Miscellaneous Movie Musings - Page 423

flippyshark · 04-08-2009, 06:23 AM

Last night I watched Let the Right One In, a vampire movie from Sweden that shows Twilight up as so much overhyped cheese. LTROI is full of cold, icy exteriors, low key dramatic scenes, and an atmosphere of impending dread, done better than I've seen elsewhere in a long time. The horrific moments are few and far between, but terrific when they arrive. I'll say no more other than, it's well worth seeing.

But the bad news - I saw the dubbed version, and much of the voice acting is horrible, distractingly so, rendering some dramatic moments unintentionally comical and undermining a lot of good stuff along the way. Alas, reports on the interwebs indicate that the initial run of DVDs contain subtitles that are scarcely a better option, containing misspellings, nonsensical translations and more. I think the Blu-Ray may have an improved subtitle track, but double check before you purchase. (And renters like me will just have to live with what they get.)

As for the movie itself, it has a handful of special effects sequences, most of which are brought off flawlessly, so it's a pity that a single scene went completely off the rails. (I'll spoiler-tag it in case you want to determine for yourself which it was - but it seems to me it will be very obvious.)

Spoiler:

That scene wasn't all that crucial to the rest of the film, so I just pretended I didn't see it. Otherwise, it's a rewarding experience, language issues aside. Check it out.

innerSpaceman · 04-08-2009, 07:20 AM

Oh thanks, I've been meaning to see that. Reminder, yay! Bad dub, boo.

Not Afraid · 04-08-2009, 08:22 AM

It sounds like something I really should see!

flippyshark · 04-08-2009, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

It sounds like something I really should see!

I think you will appreciate it, but I fell I should warn you that there is a

Spoiler:

It's the one scene I mention above that didn't work due to crappy CGI. I really doubt it will bother you, though.

LSPoorEeyorick · 04-20-2009, 07:25 AM

I really liked Grey Gardens, too. Though I'm not sure they were actually attempting Boston accents. Little Edie was born in NYC and only lived there and Long Island (before and during the action of the film.) I figured it was more of an "old money" accent, but spotty nonetheless.

Snowflake · 04-20-2009, 08:00 AM

I thought Grey Gardens was excellent. Both Lange and Barrymore were terrific.

I also caught Frozen River this weekend. Compelling little film with a predictable ending, but still I do not feel the time was wasted. Melissa Leo was terrific. I don't care, you would not have caught me driving across the damned river. The tires on her car must have been something else!

Alex · 04-23-2009, 09:02 AM

I have no recollection of having heard of it before or adding it to my Netflix queue, but last night I noticed a movie called Tell No One available on my Watch Instantly list (via the Roku).

Decided to watch it and was very pleasantly surprised. It is a very well done French suspense thriller (Ne le dis à personne).

Eight years after his wife was murdered by a serial killer a Paris doctor is once again put under suspicion when two buried bodies are discovered with evidence suggesting her murder was just staged to look like the work of the serial killer.

The evidence piles up, the police circle in, he starts getting mysterious emails suggesting things are even more unlike they seem than it seems.

It is a pretty complex piece of work but in the end it all hangs together beautifully (if slightly anticlimactically).

And it is understated throughout, having a very '70s feel (something like Three Days of the Condor -- in understated style, not content) where the filmmaker doesn't need to go over the top with supervillains, crazy technology, or painfully complex plots. Just honest confusion, real tension and an unambiguous payoff in the end. Even the obligatory chase scene shows such restraint and as a result feels almost realistic.

Not a world changing movie by any stretch, but a strong recommend from me.

Snowflake · 04-23-2009, 09:17 AM

Thanks Alex, moved to the top on my queue. Looks good and I love a good thriller/suspense.

innerSpaceman · 05-03-2009, 06:21 AM

Hey Brad, Netflix finally sent me "Rent." The Broadway version, not the movie.

Hmmm, mixed feelings. I liked it better than the film, that's for sure. It's basically just vignettes to music, and I think that works much better as a stage device. There's really not much 'plot.'

But, for what it is ... pretty much a bunch of songs connected by a thin thread of 20-something AIDS-related relationship drama ... the songs are pretty much all really good. And that's what counts, I guess. I found it entertaining because it was all music, and I enjoyed a good 85% of the music.

BUT ... I was surprised to really hate the way it portrays homosexuals. The lesbian couple was allowed to be lesbian. Two women were shown being in love. The male couple, however, was a boy and a tranny. All the scenes and songs of them together and in love have the imagery of a man and a woman, not a man and a man. This bugged me no end.

In fact, I'm pretty sure the Angel's not in drag for the brief scene where they meet only so the audience can "know" that it's a gay relationship ... because once she's in drag - on stage much moreseo than on film - the character is a girl even if it's played by a boy (and Angel is a pretty convincing girl).

I hated, hated, hated, hated this. One more hypocritical example of how it's "ok" to portray two women together, but two men together cannot be shown.

Yes, during Angel's illness, two men were shown in a care-giving situation very intimately. But the images and musical numbers of Angel and Tom Collins falling and being in love were all boy/girl, and it pissed me off for what is reputed to be such a gay-friendly piece.

Bah.

Oh, plus when Roger confronts Mark near the end of the second act ... I thought he was going to out him. But instead, he just nails him for being detached. Um, he's the gayest character in the show!!! Queer as an eight dollar bill. WTF?

So, I hate the way Rent deals with Gay. But the songs are great!

I think I'd like the CD better than the show.

But, since I never got to see it ... I'm glad I finally got to watch a filmed version of it. I kind of grok it a little at least. The movie version was just a mess.

LSPoorEeyorick · 05-03-2009, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

... pretty much a bunch of songs connected by a thin thread of 20-something AIDS-related relationship drama ...

You'll have to blame La Boheme for that. The plot is lifted pretty much note for note from the 1896 opera. (Which, in turn, was lifted from a novel called "Scenes de la vie boheme." And that was... surprise surprise... a collection of less-connected vignettes that Puccini adapted to be a singular story, though still episodic in form.)

Though there WAS no relationship between Colline and Schunard in that - it was added for Rent. Without that addition, there would have been no gay relationship at all (male-tranny or male-male or anything.)

04-08-2009, 06:23 AM	#1
flippyshark Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 2,852	Last night I watched Let the Right One In, a vampire movie from Sweden that shows Twilight up as so much overhyped cheese. LTROI is full of cold, icy exteriors, low key dramatic scenes, and an atmosphere of impending dread, done better than I've seen elsewhere in a long time. The horrific moments are few and far between, but terrific when they arrive. I'll say no more other than, it's well worth seeing. But the bad news - I saw the dubbed version, and much of the voice acting is horrible, distractingly so, rendering some dramatic moments unintentionally comical and undermining a lot of good stuff along the way. Alas, reports on the interwebs indicate that the initial run of DVDs contain subtitles that are scarcely a better option, containing misspellings, nonsensical translations and more. I think the Blu-Ray may have an improved subtitle track, but double check before you purchase. (And renters like me will just have to live with what they get.) As for the movie itself, it has a handful of special effects sequences, most of which are brought off flawlessly, so it's a pity that a single scene went completely off the rails. (I'll spoiler-tag it in case you want to determine for yourself which it was - but it seems to me it will be very obvious.) Spoiler: It's the big cat scene - CGI cats stand out like cartoony sore thumbs, much like the various gophers and monkeys in the fourth Indy movie. That scene wasn't all that crucial to the rest of the film, so I just pretended I didn't see it. Otherwise, it's a rewarding experience, language issues aside. Check it out.
	Submit to Quotes

04-08-2009, 07:20 AM	#2
innerSpaceman Kink of Swank Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inner Space Posts: 13,075	Oh thanks, I've been meaning to see that. Reminder, yay! Bad dub, boo.
	Submit to Quotes

04-08-2009, 08:22 AM	#3
Not Afraid HI! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 17,108	It sounds like something I really should see!
	Submit to Quotes

04-20-2009, 07:25 AM	#5
LSPoorEeyorick scribblin' Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: in the moment Posts: 3,872	I really liked Grey Gardens, too. Though I'm not sure they were actually attempting Boston accents. Little Edie was born in NYC and only lived there and Long Island (before and during the action of the film.) I figured it was more of an "old money" accent, but spotty nonetheless.
	Submit to Quotes

04-20-2009, 08:00 AM	#6
Snowflake lost in the fog Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: San Francisco Posts: 7,831	I thought Grey Gardens was excellent. Both Lange and Barrymore were terrific. I also caught Frozen River this weekend. Compelling little film with a predictable ending, but still I do not feel the time was wasted. Melissa Leo was terrific. I don't care, you would not have caught me driving across the damned river. The tires on her car must have been something else!
	Submit to Quotes

04-23-2009, 09:02 AM	#7
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	I have no recollection of having heard of it before or adding it to my Netflix queue, but last night I noticed a movie called Tell No One available on my Watch Instantly list (via the Roku). Decided to watch it and was very pleasantly surprised. It is a very well done French suspense thriller (Ne le dis à personne). Eight years after his wife was murdered by a serial killer a Paris doctor is once again put under suspicion when two buried bodies are discovered with evidence suggesting her murder was just staged to look like the work of the serial killer. The evidence piles up, the police circle in, he starts getting mysterious emails suggesting things are even more unlike they seem than it seems. It is a pretty complex piece of work but in the end it all hangs together beautifully (if slightly anticlimactically). And it is understated throughout, having a very '70s feel (something like Three Days of the Condor -- in understated style, not content) where the filmmaker doesn't need to go over the top with supervillains, crazy technology, or painfully complex plots. Just honest confusion, real tension and an unambiguous payoff in the end. Even the obligatory chase scene shows such restraint and as a result feels almost realistic. Not a world changing movie by any stretch, but a strong recommend from me. Last edited by Alex : 04-23-2009 at 09:19 AM.
	Submit to Quotes

04-23-2009, 09:17 AM	#8
Snowflake lost in the fog Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: San Francisco Posts: 7,831	Thanks Alex, moved to the top on my queue. Looks good and I love a good thriller/suspense.
	Submit to Quotes

05-03-2009, 06:21 AM	#9
innerSpaceman Kink of Swank Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inner Space Posts: 13,075	Hey Brad, Netflix finally sent me "Rent." The Broadway version, not the movie. Hmmm, mixed feelings. I liked it better than the film, that's for sure. It's basically just vignettes to music, and I think that works much better as a stage device. There's really not much 'plot.' But, for what it is ... pretty much a bunch of songs connected by a thin thread of 20-something AIDS-related relationship drama ... the songs are pretty much all really good. And that's what counts, I guess. I found it entertaining because it was all music, and I enjoyed a good 85% of the music. BUT ... I was surprised to really hate the way it portrays homosexuals. The lesbian couple was allowed to be lesbian. Two women were shown being in love. The male couple, however, was a boy and a tranny. All the scenes and songs of them together and in love have the imagery of a man and a woman, not a man and a man. This bugged me no end. In fact, I'm pretty sure the Angel's not in drag for the brief scene where they meet only so the audience can "know" that it's a gay relationship ... because once she's in drag - on stage much moreseo than on film - the character is a girl even if it's played by a boy (and Angel is a pretty convincing girl). I hated, hated, hated, hated this. One more hypocritical example of how it's "ok" to portray two women together, but two men together cannot be shown. Yes, during Angel's illness, two men were shown in a care-giving situation very intimately. But the images and musical numbers of Angel and Tom Collins falling and being in love were all boy/girl, and it pissed me off for what is reputed to be such a gay-friendly piece. Bah. Oh, plus when Roger confronts Mark near the end of the second act ... I thought he was going to out him. But instead, he just nails him for being detached. Um, he's the gayest character in the show!!! Queer as an eight dollar bill. WTF? So, I hate the way Rent deals with Gay. But the songs are great! I think I'd like the CD better than the show. But, since I never got to see it ... I'm glad I finally got to watch a filmed version of it. I kind of grok it a little at least. The movie version was just a mess.
	Submit to Quotes