Xander ,'Get It Done'
A place to talk about movies--Old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.
I really, really, enjoyed The Incredibles, as much as anyone on the board, but after I saw it, I read this review, and now I'm having second thouights about it. Especially
Villains aren't simply villains. They're terrorists. "They'll kill you if they can," Elastigirl warns her children. You can't miss the post-9/11 desperation in her voice. Or the elitism embodied by the "supers."
and other reviews comparing it to The Fountainhead. I'm very confused. Is it elitist?
What nonsense.
The movie can certainly be read as allegorical. I'm sure Randians have a field day with it. But Elastigirl KNOWS the bad guys will kill her kids, because they just tried to. She said "There are children here", and they fired anyway. It's not a global statement, it's a specific one.
I suppose anytime you deal with Superman you have echoes of Übermensch. But there's no suggestion that the Incredibles are morally superior to anybody else; just physically.
I'm with Betsy in not detecting that vibe, FWiW.
Maybe I need to see the movie two or three more times.
The Incredibles, as expected, was great. I loved how it explored superhero territory I'd never seen so much before: the jealousy of those with powers. It also explored territory I had seen so much before: the first fifteen minutes were totally like an animated version of Powers. And it was so entertaining I didn't even realize it was throwing me that blasted Overworked Father Neglects His Family trope. But the thing about Pixar is they manage to deliver cheesy messages really well, by making the Message Dialogue organic and not so anvilicious.
As I saw Shrek 2 recently, my thoughts during the movie were, "Look! An animated movie that is humorous by virtue of the actions and characterizations of its characters, rather than shotgunning pop-culture references!" Though there were some great subversions of standard superhero tropes, as expected. Loved the uses of powers.
I do feel like having some more whitefonted discussion, but it will have to wait till later.
Would this be a good time to bring up the fact that I still have some more tickets to see The Incredibles next sunday, if any of the Laistas want to see it (again).
Huh. I posted in the wrong thread earlier. I have no idea why I mixed up Movies and Minearverse. Oh well.
As I saw Shrek 2 recently, my thoughts during the movie were, "Look! An animated movie that is humorous by virtue of the actions and characterizations of its characters, rather than shotgunning pop-culture references!" Though there were some great subversions of standard superhero tropes, as expected. Loved the uses of powers.
See, I watched that movie, and I was like, I'm so glad I live in LA, so I could understand 80% of the jokes. Especially the Angelyne/Fairy Godmother billboards. That was the funniest thing in the movie, in my opinion.
This weekend was good for films on TV. I finally watched Casablanca, for the first time ever, and, of course, I loved it. Question--was I supposed to think that Ilsa and Sam did some mattress dancing when they finally worked everything out in his room above the bar, even though they were still dressed afterwards? 'Cause, well, I did.
Also, I saw The Others on TBS. I had been spoiled on the big surprise, but it was still excellently done. I did miss the first ten minutes--did it begin with her going mad, or afterwards?
I saw I Heart Huckabees yesterday. Since my philosophical education ended around Erasmus, odds are a fair bit of it went over my head. And for the first hour I really wasn't into it. But the last half hour had me rolling. I loved it.
I saw Ray last night, and I'm wondering -- are there biopics that are great movies, beyond the main performance? So much of the movie (and others like it, I think) feels like just getting through time to hit the highlights. I dunno. Also, the end was apparently tacked on after he died, and felt like it. Which is not to say that it wasn't great, because it was, but it was all Jamie Foxx, and the basic interesting-ness of seeing the "inside" of a famous life.
Oh, and the boy insisted on saying it "bi-ah-pic" not "BIO-pic." I mocked him heavily.
PS: Stay away from the junk, people!!
I never saw Gandhi, but I heard very good things about it.