney pernice brothers - yours, mine & ours matthew sweet - kimi ga suki the clientele - violet hour
Maybe they should have just gone by the name Yawn Yawn Yawns And honestly, I find The Rapture kind of exhausting too, if we're already talking about them😁
What’s even the point of those prestigious private academies if they just end up turning out racist little brats like you? I'm guessing the DJ was spinning some Panjabi MC - 'Mundian to bach ke', which I think might be the single of the year so far 🙂
I was thinking about those two films again—Mulholland Drive and Gosford Park—and how they sort of play off each other in my head. It’s funny how different they look on the surface, but I guess there’s this shared DNA between them if you look closely enough. One is this surreal, dreamlike trip through the Hollywood hills, and the other is this classic, sharp-edged period piece set in a stuffy English estate—well, maybe more like an old manor out in the Hamptons or somewhere similar here in the States. There’s just something about that sense of isolation, isn't there? In Mulholland Drive, it’s the loneliness of the bright lights and the feeling that everything might just be a beautiful lie. Then you have Gosford Park, where the tension comes from being trapped in a house with people who all have secrets behind their polite smiles. I suppose both movies really dig into that idea of identity and how much we hide from the people around us. It makes me wonder if they’re both trying to say the same thing about how fragile our social masks really are. Maybe I'm overthinking it, though. I guess I’ve been thinking about that whole *Memento* and *Panic Room* vibe lately... you know, those movies where everything feels like it's closing in on you? It's kind of an intense headspace to be in. Maybe it's just me, but there's something about that feeling of being trapped—whether it's by your own memory or just physical walls—that really sticks with you. I don't know, I might be overthinking it, but I've been dwelling on that sense of isolation quite a bit. I was thinking about those two books today—*Ghost World* and *About a Boy*. It’s kind of funny how they stick in your head, isn't it? I guess I’ve been circling back to them lately. They both have this specific way of looking at things that feels... I don't know, maybe a bit melancholic, but also strangely grounded? With *Ghost World*, there's that sense of being stuck in that awkward, transitional space where you're trying to figure out who you are while everyone else seems to be moving on without you. It captures that feeling of being an outsider perfectly. And then you have *About a Boy*, which feels like its own kind of study in human connection—or the lack thereof. It’s less about finding yourself and more about how we all sort of stumble into each other's lives, sometimes when we aren't even looking. I suppose I find myself drawn to stories where the characters aren't exactly heroes, just people trying to navigate their own messy realities. Maybe it's just my mood lately. Either way, they both leave you with a certain lingering feeling once you close the cover. Just something to chew on, I guess.