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CatstropheWaitress posted:They don't throw a card up saying "24 DAYS LATER" which does muddy the water, but it is implied that we're seeing more time pass by than like, a week. Paris seems like it takes place over months, and lord knows how much time is passing between the start and when she leaves for a world of color. It felt clear enough the intention is for her to be mentally aging in like, dog years or something. They specifically mention that her hair grows at a certain speed. Theoretically, a timeline could be figured out by figuring out how long her hair is in any given scene. live with fruit fucked around with this message at 21:07 on Jan 5, 2024 |
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Jan 5, 2024 19:42
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Bella is like that episode of Bluey where the dad pretends to be an adult but born yesterday, so he has to learn everything quickly. Bella’s speech may not be mature but she is ideally a late teen when she leaves as thats hen many women may leave home also. Plus she’s clearly gone through a mental puberty of sorts as she has desires for men and like many teens, rebels against her parents. The mechanic is just to have an outsider go through the various cycles of womanhood and experience all the challenges and control that comes with it.
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Jan 5, 2024 20:55
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moths posted:I'm certainly reading my own experiences into it, but I'm uncomfortable when a movie loopholes minors into adult situations. You're supposed to be creeped out by the older men being attracted to an obviously infantile Bella. Gross creeps do that all the time in real life. It wasn't the movie finding a loophole to put a minor in a sexual situation and frame it as a good thing. One of the things the movie is about is Bella finding her own agency as she very obviously matures into an adult, especially in defiance of men who want to own her (and physically remove her genitals..) What did you think the movie was even about (before you made your "today I realized" post)?? stratdax fucked around with this message at 04:44 on Jan 6, 2024 |
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Jan 5, 2024 21:05
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I have not yet watched the film, but I recently read the book it's based on. I very much enjoyed it and recommend it highly. From how the film is described here, it seems the book could answer all your questions, since most of the book is told through letters written by Bella. You get to watch and experience her growth and development through her writings which are very interesting. It's an older book but has been released with the film on the cover so should be easier now to find. One of the best books I've read.
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Jan 5, 2024 22:58
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If/when you do see the movie Coleoptera, would be fun to drop back in here and let us know what the differences are. The framing sounded pretty different, but was curious how many liberties they took with the core story. moths posted:I'm certainly reading my own experiences into it, but I'm uncomfortable when a movie loopholes minors into adult situations. Fair enough. I don't agree with the read, but do get where it's coming from.
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Jan 5, 2024 23:15
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CatstropheWaitress posted:If/when you do see the movie Coleoptera, would be fun to drop back in here and let us know what the differences are. The framing sounded pretty different, but was curious how many liberties they took with the core story. I'll do that. It looks visually amazing. And I loved Bella's character in the book.
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Jan 6, 2024 03:31
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I've seen the film three times now (at the London Film Festival, introduced by Willem Dafoe, and again last night at a Cineworld preview screening) and loved it every time. I also bought the book after the first viewing so it's been interesting to go back and see the changes made to adapt it from page to screen. It's a great read, very funny, and obviously as a book can, it goes further and deeper into certain topics, though some of these do get adapted and included in the film even if only briefly. Book spoilers - the structure of the book is very different, with many layers of fiction upon fiction. It's presented as an actual historical document unearthed by a historian and collated by the writer Alasdair Gray. It reprints a book, and letters and (made up) clippings from contemporary newspapers and public records. The bulk of the book is a self-published autobiography by Archie McCandless, who's the same age as Godwin Baxter when they meet at university. Unlike in the film, Bella and God go on a cruise around the world which we only hear small parts of. Bella runs away with 'Wedder' and we hear of their travels in the form of letters they write home. A lot of this is in the film, though it only briefly touches on Bella's adventures in Parisian sex work. The last fifth of the book is something the film completely omits (big spoilers for the book) - a letter written by Bella to be opened no earlier than 1974, where she describes most of the events described in Archie's book as being completely made-up nonsense, written to soothe his ego by making himself Bella's equal. None of the brain transplanting actually occured, and Godwin was not a mad scientist with a horrific visage. The very final section of the book is written by the author and contains notes 'critical and historical', using fictional and real historical sources to provide context (explaining Scots phrases), pick holes in Archie and Bella's writings - ranging from the petty (a 'narrow garden' that is mentioned is shown to only be a small alley at the back of a house) to the inventive (supposed poems written by Tennyson and Kipling upon Blessington's death, or clippings from different newspapers in their house styles). Something that's also caused some controversy among Scots is the total lack of Scotland in the film, aside from Dafoe's accent which was based on Gray's. The book uses lots of real places and buildings as well rather than the don't-call-it-Steampunk of the film - I've walked around some of the same parks as the characters, and Baxter's house actually exists in Glasgow, as does General Blessington's in London (though it currently houses the Embassy of Laos, photo attached). There's also a lot of socio-political references that haven't made it to the film which add a lot to the book, but I think unless it was a mini-series I don't see how all of that could have been included - the book is very dense in its ideas. Anway that's more than I intended to write and I'd recommend the book to anyone who has or even hasn't yet seen the film.
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Jan 10, 2024 22:18
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Carpet posted:I've seen the film three times now (at the London Film Festival, introduced by Willem Dafoe, and again last night at a Cineworld preview screening) and loved it every time. I also bought the book after the first viewing so it's been interesting to go back and see the changes made to adapt it from page to screen. It's a great read, very funny, and obviously as a book can, it goes further and deeper into certain topics, though some of these do get adapted and included in the film even if only briefly. That sounds really cool, metafiction is great when done well and that sounds like a nice brain bender. I'll have to pick it up.
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Jan 10, 2024 22:46
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That's all v interesting, and I do enjoy a metafictional read (House Of Leaves, Princess Bride, Jonathan Strange, that kinda thing). I believe my wife is doing Poor Things for the cinema bookclub she hosts so I might give it a read before then
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Jan 10, 2024 22:49
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Carpet posted:The last fifth of the book is something the film completely omits (big spoilers for the book) - a letter written by Bella to be opened no earlier than 1974, where she describes most of the events described in Archie's book as being completely made-up nonsense, written to soothe his ego by making himself Bella's equal. None of the brain transplanting actually occured, and Godwin was not a mad scientist with a horrific visage. Ok, that's really funny.
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Jan 10, 2024 23:16
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Saw this last night, and loved it a great deal. Minor quibbles (Ruffalo’s wandering accent). Absolutely gorgeous to look at, and a quick google has surprised me that much of what I assumed to be location filming was just sets. For some reason I’d got it into my head that Dafoe’s Godwin was meant to be Frankenstein’s creature carrying on the work of his ‘father’.
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Jan 12, 2024 17:58
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The_Doctor posted:For some reason I’d got it into my head that Dafoe’s Godwin was meant to be Frankenstein’s creature carrying on the work of his ‘father’. It's definitely an immediate subversion/reversal of expectations to have the scientist be the one who looks literally cobbled together with ill-fitting pieces while the "creature" is a gorgeous young lady. Of course you do find out he also was heavily experimented on by his father, so you were honestly not far off
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Jan 12, 2024 18:48
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yeah I really loved the "childhood trauma and learned behaviors as Frankenstein's monster" metaphor the movie expresses through Dafoe. the reconciliation and peace at the end was really beautiful.
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Jan 12, 2024 19:00
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I loved the little gag of the car with the horse head at the front. Very Gilliam-esque.
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Jan 12, 2024 23:24
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Cacator posted:I loved the little gag of the car with the horse head at the front. Very Gilliam-esque. Saw this last night, was a great film. Some parts dragged a bit, a couple of character's acting was a bit off (like the 'interesting old lady' on the ship), the strength of some scenes set such high standards that others felt a bit like people were out of ideas, and some of the music was distractingly annoying. But over all, I loved the hell out of it - it made sense, it generally looked absolutely stunning, most of the jokes landed, loads of it resonated, I'm still thinking about it the next day, and it's made the next day feel better. Also the opening shot of Bella at the piano, shot from behind, is probably my favourite shot from any film ever, man it was beautiful.
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Jan 13, 2024 22:32
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Fun movie. A bit too long maybe, I wouldn't have minded the length if I'd been watching at home but in the theater its a bit of a drag. Theater was packed, surprising since it had been slowing hard all day and I figured a lot of people would stay in. It got a round of applause at the end.
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Jan 15, 2024 21:55
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my man Yorgos did it, he gentrified steampunk
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Jan 22, 2024 16:29
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Cacator posted:I loved the little gag of the car with the horse head at the front. Very Gilliam-esque. that's not a gag - that was a real car. The idea was that it'd stop other horses on the road freaking out. 
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Jan 24, 2024 11:06
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It's definitely shot as a gag -- but that is incredible that those were on some roads at one point.
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Jan 24, 2024 15:26
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Uncle Boogeyman posted:my man Yorgos did it, he gentrified steampunk Fisheye lens too, while we're on the subject.
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Jan 24, 2024 20:06
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Uncle Boogeyman posted:my man Yorgos did it, he gentrified steampunk what is dead can never die
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Jan 24, 2024 20:21
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Watched it last night, not really knowing what to expect. I was entertained but yeah found the message weird and confused, and some plot elements kinda fiddly, and overall it kinda just frustrated me. 8/10, for fans of the genre
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Jan 30, 2024 15:45
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Saw it last night, like others I also thought it dragged a bit too long and wasn't particularly funny. It's the kind of movie where I appreciate a lot the work put into it but ultimately can't ever love. The performances were great except for Mark Ruffalo which didn't work for me at all, I was glad that he was having fun in the role though. I'll definitely be checking out the book at some point, from what I've heard it seems to be very much my kind of thing
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Jan 31, 2024 11:27
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His "Oh!" after getting slapped was incredible.
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Jan 31, 2024 21:17
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I just saw it and thought Ruffalo was great. It’s interesting to see that others thought different. It was amusing to see Ruffalo as a snivelling, tantruming toddler at the end just because he couldn’t have his way. Especially since the one cause him so much distress is arguably one. I agree it could have easily been 30 min shorter. I did enjoy the wacky set designs and various locales. It worked well to represent the awe and wonderment of a new world from Bella’s perspective. Possibly my favorite Lanthimos movie so far, but not one I’d watch again if that makes sense.
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Feb 5, 2024 13:06
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I loved it and Ruffalo. I find it Interesting how many people didn't like him in this role. I found it (I hate to say it) relatable at times. The moment he walked into the bar on the ship and slammed his head against the bar was something I've certainly thought about in the past with some of my worst relationships. Admittedly I've never done it, but that's not the point. I've had people drive me insane and I can't be the only person here. I just assumed that the character, like myself, was autistic and that was my take on it. I love the film, I'd go as far to say it's one of the best films I've ever seen. I loved the way it was shot, the music, the character and above all else, Emma Stones acting and range in this was magnificent and easily the best role I've ever seen her in. I will certainly be watching this again.
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Feb 5, 2024 18:29
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Yeah, I thought he did a really good job. It's a pretty difficult tightrope he has to walk by being despicable, yet humorous. Otherwise he would come off almost exactly the same as the general. I didn't really notice any issues with his accent though, and that kind of thing can be pretty distracting.
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Feb 5, 2024 18:44
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Wedderburn is a hilarious character in the book as well (even though you really only get a lot of his character via his increasingly demented letters). Ruffalo did a great job portraying his deluded grandiosity and swift decline from pompous twat into gibbering wreck (although he's not really a mummy's boy in the film version)
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Feb 5, 2024 19:29
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Lots of fun. Kaspar Hauser meets Sophie’s World.
Joementum fucked around with this message at 14:37 on Feb 8, 2024 |
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Feb 8, 2024 02:51
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Joementum posted:Kasparov Hauser I don't remember any chess
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Feb 8, 2024 09:55
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Failed Imagineer posted:I don't remember any chess Oh, did you not pick up that this is all in the alt history timeline where everything started in Russia? drat you autocorrect
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Feb 8, 2024 14:38
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I saw this without knowing much about the film, and felt pretty confused afterwards, but reading it was based on a book now kind of explains everything. It was exactly that, a lovely adaptation of a book that probably has some really interesting ideas. Some sections of the movie start to build a theme and an arc for the characters, but then another part focuses on something completely different and then that concept is dropped too. The last half an hour or something degenerates into tiresome bullshit. For example, I really liked Bella as first a child, then a rebellious teen, then a young woman, then becoming an adult and politically conscious. But the second half of the movie is barely about that arc. Really strong acting and funny dialogue at times though, and I guess I don't regret seeing the movie since it at least tried to do something different.
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Feb 8, 2024 23:05
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I don't think I understand that criticism. The General is basically a video game final boss of all the themes of the movie, and the rest of the final act is tying up all the loose ends from the first act.
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Feb 9, 2024 05:53
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Simplex posted:I don't think I understand that criticism. The General is basically a video game final boss of all the themes of the movie, and the rest of the final act is tying up all the loose ends from the first act. As for what I mean about the themes, for example the political stuff feels really underbaked to begin with - as someone else said, Bella apparently goes to socialist meetings but we never see her in them or her thoughts about them, as the movie has to rush to do other stuff. In the confrontation with the general, we just teleport from the general's castle after he gets shot and the underclass staff gets no conclusion. They were just there to clumsily show how Bad this guy is. Now, you could say all these plots and themes fizzling out is somehow intentional, but I never buy that poo poo. If you made a bad movie on purpose, you still made a bad movie.
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Feb 9, 2024 08:21
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Doesn't she reform the brothel?
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Feb 9, 2024 08:34
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I absolutely do not think this movie needed to show her doing praxis beyond the brothel.
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Feb 9, 2024 09:01
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Her former servant is also clearly just living in the house as a family member at the end, and she’s living in a communist throuple with an adopted kid. If you want to imagine she built gorilla men to fight in the Russian Revolution later go wild
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Feb 9, 2024 14:41
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DeimosRising posted:If you want to imagine she built gorilla men to fight in the Russian Revolution later go wild I do ... I do want to imagine that. It's certainly more hell yeah than the book ending where the whole fantastical story was delusional cheap storytelling tropes (maybe?) and Bella/Victoria is just a cool socialist suffragette who eventually gets ignored and shunned into obscurity much as the Victorian Age is left behind and forgotten . Book is so good.
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Feb 9, 2024 15:39
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ending spoiler: putting the goat brain in the dude at the end, that's really just punishing the goat. Fail
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Feb 9, 2024 16:02
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It's a good fakeout for what you might expect to happen though
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Feb 9, 2024 16:08
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