American Splendor

Started by dufresne, July 18, 2003, 02:55:37 AM

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SoNowThen

#15
August 17, 2003, 02:30:25 PM
Just watched trailer. Looks fucking great. Can't wait to see.
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

modage

#16
August 17, 2003, 07:32:06 PM
yeah im a little upset.  i had free passes to see this in philadelphia on tuesday, but unfortunately im in wash dc so i couldnt go.  the worst part is, i thought it was supposed to come out on friday.  but its not playing here.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

mutinyco

#17
August 18, 2003, 06:57:44 PM
This is the one to see until Lost in Translation comes out in September.
"I believe in this, and it's been tested by research: he who fucks nuns will later join the church."

-St. Joe

chainsmoking insomniac

#18
August 18, 2003, 09:14:25 PM
Yesssssss.

I'm dying to see both of these films.  Both trailers look great, but Lost in Translation looks the best.
"Ernest Hemingway once wrote: 'The world's a fine place, and worth fighting for.'  I agree with the second part."
    --Morgan Freeman, Se7en

"Have you ever fucking seen that...? Ever seen a mistake in nature?  Have you ever seen an animal make a mistake?"
 --Paul Schneider, All the Real Girls

mutinyco

#19
August 19, 2003, 10:29:50 PM
Totally different films. American Splendor is like a cross between Errol Morris and Terry Zwigoff's Ghost World. Lost in Translation is as if David Gordon Greene went to Tokyo and found a sense of humor.
"I believe in this, and it's been tested by research: he who fucks nuns will later join the church."

-St. Joe

ono

#20
August 23, 2003, 01:36:16 PM
Roger Ebert's four-star review.  Things are looking great for this film.  It comes to my town September 12th.  Definitely looking forward to it.

pete

#21
August 28, 2003, 10:07:07 PM
I saw it, I think it tried to hard for that woody-allen cuteness thing.  The guy's neuroticism comes from a legitimate cause--anger at corporate america and towards the system, but the movie just kinda dismisses him as some cute cuddly angry man with a sweet side--father, lover, victory over cancer...etc. etc.  It tries too hard to be moving and purposedly detaches itself from a lot of serious incidents and emotions in his life, I feel it's a disservice, especially to someone who is still very much alive and who partakes in the film itself (meaning it can't have the typical bioepic excuse that the film doesn't have to resemble life at all because it's just a studio picture).
"Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot."
- Buster Keaton

mindfuck

#22
August 30, 2003, 05:07:47 AM
Caught the opening night in San Diego tonight and I loved it. What a great example of a post-structuralist film done right. The mixing of the "story" elements, the "real" people and the comic book theme was handled excellently. At the beginning I was pretty worried about how the film narration was referring to the movie itself, but it all seemed to fall into place.

And man, the performances. The dialogue stuck to an even tone and was often hilarious in that twisted, dark kind of way. And godamn, what a showcase for Paul Giamatti. He absolutely nailed the role. I loved how he seemed to resemble the the cartoon versions of Harvey more than the actual man himself. In one of the later scenes with him looking at himself in a mirror he looks EXACTLY like the standard cartoon Harvey with the one eye open bigger than the other. What a great job.

Anyway, go see this ASAP.

modage

#23
September 05, 2003, 04:15:47 PM
finally got around to seeing this today.  pretty underwhelmed.  interesting story, but not an interesting movie.  they did try though, blending the reality and movie elements, but overall, this sort of thing is better suited to Bravo or IFC or something.  if they wanted to make a documentary they should have done that.  but by taking you out of the reality of the movie, it made it less effective to have any drama in the story.  it would have been an interesting biopic on tv, but it didnt hold up as a satisfying theatre experience.

(anyone know why they didnt show the interesting letterman appearance?  couldnt get permission?)
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

mutinyco

#24
September 05, 2003, 04:36:48 PM
Yep. It was about rights. Apparently, NBC vaulted the shows right after they aired. The filmmakers got permission for the early episodes, then found a bootleg of the controversial appearances. The reenactment in the film was based on what happened, but it couldn't be exact.
"I believe in this, and it's been tested by research: he who fucks nuns will later join the church."

-St. Joe

SHAFTR

#25
September 06, 2003, 12:04:49 PM
I was invited to a free screening of it on wednesday, I'm going to try and go.
"Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon"

Cecil

#26
September 06, 2003, 12:06:58 PM
i liked it

ono

#27
September 11, 2003, 09:39:07 PM
Quote from: Cecil B. Dementedi liked it
Ditto.

Saw it last night at a free sneak preview sponsored by HBO Films and stuff.  I laughed, I laughed, and I laughed some more.  So did the packed house it played to.  Best film of the year so far.  Really had that Crumb-esque feel to it, which was understandable, and it was a nice little touch for those who've seen Crumb when he was represented in the film and had that little scene where he got a piggyback ride from a girl.  Great film, not your average flick by any means.  Definitely, if you only see one film this year, see this one.  ****

SHAFTR

#28
September 11, 2003, 10:31:14 PM
Free Screening at 8, I got there at 7:30 and it was already sold out.  So it's doing great in Madison, buzz is good.
"Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon"

RegularKarate

#29
September 13, 2003, 05:06:58 PM
I thought this was a pretty damn good film.

Really refreshing after so much shit coming out lately.  

Dave should invite Harvey back on the show now... or has that already happened?
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