Good Movies

[tmnt]

I thought Hurt Locker was ok but to me it was just another movie to 'watch' didn't really take anything from it.

 

[VGurcu]

I thought Hurt Locker was ok but to me it was just another movie to 'watch' didn't really take anything from it.

I agree. It could've been a great movie if they cut down on the action and focus more on the everyday and ordinary. Jarhead for example correctly depicted the boredom or 'do nothing moments' in military life. The way the Hurt Locker is built made it more like a regular action flick, scene after scene suspense & action. Then at the end of the movie a 30 sec conversation with the main charecter's baby to reveal his motivation???

It simply defines the perfect soldier model for the teenagers; gung ho, reckless, adrenalin junkie all powerful, and of course 'the war is cool dude'...
{The scene where Ralph Fiennes shows up reminded me Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2 ads.}

 

[J.R. Hudson]

This my be an esoteric observation, but does anyone else feel that a lot of the new, popular, independent, character driven dramas are actually TOO SHORT? I have found myself coming out of a lot of movies just feeling short changed, and, as a filmmaker, I just get this gut feeling that, "Damn, I wish I could have seen the 3rd cut. I feel that these filmmakers have set up compelling characters, in a compelling situation, and then cut everything down to just the plot points and in the end, it just does not pay off.

My big example of this is the movie "The Wrestler". Now, I liked the film, but I just feel that it did not have any, oh, I don't know... let's say... breathing room. What I found disappointing is the relationship with the stripper girlfriend and the daughter. With the daughter, we went from, "What the f*ck do you want", to , "I'm a broke down piece of meat", to "Get the f*ck out of my life". I mean, for pete sake, could there not have been a little time with the daughter just doing some catch up, getting to know each other a little, before it was shot all to hell?

The same with the stripper girlfriend. Can anyone tell me, from watching this flick, when she developed the feelings for the guy we are supposed to believe she felt at the end? I can't. Again, for pete's sake, what is so wrong with taking a little time with these people and watching them live, watching then develop, and watching them fall in love? When I left that movie, I could not help but think that there was a 3 hour cut, that I would love to see. I loved the story, I was engaged in the characters; why did I have to be subjected to an action adventure edit of their lives?

I got the same feeling recently when I saw "Crazy Heart". The characters are compelling, the actors are outstanding, why can't we take a deep breath and watch their lives without every scene being a plot point?

Like I said, maybe this is an esoteric observation, but I find it in more and more modern dramas.

I guess if one scene does not lead into the next is the chain of thought ? Otherwise we're watching a Lynch film.

 

[spidey]

Boom lynch fail

 

[Batutta]

This my be an esoteric observation, but does anyone else feel that a lot of the new, popular, independent, character driven dramas are actually TOO SHORT? I have found myself coming out of a lot of movies just feeling short changed, and, as a filmmaker, I just get this gut feeling that, "Damn, I wish I could have seen the 3rd cut. I feel that these filmmakers have set up compelling characters, in a compelling situation, and then cut everything down to just the plot points and in the end, it just does not pay off.

There is something to be said for this sentiment. I just watched HEAT on blu-ray, and while some people complain about the length, I love that Mann takes the time to let his characters live on screen a little. It makes the high parts that much higher when they do happen. I think the value of these smaller moments can get lost when you're in the cutting room watching scenes over and over again, losing patience for the slower parts and second guessing the pace.