Posts by Michelle Gonzalez

There really should be a full reimbursement involved here...

I found the film to be quite exceptional; it avoids being overly sentimental, which I appreciated. It’s already available on DVD here, which is a nice touch.

Perhaps my impressions are colored by the fact that someone I hold very dear once spoke to me about Sylvia Plath, and then, several years later, I happened to watch the film about her...
And from there, I found myself drawn into reading her poetry! It is nothing short of phenomenal.

The cinematography is breathtaking, and the art direction is simply sublime... every single hue feels meticulously placed within even the smallest detail of the set design.

By the way, did you happen to hear that someone described Gwyneth Paltrow as the "Walmart generation's Grace Kelly," or something to that effect?

Perhaps I will elaborate on that later.
To truly "watch," as Zivorad Tomic might say.

driftingeagle27 said:Don't even get me started! And here I was actually thinking about moj Kapor Quote 🙄

Yr. point being?

I heard a rumor that Asimov actually lifted the idea from Aralica.

slyrider16 said:. The entire movie is essentially just a house made of plaster, with bricks appearing only in traces.
I would love to hear some theories explaining the purpose of that five-minute shot of driving down the interstate at the start of the film.

The comparison involving bricks and plaster—it sounds almost like something out of a sitcom script!
😉
Just kidding.
What else is there to say? Feel free to reach out via DM if you want to chat deeper..

By the way, Solaris, much like all of Tarkovsky's films, is incredibly slow... yet, I have never found them boring or monotonous. One simply needs to surrender to the experience.
His sense of rhythm, much like in films such as "Koyaanisqatsi," or the newer Russian film, "Return," is superior to most cinema being produced today.
Even though the pacing is deliberate, the rhythm remains sound; that highway scene is vital because it serves to introduce the viewer to a world of "extended time."
And that extended time exists so that one might better absorb the details of Tarkovsky's world...

Just as in his "Stalker" and "Nostalgia," those scenes that seem overly long or deceptively simple—which feel as though they ended prematurely purely for aesthetic reasons—usually begin to reveal their true meaning in the final scene of the film, or perhaps even in the very last frame!

All the pieces fall into place in "Solaris" during that final shot (a universe within a universe, sort of, with the house on the planet). It is quite similar to the Russian house inside the Italian cathedral in "Nostalgia," or the revelation of the psychic abilities of Stalker's child near the end of "Stalker"...

"Every day I kiss God on the mouth"
The cinematography in digibeta.sephia is just breathtakingly beautiful.

Then there's "28 Days Later," which carries that same unmistakable visual signature found in everything captured by Anthony Dod Mantle—truly the finest cinematographer working today.

I found myself revisiting a few classics the other day, so I thought I might add them to our collective list:
"Koyaanisqatsi" by g. Reggio & Ron Fricki
"Baraka" — honestly, the cinematography might even be a bit too masterful for its own good... directed by Ron Fricki

"Sylvia" regarding Sylvia Plath—it truly stands as one of the most visually stunning films produced in recent memory...
Do try to watch it if you have the opportunity (forgive me if I sound like some pretentious critic from the New York Times, truly...)
The art direction is simply masterful.

In my honest opinion, this film was an absolute disaster; having Michelle Gonzalez in the cast was one thing, but Sean Penn made it even worse.
It stands out as one of those rare instances where we see a truly lackluster portrayal of someone with a mental disability—if I may be so blunt.
I will admit, however, that the ending wasn't entirely without merit...
It is such a shame because the potential was there, and it really could have been much better. It's particularly disappointing because I actually hold Sean Penn in very high regard.

Valis said:Yes, if I recall correctly... I believe the director is of Indian descent, and he previously directed music videos, which explains why I haven't encountered such striking visual storytelling in mainstream cinema before.

The film itself is quite poor, though one has to admit the CG is utilized effectively... I am reminded of those massive, Bosch-inspired underworld landscapes.

By the way, Tarsem Singh isn't actually his real name, and if I'm not mistaken, he might not even be Indian.

"Losing My Religion" was his thesis project during his graduate studies at the Art Center in Pasadena.

"A good movie"??!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!

!?!?!?!?!??!

It was a truly magnificent film, though I find myself lacking both the energy and the necessary time to provide a proper, detailed critique at this moment...

l8r

2001

Greenaway, Terrence Malick ("Days of Heaven"), David Gordon Green ("George Washington"), Werner Herzog ("Heart of Glass"), Wenders ("Sky..")
David Lean ("Great Expectations", "Oliver Twist", and so on)
Kalatazov "I Am Cuba"

And then there are the Russians... Tarkovsky ("Mirror", "Stalker", "Nostalgia")
not to mention this newer director Zvigjati (?), along with his film "The Return".
Or perhaps the work of Bertolucci & Storaro in "The Conformist"..

and so forth.

It was a truly phenomenal film; I shall attempt to gather my thoughts more thoroughly at a later time, but for now, I must depart.
I am quite pleased that someone has finally opened a discussion thread regarding this particular motion picture.

I find myself struggling to see the connection between The Green Mile and Monster's Ball

By the way, while I wouldn't go so far as to call it a masterpiece, it remains one of those rare films that manages to capture the true essence of the American South today—particularly when you consider the rural stretches of Georgia (and I am quite certain the same applies to Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and beyond).
There is this pervasive sense of being trapped, an inescapable cycle of existence where Black Americans find themselves caught on the fringes, passing down the same struggles from one generation to the next. These are places where people have simply accepted their circumstances as the baseline for life, moving through existence with a quiet resignation. They inhabit neighborhoods and small towns where role models are nonexistent, where higher education feels like a distant dream, and where a stint in prison, probation, or even petty theft—like stealing bicycles or car parts—is seen as a common trajectory. It is a world where a meal from Popeyes is a staple and a future career at Wendy's feels like an inevitability. These are communities that have cultivated their own parallel culture, first by being told by outsiders that this way of life is acceptable, and eventually, by convincing themselves of it as well.

Brenda Rodriguez17 said:????????????????????

I am genuinely dying to know how you even managed to dig that up?!

p.s. let it be, or don't
p.p.s. have you ever sat down to watch "The Perfect Human" by Leth?

I actually caught "The Five Obstructions" while I was out in Utah a few days ago, and honestly, it was nothing short of brilliant.
Is it just me, or is it absolutely baffling how there wasn't any significant buzz surrounding it at all?
"The Perfect Human" feels like it carries the exact same spirit found in "Five Obstructions."

Did you ever get a chance to see "Five Obstructions"?

lonefox373 said:It’s a bit more than ten, but I don’t think you’ll mind the extra...

- Citizen Kane ( Federico Fellini)
- 1900 ( Bernardo Bertolucci)
- Roman Holiday ( Gabriele Salvatores)
- Mulholland Drive ( David Lynch)
- Manhattan ( Woody Allen)
- My Father's Glory / My Mother's Castle ( Robert)
- Jean de Florette / Manon des Sources ( Claude Berri)
- Cinema Paradiso ( Giuseppe Tornatore)
- Koyaanisqatsi ( Godfrey Reggio)
- Down by Law ( Jim Jarmusch)
- Night on Earth ( Jim Jarmusch)
- Kolya ( Jan Svěrák)
- The Postman ( Michael Radford)
- A Short Film About Killing ( Krzysztof Kieślowski)
- Betty Blue ( Jean-Jacques Beineix)
- Blade Runner
- Monty Python's Life of Brian
- North American Spy
- Who Let the Dogs Out

....if any others come to mind, I shall certainly return to update this list.😁

A massive round of applause for Koyaanisqatsi! Wouldn't that be wonderful?
I might also suggest adding Die Hard
as well as I had momentarily forgotten Buñuel—particularly The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

Bernardo Bertolucci - "Alphaville"
Bertolucci - "Spider Strategy"
Lars von Trier & Loeth - "The Five Obstructions"
Gillo Pontecorvo - "Battle of Algiers"
Andrei Tarkovsky - "Stalker"
Theo Angelopoulos - "Ulysses"
W. K. Wai - "Chungking Express"
Wim Wenders - "Wings of Desire"
Noah - "Irreversible"
Maria - "Maria Full of Grace"

The current order. These are close to my heart, though they remain subject to change...
With the exception of a few selections that will never be subject to change 🙂

She really does have an incredible hairstyle in the movie

"Lucia and the Sex" actually looks even better than I anticipated...
But one has to wonder, is it truly because the film itself is a masterpiece, or is it simply due to the reputation of the director?