The 12th Hall of Fame

Mr. Cheese is powering through these noms. I need to start watching. I have Withnail ready to go, I just haven't had the time today. I'll try to get that watched tomorrow evening though, as I don't think I have anything keeping from doing so.

Never Let Me Go

Had never heard of this and really didn't have the slightest clue what it was about, well other than that it was Sci-Fi since Citizen mentioned it earlier. Wasn't a fan of this, sorry Citizen. The first red flag came when i saw Andrew Garfield on the operating table at the start, somehow i hadn't realized he was in it i had seen a poster but had only recognized Carey Mulligan. With the exception of Boy A i've really not liked Garfield in anything i've seen him in, still i was hoping he'd work for me here especially with my excitement over Silence and even if i didn't there's still every chance i could like the film; i think he's awful in The Social Network yet that's one of my favourite films of this decade. Well yeah he wasn't very good in my opinion but it's certainly not his worst performance, he was kind of whiny and i don't know what word i'm looking for eh.. scatterbrained? He just seemed like his head wasn't there at times and i'm not sure if it was supposed to be part of his character of if he was trying something else and that's how he came across to me. Keira Knightley to me is a middle of the road actress, i really don't think i dislike her in anything but i don't find her great in anything either really. To my surprise i thought she was the best of the three leads. What i thought she did really well was fake bitchiness/vindictiveness to mask her insecurities; just writing that it sounds like something really tough to pull off but that was what came across to me and i feel that's what she was supposed to convey so props to her there. I think this particularly came across in the scene by the sink when Kathy is pulling her up about copying the other couples shoulder touch thing and the scene where she confronts her in her room about wanting Tommy. My biggest disappointment was actually Carey Mulligan; i'd say she is one of my favourite working actresses, her performance in An Education (which other than her performance is a very mediocre film in my opinion) is one of my favourites from this century. She is kind of naturally timid and shy which can work alot of times but i don't think it did here, she had zero screen presence in my opinion.

The casting of young Carey looks-wise was really good; not that they were identical or anything but if someone showed me am old looking picture of her and said it was Carey as a kid i could see myself believing it. Other than that i really didn't like the kids part; Sally Hawkins was pretty good but that was it. Sorry, but i really couldn't care less about this love triangle especially when they were kids and i don't think it was executed particularly well either. I didn't buy into Tommy and Kathy's relationship; i mean i get that she felt sorry for him but the following scene after he accidentally hit her with Tommy's horribly delivered "I want to say i'm sorry. I mean i don't ever want to hit a girl.. bbut especially not you" followed by really schmaltzy music and a scene of them walking around a pond? Yeah.. i got nothing from it. Honestly the kid who played Young Kathy wasn't that bad but i think the kid who played young Tommy was and he really killed the atmosphere of each scene they shared; this as well as their earlier failure to make me care about what was going on greatly affected my later enjoyment of the film i think. It's a shame because the scene where Ruth holds Tommy's hand should've illicited some sort of response from me, it was obviously supposed to be a great betrayal as this was something meaningful to Kathy but as i really felt nothing from their relationship it came across more like childish drama to me.

The most interesting thing in the story in my opinion was definitely the growing up to be organ donars/knowing when you'll die idea, an examination of how people would cope and what they would do with their life if they had this knowledge is really intriguing. It gave the film a looming tragic feeling which i think all of the best scenes were related to; like how devastated the couple who believed in the Hailsham rumour were when they found out it might not be true. My problem is that i feel the love triangle/jealousy story that i didn't care about really overshadowed this at times which was disappointing. At first i got really annoyed when Kathy working as a carer just happened to encounter Ruth but i did warm up to it and i think their scenes together at this part where the most genuine heartfelt parts in the film. And i specifically mean those two; Tommy kind of killed the momentum between them that they had in the hospital scenes. Honestly this is starting to sound like i have an irrational hatred of Andrew Garfield . I really don't; i think he comes across very likable and i thought he was great in Boy A but he really bugs me in everything else i've seen him in. The post-Ruth death parts were alright, i did like that they went with a dark ending rather than a happy one with the deferrals turning out to be real. That was a brave choice at least.

Sorry again Citizen, i usually like your nominations but this one didn't work for me. Watching Sanshiro Sugata later tonight.

I'm only working half a day today, so I might get another film watched this afternoon. Was thinking about watching Never Let Me Go (I don't mind Andrew Garfield, so hopefully I'll like it more than Camo did), or I might possibly rewatch Y Tu Mamá También.

Also I'm not sure if I really need to rewatch Casablanca. I might leave that until last in case I start to run out of time or something (I doubt it, but you never know what might come up).

Oh man, don't read my write-ups until you've seen the film . Spoiler-City

Yeah, I just skimmed through the start of the first 2 paragraphs. Will read it fully once I've seen it.

I really need to log off or else I'm going to be late for work.

Thought that might've been the case. For the record (nothing spoiler-y) Andrew Garfield wasn't my biggest problem with the film. I personally didn't find the main story very interesting or handled that well.

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also thanks again for helping me out Cricket.
& Im really excited about Romper Stomper after Neibas review

Glad you liked Barbara, Topsy!

And yeah, I don't remember at what point in the film it was (I think Barbara was on the train), but I just suddenly realized how quiet the film had been, and then continued to notice how quiet it remained. I liked the very restrained sound design, and thought it was really effective.

This was something of an contradiction in feelings for me. As I started watching, I ended up nearly turning it off a couple of times as I wasn't prepared for the very realistc documentary (was it documentary footage?)segments. I'm not usually squeamish, but the kid missing lips/cheeks and the woman with the busted eye made me look away and pause the movie.

I soldiered on, however, and was then near enough lulled into a stupor by the rest of the movie. This isn't the criticism it sound like, though. Rather, it continued in a deliberatly languid pace, following the main characters throughout their day in Hiroshima until the day, and the movie, ends. Me falling into a relaxed state bordering on unconsiousness was simply the result of me feeling at ease with the tempo of the movie and still being able to follow it. Camo mentioned something simmilar in his review:

I know it sounds wierd, but I felt very at ease and content as the movie drew to a close. Taking on such a heavy subject as Hiroshima and still being able to weave in a lovers narrative into and making me feel comfortable watching it (mostly) takes skill. I like that.

The actors felt very genuine in their performances. The scene wherein Riva tells the story of her first love and the following consequences was masterfully shot, and the mixing of her reactions with the sequences of her memories were very effective. It's been my experience that with backwards looks like these, you either get all backstory and no cut back to how the narrator reacts, or the sequence is cut to s*** with too many of them. Here, the editor managed to walk that fine line between the two, creating a genuinely touching scene. Riva poured her heart and soul into this, which showed, and while Okada remained a bit more stoic, I believed in his affection for her. I totally forgot that they didn't mentioned their names, but in the end it didn't matter. We didn't get to see their initial meeting, so introduction never entered the equation. In the end, Hiroshima was enough for her, just as Nevers was for him.

A very nice start and a very nice nom. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, PG!

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Why not just kill them? I'll do it! I'll run up to Paris - bam, bam, bam, bam. I'm back before week's end. We spend the treasure. How is this a bad plan?

Jeez you guys are on a roll.

I rewatched U Turn last night, but was too tired to write it up. I should have that posted today.

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Watching Sanshiro Sugata soon and maybe U-Turn after it depending on how i'm feeling.

I`ll be watching romper stomper tonight,i miight have time for another one too..just have to finish the glitch first

U Turn (Oliver Stone, 1997)
Imdb

Date Watched: 1/9/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th HOF, Topsy's nomination
Rewatch: Yes

Possible Spoilers Ahead

Though IMDb and Wikipedia would have you believe this is a crime thriller, it's actually much more so a dark comedy. Sure, the dread, tension and unease are laid on thick, but so is the film's twisted humor.

The film centers around a drifter named Bobby (Sean Penn) who, while traveling to Las Vegas to pay off a sizable debt owed to a gangster, finds himself stranded in hell (otherwise known as Superior, Arizona) when his car breaks down. Here he encounters the town's colorful, volatile, and not too bright residents. After a series misfortunes leaves him broke - not only without the money for the gangster, but without even enough to pay off the town's white trash mechanic (hilariously played by Billy Bob Thornton) - he finds himself caught up in a web of intrigue, sex, and murder.

While I find the story to be well crafted and engaging and Penn's performance to be solid, it's really those colorful townsfolk that make the movie for me. Not surprisingly, my favorite of these characters is Joaquin Phoenix's hot-headed dimwit Toby ("The name's Toby N. Tucker. People around here call me TNT. You know why? 'Cause I'm just like dynamite, boy, and when I go off somebody gets hurt!) who thinks every man is trying to "make time" with his equally dimwitted girl Jenny (Claire Danes). However the whole cast is really great. Jon Voight as the blind homeless man spouting crazy stories, Jennifer Lopez as a young seductress with secrets to hide, Nick Nolte as her husband, and Powers Boothe as the town's sheriff. A few other familiar faces pop up as well, including Laurie Metcalf and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it Liv Tyler (Phoenix's then girlfriend).

U Turn is a film that is perhaps a little light on substance, but delivers a really heavy dose of entertainment. I've loved it for a long time and while it's not my nomination, I really hope the other participants enjoy it as much as I do.

+

the whole segment at the end of u turn is one of my all time favourites.
and i have to say,im not really a JLO fan but shes really good in this one, definitely her best work for me.

Me:
Have you seen Never Let Me Go? It has Andrew Garfield.

Room mate:

Me:
Spoilers! I was thinking about watching it and was going to ask if you wanted to.

Room mate:

Me:
Yeah, thanks.

Never Let Me Go....C word spoiler

Wow, this HoF has a great bunch of noms!

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/watching movies for mark f/
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