Would you call their behavior appropriate for married people? Perhaps your point is that this behavior is condemned. Could be . . . I don't remember it that well, because it was unpleasant and unmemorable. I could back off on that point. I remember some anxiety and some guilt, but it seemed more guilt over the fact that they were using each other than anything else.
In any case, why would I want to see a movie about two such empty people?
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
I was going to post this earlier, but then I had second thoughts about possibly embarrassing my son, so I erased it without posting. But I discussed it with him, and he said that it is OK to tell this story:
When my son was a very little boy, I took him to see the movie "Babe". He was restless and squirmy, so I held him on my lap to watch the movie. He settled down and snuggled in. Then he fell asleep. So I just held him on my lap and continued to watch the movie (which, by the way, I found to be sweet). Maybe I shouldn't have let him have that soda. Because he wet himself -- and me -- in his sleep. I kind of felt this warm wet feeling go all through my lap. Since there was nothing to be done about it at this point, I stayed until the movie was done and then took my little boy and me home for a bath and a change of clothes.
Not the most agonizing movie experience, but certainly uncomfortable.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote: In any case, why would I want to see a movie about two such empty people?
Part of the point of the film was that they weren't empty people, but were slowly turning into empty people thanks to the choices they'd made. Bill Murray's character is well on the way to being completely empty when he meets her; she's just starting down that road. And part of what we're meant to take from their interaction is the hope that they will both take more positive action.
The film makes the somewhat odd choice to completely abstract the tension and the resolution in its characters' lives; we see a snippet of time in which they're suspended in a kind of befuddled limbo, in between more momentous decisions, and led to believe that they will make better decisions as a consequence of their having met.
The film is rather ambiguous on the topic of fidelity; we're clearly meant to condemn Murray for what he does, but we don't know whether the script intends us to be angrier that he betrayed his wife or betrayed his friend. IMO, that's clearly deliberate. The film is set up as a case study in ambiguity.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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One time my dad and I went to see The Fellowship of the Ring one last time at some tiny mall dollar theatre. Not only was the theatre really tiny (the screen was hardly any bigger than a big screen TV), but all the way through the movie this guy kept saying, "Dude, look at those feet!" everytime a Hobbit foot appeared on screen.
Fortunately we had already seen the movie, like, four times, so it wasn't a huge deal, but...
****
I also watched Hulk in theatres. Yeah...
Posts: 450 | Registered: Nov 2004
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"Yes, because that's just what TV is like. Especially the doctor, lawyer, and cop shows."
But it wasn't always. Look at Dr. Kildare and Dragnet sometime. Remember the Wurlitzer Organ on "Days of our lives?" Market research indicated that any slow moment was an opportunity to change channels, so shows became choppier and flashier. Movies have followed suit.
Posts: 3735 | Registered: Mar 2002
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A.I. didn't really have a happy ending. The aliens gave him his ideal mother -- for 24 hours. After that, it was over. Period. We didn't see what happened after, because the movie was about trying to get mother's love. But we knew that just after the movie ended, he'd have to face being alone.
The reason I liked all this is I saw how it related to child abuse recovery, which is a powerful theme. I also liked how this contrasts with The Velveteen Rabbit: in that, if you love a stuffed animal enough, it becomes real. Since this board is open to everyone, I won't use the appropriate language to say what I think of that ridiculous concept! A.I. told us something different: you can make it real in your imagination, for a short time. But then you have to wake up and smell the coffee. Your mother wasn't ideal. It hurt you. But you can't ever make her be what you wanted. So: when your fantasy breaks, you'll have to get on with the business of living.
Most people I talked to hated AI because it had nothing to do with the way computers really work. True! Maybe Spielberg should have given up on the robot them and just had the boy be a Pinocchio, or something.
[ August 27, 2005, 08:17 AM: Message edited by: Will B ]
Posts: 1877 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
Wait a second. How can I forget the movies I hate the most-
Basic Instincts Fatal Attraction Baby Boom 3 Men and a Baby.
Damn, I hate those movies. Basic Insticts just sucked, who'd have sex with a murder suspect? Fatal Attraction drove me insane because it's just WRONG to have an affair with some random woman. Plus what she did to that poor innocent rabbit. that was so mean. At least mine is not big enough to fit in a pot. Baby Boom was stupid on all sorts of levels. What kind of Harvard graduate buys a house without looking at it first? Or why are the people in Vermont so stupid? growl. Then there was 3 men and a baby. How is it a good idea to have sex with a woman than forget that you had sex with her? I hate movies with people that can't change a simple diaper.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:Most people I talked to hated AI because it had nothing to do with the way computers really work.
I've never heard anybody say they disliked it for this reason. I've only heard people complain about all the kubricking at the end (i.e., last 45 minutes) of the movie.
-o-
About the velveteen rabbit thing: that's interesting. I guess what ruins that for me is that by the time this happens, he's also lost thousands and thousands of years and any chance at any kind of life in the society he was created for.
Posts: 289 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Originally posted by Carrie: The only movie to ever put me to sleep on first viewing:
I have never made it through Mermaids. I have tried to watch it at least 3 or 4 times but fall asleep EVERY time.
Strange Brew Meet the Parents and any movie with Jackie Chan make my list of movies I hate (I actually haven't seen most of the Jackie Chan movies just because I can't stand him and can't stand sitting through his movies...)
Posts: 1132 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
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I don't know if this qualifies because I had to stop it because I couldn't take it anymore: the "Garfield" movie.
Posts: 326 | Registered: Aug 2004
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1)Unbreakable (So bad we were ticked we'd rented it, would have been really bad if we'd seen it in a theater.) 2) Meet Joe Black... only good if you have a fetish for Brad Pitt chewing, but even he can't save it. (Did see this in theater... was ticked I spent the money) 3)Alexander.... We were fast forwarding fight scenes because they were so tedious. Once again rental. 4)Never Been Kissed (Saw in theater)
We rented "The Pacifier" recently which was remarkably better than advertised, though still not great.
Posts: 11265 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Brinestone, maybe it isn't actually that bad, but it was so contrary to what we were expecting at the time. It seemed like the movie ended where it should have begun.
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Hey now, whoever said it! I like What Dreams May Come, even though I haven't seen for a few years. The acting isn't great, but the fact that it is visually stunning is enough anyway. And I liked how Robin Williams portrayed his character. I thought it was very well done.
Posts: 6026 | Registered: Dec 2004
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Spawn! I totally forgot about that one. I mean, it doesn't top MK: Annihilation as the worst movie I've seen in theaters, but it was pretty bad. Apart from the bad acting, stupid version of the costume, and confuse-o-vision fight scenes, what really hurts me on this one was that they changed a major story element in the comic books to match the movie!
I don't mind if a movie's not completely faithful to the book. They're different mediums and you often have to change things for pacing or such. But they wanted a sexy female assassin in the movie, so in the months before the movie came out they introduced a storyline that basically said "All that stuff we built up in the first 2 years of this title wasn't an accurate memory. Spawn was wrong about who killed him, and the guy who we told you killed him totally went along with the whole thing, claiming that he did kill Spawn because... well, because... Hey, look over there! It's a sexy female assassin! She killed him." Lame. Lame. Lame.
posted
I really liked Mermaids. I thought it was totally sweet and poignant. There was also a lot I could identify with with the Catholic background. I watch it every time I catch it on television.
I agree with Telp about Dreamcatcher. Really a very good book. I knew the movie was going to stink because there was no way they could portray a lot of the internal struggles on screen, and the story was absolutely huge, and I couldn't think of anything that could safely be left out. Then, rather than try to cut out plotlines, they attempted to squeeze a hint of each plotline in, without having time to develop anything at all. It jumped so fast and so erratically it was schizophrenic. And the guy acting like he was taken over by the alien was just awful; laughable bad. Morgan Freeman was good, though. Just not good enough to save this.
Unbreakable was good, it was just very slow. If you watch it again you may enjoy it more, because you will already have a sense of where it's going and be more patient with it, and appreciate more of the little touches.
I thought What Dreams May Come was just awful.
Posts: 289 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I was clawing at the walls trying to leave the room 5 minutes after this movie started. My friend Gary was known for coming up with off the wall out of mainstream culture disturbing films, but COME ON! This movie hurt to watch. It gets under your skin (no pun intended) and will seriously disturb/confuse you. At least it did me. It was one of the most uncomfortable film experiences i've ever had.
Posts: 1572 | Registered: Jan 2004
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that was so mean. At least mine is not big enough to fit in a pot.![[Smile]](smile.gif)
That was fun.
