I haven't seen either of the movies you mentioned, but I did see 21 Grams this weekend. Have you and Zixette seen that one? If so, what did you think? This movie involves the (tragic) intersection of three characters -- an ex-con who finds salvation in fundamentalism, a recovering addict who becomes a happy and contented homemaker, and a mathematics professor awaiting a heart transplant. It took me half an hour to realize that the movie isn't in chronological order, which is also how long it took me to keep the characters straight. Because of the way it is edited, the movie feels like a puzzle, but there is no real mystery involved, so for me anyway, it had a disorienting effect. I think the sequencing may have trivialized the theme. However, considering how relentlessly depressing this movie is, maybe it isn't such a bad thing to have it trivialized somewhat. There isn't a single light moment or scene or even a joke to break up the anguish. The movie is intense and absorbing until the very end, which isn't exactly a happy ending, but it is somehow redemptive, which is what these characters are seeking all along.
Evidently 21 grams is the approximate amount of weight a person loses at the point of death. I seem to recall reading about unsuccessful experiments during Medieval times which tried to measure the weight of a soul, so I was wondering if this is correct. Anyway, the basic gist of the movie is that the whole of a person's character, and emotions, and beliefs, and experience can fit into 21 grams. It was well done, if you don't mind the misery these characters had to endure to arrive at that conclusion.
laleo: No, we haven't seen 21 Grams. Sounds like a real downer, though, so we'll probably wait for video. I'd recommend waiting for video with Cold Mountain, too. It's not a bad movie, per se, but the repetitive intercutting of "Nicole Kidman has new trouble on farm" with "Jude Law has new trouble on the road back" over and over gets boring, and then the climax seems a contrived coincidence. I kept checking my watch every few minutes after the first hour and a half.
Calendar Girls is worth a matinee at least. Seems like every woman over 40 in our audience got all the jokes the men didn't even know were there... ;)--> The scenery makes me want to see Yorkshire once before I die, too. It's no blockbuster, just a well-crafted little film that sets its marks, then hits every one of them. That's rare in the morass of pretentiousness that chokes Hollywood today.
I think I felt what you felt during Cold Mountain while watching Under the Tuscan Sun. I've yet to forgive the reviewer who gave it four stars. It was torture by inanity. I stayed better entertained by watching the second-hand revolve on my watch. My husband is a movie-holic, if there is such a thing. He doesn't much care what we see, and seems to find something to like about almost any movie, but I found myself apologizing for dragging him to this one (he didn't mind). If I'm not engrossed within the first ten minutes, I start scouting out the exit signs, and plotting my escape. At least now theaters have those coffee houses attached to them, so there's a place to escape to.
Anyway, the plot line in 21 Grams is depressing, but because the movie isn't character driven, it doesn't provoke that haunting sadness that stays with you for days. In fact, by the next day, I thought the movie was complex and clever enough to make it worthwhile.
I've enjoyed just about every British film I've seen so far, which really isn't all that many, so I think I'll add Calendar Girls to my weekend plans.
I won't pay my 7 bucks to see Cold Mountain. Supposedly it takes place here in Appalachia during the Civil War, but the ''powers that be'' ie: the producers felt that it would be cheaper to film in Romania or Poland (somewhere over there) than it would be to put the hundreds upon hundreds of deserving mountain folk to work. Shameful, just my 2 cents.
Love y'all,
-Colleen
GO VOLS!!
''...show a little faith, there's magic in the night, you ain't a beauty, but hey, you're alright, oh, and that's alright with me...''
Zixar: Based on your recommendation, and quite a few others, I saw Calendar Girls. Everything about this movie is attractive, from Yorkshire itself, to the houses, and the kitchens, and the curtains, and the flowers, and the women, who, if nothing else, dressed with style (when they did bother to dress). It is a very warm, gentle comedy -- not too many belly laughs, but the sort of movie that reminds you that life can be fun.
Our showing wasn't sold out. In fact, there were only three of us in the theater, but I think that had more to do with the impending snowstorm, than the popularity of the movie. We had to ask (twice) for them to turn down the volume. It's surprising how much echo there is in an empty theater.
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laleo
I haven't seen either of the movies you mentioned, but I did see 21 Grams this weekend. Have you and Zixette seen that one? If so, what did you think? This movie involves the (tragic) intersection of three characters -- an ex-con who finds salvation in fundamentalism, a recovering addict who becomes a happy and contented homemaker, and a mathematics professor awaiting a heart transplant. It took me half an hour to realize that the movie isn't in chronological order, which is also how long it took me to keep the characters straight. Because of the way it is edited, the movie feels like a puzzle, but there is no real mystery involved, so for me anyway, it had a disorienting effect. I think the sequencing may have trivialized the theme. However, considering how relentlessly depressing this movie is, maybe it isn't such a bad thing to have it trivialized somewhat. There isn't a single light moment or scene or even a joke to break up the anguish. The movie is intense and absorbing until the very end, which isn't exactly a happy ending, but it is somehow redemptive, which is what these characters are seeking all along.
Evidently 21 grams is the approximate amount of weight a person loses at the point of death. I seem to recall reading about unsuccessful experiments during Medieval times which tried to measure the weight of a soul, so I was wondering if this is correct. Anyway, the basic gist of the movie is that the whole of a person's character, and emotions, and beliefs, and experience can fit into 21 grams. It was well done, if you don't mind the misery these characters had to endure to arrive at that conclusion.
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Zixar
laleo: No, we haven't seen 21 Grams. Sounds like a real downer, though, so we'll probably wait for video. I'd recommend waiting for video with Cold Mountain, too. It's not a bad movie, per se, but the repetitive intercutting of "Nicole Kidman has new trouble on farm" with "Jude Law has new trouble on the road back" over and over gets boring, and then the climax seems a contrived coincidence. I kept checking my watch every few minutes after the first hour and a half.
Calendar Girls is worth a matinee at least. Seems like every woman over 40 in our audience got all the jokes the men didn't even know were there...
;)--> The scenery makes me want to see Yorkshire once before I die, too. It's no blockbuster, just a well-crafted little film that sets its marks, then hits every one of them. That's rare in the morass of pretentiousness that chokes Hollywood today.
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laleo
I think I felt what you felt during Cold Mountain while watching Under the Tuscan Sun. I've yet to forgive the reviewer who gave it four stars. It was torture by inanity. I stayed better entertained by watching the second-hand revolve on my watch. My husband is a movie-holic, if there is such a thing. He doesn't much care what we see, and seems to find something to like about almost any movie, but I found myself apologizing for dragging him to this one (he didn't mind). If I'm not engrossed within the first ten minutes, I start scouting out the exit signs, and plotting my escape. At least now theaters have those coffee houses attached to them, so there's a place to escape to.
Anyway, the plot line in 21 Grams is depressing, but because the movie isn't character driven, it doesn't provoke that haunting sadness that stays with you for days. In fact, by the next day, I thought the movie was complex and clever enough to make it worthwhile.
I've enjoyed just about every British film I've seen so far, which really isn't all that many, so I think I'll add Calendar Girls to my weekend plans.
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jezusfreaky
Zix...
I won't pay my 7 bucks to see Cold Mountain. Supposedly it takes place here in Appalachia during the Civil War, but the ''powers that be'' ie: the producers felt that it would be cheaper to film in Romania or Poland (somewhere over there) than it would be to put the hundreds upon hundreds of deserving mountain folk to work. Shameful, just my 2 cents.
Love y'all,
-Colleen
GO VOLS!!
''...show a little faith, there's magic in the night, you ain't a beauty, but hey, you're alright, oh, and that's alright with me...''
-Bruce Springsteen
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Zixar
JF: Yep. We have an Australian actress, an English actor and director, and the whole thing was shot in Romania.
Miramax just hates North Carolina?
Oh yeah, and Renee Zellweger is from TEXAS...
:D-->
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laleo
Zixar: Based on your recommendation, and quite a few others, I saw Calendar Girls. Everything about this movie is attractive, from Yorkshire itself, to the houses, and the kitchens, and the curtains, and the flowers, and the women, who, if nothing else, dressed with style (when they did bother to dress). It is a very warm, gentle comedy -- not too many belly laughs, but the sort of movie that reminds you that life can be fun.
Our showing wasn't sold out. In fact, there were only three of us in the theater, but I think that had more to do with the impending snowstorm, than the popularity of the movie. We had to ask (twice) for them to turn down the volume. It's surprising how much echo there is in an empty theater.
Anyway, thanks for the movie recommendation.
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Zixar
Glad you enjoyed it!
:)-->
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