How does PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE stack up to PTA's previous films?

Started by Teddy, April 22, 2003, 03:40:09 PM

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AlguienEstolamiPantalones

i have yet to see anyone here bring up the fact that since the film was made in early 2001 and came out in late 2002 and for the majority of that time we didn't know dick about the film, hell the title was always up in the air, that the film could not live up to the anticipation we had.

and yes i think its his weakest film yet, and i pray it was just a experament and not a nod to what his future films will be like .  ive said it already that this film has moments of brilliance , but it was done in by its " quirkiness for the sake of quirkiness" . I do not think the arty stuff served the story well and i did not see any chemistry between Emily Watson and adam sandler . There was not a scene in the movie that made me belive this  

Barry- You are so beautiful. I love you so much I want to smash your face in with a sledgehammer.  

Lena - I love you so much I want to scoop your eyeballs out of their sockets and chew and suck on them.

that love does exist but nothing in the movie leads you to think that.
i had another post on the topic of how this film was just a few tweaks away from being a pure masterpiece, but in the end its just a flawed masterpiece.

for one thing show him buying the suit, he is walking down the street and he sees this weird suit and for the first time in his life he says " fuck it im gonna stray from the flock and serve myself here and just not give a damn and buy this suit"  show him with that goofy look we get when we try on clothes at the store, then that whole set up about his sisters goofing on the suit would be powerful, we would see how much it means to him, then in turn feel bad for the way they are making him feel about it .

another thing was im sorry find a actress that will have chemistry with your lead. They were not working as a couple.  and beef up the love story , fuck that 90 minute rules kick in about ten more minutes of love scenes  so we can buy lines like You are so beautiful. I love you so much I want to smash your face in with a sledgehammer.

this story is fucking great, the timid guy who was born into a controlling family who can give a fuck if he has a good job, all the want to do is push him around and rule his life, and then he finds love but it is almost done in by the fact that he found it through his worst enemy's/his family . But since this is the real one, real love she sees through this where as some other person would not , This is real love, god given if you will .see its a great fucking story , and that blue suit part could be great think back to all those times in your life when you have admited in public to enjoying a song or movie/tv show that the people around you do not get. Instead of being a sheep and saying " you guys are right" you stand by your opinions and bare the wrath .
It could be deeper then that, maybe you start to get atracted to someone who your friends deem non worthy , see my point here .

i really thought this film could of been great, but it wasnt, still it really could of been

©brad

hmm, interesting. so now everyone doesn't like PDL as much? how did it sweep the xixax awards then? i'm not sure I could rank pta's films, nor would I want to.

budgie

Quote from: Butterscotch Jonesfuck that 90 minute rules kick in about ten more minutes of love scenes  so we can buy lines like You are so beautiful. I love you so much I want to smash your face in with a sledgehammer.

i really thought this film could of been great, but it wasnt, still it really could of been

Fuck that, kick in another 90 minutes and just let us feel the agony.

On my two viewings, I think that PDL can be great, if you suspend a little cynicism and just go in with an empty, open heart, but it can fall short if you read it as a story and want it to bring in all sorts of other considerations like motivations and consequences. That is, you get a great insight into what falling in love is like for PTA, where the events are meaningless but the feeling is everything. The way he does this, through form, is flawless, and that is where the film is consistently great, and so probably his best yet from an aesthetic point of view (doesn't surprise me that GT is a fan). If you look for narrative complexity, Magnolia is the thing, but for perfectly conveying an experience through form, PDL is the one. If you accept that, you can stop worrying about the narrative questions. The problem is that unless you are able to accept it it's not gonna work at all. Hence I loved it first time, but second time kept thinking yeah, but... Whereas Magnolia does it all for me, just maybe less intensely or with such aesthetic flair as PDL. I just prefer drawn out and exhausting to short and sweet, it's ultimately more satisfying. I can watch it anytime I have the time, but PDL will be matched more carefully to my mood.

Cecil

heheheh, so much hate towards pdl. and it won the xixaxie for best picture. heheeheh. that means that there is more of us then there is of them

MrBurgerKing

Perhaps if PTA shot a documentary on the various types of mayo used by Burger King, it would sweep the xixax awards as well?

cowboykurtis

Quote from: MrBurgerKingPerhaps if PTA shot a documentary on the various types of mayo used by Burger King, it would sweep the xixax awards as well?

what the hell is with your obsession with burger king?
...your excuses are your own...

MacGuffin

Quote from: cowboykurtis
Quote from: MrBurgerKingPerhaps if PTA shot a documentary on the various types of mayo used by Burger King, it would sweep the xixax awards as well?

what the hell is with your obsession with burger king?

It's the only place where he can have things his way.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

AlguienEstolamiPantalones

Quote from: budgie
Quote from: Butterscotch Jonesfuck that 90 minute rules kick in about ten more minutes of love scenes  so we can buy lines like You are so beautiful. I love you so much I want to smash your face in with a sledgehammer.

i really thought this film could of been great, but it wasnt, still it really could of been

Fuck that, kick in another 90 minutes and just let us feel the agony.

On my two viewings, I think that PDL can be great, if you suspend a little cynicism and just go in with an empty, open heart, but it can fall short if you read it as a story and want it to bring in all sorts of other considerations like motivations and consequences. That is, you get a great insight into what falling in love is like for PTA, where the events are meaningless but the feeling is everything. The way he does this, through form, is flawless, and that is where the film is consistently great, and so probably his best yet from an aesthetic point of view (doesn't surprise me that GT is a fan). If you look for narrative complexity, Magnolia is the thing, but for perfectly conveying an experience through form, PDL is the one. If you accept that, you can stop worrying about the narrative questions. The problem is that unless you are able to accept it it's not gonna work at all. Hence I loved it first time, but second time kept thinking yeah, but... Whereas Magnolia does it all for me, just maybe less intensely or with such aesthetic flair as PDL. I just prefer drawn out and exhausting to short and sweet, it's ultimately more satisfying. I can watch it anytime I have the time, but PDL will be matched more carefully to my mood.

i see what you mean and i would do the same, if it wasnt for the fact that the two leads do not work together .

if they had chemistry we could just go with it and forget about everything and just feel the love as it were . I really think emily watson was a mistake.

RegularKarate

I think BJ's just not feelin' it.

I think Watson and Sandler were perfect for the feel of that film... there's this looming akwardness to everything, you can't really think about "would these people work in real life", you just have to go with it because it works in the film.

Budgie's pretty on spot here... though I think I like it more than her, this film is one that you just have to experience... analyzing it this way and that can only take you so far with this one.

Teddy

"I saved Latin.  What did you ever do?"

Rudie Obias

i really think each paul thomas anderson picture has gotten better and better from SYDNEY (HARD EIGHT) to PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE.  each film is better than the last.  he's grown so much as a writer and a filmmaker judging from his body of work.  PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE is (in my opinion) his best work to date, although it's not my favorite (MAGNOLIA is my favorite! cuz i've seen it more and i quite enjoy it!).  but PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE is just so fuckin' beautiful and refreshing to watch.  the last time i saw it was at an art school cinematheque and the audience was completely into it (probably becasue they were all art school kids).  they were laughing at the right moments and just feeling the emotions of the film.  seeing it the last time made me realize that this is a great film and time will definately tell whether it will be embraced by the mainstream or forgotten.  i can't wait to buy the dvd!

ps
i had a thought recently, that if paul thomas anderson wants to win an oscar or get the recogintion we all know he deserves then he needs to make another film like BOOGIE NIGHTS.  a film everyone (mainstream and film snobs) can enjoy.  a film that won't go over a lot of people's head.  a film with a lot of violence and sex.  i dunno, it was just a thought.
\"a pair of eyes staring at you, projected on a large screen is what cinema is truly about.\" -volker schlöndorff

Ernie

Quote from: MrBurgerKingI think it kinda ruined P-DL for me knowing some of the surprises it had in store.

I definitely almost did the same man. I read every single review, read/watched every single interview, watched bravo's making of, looked at every available screen cap on the net, watched the clip montage on the cannes site...I almost knew the whole fucking movie before I even saw it. I'll never make that mistake again...especially with PTA's next film. I'll read a couple reviews of course and watch the trailer(s)...but nothing else. I definitely learned from my mistake.

What people are saying about PTA stepping in a new direction...I love that...I hope it's true.

BonBon85

Quote from: ebeaman69I almost knew the whole fucking movie before I even saw it. I'll never make that mistake again

Unless it's All the Real Girls...

oakmanc234

ebeaman69 wrote:
I definitely almost did the same man. I read every single review, read/watched every single interview, watched bravo's making of, looked at every available screen cap on the net, watched the clip montage on the cannes site...I almost knew the whole fucking movie before I even saw it. I'll never make that mistake again...especially with PTA's next film. I'll read a couple reviews of course and watch the trailer(s)...but nothing else. I definitely learned from my mistake.

Same here. I read PLENTY of reviews, new all of the spoilers, watched all the footage available etc and still loved it. But lord knows I wont have learned from my mistake next time, I'll probably end up doing the same with PTA's next........
'Welcome the Thunderdome, bitch'

AlguienEstolamiPantalones

Quote from: RegularKarateI think BJ's just not feelin' it.

.

and i think you just like calling me BJ  :x