MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Hello all and welcome to the re-start of the Movie of the Month/Movie Club!

In case you're unfamiliar with how this works, every month a movie gets picked (usually by a member who volunteers) and is put under the MoFo Spotlight. Discussions and reviews for said movie are highly encouraged during the month. Then, when a new month comes around, a new movie gets picked!

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This month's pick is:

http://static.rogerebert.com/uploads...4aUa8LzzcK.jpg

A New York City doctor, who is married to an art curator, pushes himself on a harrowing and dangerous night-long odyssey of sexual and moral discovery after his wife admits that she once almost cheated on him.

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A podcast featuring Yoda, Slappydavis, and myself discussing this film will be released about a week from now. Until then, happy viewing!

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Yeah! I'm glad to see your MotM idea get revitalized.
I think that's, a darn good idea:) By volunteering does that mean volunteering to be a guest podcaster?

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

I love the idea, but despite of how little it takes from those who partipates, I never really got involved in this last time it was going...

Eyes Wide Shut is one of my favorite movies....

I love the women in that movie.

And especially the music at the masked ball

https://youtube.com/watch?v=CoZJdil0_HI
https://youtube.com/watch?v=NTBsAWhsChU

Thanks Citizen! And yes you can be a guest podcaster as well. That was actually the case last time but I don't think anyone volunteered so it was just the same 3.

You should give it a shot this time MovieMed, especially with your awesome reviews! ;)

Agreed on everything Mes, especially the music at the ball; it really captivated me on my first viewing.

I know. And thanks, man!

This is the perfect opportunity too, since Eyes Wide Shut is one of my "big ones" that I still haven't seen.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Didn't catch this thread the first time.

Without "spoiling" the podcast, Eyes Wide Shut was a more enjoyable experience than I would have guessed, both viewing and thinking about it after the fact. I have a few thoughts that have been marinating since FW and Yoda brought up some interesting tidbits; if they form into something I might post here in few days.

Thanks for the selection FW and the appearance on the podcast!

Thanks for your participation as well Slappy! If you still have some things you want to discuss about the film I'd be more than happy to continue it here.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Just noticed this thread. I've not watched Eyes Wide Shut in 5 or 6 years, didn't like it at the time but then i barely remember it so that could change now. Going to try and find the time to see it again before listening to this when it's released.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Okay, we're getting there. :laugh: Maybe tomorrow, but Monday at the latest.

We really talked for a long time.

Yeah we did. I remember the entire session clocking in at like 2 hours 10 minutes. Will this be the longest podcast you ever had?

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Not if you count the Oscar podcasts. Excluding those, we'll see, depending on how much of the rest of the second half gets excised. Definitely has a shot, though, out of the Movie of the Month/Movie Club ones.

Finally! Here's the podcast. This one was a bit more spread out, so if I missed anything obvious editing-wise, or left in any rough seams, let me know ASAP.

Big thanks to @Slappydavis per usual, and a special thanks to @False Writer both for being so helpful and involved with MoTM, and for doing such a fine job, particularly considering it was his first ever podcast. Give it up.


The best way to get it is to subscribe with iTunes. The next best ways are to just download it with this link (or add the podcast feed into your RSS reader). Or you can just listen right now with this embedded player:

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Well done, Team! Will mke a pot of tea. How long is it, Yods?

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Little over an hour.

Diving in shortly. Just waiting for my brew.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Thanks! :) Hope you enjoy it.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Awesome, will give it a listen later tonight! I'm rather curious to hear what was left in and what got edited out.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

I definitely had to cut a larger percentage than usual. :laugh: I think I kept most of the best stuff. Only borderline thing with you I can recall is a nice summary you had at the end. I wanted to leave that in, but it didn't incorporate well into anything earlier and I was really desperate to keep it near an hour.

I've got the full, unedited version saved, though, just in case, so none of it's lost.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

LOL at Slappy watching Black Swan on a plane next to an older couple.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Is that Yods that made the comment about the whole movie seeming like a dream because of what comes out of the subconscious during the night? Really interesting and makes sense. Really need a rewatch after this.
for now, pausing to make more tea. Great speakers, you three!!!

After putting it on the in the background, I also thought of this:



And is this true?

If so, you seemed really comfortable, that's rare on a first time (I've been on a lot and I tend to nervously ramble still).

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

http://www.yellmagazine.com/wp-conte...-picture-1.jpg

My lecter seal of approval.

You can always tell when Yods gets excited!

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Enjoyed it. Well done guys.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

My only nitpick is using the embedded podcast you cant pause it to go and grab another brew. It takes you back to the beginning. Just a nitpick, though. Wasnt too hard to find where I was up to.

One question just for fun - how much was left on the cutting room floor? You guys can talk under wet cement and you maintained the energy all the way through.

Hmmm, I think that means it's not entirely loaded yet. It's kind of a bare bones embedded player, though, yeah. I should replace it and/or just start uploading them to YouTube.

It's hard to say; the total recording is something like 2 hours, IE: double what's in there, but a good 10+ minutes up front was technical setup, and there were a few tangents that we knew even at the time weren't going to be in the finished product. So I'm gonna say 20-something minutes, at most.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

No need to change Yoda. Just an observation more than anything else. I knew exactly at what point I paused which was the dream comment so not hard to scroll forward a few times . I found that all very interesting especially wondering if Kubrick really wanted to split up the then power couple which I've heard before, or if he specifically chose a couple rumoured at that time to have problems

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Can't wait, I always enjoy these casts. I listen in the car though and pocketcasts is always a couple days behind these going up for some reason.

Also yeah Slappy it was my first ever podcast. I'm about to give it a listen but it's hard to believe that I sounded comfortable. I'm not real sure how I sounded on the outside but I was a nervous wreck on the inside, especially in the beginning!


Thanks for listening Dani! :)

Thank you US! I'm looking forward to your turn next month! ;)

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

You sounded great, FW. Not the least bit nervous. You three bounced off each other so well. Nice accents, too.

That was really fun. I appreciate all the work you guys put into it.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Just listened to it last night and I was pretty shocked Yoda that the verdict part was completely cut out, I guess it was for the best though for the pacing, since the part you stopped on was a pretty good end point.

By the way, fantastic job on the editing! It all flowed really well which you need for a podcast at that length.

As far as self-critiquing, I guess I did okay for a first-timer, I was still nowhere near the level of you and Slappy though, you guys were the life of the podcast! Oh, and remind me if I ever do one again to get a new mic!

Yeah, I really didn't want to remove that, and the ending was obvious once I heard it. The main problem was none of us remembered the ratings were a thing until we'd basically already finished. With infinite time and patience I probably would've tried to find some small spot earlier to slide that into, though that kind of thing is always a lot harder than just tightening something up.

Anyway, still a learning process. I'll probably never have a list of preset topics or anything, because it's better when the conversation flows naturally, but I'll try to inflict a tiny bit more structure on the next few.

You did a good job. :up: Slappy and I have done a handful of these already, and have even been co-casters for SpyParty games before, and there's just no substitute for plain old experience for getting on the same rhythm as someone else. That just takes some time, and there's no shortcut for it. But I thought you got more comfortable as it went on, too, which is always a good sign.

I was wondering who had the pesky mic. It just made a couple of clangs, FW. Wasn't bad. Just sounded a bit like a Brian Reitzel score for a few seconds.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

such a great scene that one at the club , great music aswell, one of the best movies i ve seen from the 90s

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Just a little bit of May remaining (at least in the US) Make sure to give the podcast a listen before it goes out of style! :cool:

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Yeah, at midnight it turns back into a pumpkast.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Bump, because of this recent article, not just because it's about the film, but because we're always talking about, in our podcasts, how we can't tell whether a movie is interesting or if it's just prompting us to think of interesting things (and whether the difference is real, or matters):

https://twitter.com/mattzollerseitz/...48089631838213

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Eyes Wide Shut is one of my favorite movies. Ever. Seen it many times. Absolutely love it.

Was amazed that Kubrick filmed all the Manhattan “outdoor” scenes on a set. Staggeringly clever &, as a former New Yorker, I would never have guessed this.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

it s a very atmospheric film, certainly in my top 10 all time favorite films, and the ball section is such a erie and brimming with atmosphere of masonic nature and rituals..

I finally saw the movie. I have a question about the plot.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

No. Secret societies are necessarily paranoid and careful.

Also, the movie obviously exists in some kind of heightened reality. You accept that heightened reality by watching it. It can still be plausible or implausible, but that plausibility cannot be measured by comparing it to the real world. This is a broad rule across filmmaking that I think preemptively addresses most of these kinds of questions.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Oh okay thanks, but what about it though makes it a heightened reality, aside from the secret society? Is that the only element?

The entire movie is dreamlike and stylized. It doesn't feel like reality at any point. It feels like a dream, like a fog. The lighting is extreme and varied. The characters are mysterious and fickle.

Contrast that with something like When Harry Met Sally, which is clearly meant to feel like ordinary people going through real situations. It's shot in a much simpler, more realistic style. It shows them having lunch, at batting cages, chatting. Most of it's well-lit and clear. The characters have clearly defined personality traits and desires, and are relatable.

Both films are telling you how to watch them, and priming you for which kinds of liberties with reality they may or may not take.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

@ironpony, yes, they would really feel threatened by Bill. He wasn’t invited, yet he persuaded the unlucky Nick Nightingale to get him in. They don’t know if he figured out who any them were. Careers & lives would be ruined through exposure. He already has something on the Sidney Pollack character.

And it’s not even the real streets of Manhattan, which had me completely fooled. All done on a set in England.

What did he have on the Sydney Pollack character though? The Pollack character told him he was there. So he gave himself away voluntarily, rather than feeling threatened that the guy had something on him.

It was so freaking obvious that movie was not filmed in Manahattan

Bill the doctor treated the young girl when she overdosed upstairs at Pollack’s party. She later died.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

But if Pollack has a girl overdose at his party, than doesn't it just look worse for him of he tells the doctor, oh by the way, I am a member of that sex orgy group too? Isn't he just giving more away then?

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

⬆️ I think he was just calling Bill’s bluff. Showing he wasn’t scared of anything Bill could reveal.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Yeah okay that makes sense. Thanks. As for NYC, not looking like NYC, would it have been better, if they had just set it in an unamed city, like Seven did, or something like that, rather than going for NYC?

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

It looked totally like Manhattan. Who said it didn’t? Any movie set in Manhattan is fine with me. That’s what at least made some of the movie for me. Their beautiful apartment, for one.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

I like the Bal scenes, and the women have amazing bodies , especially the one who loves tom cruise s character in the film

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

I watched the movie again and I have to ask, what did the suplot with the prostitute have to do with the rest of the story?

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Someone bring back the Movie of the Month thread and get people engaged!!!!

That's a good idea and I nominate @ironpony to go first by picking February's Movie of the Month.

Seriously it's a great idea to re-animate the MotM.

Who knows? The way I saw it was Bill taking risks. Talking to a prostitute, going to her place, returning to her place. Then Bill nagging Nick for the password to his late-night gig, renting a costume, getting a ride there, pretending he was invited, etc. Was he bored? Insecure? Not totally fulfilled in his medical profession?

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Oh okay maybe. I also noticed that in that secret sex club, you see a lot of naked women walking around, but not naked men, unless they are having sex. But when it comes to just walking around and mingling, the women are naked but not the men. I wonder, was Kubrick just more comfortable with female nudity, compared to male, or what would be the reason for being more pro female nudity, compared to male?

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

LOL, men don’t look that attractive in the nude. Genitals are not the most attractive look on a man.

Also, IIRC, weren’t the women bare-breasted, but also wore thongs for the most part? Didn’t the woman who warned him wear a thong?

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

But it's not about looking attractive though. This is suppose to be a dark and depraved sexual society, so having naked men as well, would have just added to that. By making it naked women only, they are trying to create a 'safer' dark and and depraved world, and who wants safer in a movie like this?

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

⬆️ In what way would naked women feel “safer” in the scenario you suggest? I would think just the opposite. Having only the women naked obviously makes them more vulnerable & the men more powerful. To my mind, it was definitely a “man’s world” in the club where women were subservient.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

Oh okay, well if they were going for the man's world thing, than maybe it succeeded on that level then. I guess it just came off to be, that Kubrick is is comfortable with female nudity only, and feels that male nudity is more unsafe. But if they are going for the man's world, than maybe it succeeds, but why would these women want to join a secret club, if it means they are going have to be subservient?

Eyes Wide Sh#t

Oh how dare me! Kubrick is a genius! He couldn't possibly make one of the worst movies of all time?

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

So far it's my third favorite Kubrick I think, but I have only seen I think seven of his.

{Chuckle}. Yeah, I found it to be pretty bad too.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

I especially didn't like the preposterous way that his friend tried to convince him that they didn't kill the girl in the end. He did a really crummy job of sounding convincing. Of course they killed her.

So let's assume that the crummy job was him acting like a friend doing a crummy job. My question is which of these scenarios is true:

1. The friend lied to him about it to protect his feelings.
2. The friend lied to him about it to throw him off the trail and help forget about the society in an effort to protect him.
3. The friend himself honestly didn't know.

My wife is right there with you. She just rails at this film whenever it is mentioned. Needless to say, it doesn't end up on our display very often.

To make a living. I would imagine this work would pay a lot.

Bingo. And also in an effort to stop Bill from calling the cops & to prevent the club from being shut down & the ensuing scandal.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

I also want my 13 minutes back from listening to that dumb and slowwwwww dialog between his wife and the drunk guy she was dancing with in the beginning. That could have been 3 minutes and not made me claw my eyes out.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

⬆️ Okay, we get it. You don’t like Eyes Wide Shut

⬆️ Okay, we get it. You like to troll people who elaborate on a belief.

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

With each year.passing, i find this film a masterpiece, it is such a good cinematic experience, the whole premise, the atmosphere throughout, i love every bit, every scene makes sense, u can t move ur eyes away from the screen, the ball room part is just one of the most atmospheric parts of any film, the music is just sublimely spine tingling

Re: MOVIE OF THE (HALF) MONTH - MAY 2017 - EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
 

⬆️ I agree.