Mentioning Mira Nair actually rings a bell for me.
It would be pretty fascinating to see the actual ratio of female directors compared to men in the industry. I don't know, just because there are more famous male directors out there doesn't mean it's proof they can do the job better than women could.
Synecdoche, New York is a pretty wild ride—I dig it, really—but man, it’s dragging about 20 minutes too long. Those last 20 minutes? They just completely lost the plot. Maybe I'm just talking out of my ass here, but I can't help feeling like a more seasoned director than Coen would have had a better sense of pacing and would've chopped out a chunk from that script 😳
Look, it’s a decent enough movie, but honestly? It drags. I can't help but feel a little disappointed that Lynch didn't lean into that signature intensity we see in his later work more heavily. 😬
Karen Diaz32 said:I’m only just now truly grasping the sheer level of human—and let's be honest, artistic—courage required by the actors in Alejandro Jodorowsky's films. It takes a certain kind of madness to sign up for that. It makes me think of that one scene in *26 Pictures* where they cut the cat's breast during the occupation. Now, I have to ask: was that actually a real cat? Or am I just overthinking the absurdity of it all? 🤷 Does anyone know if she actually picked up a Golden Arena? 🤷
You’re just nitpicking him at this point. Honestly, if you keep this up, you’re going to evolve into a full-blown destroyer of social reality.
I guess a festival in San Francisco would only make sense to Romanians. In their language, "pula" is basically a slang term for a certain part of the anatomy.
northerncrane4 said:It wasn't just about the acting; he managed to "impressively capture the character's individuality as he evolves into a destroyer of social reality." 🙂
🤣 🤣 🤣
Where on earth am I supposed to find these explanations? Even Google isn't showing me anything.
Karen Diaz32 said:And then she goes on to say she’s thankful to Dadi for what he "took" from her. I honestly don't even know how to process that choice of words. What does "took" even mean in this context? Is she being sincere, or is there some subtext I'm completely missing here? 🤷
Both takes are absolutely wild. Honestly, if someone thinks they could just cast Nada as an actress without any hesitation, they’d have to be both blind and completely out of their mind. And if you think hiring her for a show like *The Horizontal* makes sense? Well, then you're clearly just delusional and flying blind.
Visually, the movie is a total stunner, but honestly? The world Paul Thomas Anderson builds—specifically the way these characters interact in such a bizarre, unsettling way—is something I don't think I ever want to revisit. There were stretches during the film where I just sat there in complete silence, kind of stunned by how uncomfortable it all felt.
There are plenty of deep mysteries out there in this world, but honestly, I’m more preoccupied with this one:
Take the folks working at those gas stations right off the interstate—how on earth do they get home if their house is in the opposite direction? Do they just cruise all the way to the next exit and double back, or is there some secret workaround I don't know about? Hmm?
I caught this movie while riding the bus earlier. Honestly, the highlights for me were those gritty little proverbs from that old, wicked mob boss. 🙏 Between Star and that one Japanese person, you’ve got wisdom coming from all sides—it's basically a masterclass! 🙏
Some people just don't bother to do their homework, while others go through the whole process only to realize they were fed total garbage. Then there are those for whom a movie simply doesn't click—maybe it’s just bad timing, or maybe it’s something else entirely. Honestly, I don't get why people can't just stand up and walk out when a film isn't working for them. If I had possessed even an ounce of that backbone during Stone's "Aleksandar," I'd probably be a much more well-adjusted human being today. 😬
northerncrane4 said:In my opinion, Woody Allen's best work.
You think it's a masterpiece?
There are just so many brilliant little details in there. I love the whole mockumentary concept. The way they build the entire story using actual documents and news clippings—only for the journalists in the film to admit they were probably sensationalized in the first place—is just clever. And that whole bit about "treating" Zelig? I don't actually buy that he gained a personality through therapy. It feels more like he just realized that if he shaved and played the part everyone expected of him, life in American society would be a hell of a lot easier. Just conforming to fit the mold. The doctor is such a fantastic character, too. Plus, I really appreciated the parallels drawn to Moby Dick; it works so well as a symbol for everything happening.
Anyway, 😍 I’ve always thought Allen was great, but here he really manages to hit on so many different levels, if you know what I mean.
There’s zero discussion about this movie here, and honestly, it feels like hardly anyone gives a damn about it. It's strange.
Anyway, we're talking about a Woody Allen film. It's a mockumentary about Zelig, a man who acts like a human chameleon, shifting his entire physical appearance and personality just to blend in with whoever he's talking to.
It’s a brilliant piece of work—a sharp satire of documentaries, the media, the fickle nature of public opinion, psychoanalysis, and all that jazz. It’s classic Allen, but there's this subtler layer of wit to it that I find really beautiful. Plus, the special effects are actually impressive; those physical transformations and the way they seamlessly integrated characters into actual footage from the 1920s and 30s were genuinely fascinating for the time.
So, has anyone else actually sat down and watched this?
Well, that’s an interesting question. It seems audiences here and there are acting completely contrary to what the marketing departments expected. These kinds of collective shrugs and walk-aways suggest that the idea of the audience being a bunch of mindless drones controlled by advertising isn't actually true. It looks like the relationship between those "evil film corporations" and the public is a bit more nuanced than the usual assumption that people will just swallow whatever Hollywood serves up on a silver platter.
The characters just didn't feel real. First off, there's that incredibly grating and IDIOTIC character played by Naomi Watts. It feels like her role was supposed to be the "moral compass," but she drove me insane because every single move she made felt inexplicable and just plain stupid. Plus, the writing is lazy—they try to give us some backstory through a flashback involving that Black doctor, Oliver, but come on, a quick memory isn't actual character development. Then you have the uncle acting as the "comedy relief." Because, obviously, every serious drama needs one goofy character to break the tension, right? And then we get to the Russian Mafia. Oh boy, those guys. They are total clichés—you've got the powerhouse, ruthless father, the weak son, and the mysterious Viggo Mortensen. Not only are they walking stereotypes who follow predictable arcs (the dad stays trash, the son gets even weaker, and Viggo acts like... well, Viggo), but they also strike me as complete amateurs playing at being criminals. It reminds me of that Jarmusch film, Ghost Dog, where a guy just walks into a room and kicks these types of mobsters out because they haven't paid their rent. These guys are just mafia wannabes who lack the brains and the resources to actually pull it off. Except, of course, these ones think they're being "serious." And naturally, everyone speaks English with a thick Russian accent, only dropping in a few "cool" phrases in Russian here and there.
Beyond that, you're left with a bunch of cookie-cutter characters who don't grab your attention, a protagonist who drives the plot forward through sheer stupidity, a few pathetic quotes from some poor girl's diary, and then—oh yeah—the tattoos on Viggo Mortensen. Wow, how edgy. For me, it was a miss. 😬
Larry Martin11, your posts are lovely 😍 but I get the feeling you're pulling those positive takes from an experience that didn't actually happen in this movie. Aside from that bit about the basement—which is a decent enough metaphor—it ignores the fact that Cassel's character behaves exactly how you'd expect him to: predictably and annoyingly.
Jose White23 said:I don't have much to say about the Danish one, but regarding Diana... it’s a classic, straightforward factual take, but man, those three protagonists were excellent. It was short and punchy, avoided the usual cheap sentimentality or dragging its feet, and most importantly, it didn't fall into that tired "us vs. them" trope (though I'm sure not everyone will agree with me there).
I'll give you that. My only gripe with the Apple film is that it felt a bit unfinished. For instance, I found myself wondering what those three protagonists actually did after the war ended. Probably just a budget issue—they couldn't afford to make it any longer. As for the Danish flick? I didn't even finish it. Just typical Danish problems.
Larry Martin11 said:Look, man, seriously—how does that even work? 😲
🙂
...completely independent of ruggedjackal46 🙂See, here’s my issue with these kinds of lists—they basically give everyone permission to trash things they simply don't have the patience, the willpower, or occasionally even the basic knowledge to understand. We live in an era where everything moves at breakneck speed; we want to consume everything instantly and categorize it just as fast. And then, suddenly, you're stuck with this endless stream of mindless lists created just for the sake of being listed. 😵
Istinabog, I watched "The Talented Mr. Ripley" ages ago. Maybe it would actually make sense to me now, but back then, it just stuck in my mind as the absolute pinnacle of boredom.
As for "Andrei Rublev," I went into that one without knowing the first thing about Andrei Tarkovsky. There’s that old joke about an ambulance rushing to save a guy who passed out after trying to read Fyodor Dostoevsky for two hours straight—I'm pretty sure that's exactly what happened here with this 😁