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mother! is a movie by Darren Aranofsky. It stars Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem. It's some wild poo poo. Here's a trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtTE_DBKpRY If you haven't seen the movie yet and want to, I'd recommend just staying away from this thread. We'll go ahead and black out third act spoilers for now, but I'd say go into the movie with as little foreknowledge as possible. Reading a number of reviews, it seems the baggage you bring in is going to heavily inform what you take away from it. Yes that applies to all movies, but watch it and I think you'll know what I mean. Here's something else- Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aranofsky are an item irl, which explains a lot, and also makes this movie even more insane. edit: hosed up the thread title, mods feel free to get rid of the bb code if you want General Dog fucked around with this message at 04:57 on Sep 15, 2017 |
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Sep 15, 2017 04:40
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For actual discussion, here's something I posted in the Chat thread:General Dog posted:After a few glib posts and a bit of time to read and process, I think my actual critique on mother! would be that if indeed the biblical allegory isn't the primary point of the movie (and I think it's really not); I think the weight of the imagery and allusions he's dealing are too much- they overshadow whatever point he's trying to make about the creative process and the toll it takes on those around the creator. He's trying to clean his balls with a sandblaster. To elaborate on that a bit more, if the intended focus of this movie is that the God of the Bible is an uncaring pathological narcissist then well done, it's a point that I have a visceral negative reaction to, but it's a point powerfully argued. If the movie is intended more as a self critique, an about an artist who sees himself as God and uses the hell he puts his partners through as inspiration then that point is overwhelmed by everything surrounding it. The Biblical allegory he employs is too powerful and too blunt an instrument to be used as anything but and ends unto itself. When he makes a character God, I can't see that character as anything other than God. (the spoilers are thematic and not plot-oriented if anybody cares) General Dog fucked around with this message at 04:55 on Sep 15, 2017 |
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Sep 15, 2017 04:42
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My favorite part was when that nutjob used a spoon to cut that bread. Had me laughing out loud.
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Sep 15, 2017 07:45
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Movie was nuts. Felt very Lynchian, in that it was ambiguous as gently caress, didn't explain much and challenged you to draw your own conclusions from it. I hadn't read reviews, so I didn't know the plot going into it, but it kind of reminded me of the Audrey subplot from the new Twin Peaks. Is the whole movie happening inside the character's head? Are all these people coming through the house fellow patients in a mental institution? What the gently caress is that potion she keeps drinking? Of course, like in Twin Peaks, none of this gets answered, but by the end of the movie, that theory no longer seemed relevant anymore. I love when a movie sticks in my mind long after I leave the theater and actually makes me want to watch a 25 minute long analysis video of it (but obviously don't watch this if you haven't seen the movie): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZuqiloFJQ0 Also here's a Q&A with Aronofsky after the film screened at TIFF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRNXSe6YqH8 Rageaholic fucked around with this message at 09:31 on Sep 15, 2017 |
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Sep 15, 2017 08:48
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I’m very excited to see this tonight. From the reviews, it seems like this similar in theme to Pi, and hard to stomach like requiem.
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Sep 15, 2017 10:52
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Something I just realized that other people probably already went over: After the mourning of "Cain" and "Abel", more and more guests show up and get progressively more rowdy. The house is overrun until a water pipe bursts and floods them out. This movie is not deep at all but the imagery more than makes up for it.
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Sep 15, 2017 13:22
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so from what I gather this boils down to Aronofsky trying to ape Lynch and von Trier but can't really hit the mark? I still want to see this despite disliking the lead in this, it looks so batshit and is playing down the street from me. Black Swan wasn't deep at all either and I knew what was going on like half an hour in so I'm hoping this one will be meatier with insanity.
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Sep 15, 2017 13:44
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I adored this film and haven't stopped thinking about it since I saw it on Monday. I'd definitely agree with the sentiment that it's not "deep", per se, but it is layered with symbolism and it works effectively on at least two levels (the indictment of the biblical myth and the lionization of the Creator). What I think is masterful is that, to me anyhow, those themes don't interfere with one another. Those who have seen it, does anyone have theories about what Mother's yellow powder is supposed to represent, either literally or figuratively? That was the one question that Aronofsky refused to answer in our Q&A. All of the other symbolism was really clear to me, but this was the one ambiguous aspect that I can't quite tease out.
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Sep 15, 2017 14:03
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flashy_mcflash posted:Those who have seen it, does anyone have theories about what Mother's yellow powder is supposed to represent, either literally or figuratively? That was the one question that Aronofsky refused to answer in our Q&A. All of the other symbolism was really clear to me, but this was the one ambiguous aspect that I can't quite tease out. I think Aronofsky personally uses Saizon Goya like the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding uses Windex.
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Sep 15, 2017 14:13
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flashy_mcflash posted:Those who have seen it, does anyone have theories about what Mother's yellow powder is supposed to represent, either literally or figuratively? That was the one question that Aronofsky refused to answer in our Q&A. All of the other symbolism was really clear to me, but this was the one ambiguous aspect that I can't quite tease out. Saw it last night and this one has been bothering me, too. Sulfur is yellow, so maybe it is an allusion to the Biblical fire and brimstone (aka an old word for 'sulfur')? Anyway, I really liked this. The pro-environmental and ego-of-the-artist themes being couched in an old/new testament allegory, was pretty interesting and I will be thinking about this one for a while. It's a shame that there were only five others in the theater, apart from my girlfriend and I. Did anyone stick up for mother, apart from Javier Bardem and that soldier who called for a medic? I can't remember any others.
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Sep 15, 2017 15:19
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The Bishop posted:Saw it last night and this one has been bothering me, too. Sulfur is yellow, so maybe it is an allusion to the Biblical fire and brimstone (aka an old word for 'sulfur')? I can't quite put my finger on how that works in context though. She uses it as an antidepressant or something, and stops taking it when she becomes pregnant, presumably because she's no longer depressed. Its certainly not shown to be destructive in any way. A friend I saw it with floated the idea of it being birth control, but doesn't seem right either.
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Sep 15, 2017 16:59
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Box of Frogs posted:Something I just realized that other people probably already went over: After the mourning of "Cain" and "Abel", more and more guests show up and get progressively more rowdy. The house is overrun until a water pipe bursts and floods them out. This is one section that I had trouble parsing. Who are these people and what do they represent? They are diverse, and I think that is deliberate on aronofsky's part. Is there a particular significance to the people who want to have sex on mother!s bed? Perhaps they are the original tribes of Israel about to spread among the world. My girlfriend hated every second of it but enjoyed discussing it afterwards. I can't believe this was marketed as a horror film [see: trailer before it]. There are going to be a lot of upset patrons walking out / requesting refunds (to aronofskys critical benefit). I knew better (having seen his other films) but I was still left pining for more scariness despite all the WTF towards the end. Also, I take issue with the promotion and trailers of this film. AFAIK, this scene never takes place (Image spoiled) /cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56636589/mother_TIFF_2040.0.jpg) . I kept waiting for her to be surrounded like this by happy people (some other stills have them reaching out to her kindly). Did this happen? Jlaw oscar hype starts here? Also: how great was it that every scene is either directly looking at Jennifer Lawrence or takes place from her POV. Im disappointed that aronofsky didnt inject his usual snooze cam into a scene or two(think mother from requiem in her apartment)
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Sep 15, 2017 18:01
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fivehead posted:This is one section that I had trouble parsing. Who are these people and what do they represent? They are diverse, and I think that is deliberate on aronofsky's part. Is there a particular significance to the people who want to have sex on mother!s bed? I think it's just the proliferation of humanity, which is briefly halted by a "flood".
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Sep 15, 2017 18:06
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General Dog posted:I think it's just the proliferation of humanity, which is briefly halted by a "flood". Would that make the unbraced sink the ark? That seems kinda clumsy as a metaphor if so, especially for a dude who just made a movie about Noah.
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Sep 15, 2017 20:03
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flashy_mcflash posted:Would that make the unbraced sink the ark? That seems kinda clumsy as a metaphor if so, especially for a dude who just made a movie about Noah. No, I don't think the allegory gets quite that granular. I think the main point is that the sink breaks and the house floods because of people's willful disobedience.
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Sep 15, 2017 20:13
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fivehead posted:Also, I take issue with the promotion and trailers of this film. AFAIK, this scene never takes place (Image spoiled) This happens when they're taking pictures of Javier and Jen. It's right after the guy rips the phone from the wall. I just got from seeing this and I had no idea what to expect when going in except that people were going to be coming into the house. I thought of it being a biblical allegory after since by the end it's pretty heavy handed with it; or at least Javier being God. Jen being earth(as in mother-earth) is something to think about too. It sort of feels like a dark comedy in some places; I like trying to digest the themes and symbolism though. There were around 15 people including me in the theater but it was a small theater so it felt like a lot. Three people walked out during the third act.
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Sep 15, 2017 21:35
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Could someone paraphrase what the final conversation between JL and Husband Guys explanation for all the goings-on was about? Checks were being passed around at that moment, and the dudes accent was a little thick, so all I got was something vaguely like "because I have to"? I can totally get the hugely negative score this movie is getting from people who forgo the decision to be actively affectatious about movies. The first third(ish) is an vaguely interesting movie written and directed by someone who has never personally witnessed a human being before, but the last third upset me because I didn't hear someone cheerily start singing "It takes a lot to make a stew...", when the contents clearly dictated it.
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Sep 15, 2017 22:53
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Danzig, is that you?
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Sep 15, 2017 23:23
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Makes Black Swan look like a kids movie
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Sep 16, 2017 00:05
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General Dog posted:To elaborate on that a bit more, if the intended focus of this movie is that the God of the Bible is an uncaring pathological narcissist then well done, it's a point that I have a visceral negative reaction to, but it's a point powerfully argued. If the movie is intended more as a self critique, an about an artist who sees himself as God and uses the hell he puts his partners through as inspiration then that point is overwhelmed by everything surrounding it. The Biblical allegory he employs is too powerful and too blunt an instrument to be used as anything but and ends unto itself. When he makes a character God, I can't see that character as anything other than God. This mostly covers my feelings. I enjoyed the movie while I was watching it, but I don't think the pacing would have worked at all if I hadn't been going in completely blind. And there's not really much left to chew on by the time the credits roll, other than going back over early events to see just how much stuff you can cram directly into the allegory. The answer is a lot of stuff.
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Sep 16, 2017 03:04
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This is probably going to be my favourite movie of the year and man like 50% of the people in the theatre I was in were super pissed at this movie.
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Sep 16, 2017 03:47
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I definitely give it bonus points for some unusually good audience reactions, which are pretty much the only reason I still go to theaters. That last shot got a bunch of increasingly pained "Nooooo"s followed by a loud "What the gently caress did you just drag me to?" I hope they were on a date.
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Sep 16, 2017 03:57
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Le Saboteur posted:This is probably going to be my favourite movie of the year and man like 50% of the people in the theatre I was in were super pissed at this movie.
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Sep 16, 2017 04:05
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I'm still puzzled how Aranofsky got Paramount to back this with a massive marketing campaign and a wide release. That seems like absolute insanity to me.
Le Saboteur fucked around with this message at 05:58 on Sep 16, 2017 |
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Sep 16, 2017 05:56
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Le Saboteur posted:I'm still puzzled how Aranofsky got Paramount to back this with a massive marketing campaign and a wide release. That seems like absolute insanity to me. Jennifer Lawrence can open a movie, and Black Swan was a massive success among mainstream audience as well. That's what they're banking on. How far it can take this material though, financially, is hard to say. There were multiple walk outs during the third act in my cinema as well. But, word of mouth and some degree of controversy might actually elevate it.
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Sep 16, 2017 06:05
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This movie is a masterpiece and the best movie of the year.
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Sep 16, 2017 07:25
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Movie was pretty great but definitely polarizing. Half the audience (if not more) was just laughing at the end, probably more in a wtf way than anything. I liked it, though, and it lead to a lot of conversation with the gf after the movie. Definitely about God and Mother Nature and I didn't realize some of the imagery before reading this thread either so that made it even cooler.
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Sep 16, 2017 08:27
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I want everyone who I know will appreciate this movie to see it in theaters as soon as loving possible because it will almost assuredly be out of theaters within a couple weeks if it even lasts that long. Its existence is strange and beautiful but it won’t be a moneymaker and as a result will get cut out of the rotation quick to make room for more screenings of It or something.
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Sep 16, 2017 08:28
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Took me a hell of a long time to catch on to what was going on, at least halfway through the movie. A well done movie but even better is the trailer which got me through the door with total uncertainty as to what the movie would be like so my mind was trying to fit the puzzle pieces into a supernatural or ghost story or Rosemary's Baby or suspense or anything. So by the time stuff starts ramping up pre Jesus BC I was fully in it and enjoying it.
Ape Agitator fucked around with this message at 16:48 on Sep 16, 2017 |
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Sep 16, 2017 08:31
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You could hear the chorus of "what the fuuuuuck" exhalations at the theatre I watched this in last night. A lot of people were laughing but the baby sacrifice shut them up pretty fast. I personally like the environmentalist angle on it, metaphorically speaking. However, even just from a craft point of view it's a stunner. Great performances from Lawrence, Bardem and a super sneaky Pfeiffer. And boy oh boy it's shot beautifully. It's very deliberately like a Bosch painting in parts. It's got a lot of the Aronofsky thematic touchstones in it and I think the best audience for it will already have seen at least one of his movies and recall "oh yeah this is the guy who did Requiem for a Dream/Black Swan etc., I am at least somewhat prepared for some degree of poo poo getting real crazy." If you're coming in totally blind expecting a home invasion thriller, holy poo poo you're going to get your face rocked off. Before the second act there's a lot of interesting subtle stuff too that kind of ties into the events that follow. I thought the early scenes of spreading paint on the wall were evoking God and Adam's fingers touching in the Sistine Chapel a bit. Also, when Ed Harris is in the bathroom you can see him covering up a wound on his ribcage, just before Pfeiffer shows up. Eve, of course, was made from Adam's rib. Also, consider that the husband is doing a lot of gaslighting of his wife, and the eventual much more literal interpretation of that term later on in the film. In short if you like movies please go watch this movie, it's going to get murdered at the box office/Cinemascore for sure and we need to support things that are good and weird. strangemusic fucked around with this message at 17:34 on Sep 16, 2017 |
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Sep 16, 2017 16:46
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strangemusic posted:In short if you like movies please go watch this movie, it's going to get murdered at the box office/Cinemascore for sure and we need to support things that are good and weird. https://twitter.com/CinemaScore/status/909035655493062656 
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Sep 16, 2017 17:51
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Speaking of Cinemascore, got an F score, haha. Efb, supposedly mother! now shares a position with I Know Who Killed Me starring Lindsay Lohan. 
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Sep 16, 2017 17:52
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What the gently caress is cinema score and why should I give a poo poo?
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Sep 16, 2017 19:16
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Malcolm Excellent posted:What the gently caress is cinema score and why should I give a poo poo? Cinemascore is the rating actual moviegoers give the film.
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Sep 16, 2017 19:20
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I really enjoyed the movie! The imagery was as blunt as a hammer with the exception of a couple of things I'm still figuring out, namely the floor wound/stigmata/ the toad at the center of the earth/the herbal remedy . I went in hoping it would be a thematically challenging movie and wasn't disappointed. Tangentially, our evening happened to be ruined in a contextually appropriate way after watching a movie about rampant, idiotically selfish behavior. We found out the couple that was turned away at our ticket window just a few minutes before the movie started for trying to bring in a <6 month old infant had left their baby in the car in 84 degree Louisiana heat and snuck back in. Hope they like talking to the cops because I'm sure they didn't learn anything from the movie.
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Sep 16, 2017 19:39
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MisterBibs posted:Cinemascore is the rating actual moviegoers give the film. Those actual movie goers are rubes, and simpletons!
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Sep 16, 2017 19:46
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Dr. Red Ranger posted:I really enjoyed the movie! The imagery was as blunt as a hammer with the exception of a couple of things I'm still figuring out, namely the floor wound/stigmata/ the toad at the center of the earth/the herbal remedy . I went in hoping it would be a thematically challenging movie and wasn't disappointed. The Herbal Remedy was actually what made me think she might be in Hell for a bit because it looked like she was drinking sulphur.
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Sep 16, 2017 19:52
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MisterBibs posted:Cinemascore is the rating actual moviegoers give the film. Actual moviegoers don't provide ratings to media aggregators so that seems highly suspect
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Sep 16, 2017 20:05
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MisterBibs posted:Cinemascore is the rating actual moviegoers give the film.
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Sep 16, 2017 20:17
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Malcolm Excellent posted:What the gently caress is cinema score and why should I give a poo poo? It's a survey agency that attempts to get an idea of what people who just saw a movie think (as opposed to something like imdb that gets flooded with dumb internet users trying to tip the scales for/against series they love/hate). It speaks less to the quality of the film and more to how it might do in box offices. I normally don't really care (every hollywood film seems to get like a B- to an A so it's usually meaningless). I would rather this film do well because I think it's original and it gave me an experience I can't remember having in a theater in ages, though, so I guess it's kind of disappointing to see that audiences are reacting so negatively and that it might tank/prevent studios from trying something similar in the future. warez fucked around with this message at 20:37 on Sep 16, 2017 |
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Sep 16, 2017 20:34
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