| Author | Message | ||
     Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.21 |
http://horror.about.com/od/2011theatricalreviews/fr/Contagion-Movie-Review.htm | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 89.19.81.238 |
That wasn't even a proper sentence. You're three sheet to the wind, aren't you? | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.21 |
Believe it or not, I hadn't touched a drop at all. It's normal that I sound permanently drunk. But if you're referring to the fact that the sentence reads as if Soderbergh penned his own review, then look at the review again. Look carefully, and you'll see the sentence is in fact correct. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
I'm not a great fan of Steven Soderbergh and tend fo find his films vastly overrated. He's no more than a decent director, made out to be some kind of genius auteur, but this one does sound an interesting attempt at apocalyptic sci-fi. I hated his remake of 'Solaris' and can only think of 'The Limey' as one of his that I really enjoyed. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.156.210.82 |
I think Soderbegh's Solaris is better than the original - Clooney was mesmerising. Traffick was excellent. But he's made some rubbish, too. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
'Traffic' was an efficient but unnecessary remake of the classic 80s TV series, 'Traffik', with Bill Paterson - one of the absolute highwater marks of British television, imo, and superior in every way to the relatively dumbed down US film. Andrei Tarkovsky's 'Solaris' (1972) is second only to '2001' as far as science fiction cinema goes, and, in many ways, is even more intellectually satisfying. I've watched it numerous times now and it grows in stature with every viewing. Soderbergh's remake was redundant pants by comparison, imho. We'll just have to agree to disagree. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.21 |
I also enjoyed Soderbergh's Solaris, I thought it was terribly overlooked on the basis of film snobbery, BUT, the original is a masterpiece, incomparable to the remake. Steve - try Primer. That's my favourite science-fiction movie of all time. I never got to see the original Traffic series. I actually thought it was a documentary series. Shows how much I know, or don't know. (: | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.156.210.82 |
I like Tarkovsky, but found both Solaris (and Stalker) irredeemably boring. I know it's tantamount to a sin (and not very trendy in film circles) to say this, but they're very dull and plodding films. Mirror is much better; his masterpiece, i feel. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
I remember feeling vaguely dissatisfied with 'Solaris' & 'Stalker' on a first viewing as well - back in the day - with their "plodding pace", "lack of action" and "dearth of special effects" but over the years they are two of the "difficult movies" that I feel drawn to return to most often - and both continue to grow in subtlety and depth of meaning with every viewing. I consider both of them now to be in the absolute top rank of all-time cinema achievements, irrespective of genre. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.156.210.82 |
I've watched them both three times - or tried to, anyway; I always end up switching them off before the end. I'm 42. I was raised on films with a sedate pace and very few action set-pieces. I actually find both of these films pretentious and insubstantial (the books are infinitely better). But, as you say, we'll just agree to disagree.  | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
Yep. For me 'Solaris' grows more moving and creepy and 'Stalker' more tantalisingly mysterious every time I watch them. I find the effect hypnotic rather than boring but that's just my response. I have mates, whose opinions I respect as well, say much the same as yourself, Zed. Even about '2001 : A Space Odyssey'!!!! Isn't that right, Weber. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.156.210.82 |
Have you seen Mirror? That's one Tarkovsky film that really works for me - and it contains possibly my favourite scene in all cinema: just the wind blowing through a field of wheat. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
That's one I haven't got to see yet but know it by reputation. I've long been holding out for a Tarkovsky retrospective at the local arthouse. Can't wait! | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.21 |
I'm forty, if that makes any difference to the debate. I think using pretentious to describe a film 'we' don't like is always risky. I personally don't find either Stryker or Solaris 'pretentious.' I think pretentious needs to be clarified in order to understand what it means to people. I think a lot of the critical terms used to describe films and books need to be supported by an actual explanation. If one was to criticize a piece of writing the same way, I'd hope for a 'technical breakdown,' thus making it clear where the writer went wrong. I definitely don't find Stryker and Solaris insubstantial, if in fact the complete opposite. I'm interested in criticism by film historians, but at the end of the day I will ascribe to my own tastes and thoughts and feelings, and nothing anybody says or does (I'm referring to so called established opinions on films), will make one bit of difference to me. True, Tarkovsky's movies are quite likely to make the list of any student studying film, or any student trying to impress people on their apparent 'knowledge and appreciation of' cinema, whether they really mean it or not. But thankfully I don't belong to any trendy film circles and love the movies. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
Come to think of it... I've only actually seen four Tarkovsky films; 'Ivan's Childhood', 'Andrei Rublev', 'Solaris' & 'Stalker', but they're enough to put him well up my Top Directors list, flitting in and out of the Top 10. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
I used to go out with a film studies lecturer at Queens University and she could be insufferably "pretentious" about cinema, to the point of expressing frustration at Tarkovsky's "diminishing of his talent" by messing about with silly science fiction!! Oh, the arguments we used to have... but the making up was fun! | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.156.210.82 |
Stevie's fourteen.  I think using pretentious to describe a film 'we' don't like is always risky Yes, but I'm not doing that. I don't even dislike the films, just find the dull. Look up the word pretentious (Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed). In my opinion, that word describes both of these films. but at the end of the day I will ascribe to my own tastes and thoughts and feelings, and nothing anybody says or does (I'm referring to so called established opinions on films), will make one bit of difference to me. Which is exactly what I'm doing. It's my opinion. It isn't some great truth. I've tried these films several times and still find them ponderous, pretentious, and unnecessarily heavy-going. The books they were adapted from, however, are not those things at all - the novella Stalker was adapted from is particularly good. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.21 |
I think you misunderstand. I didn't say you weren't ascribing to your own opinions. I was talking about the 'trendy film-circles' you mentioned. Not you. I know what pretentious means, but it's banded about quite a lot, and I think it's used at times when perhaps other words might suffice, or might be more appropriate. But if you think pretentious describes Solaris and Stalker, fine. No problem. I just can't quite imagine he sat down sometimes in the 1970's and thought about making a film he thought would impress people, and he certainly wasn't lacking the talent for either. Just an opinion, like yours. It's okay to find something dull, even if you're WRONG. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.21 |
Do I need to include an emoticon for that last part??? | ||
| Protodroid (Protodroid) Username: Protodroid Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 109.79.103.61 |
"http://horror.about.com/od/2011theatricalreviews/fr/Contagion-Movie-Review.htm" It doesn't hang together as a sentence. There isn't even a full stop or a verb. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.156.210.82 |
Frank: no. Just make yourself clearer.  (emoticon included free of charge) Proto - what the fuck are you on? And could I please have some? | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.21 |
Proto - is it that time of midlife? | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
45 going on 14 going on 21... the only way to be!  | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.21 |
Steve - the relationship with the film studies lecturer and her comments about science-fiction, doesn't surprise me at all. They're the kind of comments guaranteed to send me bat-shit. I remember my film lecturers from university. Life seemed to be one big long reference to cinema regardless of what we were doing. Then again, I see myself becoming more and more like that as I grow older. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
Half the time I think she did it just to wind me up, Frank. But I always got her flummoxed when I brought up Margaret Atwood, literature and feminism. Happy days... | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.21 |
Ha (: |