10-31-2005, 03:27 PM | #481 |
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I think tone has everything to do with it. Noir is pessimistic, fatalistic. The characters are morally bankrupt, and any character who tries to take a stand for something is invariably defeated or forced to sacrifice what he most desires. Film noir traditionally goes with a specific visual style. One key marker of film noir is the femme fatale, an enigmatic and treacherous anti-heroine.
I'm sorry, but I've seen the film, and people who call it a noir are mistaken. It's no more film noir than The Big Lebowski is. Like Lebowski, it's certainly very aware of noir, and exists within the wider tradition of hardboiled detectives, which it spoofs as well as conforms to.
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10-31-2005, 03:31 PM | #482 |
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Having studied Film Noir, have to chime in and say Snarky's right on the money in its definition. Haven't seen the film, but will definitely.
BTW you missed out the rain/water motif which a lot of noir carries, up to and including Chinatown.
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10-31-2005, 03:37 PM | #483 | |
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Even greater, in my opinion, is Match Point, that i saw yesterday. I love Woody Allen, but this is one of his very best, and as a plus it's very different from everything else he's done.
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10-31-2005, 04:56 PM | #484 |
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Batman Begins. Disappointed.
I might watch La Haine or Blade Runner next. |
10-31-2005, 09:45 PM | #485 |
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Everything Is Illuminated
I found it to be a beautiful, quirky, hilarious, moving motion picture. Thought provoking and heartfelt, I left the theater both entertained and emotionally drained. |
10-31-2005, 11:13 PM | #486 |
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I'll put my faith in every other major film critic, the writer/director, and stars on whether it's a Noir or not. And, it is....I don't think everyone's wrong. I've read that one of the chapters is subtitled, "The Lady in the Lake" which is a famous Chandler story, they speak in stylized Noir manner, it's violent as hell, has a narrator, and is a hardboiled detective story. It definitely sounds like a comedy Noir and those are always more light in tone.
http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/kisskissbangbang Sorry to come off like a hardass on this particular issue, but I'm only going by the huge amount of text that has been written about it. Shane Black set out to write and direct a Neo Noir, and as I said it looks like that has what he did, although it may not necessarily conform to the usual standards. There are many different kinds of Noir..some barely conform to what you would normally look for. Saw Saw II. Nice and bloody, and a better film than the first if that means anything with this sort of movie. I liked it and would recommend it to gore hounds.
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10-31-2005, 11:27 PM | #487 | |
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11-01-2005, 01:18 AM | #488 | |
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Mira's going to castrate me for this, but I really enjoyed The Twins Effect last night. Then again, I've got a thing for any film that stars Charlene Choi being spanked with a pole.
... Anyhow, it's kind of like a lighthearted Blade with good effects. Really must see the sequel now! And House Of Fury! Ok, ok, any film starring the Twins. Here's a review with an awesome quote - http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews/twins_effect.htm Quote:
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11-01-2005, 01:24 AM | #489 |
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Saw The Bourne Supremacy yesterday, I enjoyed it, would have liked to see anyone else playing Matt Damon´s role though..I was a little confused, haven´t watched The Bourne Identity..
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11-01-2005, 01:29 AM | #490 |
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That kind of should've set warning bells ticking from the start, then.
Watch the first THEN the second. It's the only way to know who's who and what's going on. It's not very forgiving as a standalone. And damn you for saying MD didn't work in the movie! Well, you didn't get the character setup of the first film to get you into his mindset, I guess. Go see! Or buy! It's going to be cheap!
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11-01-2005, 01:32 AM | #491 | |
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Yep, you´re right..I have to get the first movie, my friend quickly briefed me what happened in the first movie, so it helped a little..Usually I like movies staring Matt Damon, but I don´t know, he didn´t work for me in this movie..
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11-01-2005, 06:47 AM | #492 | |
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Rather than believe that so many critics are outright mistaken, I choose to think that they are using "noir" in an inexact manner, as shorthand for the kind of hardboiled detective story with confusing plots that the movie references. I note that a knowledgeable reviewer like Roger Ebert avoids the term. I would also like to point out that Raymond Chandler didn't always write noir, nor do the fictional pulp novels that figure in the film appear to be in a noir style. It's difficult to argue exactly why Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang isn't noir without using spoilers from the film. However, its attitude is almost the complete opposite of that genre. On the other hand, given your arguments for why it does belong there, it sounds like you're using the term in a very loose, you might say superficial, sense anyway. This site, which I believe was referenced by someone else recently, is a pretty good introduction to the essence of noir.
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11-01-2005, 07:04 AM | #493 |
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Haven't been to the cinema for a while, but been on a Danny Devito DVD watching mission for some random mission. Saw Twins, Ruthless People and Screwed in the past week. Damn he's a funny random little man.
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11-03-2005, 05:25 PM | #494 | |
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Saw had some very sick moments as I discovered to my misfortune whilst eating my dinner If the sequel is anywhere near as good then I will make sure that I don't watch it at meal times
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11-04-2005, 12:38 AM | #495 | |
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Saw Hitchhikers Guide last night, didn't think much of it although turning that book into a 2 hour film was a pretty ambitious project. I still prefer the TV series.
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11-04-2005, 12:56 AM | #496 | ||
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I think perhaps it was because I'm a relatively big Hitchhiker's fan that I didn't like the film much. Some of the jokes were truncated for no reason and that really stuck in my throat. Like you I think it was massively ambitious for them to try to turn Hitchhiker's into a 2-hour film, especially because, for many of the jokes to work, they require the sort of lengthy exposition that is just not possible in a movie. Also, the Trillian love story subplot gubbins. (The one part that made me laugh out loud was the new bit at the party, Spoiler: I did derive geeky pleasure from spotting the references to the original TV series and radio show, though. Did you spot the original Marvin robot? The original Arthur Dent? Ace. |
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11-15-2005, 01:42 PM | #497 |
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Just been to see Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
Goddamn FUNNIEST film i've seen all year. My side hurts. It's a comedy homage to Raymond Chandler (Even the chapter titles are Chandler novels). Ok so the plot is a bit thin and occassionally it tries too hard to be a parody, but the dialogue is sharp and witty and sometimes laugh out loud hilarious. I loved the narrator interaction with the "audience" ,breaking the 4th wall. "Don't worry, I saw Lord of the Rings. I'm not going to end this 17 times" Robert Downey jnr has never been better and Val Kilmer is funny. A movie with style and jokes.
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11-15-2005, 04:15 PM | #498 |
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Well, if the last couple of months count as recently, here's a list:
• Meet the Fockers • The Incredibles • The Bourne Supremacy • Team America: World Police • Shark Tale • Sideways • Cold Mountain • Around the World in 80 Days • Taking Lives • Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas (well, this really isn't a movie, but still) • Ocean’s Twelve • The Forgotten • The Manchurian Candidate • Constantine • Finding Neverland • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban • Ray • Man on Fire • Cellular • Closer • Catwoman • After the Sunset • Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story • XXX: The Next Level • Hitch • Resident Evil: Apocalypse • Alone in the Dark • The Jacket • Garfield • Stage Beauty • The Princess Diaries • The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement • Framom Främsta Linjen • The Chronicles of Riddick • Van Helsing • Madagascar • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Out of these I thought Sideways and Ray overall were the best movies, although Hitch definitely had it's moments also. I had a really hard time finding anything good in some of these, so if you like good movies IMHO you should avoid the following: Constantine, Catwoman, XXX: The Next Level, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Alone in the Dark, Garfield, The Princess Diaries, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and The Chronicles of Riddick. But hey, that's just my opinion. |
11-16-2005, 08:10 AM | #499 |
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Wow, that's a lot of films! Were Cellular and The Jacket any good? Their trailers looked decent but I saw some stinky reviews of them.
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11-16-2005, 08:40 AM | #500 | |
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As for The Jacket I'm extremely divided. On the one hand Adrien Brody showed once again that he's a very talented actor, Keira Knightley in my opinion does her best job ever (that's not to say that it's very good though), the amazing camera work and the complexity of the plot. On the other hand there are some serious plot holes and you might end up a bit, in lack of a better word, stunned at the end of the movie, not really knowing if you just saw a severely flawed movie or a masterpiece. But personally I would recommend you to watch it, if just for the experience. The movie is quite unique. You don't see this every day. Hope I was at least of some help. |
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