The Women Directors Hall of Fame

We Need To Talk About Kevin

Firstly, I want to thank Camo for posting this short little video regarding Ramsey, had some wonderful aspects to consider while watching her movies, especially with this one that really goes in depth in regards to her "poetic" composition of frame and that it is in the face of the actors and not the dialogue that propels the story forward.

That said, and I'm sure, at some level, this is a good thing for the movie and how well it was done, but I was pretty much in a rage the entire time of watching it.
At Kevin. I told my room mate, who had already seen this, that my old school mentality went the route of a mad dog that should have been put down, and Swinton should have put a pillow over his face as a child in his basinet.
And it wasn't even for the probable crimes he would be put in prison for, it was just him and what an absolute little manipulating ***** of a child he was. And migod how terrible I felt for Eva as a person and a mother. The poor woman! And the fact that everyone was after her, yelling at her; "YOU killed my child!"
Um, no, she simply gave birth to the killer AND when you learn that he even killed the dad and the little sister; how the f@ck can they be all over her with such unbridled hatred? (Sadly, I do get that, people when venting can be such d1ck knobs and think they can unload without any responsibility to those they dump on).
But still, I can only imagine a mother staying by her son like she did. I know I couldn't nor would I have. To be bluntly honest about it.

Now, visually, poetically, and with the incredible talents of Tilda Swinton, this movie does have high marks for me and, after watching Camo's video, it is an excellent example of the style of Ramsey and really showcases her work.

That was probably a bit harsh i was drunk when i posted that. But i don't get your approach to these at all it's at least somewhat supposed to be about interaction with other members about the movies, at least the minimal amount. Otherwise this is just a tournament. I get people being busy or not wanting to get into the films for a while which is why i didn't say a word to you for the first seven (of thirteen) weeks then after you said you were starting in another week when you finished your exam i didn't say anything for a further three. This obviously isn't a time thing though as you did the same thing in the Animation HoF, you joined then disappeared until the last day when you posted about the films in one post, and you've been watching plenty of films from what i can see on Letterboxd. This isn't against the rules but i just don't get the point and it turns me off from the HoF's, i didn't join the 15th because a member that does the same joined.

Don't have a clue what's going on with Yam. It took a serious struggle with him to get a couple of vague sentences out of him on the first four films (and i know others have had to do the same with him as well) he watched and he's apparently since watched another two, now he's clammed up again. Otherwise he hasn't said a word in the thread. His thing is different than yours because i'm not even sure he has watched the ones he said he has and the same thing happened with another member in a HoF i hosted,

Just really disappointed with how this has went.

Camo, I haven't watched a ton of films. Heck, I have watched very few, and specially John Ford stuff that is easy viewing to me right now. What I did in the Animation HoF was commenting late, not watching the movies late, but I understand your concerns here. But speaking of this case:

I have most ready to watch any moment. The rest I can find in minutes. The one I am most ready to watch is Orlando and if nothing else happens I'd like it to be today. I also want to do something similar to Sarah Polley I did to Lynne Ramsay, watching her other films in a somewhat chronological order. I have plenty of time. I have easy access to everything. And I expect to watch most of them this week. The latest will probably be a rewatch to The ascent.

When it comes to this thread the mere fact that I have already commented stuff means that I haven't forgotten. And I am not trying to do the same I did in the Animation HoF. That was pointless, and exhausting to me because I had to talk about like 11-12 movies all in the same post.

Going through some of these reviews, it seems everyone thought American Psycho was great when they were younger, but don't find much to grab onto now.

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Suspect's Reviews

Huh? You didn't have to do that you could have posted about them as you watched them.

Anyway there's no point in debating this as the hall of fame is practically finished anyway. Watch the rest however you want, 20 days to the deadline.

I was talking to someone a few weeks back who said same as Fight Club they loved it when they were in their teens, fell out of love with it in their 20's then appreciated it again in their 30's. Maybe that will happen with me, hopefully as it was a major favourite of mine in my teens.

Nowhere did I say that it was anybody's fault but mine. Can we just chill for Christ's sake? The level of passive-aggressiveness of this conversation is grating.

Wasn't being passive-aggressive, if i wanted to be aggressive i'd do so directly. That comment to me suggested you believed you had to post about them all at once rather than you chose to, which is why i responded to it. Obviously you've cleared that up now.

No, Camo, come on (I need to use this alliteration more often xD). I said that it wasn't convenient for me personally because I had a lot to say and just because of my poor planning I ended up packing everything in a post and not close to be as thorough as I'd like. It only further adds to the idea that I'm definitely NOT going that road again this time. Glad it's cleared up then

I'll start watch the last of the films at the start of March. I wanna see a few 2017 films for MoFo awards before that.

And then my mind exploded.

Yeah, that's it.





No, seriously, what an unexpected ride of a film. I'm not even giving it much of a second thought as I write these lines because I want to capture the uncertainty I still feel regarding this strange work.

The movie is an adaptation of a novel by Virginia Woolf I have never read so I don't know if it worked well at adapting its appeal and themes, but it sure did at offering something unique and emotionally engaging on its own. Every possible hurdle that film as a medium could provide to this kind of story is solved in creative ways; from the soliloquies of the main character using the camera as a window to the visual symbolism to represent their transition. From the unreal, psychological and introspective style of the narrative enhanced by progressive music, effective editing and insertion of oniric and subjective narration, to the theatrical and stiff, sort of allegorical nature of the character roles performed as some kind of ritual.

This film is creative and daring to the extreme and I love it. There seems to be a clear disregard for conventions in any shot, and yet, it somehow works as a whole and under a clear guideline. A great deal of this is Tilda Swinton's merit. What a haunting and enigmatic presence, and what a fascinating display of a character with such an ambiguous identity and role.

That said, I am not that sure on the speech of the film. There is perhaps some naïvety regarding gender roles and the ultimate conclusion it reaches. I don't know if at this point its value as a reflection on sexual identity can be still classified as boldly progressive or if time and the changes in social conventions have long buried its discourse and morals. One way or the other, it is still unique and a quite interesting food for thought. I am so glad I watched this and I'll be looking forward to other movies by this director I had never even heard of before this HoF.

@jal90 @Yam12 @Siddon @edarsenal @jiraffejustin @HashtagBrownies

Cricket sent the 5th list for the best performances thing. He mentioned that he missed me bring it up so i thought i should formally inform everyone. I'm possibly doing an extra optional best performances thing, if you're interested send me your top five performances ranked. Like i said it's not a requirement if you aren't interested ignore this and don't send one. I'll go forward with it if at least 7/11 send one, looks like that will happen as five already have and Ed and Hashtag said they are interested. Don't send one until you've finished of course.

Will do the reveal before the proper one if it happens, i'll only include the performances that get more than one vote. If you are voting for Christian Bale or Tilda Swinton remember to include which film as they are in two.

I will send mine as well. One way or the other Tilda Swinton is going to be there for sure.

By the way, I'm going to watch Nothing bad can happen today. Maybe The last supper as well but I need to check the copy.

If you need links for anything PM me.

Not so far, but thanks for the offering! I'll ask you if there's any problem.

When you guys vote for best performances, how much is actor likability a factor for you? I have three performances I'm considering almost solely on the actors being likable and conveying that onscreen. I don't usually think about performances that often, so I wonder if I'm valuing the wrong aspects of these performances.... especially considering that two of my potential choices are Seth Rogen and John C. Reilly.

That's an interesting question i don't have an interesting answer however. Likeability is not a requirement for me one of the performances i voted for i outright despised the character, but likeability can be a factor in me enjoying a performance. I think any performance that gets to you in a strong way whether that's in how likeable or hateable they are or something else is worthy of calling a favourite. So yeah i'd say it's as good of a factor as any even though it's not crucial for me personally.

Good question...For me actor likability factored into my decision, but so did the character they played, even more so.

After I sent my list in, I thought the same thing you did: which criteria does one use to choose a best performance?

This is sort of a response to both of you and neither of you at the same time, if that makes sense.

Likability is definitely not the defining factor for me, and sometimes it's not a factor at all. Sometimes it might be too much of a factor for me though, because it is an easily recognizable factor for me. I think that might be the issue I'm having with compiling a list for this, because I don't know if it is fair for me to put a John C. Reilly on my list when I would probably put him on a performance list for just about any of his roles. I just enjoy watching him, he is very funny and likable and looks like a lovable loser type. But is his performance better than either of the Tilda Swinton performances from this hof? Probably not, but I automatically considered him and thought about excluding both of Tilda's. I am wanting to put Winona Ryder on my list too, but I don't think she broke any ground with her performance in Little Women. I think she conveys innocence in a nice way, and I think she is adorable. Is that really worthy of a spot on a top performance list though? I know it's silly for me to be so contemplative about a trivial thing like this, but it is giving me a hitch right now. Other performances I am considering for my list are: Sheila Vand, Christian Bale (AP), Samantha Morton, Seth Rogen, Tilda Swinton (both), and Michelle Williams with the possibility of somebody from nomination after I rewatch it. It feels odd to have Rogen and Reilly in there with Morton and Swinton or even Michelle Williams and Christian Bale. Bale's performance is another interesting topic of conversation for me, because it's superbly cast and he clearly worked on his body for the role so that he would have the exact right look for the character. It's also an iconic role. I am not very good at ranking things inside of the main thing. I can rank movies all day, but when you start asking me to rank best direction, best performance, best soundtrack, and best cinematography, I start to struggle with criteria.

Don't have much time right now, might respond more later. Just want to point out though i wasn't really making a distinction between favourite and best even though i said best. If it makes it easier a favourites list or a mixture is completely fine. I know that's not really the issue but that has came up as a problem when i've done things like this before so thought it would be worth mentioning if it simplifies things.