Posts by Amanda Robinson4

It's playing in theaters right now! I'm thinking about catching it either today or tomorrow at the AMC theater down the street.

So I checked out Listen to me Marlon yesterday 🙂

Such a wild way to handle a linear dramatization, just using his own audio notes to walk through his life. He was a huge intellectual, always weighing every single word, but he had that classic heavy temperament. It’s funny because he tried so hard not to turn out like his father, but ended up becoming him anyway after dealing with a tragedy way bigger than his rough childhood...

It's so emotional, poetic, and raw... exactly how he wanted people to see him. Honestly? Brando was basically directing his own biopic...

So, look, Noah's film definitely leans into that experimental vibe, which means there’s some genuinely cool stuff happening... but let's be real, there are parts that just don't quite land or feel "justified." I think I covered more of this earlier, but honestly? I wouldn't go as far as saying it's just smut masquerading as high art either. It's debatable! We really need to dig into where we draw the line on what counts as "artistic" when you consider all the stuff being shown on screen. You've gotta find that middle ground before jumping to conclusions...

While von Trier managed to weave those elements into a perfect concept, with Noet, it feels like he still hasn't quite figured out how to pull it all together.

Emily Barrett4 said:It's been available for download for a while now.

True, but honestly, it’s been long enough since its theatrical run that it should be popping up on streaming pretty soon... I'm just not sure if they're dropping it in 2D or 3D yet 😛
...

I've been eyeing that documentary ever since I heard 🙂

But honestly, life is just too busy right now. Maybe by Christmas I'll finally get around to treating myself to 🙂

Anyway, he was such an incredibly complex guy. Even though he played up that whole macho persona, he was actually a total introvert at heart. He couldn't stand the glitz and constant social pressure of Hollywood or most of his peers. He pushed himself to be different in every single role, and that raw realism he brought to the screen? It was enough to spark a total revolution in the acting industry...

And even if some of the movies he was in were total flops, I don't think he ever gave a bad performance. Sure, people used to nitpick his mumbly way of talking in every scene, but man, he prepared for every part like nobody else. I was just bingeing some documentaries about him lately—they featured perspectives from his family, fellow actors, directors, and old collaborators.

He definitely had a pretty turbulent love life and some deep-seated complexes that shaped how he moved through the world...

There's this one clip floating around online lately, that interview on a late-night talk show, where you can really see how his mind works. Nothing forced, just super intelligent and thoughtful with all these vivid examples. Zero fakery involved.

But I think the best way to view him is through the lens of his actual work. His achievements are basically untouchable for the average actor, especially considering the kind of legendary reputation Brando built for himself. Times have changed, though. The industry works differently now, and there are so many more ways for an actor to truly stand out from the crowd today.

Actually, comparing him to other actors feels kind of pointless to me. I mean, DiCaprio and Phoenix, along with so many others, have made incredible contributions to the film industry as we know it. We just happened to be lucky enough to watch them grow from their very first roles into the icons they are becoming.

The last thing I caught on screen was a rerun of that role where he plays Dona Vita in the comedy Freshman. Honestly, they did such a killer job adapting that character for one solid comedy night... and as you’d expect, he totally carries the whole movie and keeps it at such a great level throughout... 🙂

shadowridge99 said:I just downloaded it via torrent 🎉

But it's already out 😬 I honestly thought it would hit theaters first ☕

shadowridge99 said:Documentary recommendation: Listen to ja told through his own words.
I just finished watching it, and what an incredible 🙏
. No matter how much I’ve read or watched over the years, this gave me a whole new perspective on him and his life.

where where where 😳 🙏 😲 😒

Nancy Williams58 said:I don't get why everyone is acting so shocked by Jared. This isn't even his first rodeo when it comes to playing intense, heavy roles. If you ask me, this performance is actually pretty weak compared to what he did in that movie

Personally, I wasn't really feeling it here either. It's like he's only just now trying out Method acting after putting in all that work. That role that got him an Oscar, and even Joker from what I can see, were both top-tier performances... real quality acting.

Plus, he felt a bit too "green" to me in Mr. Nobody. He’s not bad! Not at all! But it feels like his characters have only really started to feel alive in his last few films.

Jeremy Kim57 said:What happens when someone finally breaks out of their usual mold to win an Oscar? Personally, I didn't feel this was even aiming for an Oscar—though I don't recall the full lineup of nominees. Leo was solid in Wolf, but was it enough for an Oscar? I'm not sure. Ultimately, the film itself feels like a missed opportunity; it had potential, but instead, it just ends up feeling like typical, superficial Hollywood fare.

I mean, let's be real, Oscars haven't really been about quality for ages. Now it's all just glamour and guessing games, and honestly, the guessing isn't even fun anymore since you can practically see the winners coming from a mile away via the betting odds.

I remember how bummed everyone was when Leo didn't snag one for Wolf, even though he’s definitely pulled off better roles than this. But hey, that's just how the Academy rolls. They hand out awards for "contribution to the industry" more than actual talent sometimes. You see directors and actors win Oscars for mediocre stuff just because the competition was weak that year.

Meanwhile, the people making actual masterpieces don't even get a look-in against the heavy hitters. The Oscars are basically a propaganda machine, but occasionally, a genuinely good film or a stellar performance manages to slip through the cracks. Dallas Buyers Club was actually pretty solid, just like every other year when a few decent ones happen to show up...

It really depends on who you ask, but honestly, you have to look at the context of the story. This was definitely MM's most mature performance yet, and man, Jared Leto really proved he can play in the big leagues too...
Given how much competition there was, he totally earned that Oscar. There were even moments where MM actually outshined DiCaprio, especially during those scenes in Wolf of Wall Street that same year, so... Leo will probably get his turn next time.🙂

Troy
Odyssey
Odyssey (TV series)
Clash of the Titans — you know, the one with that remake from a few years back and all those sequels (though you mentioned some before and I can't quite remember which ones you actually saw...

300 just in case you missed it... (the Spartans)

Jason and the Argonauts

Alexander the Great

And hey, maybe ask the mod to move this thread over to "recommendation: which movie to watch..."

Ashley Grant66 said:Honestly, the 3D felt pretty pointless to me—it didn't really add anything to the movie at all.

I actually thought the movie was pretty decent—it definitely pulled me in and kept things interesting! There were some seriously stunning audiovisual moments that totally made the experience for me, which is all I really ask for from a story like this. Gaspar Noé clearly has a sense of poetic flair, you can feel it in the filmmaking, but it feels like he’s starting to drift away from that style just to cater to some average kid—and then we get stuck with those endless, messy internal monologues. It felt miles away from something like *Seoul against all*, for instance. (Sure, the protagonist is basically an immature brat who doesn't know the first thing about real life, but if they had included more "slice of life" moments—like that one conversation about abortion—instead of all that heavy philosophy, it would have been great. That scene was actually quite solid!)
The story really hooked me—it was sensual, dark, and felt incredibly authentic (I've definitely seen my fair share of messy, destructive relationships in real life!)—though it did get a bit intense at times. I absolutely loved the soundtrack, the atmosphere, and that whole Paris vibe. Just caught some underground stuff lately—really deep cuts! It’s funny how much better the hidden gems are than the mainstream hits—reminds me of that one indie theater I used to frequent back in Chicago. Always worth the hunt!The actress playing Electra is just incredibly charming—honestly, she’s got such a magnetic screen presence!

I'm so glad I caught his film in the theater—though I really regret missing out on *Enter the Void*... I actually ended up nodding off halfway through that one!

The movie title just doesn't make any sense to me—honestly, I really hope they stop making films called Love. Thanks!

Yeah, I’m with you there. Using a word that huge for a movie feels way too broad to actually get into anything meaningful about love...

But then again, Michael Haneke’s "Amour" works differently for me. The title fits there, as long as you aren't looking at an English translation... 😬

And yeah, totally agree on those pseudo-philosophical monologues and dialogues. It’s just way too much repetition! He's just that director who tries to film stuff in Paris and other big cities, followed by all that swearing where it's basically just "You piece of shit" over and over... 😁

It honestly drives me a little crazy how everything is being pushed into 3D lately. Like, why do I have to strap on extra 3D glasses on top of my regular ones? 😁 Still, it’s a pretty wild experience since it’s basically the first 3D adult film out there.

And man, these technical glitches aren't just happening here in the States either. Over by my place, they totally messed up the subtitles halfway through the movie—the text was racing ahead of the scene for like, half the runtime! Even so, I thought the cinematography itself wasn't bad at all. I especially loved that shot where he's standing in the doorway and you can really feel the depth of the room behind him. Especially with some of those other shots too...

Well, I guess it really just comes down to the viewer, right? The thing is, these aren't exactly A-list Hollywood stars, and we’re looking at an experimental style here. Honestly, the nudity doesn't bother me either—I actually find the concept pretty interesting when it's woven into art films. I mean, it's not like we don't do this stuff in our own lives all the time, and there isn't a single part of the human body being shown that we haven't seen before. In these kinds of movies, the sex isn't meant to assault the audience; you can achieve that much more gracefully with subtle eroticism that doesn't even have to show everything. I agree that nothing should be treated as taboo, so that alone doesn't trigger any weird reaction for me.

But, I don't know, there were moments where it felt like a bit much for me... It seems to be this trendy thing certain directors do now, and hey, life moves slow sometimes, so okay... but I really wonder what an actor is supposed to be "doing" when absolutely nothing is happening. Like, if he's just lying in bed, unable to get up, and we're just staring at a static shot of him blinking for thirty seconds... something *is* happening internally: will he get up? Is he brooding? Is he wasted? But if the actor lacks experience or hasn't quite grasped the assignment, they end up trying way too hard to project something that just isn't there. And you can tell. Plus, when they're actually hooking up, they act like total maniacs! They're so tense and awkward that instead of channeling energy into actual emotion, they just throw out these performative movements that are supposed to be emotional but totally miss the mark. It's unsettling, but you just can't empathize with it. You get the plot, sure, but you don't *feel* it through empathy.

To give you a comparison with similar films: think *The Age of Adaline* or Lars von Trier's *Nymphomaniac*. Especially with von Trier—he has plenty of scenes without a single word spoken, but nothing feels missing with him. That's because he works with much better, higher-quality actors, and he structures the drama so perfectly that everything lands. The sex scenes feel like a natural extension of the story. First, he hits you with the heavy drama or a gritty, realistic conflict, and then the sex scene follows as a logical consequence of the situation. Plus, his actors don't actually go all the way; they use body doubles and just CGI the lead actor's face onto the body. When actors engage in actual unsimulated sex on screen, you can't fake that, and it turns into this kind of exhibitionism that can actually mess up their careers. Other directors have experimented with this too, and after those movies, it's rare to see those actors working again. The exception might be Chloë Sevigny and Vincent Gallo, who were actually together during filming—where he was basically smoking a joint right in front of everyone. Anyway, that movie flopped with both audiences and critics regardless...

But look, I'm saying that even those films (like von Trier's) aren't for everyone. I totally get why someone would find them boring! But personally, I love watching movies like that because they have a real plot, sharp dialogue, they actually make me think, and the acting is top-tier.

With Gaspar Noé, my issue is just that it feels like he's trying too hard. I get what he's going for, I really do. I understand the vision, but until I actually *feel* what's happening on screen, I'm left feeling like something is missing. Look, I agree with the point that this reflects how many people actually live—living these empty, hollow lives—but unless I truly feel the ache of that emptiness in these characters, the movie feels unfinished to me. And that comes down to the acting. Everything else was great: the atmosphere, the camera work, the shots, the pacing, the editing... all of it.

It's a good film, but *Enter the Void* and *Irreversible* are better for me.

Angela Alvarez10 said:Is there a way to download this? If anyone has a link, shoot me a PM 😁

It just hit theaters here in the States. You'll be waiting a long time if you want to see it at home... 🙂

Ethan Palmer61 said:Is it tough? Like, seriously intense? Well, it’s Gaspar Noé, so you already know it’s going to be a total trip. 😁

I mean, it definitely hits those notes, but it doesn't feel like your classic, mind-bending Gaspar Noé flick. It’s more like... a moderate drama? It lacks those heavy, totally disorienting sequences you get in movies like Enter the Void or Irreversible. His characters are suffering here, sure, but the acting just didn't hit me hard enough to actually feel for them...

I was literally ducking for cover during that one scene just so I wouldn't get hit by the splash 😬

Man, imagine if they took 3D porn 😁 and upgraded it to 4D... some of those ladies in the audience might actually pass out from the shock 😬

This just hit our local theaters this month.

So, basically: Gaspar Noé doing his usual provocative thing with a story about empty lives: Love (2015)

Honestly? It wasn't great for me. Though, it definitely left an impression... Regardless of how much you could debate the length of certain scenes or the way they use hardcore pornography—you know, those unsimulated sex scenes without any censorship at all.

Maybe it just drags on too long? To me, some scenes feel totally random or just stay on screen way longer than they should. It’s not like watching Steve McQueen, Jim Jarmusch, or Lars von Trier where there's always something happening with the actors... instead, it's just these empty shots where nothing concrete actually occurs—you just don't feel any life in them.

And what can you even say about the acting? It feels like a lack of experience from the cast (do they even want to be there?) which makes it so hard for them to convey real emotion... and that's a huge missing piece if you want the movie to feel complete. Plus, the dialogue is just unconvincing, built on these super basic, cliché patterns.

That said, the concept is pretty interesting! You've got this non-linear plot jumping around through flashbacks, mostly moving from the end toward the beginning... plus the visuals are cool and the camera work adds a lot to that dark, depressing atmosphere.

You can also kind of read the director's own personal story through the characters... maybe he's the main guy or it's a story about his parents—who knows? To sum it up: I missed the emotion and the sentimentality from the characters. Because of all that heavy sexual exposure, the movie ends up showing nothing else but an empty story about empty lives...

I’m such a huge fan of Anderson's work. And honestly, this is where Tom Cruise really started leveling up his acting game. He just radiates this pure malice and irony... he totally proved he could nail the role of 😉
.
The rest of the movie is just a massive web of symbolism. You've got those underlying relationships, how the stories tie together, Bill Macey's potential sexuality, even that whole frog rain thing 😁 it's all connected and totally up for interpretation 🙂