tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950661544458089627.post9001236743413074009..comments2023-09-11T05:26:43.550-03:00Comments on The World: Why Is Every Movie I See These Days Such a Bummer?Michael Sooriyakumaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02277205696737206633noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950661544458089627.post-24557266909953541032008-11-11T05:45:00.000-04:002008-11-11T05:45:00.000-04:00People should read this.People should read this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950661544458089627.post-35349551246470710882008-02-09T16:44:00.000-04:002008-02-09T16:44:00.000-04:00It sucks. I never thought Dumont would make such a...It sucks. I never thought Dumont would make such a generalized Figgisesque statement about warfare: "It sucks!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950661544458089627.post-47494748988650227622008-02-09T14:10:00.000-04:002008-02-09T14:10:00.000-04:00I haven't seen it yet.I haven't seen it yet.Michael Sooriyakumaranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02277205696737206633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950661544458089627.post-25878643835417902322008-02-08T23:36:00.000-04:002008-02-08T23:36:00.000-04:00Wait, so you didn't like Flandres either?Wait, so you didn't like <I>Flandres</I> either?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950661544458089627.post-66302129218001899552008-02-07T23:00:00.000-04:002008-02-07T23:00:00.000-04:00While we're on the subject of De Palma's misanthro...While we're on the subject of De Palma's misanthropy, he's cited Bruno Dumont's <I>Flandres</I> (2006) as an influence on <I>Redacted</I>, and as a passionate defender of Dumont's first three features (<I>La Vie de Jésus</I> [1997], <I>L'Humanité</I> [1999] and <I>Twentynine Palms</I> [2003]--all of which have been criticized for their reductive view of human nature), I don't want to be too hasty in dismissing De Palma's films along similar lines.<BR/><BR/>The difference between the two is that Dumont reduces his characters to their physical essences (he's often compared to Bresson for this very reason), and his corporeal long take style supports this, while De Palma is the complete opposite: he populates his films with types rather than bodies, and in <I>Femme Fatale</I> (2002), his best and most personal film, he opens the movie with his bad girl heroine/Rebecca Romijn watching <I>Double Indemnity</I> (1944), signalling to us that the various types he employs are constructs. (Accordingly, the plot is impossible and we know this and the film knows we know.)<BR/><BR/>In <I>Redacted</I>, because the characters are aware of the presence of the camera, it's not much of a stretch to draw the same conclusion, but the types here are so narrowly defined. Even assuming that all the characters are acting for the camera, something of their true self is going to slip eventually. If Bibi Andersson is about to throw boiling water on you, wouldn't you spontaeneously scream "No, don't"?<BR/><BR/>As for <I>Spider-Man 3</I>, I can't claim to be a Raimi expert by any means, but what I've seen so far has hardly wowed me. Between <I>Evil Dead 2</I> (1987), <I>A Simple Plan</I> (1998) and the first two <I>Spider-Man</I> movies, I guess I liked <I>Evil Dead 2</I> the best. Still, I've never had the slightest desire to check out <I>Evil Dead</I> (1980) or <I>Army of Darkness</I> (1993).Michael Sooriyakumaranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02277205696737206633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950661544458089627.post-68108897246314823912008-02-06T21:51:00.000-04:002008-02-06T21:51:00.000-04:00As a counterpoint to Redacted, I suggest giving th...As a counterpoint to Redacted, I suggest giving the documentary Operation Homecoming a look. It shames De Palma's reductive misanthropy.<BR/><BR/>And maybe you're just referring to everybody in your personal circle, but I know lots of people, critics and otherwise, who dug the third Spider-Man movie. If nothing else, it's the most flamboyant entry in the series, so if that side of Raimi appeals to you, it's worth giving a shot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com