|
Magic Hate Ball posted:They don't, but ok. You're not having an actual discussion here, you're giving monosyllabic non rebuttals and your entire argument is "the only correct way to watch film is literalism," which is an insanely narrow view of the art form. So you can go on believing that the runway show literally, in the context of the film, consisted of her seeing a magic triangle in which her doppelganger appeared and possessed her, and be happy that way if you so choose. No skin off my back, like I said earlier, agree to disagree.
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2016 22:54
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 4, 2024 17:08 |
|
|
Vince MechMahon posted:You're not having an actual discussion here, you're giving monosyllabic non rebuttals and your entire argument is "the only correct way to watch film is literalism," which is an insanely narrow view of the art form. So you can go on believing that the runway show literally, in the context of the film, consisted of her seeing a magic triangle in which her doppelganger appeared and possessed her, and be happy that way if you so choose. No skin off my back, like I said earlier, agree to disagree. I mean, whatever.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2016 23:43
|
|
|
Vince MechMahon posted:You're not having an actual discussion here, you're giving monosyllabic non rebuttals and your entire argument is "the only correct way to watch film is literalism," which is an insanely narrow view of the art form. So you can go on believing that the runway show literally, in the context of the film, consisted of her seeing a magic triangle in which her doppelganger appeared and possessed her, and be happy that way if you so choose. No skin off my back, like I said earlier, agree to disagree. i wanna see the part again where the guy points at her right before the runway and the music starts playing real loud and she starts hallucinating. That was sick
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2016 11:30
|
|
|
The runway scene was magnificent, easily one one the best parts of the movie. I was really hoping there'd be more of a payoff from that, or at least that it would feature in the climax. The big triangle was spooky.
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2016 12:02
|
|
|
My older coworker (who thought Drive was really weird) said she was gonna watch this after I mentioned wanting to get a copy ( I work in a library). Monday is going to be interesting...
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2016 13:39
|
|
|
My favorite part of Dumb and Dumber is when Lloyd Christmas literally steals the cop's gun and gets shot to death by police, then literally uses Lost Highway powers (or Mulholland Drive powers?) to literally relive his life a different way from that moment. In a similar vein, my favorite part of discussions is when one party affects a willfully obtuse demeanor to argue for a narrow, reductive approach to art for... sport, I guess? To actually contribute, for me Neon Demon does something similar to Only God Forgives or Bronson or Valhalla Rising (to some extent) in which a "grounded" story is told with "mythological" elements attached: ND's Fashion Vampires, OGF's God of Death Detective, or Bronson's operatic view of his own crimes, etc. I actually really appreciate that about Refn because I think he elevates it away from an M. Night Shyamalan two dimensional stinger "Whoa he was dead the whole time" or dumbass Clickbait interpretations that will totally wreck the way you think about X: "Harry Potter was dead the whole time and the series was his dying dream!". Refn makes it more interesting to speculate whether Ruby is a "real" vampire (you know what I mean) or whether it's pure allegory and she's just an LA kook who thinks she's a vampire. Like how, you could equally validly argue a lot of the creepy poo poo in the Shining was in the characters' heads or that the hotel was actually haunted and there really were skeletons and rat-man blow jobs and swamp witches. It's not the ONLY fun discussion to have about the film, but I like the way Refn is willing to let fantastical elements bleed into more grounded realities in order to add style and emotion to well-worn stories about crime or fame or whatever.
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2016 13:28
|
|
|
mary had a little clam posted:My favorite part of Dumb and Dumber is when Lloyd Christmas literally steals the cop's gun and gets shot to death by police, then literally uses Lost Highway powers (or Mulholland Drive powers?) to literally relive his life a different way from that moment. In a similar vein, my favorite part of discussions is when one party affects a willfully obtuse demeanor to argue for a narrow, reductive approach to art for... sport, I guess? For comparison, coming at it from the same direction: The vampires in Near Dark are obviously being marked out as something not physically human: they have superhuman strength, and sunlight makes them explode like a frozen turkey in a pressure cooker. But the worthwhile question to ask is not how it works, but what it means. Now imagine coming at it from the opposite direction: Say a Star Wars movie showed you someone who does Jedi stuff: moves stuff with their mind, fights with a lightsaber, feels disturbances in the plot, stuffy and wears a robe. But then a character points out that they're not really a Jedi because their midichlorian test came back negative. That would be incoherent on every level.
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2016 14:04
|
|
|
Halloween Jack posted:Dismissing as irrelevant the question of whether or not a movie vampire is really/actually/literally a vampire is the opposite of narrow and reductive. The reductive approach is to get too hung up on the idea of the film as, essentially, a virtual reality simulation. It's something I'm familiar with because it's endemic in the tabletop roleplaying hobby. I'm not making sport of anyone. I was making fun of Magic Hate Ball, for the record. You're at least making the dismissal interesting. 
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2016 16:09
|
|
|
Vince MechMahon posted:Your wife is crazy, that Sia song it ends with is great.
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2016 16:24
|
|
|
Halloween Jack posted:Now imagine coming at it from the opposite direction: Say a Star Wars movie showed you someone who does Jedi stuff: moves stuff with their mind, fights with a lightsaber, feels disturbances in the plot, stuffy and wears a robe. But then a character points out that they're not really a Jedi because their midichlorian test came back negative. That would be incoherent on every level. Of course that kind of contradiction can be used to make a point as well. For example, in The Matrix when Neo is told early on by the Oracle that he is not the One. At first it seems odd that she would say that when the end of the movie clearly seems to indicate that he definitely is. But then you think about it, and you go back and watch the scene again, and you realize that she never actually tells him that he is or isn't the One. She allows him to leave with whatever beliefs he already came there with, because human free will and faith in others is what creates the One. In believing in Neo, and causing him to believe in himself, Morpheus made him the One. The movie leaves you with a contradiction because thinking about it leads you towards one of the major themes of the whole thing. So my point is that none of these rules are set in stone, if it serves the movie then anything goes.
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2016 16:26
|
|
|
Thanks to this deleted scene, the argument about who was really trying to get into Jesse's room can finally be laid to rest: (linked for huge) http://imgur.com/B5aG2S5
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2016 16:28
|
|
|
King Vidiot posted:Thanks to this deleted scene, the argument about who was really trying to get into Jesse's room can finally be laid to rest: (linked for huge) http://imgur.com/B5aG2S5 "Styrofoam cup! Bad for the environment."
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2016 18:36
|
|
|
lmao I think it makes an interesting fairy tale in which everything that happens in it actually happens, because I enjoy whimsy and magic, and I think it's way more fun to watch it as a movie in which the fantasy is diagetic because it allows the thematic elements to overlay the fantasy, rather than the fantasy be a separate thing that represents itself and not the plot, which feels restrictive. edit: that is to say, nothing the "fantasy as fantasy" sequences tell us we don't learn if we watch it as if it literally happens in the world of the film. you can watch it like that but idk what dimension it adds. Magic Hate Ball fucked around with this message at 05:42 on Oct 4, 2016 |
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 05:35
|
|
|
Magic Hate Ball posted:.edit: that is to say, nothing the "fantasy as fantasy" sequences tell us we don't learn if we watch it as if it literally happens in the world of the film. you can watch it like that but idk what dimension it adds. What you lose is subjectivity. The gold paint scene makes it very explicit that there is just a studio space. But, when the lights go out, Jesse feels enormous. She sees the photographer's arm stained with the golden blood, and realizes there's something mutual there that pushes things past a tale of one-sided exploitation. Jesse doesn't even need to see the photos, because she knows how she looks, and she buys into the illusion completely. This mindset, not her factual beauty, is what sets her apart from the rest. It's in this same subjective space that she sees her reflection in the black void at the centre of three 'female' triangles. One to either side, and one beneath. She dispassionately kisses the two reflections on the triangles above. The implicit third reflection, the dark one beneath - Ruby - is left offscreen. The geometric arrangement of the characters is consistent throughout. For example, the two models stand stock still, spaced apart in front of the camera, with the pool at the centre. Scenes like the forging of the parental consent form emphasize that Jesse is entirely self-made. The noises from 214 are the last traces of Jesse's former (human) incarnation, which is why she calls Ruby instead of the police, never sees Dean again, and never returns to the motel. The supernatural creature in the film is straightforwardly the Demon from the title, but the nuance is that it can have 3-4 faces in a given scene.
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2016 04:04
|
|
|
Samuel Clemens posted:I think what Magic Hate Ball is saying is that in film, the literal is metaphorical. Dawn of the Dead literally features zombies walking around in a shopping mall, but that image also serves as a metaphor for mindless consumerism in real life. Refn wanted to show how the fashion industry figuratively eats young girls alive, by exploiting their hopes and dreams and discarding them when they're no longer useful. So he made a film where the fashion industry literally eats young girls alive. I can't believe this is a real post by a real person. Christ. Good movie though. Definitely vampires and ghouls. I can see SMG still provides the only good insight for film threads. the_homemaster fucked around with this message at 12:11 on Oct 23, 2016 |
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2016 12:09
|
|
|
the_homemaster posted:I can't believe this is a real post by a real person. Christ. IDK, that's pretty straightforward.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2016 16:47
|
|
|
Exactly. Anyway, I figure the actual neon demon must be Los Angeles
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2016 19:14
|
|
|
Magic Hate Ball posted:IDK, that's pretty straightforward. The fashion industry unambiguously does not eat Jesse alive.
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2016 04:19
|
|
|
I watched Society for the first time the other day and yup, the first thing it reminded me of was this movie. They really are similar, especially with how batshit crazy and disgusting the endings were. Both show the elite and beautiful of society engaging in vile cannibalistic behavior to sustain themselves. (avoiding Society spoilers just in case? It came out over 25 years ago) I disliked the Sia song, not because it was bad but because I felt it clashed horribly with the electronic music in the rest of the film. The only other music that didn't match was at the party and I took that to be diegetic, so it didn't bother me... So far this is definitely my favorite movie of the year. FourLeaf fucked around with this message at 06:08 on Oct 24, 2016 |
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2016 05:59
|
|
|
This would probably make a great double bill with The Invitation
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2016 07:35
|
|
|
This just came out in Australia, and I definitely like it a lot more than Only God Forgives and maybe also Drive though the latter will need some time to assess more objectively. This is probably the most I've wanted to cheer for a movie which I think doesn't get the rap it deserves since The Counselor. edit: Also, this movie is in many ways a better Black Swan, and I say this as an Aronofsky apologist who likes The Fountain and Noah more than most
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2016 04:06
|
|
|
BOAT SHOWBOAT posted:edit: Also, this movie is in many ways a better Black Swan, and I say this as an Aronofsky apologist who likes The Fountain and Noah more than most I wouldn't say better, but I like it as a companion piece. They're like the East Coast and West Coast sides of the same coin.
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2016 04:36
|
|
|
It's interesting to compare and contrast this with Black Swan for sure. - Both main characters seem to become possessed by a force while trying to succeed at their chosen profession. This force helps them achieve perfection but at the same time directly leads to their destruction. - In Swan Nina finds it incredibly difficult to embody the sensuous black swan as well as the innocent white swan, whereas in Demon Jesse doesn't seem to struggle at all to get noticed and become the star of the runway. - As Nina gets deeper into preparing for the swan role, she becomes intensely paranoid that Lily is trying to destroy and/or replace her and ends up "killing" her to prevent this, only to discover that she actually stabbed herself while hallucinating. Meanwhile, "possessed" Jesse comes to embrace her power and beauty yet doesn't seem to anticipate being attacked and murdered by the women she's replaced/rejected at all. - Nina first believes that she had sex with Lily and then believes that she killed her, so in a way she is more similar to Ruby/Gigi/Sarah and Lily is like Jesse (though obviously both were false due to drugs/delusions). Nina is terrified that a competitor will replace her, so she tries to prevent it/learn from it first by peaceful means (consensual sex), then increasingly violent means (Nina skips the attempted rape part and goes straight to murder). - So one way to view Black Swan is The Neon Demon as told from Ruby/Gigi/Sarah's perspective (and if they were also hallucinating everything) Sorry if this is repetitive, I was kind of feeling my way around the idea as i was typing. I think a formal comparison would make a great essay topic! e: somehow cut off part of a sentence FourLeaf fucked around with this message at 04:29 on Oct 26, 2016 |
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2016 16:01
|
|
|
BOAT SHOWBOAT posted:edit: Also, this movie is in many ways a better Black Swan, and I say this as an Aronofsky apologist who likes The Fountain and Noah more than most Noah is crap but I will legitimately argue that people who don't get The Fountain are bad at movie viewing. Have never cried so hard during a film, and the soundtrack should/will someday be viewed as one of the high points of this era in orchestral music. Black Swan is probably a better movie, and Neon Demon is more headspacey and arthouse than Aronofsky is willing go go? Wow, writing those words down doesn't seem like it could possibly be a real sentence. But agree more of a companion piece, the same story in different worlds.
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2016 16:04
|
|
ME
|
revdrkevind posted:Noah is crap but I will legitimately argue that people who don't get The Fountain are bad at movie viewing. Have never cried so hard during a film, and the soundtrack should/will someday be viewed as one of the high points of this era in orchestral music. Crying during The Fountain is child's play. You aren't a real sap until you've cried during Cloud Atlas.
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2016 18:37
|
|
|
I cry every time asianface matrixman shoots the fascist coppers, and all the scenes with Slash.
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2016 19:13
|
|
|
FourLeaf posted:It's interesting to compare and contrast this with Black Swan for sure. These are all good comparisons, and you're right, but I think the main difference is that Black Swan was very predictable both in what imagery would appear and how the narrative would go. If someone told me they predicted all the beats and the ending of this movie, I'd think they were lying.
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2016 22:05
|
|
|
BOAT SHOWBOAT posted:These are all good comparisons, and you're right, but I think the main difference is that Black Swan was very predictable both in what imagery would appear and how the narrative would go. If someone told me they predicted all the beats and the ending of this movie, I'd think they were lying. "Fashion girl ironically gets literally eaten by competitors" isn't the biggest leap to make in a movie full of predatory imagery and actual vampires/lifesuckers.
|
|
#
?
Oct 26, 2016 05:42
|
|
|
It depicts such a primal level of intoxication. Beauty is instantaneously visible but also invisible because we don't appreciate how all life encompassing it can be. Even in death, the corpses we look upon must be made up. Beauty short circuits peoples' brains into instantaneous acceptance. Dean and Ruby fall for Jesse, mistaking their infatuation with true knowledge of Jesse, and wanting her for themselves. When Jesse monologues her brief life experience with beauty is when she becomes consumed by the addiction to devotion. Like food, cooperation becomes competition when resources are perceived to be limited.
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2016 21:30
|
|
|
It's on Amazon Prime now.
|
|
#
?
Nov 3, 2016 20:43
|
|
|
GonSmithe posted:Can we all agree the best part of the movie is the lip twitch at the end? Because that was loving hilarious. Way late on this, but just saw this amazing movie. Who did the lip twitch?
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2016 03:23
|
|
|
Shageletic posted:Way late on this, but just saw this amazing movie. Who did the lip twitch? It's immediately after one of the villain models guts herself and vomits up the eyeball. I think it might be one of the very last shots in the movie.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2016 21:45
|
|
|
anyone else think it was an elizabeth bathory thing until the occult tats and cannibalism were revealed?
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2016 23:48
|
|
|
Groovelord Neato posted:anyone else think it was an elizabeth bathory thing until the occult tats and cannibalism were revealed? Oh, no, yeah, I was totally expecting it to go in a Walerian Borowczyk direction, but instead it was tame as gently caress.
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2016 04:24
|
|
|
Just finished watching this. Like all of Refn's movies this is drat pretty, I prefered the cinematography in Only god forgives but this was probably as good. The themes were definitely a lot more obvious in this than this past work. Kinda reminds of Black Swan but less about talent/sexuality and more about beauty. Drive will still be my favorite Refn work but this was decent. I know a lot of people hate refn or love it, I just thought it was good but nothing amazing.
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2016 07:34
|
|
|
The more I think about this movie, the more I think about the various articles saying Refn only wrote movies about men and masculinity and masculine violence (IIRC there was a thread on these forums talking about this exact topic) and thinking maybe Refn saw that and said "gently caress you, I can write women too," and then we got The Neon Demon. Like some kind of twisted dare.
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2016 02:56
|
|
|
Finally got around to Only God Forgives, and I feel like that and Neon Demon are two sides of the same coin.
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2016 03:32
|
|
|
FourLeaf posted:The more I think about this movie, the more I think about the various articles saying Refn only wrote movies about men and masculinity and masculine violence (IIRC there was a thread on these forums talking about this exact topic) and thinking maybe Refn saw that and said "gently caress you, I can write women too," and then we got The Neon Demon. Like some kind of twisted dare. I think he's said as much.
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2016 05:10
|
|
|
FourLeaf posted:The more I think about this movie, the more I think about the various articles saying Refn only wrote movies about men and masculinity and masculine violence (IIRC there was a thread on these forums talking about this exact topic) and thinking maybe Refn saw that and said "gently caress you, I can write women too," and then we got The Neon Demon. Like some kind of twisted dare. *a finger on the monkey's paw curls up*
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2016 23:39
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 4, 2024 17:08 |
|
|
I rented this after being enamoured with the marketing materials. Typically, I like slow movies and I like weird/surreal movies. I did not enjoy this movie much at all and I'm having difficulty putting it to words. Maybe my reading was too shallow but what I got was a young model rolls into town, gets a lot of attention and success. Other women that have been at this longer get jealous and pretend to be her friend but secretly resent her. Ruby falls in love with her and takes her rebuffed advances out on a corpse with solidifies that she's unhinged. The model in the bathroom trying to drink the blood from her cut hand was very odd but makes sense if vampires are in the mix. The ending, to me, seemed to come out of nowhere. Since everyone in the film is droll and passive-aggressive, it was hard to tell boredom from hate. So Ruby and her two... thralls (?) kill the protagonist, chop her up, fill a tub with her blood for Ruby to rejuvenate in and they all eat the remainder. Then one thrall freaks out and kills herself because, and I'm speculating here, it was her first kill and couldn't handle it. Sorry, I'm just talking plot points but the vampire/demon aspect just didn't come across at the time. It read that three psychotic women in the modeling world killed their top rival and had a old fashioned blood party. Inzombiac fucked around with this message at 03:13 on Dec 16, 2016 |
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2016 03:11
|
|
