Topic: Antares' Short Summations

[Antares]

The Departed (2006) 3/5
I hope that the original is better than this.

Well I thought you were being a bit harsh!  I really like The Departed, but I love Infernal Affairs. It's leaner and better focused, certainly. Like a Michael Mann film.

But that's because you never lived in Massachusetts. I can't remember who it was on this site who hated Rock-n-Rolla because of the exaggerated dialogue, but that's exactly the way I felt watching this tedious mish-mosh of Scorsese pablum.

[hal9g]

But that's because you never lived in Massachusetts. I can't remember who it was on this site who hated Rock-n-Rolla because of the exaggerated dialogue, but that's exactly the way I felt watching this tedious mish-mosh of Scorsese pablum.

I did live in Lowell, MA and southern NH for many years.

I  hope you're not trying to say that Bostonians don't have very distinct and heavy dialect.  The problem is that when Hollywood takes someone who doesn't naturally have an accent and tries to get them to speak with an accent, it rarely comes out sounding either natural or correct.

I have lived in the "South" for the past 30 years, and really cringe with the southern accents Hollywood has attempted to duplicate on the screen.  I  literally cannot watch Kyra Sedgwick in "The Closer" for this very reason.  It's like running fingernails across a chalkboard!

[goodguy]

My Night at Maud's (1969) 4/5
...and the film kind of ends on a whimper.

Rohmer didn't go that often for emotionally powerful endings as in L'amour l'après-midi, but to call the double-twist of the reveal and the protagonist's reaction to it a whimper...

[Antares]

My Night at Maud's (1969) 4/5
...and the film kind of ends on a whimper.

Rohmer didn't go that often for emotionally powerful endings as in L'amour l'après-midi, but to call the double-twist of the reveal and the protagonist's reaction to it a whimper...

I was actually a little confused about the ending. Was Francoise, Maud's ex-husband's mistress? It happened so fast on the beach, I wasn't sure that was the inference. If it so, then I change my opinion about it ending on a whimper.

[Antares]

I  hope you're not trying to say that Bostonians don't have very distinct and heavy dialect.

I'm not inferring that at all, Bostonian's have a most recognizable accent and dialect, but people from South Boston don't talk like the Kennedys.

If a Kennedy and a regular person from Boston say the following sentence... I parked the car on Cape Cod

A Kennedy says it this way...I pawked the caw awn Cape Cawd, a noticeable Boston Braman dialect.

The average Bostonian says it... I pahked the cah ahn Cape Cahd

Phonetically, they are two different dialects. I'm only saying that the average schmow in Boston doesn't speak like John, Bobby or Ted. Hollywood just doesn't get it. The only film where they got it right was Good Will Hunting, but those guys were from Boston originally.

The thing that really drove me nuts was the fact that Mark Wahlberg, of all people, was really over-doing the accent, and he too, is originally from Boston.

[goodguy]

Was Francoise, Maud's ex-husband's mistress?

Indeed, she was.

[hal9g]

If a Kennedy and a regular person from Boston say the following sentence... I parked the car on Cape Cod

A Kennedy says it this way...I pawked the caw awn Cape Cawd, a noticeable Boston Braman dialect.

The average Bostonian says it... I pahked the cah ahn Cape Cahd

Yup..completely agree.  If Hollywood can't get it right they should simply drop any accent at all.  At least that would not be a complete distraction.

[Antares]

Was Francoise, Maud's ex-husband's mistress?

Indeed, she was.

Then I definitely change my feelings about the end of the film. But I also wonder about your interpretation of Jean-Louis' reaction. To me, his reaction wasn't indifference but more that the reality went right by him. He was so blinded by his love for Francoise that he had emotional blinders on and didn't get the inference of Maud & Francoise knowing each other. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I felt as the scene happened.

Either way, I'm definitely looking forward to more of Rohmer's work. Both of the films I've seen so far have made me think on an emotional level that I have never done before with any other director. He's slowly becoming one of my favorite directors. Luckily my library system has a lot of his work.

[Najemikon]

I really like The Departed, as I said, but I was always thrown by Nicholson's opening line. The first time I heard it I thought he said :

"no one's gonna give a tear"; as in "no one will care". But actually I think he's saying :

"no one's gonna give it to ya"   

Have you seen Affleck's Gone Baby Gone? That was filmed in Boston so is generally considered accurate. Also, I wonder if you would prefer Whalberg in The Fighter... he wanted to play that role because he grew up very nearby apparently, so I would think he would surely use his natural accent? I must admit I didn't think it was particularly different to his Departed voice.

[goodguy]

Then I definitely change my feelings about the end of the film. But I also wonder about your interpretation of Jean-Louis' reaction. To me, his reaction wasn't indifference but more that the reality went right by him. He was so blinded by his love for Francoise that he had emotional blinders on and didn't get the inference of Maud & Francoise knowing each other. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I felt as the scene happened.

No, per his voice over, he just realized that Francoise's affair was with Maud's ex-husband, but in expansion of his lie on that snowy hill five years ago, he claims that he had a fling with Maud. In his view that's an act of kindness, to make Francoise feel less ashamed, but it also is a quite condescending move that says a lot about their marriage, which nevertheless seems to be a working one, while Maud's "bad luck" with men continues.

[Antares]

Le Deuxieme Souffle (1966) 4/5 - This is my sixth film by Jean-Pierre Melville, which is almost half of his directorial output, and I find that he is swiftly moving towards the top of my all-time greats list. There is no bullshit in his films. Every line of dialogue has its importance, the music is only there to add a subtle nudge to a scene and he gets the most from his actors. I know that with the six films I've watched that I've pretty much seen his best work, but I'm hoping the remaining eight films are just as good as this one. Oh and if only Robert DeNiro could take a lesson from Lino Ventura...great actors don't accept just any role for the paycheck and then mail in their performance as DeNiro has been doing for close to fifteen years now. I mention this because Ventura reminds me so much of DeNiro in his glory days of the 70's and 80's. Tough, burly and with a smoldering intensity that just explodes onscreen. It's a shame what's become of DeNiro, he's almost a caricature now.

[Antares]

Kuroi ame (1989) 4/5 - The first ten minutes of this film have to be some of the most moving moments in film history. It's 8:13 AM on August 6, 1945 and the residents of Hiroshima are going about their day to day business, unaware of the deadly bomb that is slowly parachuting down towards them. At 8:14, a blinding flash, a massive shockwave and scorching heat obliterate the seaside community, killing thousands in an instant. After the horrors of the aftermath of the explosion are shown, director Shôhei Imamura fast forwards to 1950, and the rest of the film plays out with the residual effects of those who were affected by "the Flash" on that fateful morning. It is obvious to see that Imamura was highly influenced by his onetime mentor Yasujiro Ozu. The main story revolves around an uncle's efforts to get his niece married, against a prevalent attitude by those who were not affected by the bomb, to look upon survivors as unhealthy pariahs. The film is a little long, and the pacing can be seen as plodding at times, but the subject matter makes up for these slight faults with its importance.

[Antares]

Reach for the Sky (1956) 4/5 - Atypical British war film from the post war era, you know the kind, the stiff upper lip and tally ho mentality. Kenneth More, who is one of my favorite English actors, became famous in England after appearing in this biopic of Douglas Bader, an RAF pilot who lost both his legs in a plane crash in the late 20's, and returned to fly in the Battle of Britain. The film spends most of its running time dealing with Bader's recovery from his near fatal accident. It only falters when the Battle of Britain is actually shown towards the end of the film. It is at this point that either the producer or the director decided that they needed to bring the story to a quick end as they had expended so much time on Bader's recovery in the previous hour and a half. That being said, if you like British war films, then this should be right up your alley.

Doctor in the House (1954) 3.5/5 -  The film that made Dirk Bogarde a household name in Britain. Once again an atypical British film from the fifties, but this time a comedy. So that means madcap antics intertwined with dry humor. While it's not on par with the Ealing comedies of the period, I did find myself chuckling from time to time. This would be the first of five films made with this premise and would rival the Carry On series of films in regards to popularity with British filmgoers.

[Antares]

Ice Cold in Alex (1958) 4/5 - Tense and well written war film about an ambulance crew trying to get to Alexandria ahead of Rommel's Afrika Korps in the early days of the North Africa Campaign. The dialog and the pacing are taut and the performances are all first rate. John Mills plays the crew leader who has seen too much time on the front lines and is dire need of rest, while Anthony Quayle plays a South African whom they meet on the way, but are not quite sure of his authenticity as an Allied soldier. The only time this film falters is near the end when all of a sudden they make Sylvia Syms character instantly fall in love with Mill's character. It comes out of nowhere and it doesn't not work at all. Aside from this little blip, the story keeps your attention for its entire duration. I'll definitely be re-visiting this one again in the future.

[Antares]

The Most Hated Family in America (2007) 4.5/5 - I'm speechless, I mean words just cannot describe the wonderment I felt knowing that these sick individuals exist in our country. I can't honestly say what I would do if a relative of mine had been killed and these sick fucks picketed the funeral. What I don't understand is why the groups that are combating Westboro's loathsome practices aren't trying to weaken them financially. In the documentary it is stated that the members of the church must work real jobs and give 10% of their earnings to the church. Find where these people are working and start a boycott of the business, picket in front of the businesses where they work. Eventually, those who hire them will tire of the bad publicity and fire them. Once they lose the influx of cash they'll wither and disappear.