Xixax Film Forum

Film Discussion => The Vault => Topic started by: Reel on December 01, 2016, 09:23:54 PM

Title: A Ghost Story
Post by: Reel on December 01, 2016, 09:23:54 PM
The title of David Lowery's secret summer project with Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara has officially been announced!! on his Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/BNdFGjHjnit/?taken-by=davidpatricklowery)

We have all been speculating whether it was a prequel to 'Saints' and the title along with David's labeling it as a "weird" venture make me think we're in for something especially different. My fingers are crossed that "weird" means "scary"
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on December 01, 2016, 09:57:44 PM
Well, I for one hope that weird means it's like Upstream Color! Pretty please.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: matt35mm on December 17, 2016, 01:30:26 AM
I'm going to Sundance for a couple of days and am aiming to see this movie. Maybe I'll even get to meet this David Lowery fellow!
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Ghostboy on December 18, 2016, 10:43:57 PM
I hope you get to see it there Matt!

It's definitely weird. A different brand of weird from UPSTREAM COLOR (and I feel comfortable saying it's not nearly as masterful as that movie is) but weird all the same. It's going to frustrate and/or annoy a lot of people.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on December 18, 2016, 11:48:29 PM
Quote from: Ghostboy on December 18, 2016, 10:43:57 PMIt's going to frustrate and/or annoy a lot of people.

My body is ready.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: matt35mm on December 19, 2016, 11:49:48 AM
Quote from: Ghostboy on December 18, 2016, 10:43:57 PM
I hope you get to see it there Matt!

It's definitely weird. A different brand of weird from UPSTREAM COLOR (and I feel comfortable saying it's not nearly as masterful as that movie is) but weird all the same. It's going to frustrate and/or annoy a lot of people.

U know I like that shit tho
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Tictacbk on December 20, 2016, 01:49:00 AM
A Ghostboy Story
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: matt35mm on January 08, 2017, 03:41:07 PM
http://variety.com/2017/film/news/sundance-casey-afflecks-a-ghost-story-sells-to-a24-exclusive-1201955134/

Sundance: Casey Affleck's 'A Ghost Story' Sells to A24 (EXCLUSIVE)

With less than two weeks until the launch of Sundance 2017, another movie has already sold. A24 has scooped up worldwide distribution rights to David Lowery's "A Ghost Story," Variety has learned.

The spooky drama reunites Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara, who starred in Lowery's "Ain't Them Bodies Saints," which debuted at Sundance in 2013. "A Ghost Story" will premiere as part of the festival's Next section. A24 had such confidence in the film, they bought it sight unseen, according to sources with knowledge of the deal.

The movie is produced by Adam Donaghey, Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston and Liz Franke. Lowery, who previously directed Disney's 2016 remake of "Pete's Dragon," also wrote the script.

Just a year ago, Casey Affleck went to Sundance with "Manchester by the Sea," the Kenneth Lonergan drama that sold to Amazon Studios for $10 million. Since then, that indie has grossed more than $30 million at the U.S. box office, as one of this year's major Oscar contenders, which is expected to earn Affleck a best actor nomination.

"A Ghost Story" is one of several of this year's Sundance movies that have sold before the festival even began, as distributors are trying to avoid all-night bidding wars with new deep-pocketed players. That's an early sign this year's festival could be a robust market. As Variety exclusively reported, Sony Pictures Classics bought world rights for the love story "Call Me By Your Name" for roughly $6 million. And Netflix has scooped up the documentary "Casting JonBenet," about the 1996 murder of 6-year-old beauty pageant contestant JonBenet Ramsey.

WME Global Entertainment handled the deal for "A Ghost Story."
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on January 08, 2017, 03:57:20 PM
Quote from: matt35mm on January 08, 2017, 03:41:07 PM"A Ghost Story" is one of several of this year's Sundance movies that have sold before the festival even began, as distributors are trying to avoid all-night bidding wars with new deep-pocketed players. That's an early sign this year's festival could be a robust market.

This seems like a hopeful sign for movies in general, right? Or am I being naive?
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: polkablues on January 08, 2017, 05:21:52 PM
I think Netflix and Amazon hitting the market hard in the past couple years has had a huge positive effect. The days of the multiplex monopoly are waning, and there's space for lower-budget, original midmarket films again. This is a huge opportunity for quality cinema to be commercially viable again.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Reel on January 12, 2017, 08:43:58 PM
For those who don't follow the Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/BPAggYTAs0-/?taken-by=davidpatricklowery&hl=en), First still image and a few tidbits on the tone of the film!
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Reel on January 14, 2017, 01:16:31 PM
I knew I spoke too soon saying that was the first image! I hadn't checked the blog (http://www.road-dog-productions.com/weblog/) where there is a much spookier still and detailed rundown on what this is/how it came to be.

Quote from: Ghostboy
Our joke pitch for the project was Beetlejuice as remade by Apichatpong Werathesakul.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: polkablues on January 14, 2017, 02:05:35 PM
Curious if Ghostboy has seen I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House yet. I'm getting the sense his movie might have a similar tone and vibe to that one, though I imagine his film is probably a good bit odder.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: jenkins on January 14, 2017, 03:22:54 PM
polka that's an adorably casual way to mention obscure shit, i think the method was because you really don't know if Ghostboy has seen that movie, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, which movie i'd certainly never heard of, and having read its wiki i can guess what is meant by potential differences and similarities, and this whole post comes from me wanting to quote this part

QuoteApril Wolfe of The Village Voice described it as "the most atmospherically faithful adaptation ever of a Shirley Jackson book that never existed"
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: polkablues on January 14, 2017, 05:12:26 PM
It was bought by Netflix and currently available to watch there. Made by Oz Perkins (son of Anthony), who's kind of a big up-and-comer right now between that and his earlier, yet to be released film The Blackcoat's Daughter. He's a master of atmosphere, but a bit rough narratively. They're both gorgeous movies with great performances, though.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: jenkins on January 14, 2017, 05:19:44 PM
Quote from: polkablues on January 14, 2017, 05:12:26 PM
It was bought by Netflix and currently available to watch there. Made by Oz Perkins (son of Anthony), who's kind of a big up-and-comer right now between that and his earlier, yet to be released film The Blackcoat's Daughter. He's a master of atmosphere, but a bit rough narratively. They're both gorgeous movies with great performances, though.

the son of Anthony Perkins part makes me picture a free throw line slamdunk
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Ghostboy on January 14, 2017, 05:26:48 PM
Quote from: polkablues on January 14, 2017, 02:05:35 PM
Curious if Ghostboy has seen I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House yet. I'm getting the sense his movie might have a similar tone and vibe to that one, though I imagine his film is probably a good bit odder.

I haven't seen it, but I liked the trailer - which suggested to me a far more traditional movie than this weird thing we've made. Very curious what the responses will be next week. People might hate this thing. It's going to be interesting.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: matt35mm on January 17, 2017, 11:21:04 AM
Dang, I was one of the first in line for public ticket sales and even a 2nd Half 8:30am screening of A GHOST STORY was already sold out.  :yabbse-sad:
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Ghostboy on January 17, 2017, 11:58:25 AM
I guarantee that by the time that 8:30am screening rolls around tickets will be available. Plus they always save some for every screening for the Wait List and Day-Of sales.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: matt35mm on January 17, 2017, 12:07:47 PM
Your confidence gives me confidence. Thanks!
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Lottery on January 17, 2017, 05:47:24 PM
Quote from: Ghostboy on January 14, 2017, 05:26:48 PM
...Which suggested to me a far more traditional movie than this weird thing we've made. Very curious what the responses will be next week. People might hate this thing. It's going to be interesting.
Quote from: Reelist on January 12, 2017, 08:43:58 PM
For those who don't follow the Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/BPAggYTAs0-/?taken-by=davidpatricklowery&hl=en), First still image and a few tidbits on the tone of the film!

This almost sounds like a Weerasethakul film. Only in Texas.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: jenkins on January 17, 2017, 09:41:29 PM
of course people will hate it. of course people will love it. the question is if the love will outweigh the hate. i think it's lined up to be loved, since fate has brought Affleck, circumstance has brought A24, and Ghostboy himself has created a name for himself, absolutely. those are the recently shined names, but the credit list is chock-full of great names, honestly you'd have to point out the name that's not great.

my guess is still Lowery is the editor, and it doesn't really matter what the people think, it never really does okay, if you bring the cinema you brought the cinema and that's what you came to do. based on what i know the cinema has been brought, there we go, the worst that can happen from here is Paradise World Problems.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: polkablues on January 21, 2017, 01:12:09 AM
http://www.indiewire.com/2017/01/sundance-film-festival-returning-filmmakers-interviews-1201769552

QuoteDavid Lowery: I kept "A Ghost Story" a secret because I didn't want any pressure. I was paying for it myself with a couple of friends. If the experiment didn't turn out well or failed, we could have buried it and not released it. Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara are friends who would come to Texas for a week to do this crazy thing for no money and hang out and have fun.

It was fun to be able to go make a movie like this without asking for permission or financing. I have all sorts of interests and proclivities to explore as a filmmaker. I'm using a lot of the same folks who worked on "Pete's Dragon." It's fun and exciting to stretch my muscles. I'm working on a second draft of  "Peter Pan." I start shooting "The Old Man with a Gun" [starring Casey Affleck and Robert Redford] seven weeks after Sundance.

It's a straight-on ghost story with the ghost represented by the most famous symbol of a ghost: Casey is covered in a sheet with the eyes cut out for the whole movie. It's goofy, serious, and haunting, an interesting dichotomy that may take people a second to get used to. There's almost no dialogue, with an 8-minute monologue an hour in. It's shot in 4-3 [ratio]. It depends on your wavelength: It's either strange and unapproachable, or emotional.

The movie belongs in NEXT in its disregard for what people might expect from a Sundance film. For it to be in Premiere or Competition would give the wrong idea: it's important to set expectations. It does have two Academy Award-nominated movie stars, and one might win the Oscar before the movie comes out. It's something closer to a Matthew Barney movie perhaps.

A24 had seen a reel of footage — it wasn't done — they went for it. Now they've seen it and love it. It will find its audience. I'm not worried about whether or not it's beloved, it doesn't need that. It's great to bring something so purely from my own id and see it up on the big screen and get a burst of eerie energy.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Ghostboy on January 21, 2017, 02:46:18 AM
I swear to god I don't speak in non sequiturs like that. Jesus Christ.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: polkablues on January 21, 2017, 12:44:08 PM
Quote from: Ghostboy on January 21, 2017, 02:46:18 AM
I swear to god I don't speak in non sequiturs like that. Jesus Christ.

I don't know, here's another quote from the article:

QuoteDavid Lowery: We can't bust heads like we used to. But we have our ways. One trick is to tell stories that don't go anywhere. Like the time I caught the ferry to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for m'shoe. So I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. "Gimme five bees for a quarter," you'd say. Now where were we... oh yeah. The important thing was that I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. I didn't have any white onions, because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones...
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Drenk on January 22, 2017, 03:15:24 PM
I saw the first tweets. There is love for the movie out there! Or people who were out of it. Can't wait to know where I'll stand!
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: jenkins on January 22, 2017, 03:23:26 PM
in High Heels there was this part where she asks, "Is he being charming or sincere?" and the reply was sincere

@A24 A GHOST STORY is not a horror movie. It's a love story. There is time travel and pie-eatin and more. It will be our Casper

@mattsinger A GHOST STORY: The most audacious movie I've seen at #Sundance so far. An original look at ghosts, love, and the passage of time. Wow.

@akstanwyck A Ghost Story is a riveting tone poem. The sheet was a design feat. "He has a monotone face you impress yourself on," says costume designer.

@jpraup A Ghost Story has the beauty, patience, and humor of Weerasethakul meets the existential musings of Linklater, then infinitely expands.

@erickohn A GHOST STORY is David Lowery's best work by a long shot, plus the best stress-eating scene ever

@meherthemoon how did i end up watching a romantic ghost story
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: matt35mm on January 22, 2017, 03:26:18 PM
Hey, I thought you said people were gonna hate this thing!

"a poetic meditation on time, memory and spiritual connection that is utterly true to its title" (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/a-ghost-story-review-965994) - Hollywood Reporter


'A Ghost Story' Review: Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara Star in David Lowery's Best Movie (http://www.indiewire.com/2017/01/a-ghost-story-review-rooney-mara-casey-affleck-sundance-2017-1201770434) - IndieWire

Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: jenkins on January 22, 2017, 03:29:56 PM
it was a bleak forecast intended as a helpful forecast of natural human reactions. i hope Sundance loves it because of course i do.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: wilder on January 22, 2017, 11:36:51 PM
Just read The Playlists' review

Quote from: Noel MurrayIt's hard to explain exactly what "A Ghost Story" is. It's definitely not a comedy, although that first manifestation of The Ghost is very funny, and there a few other laugh-out-loud moments. (At several points in the film The Ghost communicates telepathically with a neighboring spirit, and their conversations are hilariously bland.)

[...]

...once The Ghost sets up camp in his old house, "A Ghost Story" shifts to long, dialogue-free scenes of the woman coming to grips with what happened, before gradually feeling her pain subside — all while unaware of the white lump that's slowly following her from room to room. Sometimes her life seems to move along almost too quickly. And at other times, Lowery spends five minutes filming his actress eating most of a full-sized pie.

Gahhh this sounds great!
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: RegularKarate on January 23, 2017, 09:55:08 AM
Screencrush: 'A Ghost Story' Review: A Totally New Kind of Haunted House Movie
(http://screencrush.com/a-ghost-story-review-sundance/)

Quotepatient viewers will be rewarded, because all of the slow scenes and long takes are part of Lowery's master plan to rewrite the rules that govern haunted house movies, and even the way we think about life, death, and time itself.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: RegularKarate on January 23, 2017, 06:01:38 PM
AV CLUB: Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara reunite for an amazing Sundance Ghost Story (A-) (http://www.avclub.com/article/casey-affleck-and-rooney-mara-reunite-amazing-sund-248922?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=feeds)

Quotea sneakily ambitious meditation on life after death, the endurance of romantic connection, and the value we place on the spaces we occupy. If that sounds impossibly vague, it's because there's no easy way to even describe this movie without detrimentally demystifying it.

Birth. Movies. Death. review (http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2017/01/23/sundance-review-a-ghost-story)

QuoteWow.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Just Withnail on January 24, 2017, 02:40:09 PM
I really love thinking about what I think this movie will be. It makes me really happy.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Ravi on January 25, 2017, 01:34:41 AM
I'm trying not to read too many details about the film, but every review I've seen is glowing.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Something Spanish on January 25, 2017, 07:53:50 AM
Damn, those reviews really piqued my interest. Hopefully it won't be a year until we are able to see it.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Reel on January 25, 2017, 10:27:54 AM
Yeah, it's great to confirm there's a semblance of a plot and it's not just some wild experiment. That it is in fact "a Haunted House movie" even though it could potentially skirt any and all expectations we've ever had for one! I mean, this guy has been into ghosts for a really long time.

Questions:

Shot on 35?

Can we get a range of where the budget ended up?
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Tictacbk on January 26, 2017, 08:39:58 PM
Wow, these reviews! Congrats, Ghostboy!

When's the xixax screening?
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Reel on January 27, 2017, 11:12:39 AM
I have a theory that when two movies share a title, the better film gets to keep the glory of it's name while the other fades into obscurity. I remember this movie being incredibly boring when I saw it as a kid, but that's probably because the effects are so dated and it's mostly a group of old men telling stories around the fireplace. Watching the trailer now, I think it deserves a revisit. I do love that Bill Maher Look-a- like, Craig Wasson.


(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.movieposter.com%2Fposters%2Farchive%2Fmain%2F173%2FMPW-86819&hash=2153baf14799bdd39a9d9f6a044d5d5fc58c1eba)

Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: polkablues on January 27, 2017, 12:31:09 PM
The movie was fine, but the book it's based on is one of the best horror novels ever written.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: matt35mm on January 27, 2017, 05:35:25 PM
Quote from: Ghostboy on January 17, 2017, 11:58:25 AM
I guarantee that by the time that 8:30am screening rolls around tickets will be available. Plus they always save some for every screening for the Wait List and Day-Of sales.

You underestimated how popular your movie is. BUT, I got very very lucky in that my friend who had a badge was able to snag THE LAST ticket the day before (she wanted to buy more). She gave it to me. Only a small handful of the waitlist people got in.

The movie is lovely. I'm so glad that a movie like this can be so popular, not only in terms of attendance, but also response. It was interesting to be in a room where so many people were discovering this voice (even if they had seen ATBS and PETE'S DRAGON), while for me it felt like a familiar voice (in a good way). A voice that we on this forum have been able to see develop over the past... 15 years?

I don't want to say too much about it, because I regret that I had read the reviews beforehand, and it's best to let the movie surprise. Can't wait for all of y'all to see it and then we can talk more.

One thing I'll say is that I've recently been thinking about how we've reached the limit of how deep a literal/realistic approach to storytelling in film can go. At least for me as a viewer. There've been a bunch of recent movies that have done a great job of being observant and understated and demonstrating all these things that are true about how people behave and how things happen and so on, but... I find that I can't give that much of a shit about it anymore. Meanwhile, movies that engage with symbolism and theme are striking me as able to probe much deeper into its ideas, because of the distillation of its ideas into images and moments. There is so much more feeling in it. I would never say "cinema is dead" but I agree with Scorsese that "images don't mean anything anymore" in the great majority of contemporary cinema, especially when compared to older cinema. Most filmmakers aren't even trying to create new and striking and meaningful images.

My favorite movies of the past few years are incredibly playful with the filmmaking, even when the themes are serious. There is a joy in it. An engagement with the form, and the possibilities. Even though the word "playful" sounds unserious, it's really the only way to be serious.

THE SEVENTH SEAL is playful. PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE is playful. ERASERHEAD is playful. CITIZEN KANE is playful. POINT BLANK is playful. THE LOVE WITCH is playful. THE RED SHOES is playful. A GHOST STORY is playful.

(Also, it was good to see you, David!)
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Just Withnail on March 28, 2017, 08:26:07 AM
GB, this looks incredible.

Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: RegularKarate on March 28, 2017, 10:51:46 AM
Yeah, I just watched the trailer and that's some powerful shit.
I really wasn't sure what to think about the premise. I knew David would make a great movie, but I just had no idea what it would be like. If this trailer is any indication, I'm going to love this.

Anyone know what song that is in the trailer off hand?
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: jenkins on March 28, 2017, 12:52:52 PM
just gonna wish him the best forever and always, which wishing of mine isn't even what'll cause him to do well. the Lowery Touch is real. good for him, good for us.



[i used shazam duh

+Dark Rooms are Daniel Hart, Casey Trela, Bobak Lotfipour, Rachel Ballard ]
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: wilder on March 28, 2017, 01:46:01 PM
Looks even more beautiful than I'd imagined. July 7th can't come soon enough.

Edit - the poster

(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FlLbG6Ir.jpg&hash=d6ded7175638161bddbcb704547440ec44bfcc78)
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on March 28, 2017, 01:55:27 PM
Wow. I am definitely going to love this.  :bravo:
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Shughes on April 25, 2017, 07:09:12 AM
From lwlies.com:

A Ghost Story to close Sundance Film Festival: London 2017

David Lowery's haunting drama is among the highlights of this year's programme.

Returning to the UK capital for its fifth edition, the 2017 Sundance London Film Festival boasts an impressive programme of features and shorts mostly culled from its parent festival in Park City, Utah.

This year's festival will open with the international premiere of Miguel Arteta's Beatriz at Dinner, and will close four days later with the UK premiere of David Lowery's A Ghost Story, starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara. In our first look review we describe the film as a "quietly haunting tale of loss and redemption".

Lowery will be attending the festival to take part in a special 'In Conversation' event, where his acclaimed debut feature Ain't Them Bodies Saints will also screen.

Elsewhere there's UK premieres for Marianna Palka's Bitch, Jeff Orlowski's Chasing Coral, Craig Johnson's Wilson, adapted from Daniel Clowes' graphic novel, and for the first time festivalgoers will be treated to a Surprise Film.

Sundance Film Festival: London takes place 1-4 June at Picturehouse Central. Check out the full programme here.

(Original article http://lwlies.com/festivals/sundance-london-film-festival-2017-a-ghost-story/ (http://lwlies.com/festivals/sundance-london-film-festival-2017-a-ghost-story/).)


Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: RegularKarate on April 25, 2017, 09:15:12 AM
Quote from: Shughes on April 25, 2017, 07:09:12 AM
his acclaimed debut feature Ain't Them Bodies Saints

When will they learn?
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Ravi on June 12, 2017, 04:45:39 PM
I saw this last night at the Oak Cliff Film Festival. What an amazing film. I don't want to reveal too much about the film, even though reviews are out there. It starts out as a personal and intimate film and gradually the ideas get bigger. It's remarkable how David has conveyed existential ideas with minimal dialogue and simple, well thought-out imagery. The image of the ghost as a white sheet goes back centuries, and here it's a visualization of something eternal and timeless.

I will definitely buy the soundtrack, which releases on July 7th.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: jenkins on June 21, 2017, 11:03:37 AM
i was checking its runtime. 1hr27min. nice. adorable imdb trivia section

(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FJPwkIhQ.png&hash=e40d4417c7d6996d7017005e8aeaf955c4285adc)
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Tictacbk on June 26, 2017, 11:48:48 AM
Excited to see this tonight at The Cinefamily!

EDIT: screening pushed til next week  :yabbse-sad:
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: ono on July 07, 2017, 12:40:02 PM
So this just came up in my feed:

https://twitter.com/Criterion/status/883351085955637248
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Drenk on July 07, 2017, 02:05:21 PM
Is there any news about french distribution? I'm surprised that it won't be released in the summer here...
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: polkablues on July 07, 2017, 03:28:44 PM
Quote from: ono on July 07, 2017, 12:40:02 PM
So this just came up in my feed:

https://twitter.com/Criterion/status/883351085955637248

That's quite the terrifying murder basement Criterion conducts their interviews in.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: jenkins on July 07, 2017, 06:07:36 PM
Matt Zoller Seitz (http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-ghost-story-2017) --

Quote"A Ghost Story" feels bracingly, at times alienating new. It's a movie you can't be quite sure how to take. There are moments where the movie seems to be handing you keys to interpretation, but I'd caution viewers against looking at such scenes for answers, because they have a rope-a-dope quality—as if they're designed to bait and trap those who would sneer at this kind of movie. In any event, this is a film that's more inclined to ask questions than answer them, much less give life advice.

QuoteI should admit here that any take I can offer is provisional. I need to see the film a second time to sweep away preconceived notions that might've been lingering in my mind during my first viewing of "A Ghost Story." The movie is so simple in its storytelling and its situations are observed so patiently that the result has a disarming purity, as if Lowery jammed a tap into his subconscious and recorded one of his dreams directly to film. It's probably the closest that a lot of people are going to get to seeing a late-period silent movie on a big screen—a melodrama that deals in big ideas and obvious symbols, and that puts across fantastical concepts, such a ghost haunting the landscape over a period of decades, by putting a sheet over its leading man and having him walk around slowly and stare blankly at stuff. (Cinematographer Andrew Droz Palermo shoots the movie in the old-fashioned, square-ish "Academy" ratio, letting us see the rounded edges of the frame; this has a constricting effect, so that we seem to be spying through a keyhole at someone else's life.)

that's what he made Matt Zoller Seitz write. he made A.O. Scott  (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/05/movies/review-a-ghost-story.html) get dissy, which is how NYC people give compliments. Justin Chang (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-ghost-story-review-20170706-story.html) reminded LA of ways to like the movie --

QuoteBut one of the lessons of this quietly gripping movie, and of the American art-film tradition to which it belongs, is that stillness can conceal troubling depths, and even seemingly small moments can be rife with meaning and implication.

QuoteIndividual moments are drawn out so slowly that you feel trapped in them alongside the characters, but what gives the film its particular poignancy is the way it makes those moments feel both attenuated and fleeting — a reminder of how little time we are granted together on this astral plane.

QuoteThese scenes are a warning to look closer and listen carefully, to appreciate the deeper meaning of moments that might otherwise seem insignificant — a lesson that applies well beyond the domain of the movie theater.

the question is not if it will last, but how it will. a.k.a. art as awesome. so this did awesome and bravo.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: RegularKarate on July 08, 2017, 08:09:54 PM
I'm goin' NUTS over here!
My friend is in NYC watching a Q&A with David right now and I'm stuck here in Austin staring at a screen that says the closest it will get to me is San Antonio and not for three weeks!
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: jenkins on July 10, 2017, 04:27:32 PM
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FHxkzkkN.png&hash=2a6d9d078f576eeb7a0308bf1bb9526663e859c5)

i.e. LA and NYC packed its theaters and did what they could to support the cause
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Fuzzy Dunlop on July 11, 2017, 12:29:51 AM
SPOILERS within (I think. I started skipping ahead when it started seeming spoilery):

http://www.avclub.com/article/david-lowery-had-stop-himself-giving-his-sundance--257855 (http://www.avclub.com/article/david-lowery-had-stop-himself-giving-his-sundance--257855)
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: wilder on July 15, 2017, 02:02:40 AM
Quote from: Letterboxd user Jeff BA Ghost Story's greatest strength is how it explores the idea that time is relative. A widower fighting back tears while eating a pie can feel like an eternity, while a family living, dying, and decomposing can feel like an instant.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Cloudy on July 15, 2017, 01:43:55 PM
what Wilder said. and just want to stop by to congratulate GB on this.

completely badass, on the edge of failure every day of the shoot, on your own dime, with all the stress and doubt that comes with.

we need more of THIS in cinemas. thank you. thank you. gonna watch it again with more friends soon.

(was tricked into thinking this was shot on film btw, feel like a fool.)
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: tpfkabi on July 17, 2017, 08:18:15 PM
Quote from: ono on July 07, 2017, 12:40:02 PM
So this just came up in my feed:

https://twitter.com/Criterion/status/883351085955637248

Woah! I have always wondered what boundaries they give you as to how much you can take.

The soundtrack is up on the Regal Crown Club in CD or vinyl. I would get the CD, but the way they set it up is that your base shipping is $8+ (it's best if you are getting multiple items), and would probably not be too much different from just buying it online. On the vinyl:

The score to A Ghost Story was composed by Lowery's frequent collaborator Daniel Hart (Tumbledown). Astral in sound and cosmic in scope, Hart's compositions for A Ghost Story will haunt you.
180 gram white vinyl housed in an interior Eurosleeve featuring an unnerving turn-of-the-century ghost photograph. A handsome dress jacket treated with a glow-in-the-dark coating allows the title and eponymous ghost to seemingly leap from the cover when the lights go out. As beautiful and unique as the ålm itself, this vinyl release is one you can you can't afford to miss.


I wonder when I will be able to see this movie.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: RegularKarate on July 21, 2017, 09:53:34 AM
This was an amazing shock to the system for me.

I was on board from the beginning, but early on, the film took a turn that caught me off guard emotionally. I became a mess and it wasn't just from sadness. The thing is just so flippin' beautiful.

I don't know if David avoids this thread, but if you're reading, your movies just keep getting better and better and it's astounding.

MAJOR SPOILERS
Quote from: wilder on July 14, 2017, 04:10:16 AM

My jaw hit the floor when the movie came to the shot of the prospector and the following sequence of pioneers. My interpretation was that Casey Affleck lived so long that civilization had destroyed itself, as the partygoer pontificated about a few scenes earlier, and in the far, far future, maybe millions of years ahead, civilization was starting anew and repeating its trajectory in nearly exactly the same way.

Oh, I definitely think that's what happened. This is all clued in by Will Oldham's speech where he says that society will reset themselves and somewhere, someone will be humming Mozart. If you listen to the little pioneer girl, she is humming "I Get Overwhelmed" (a song I haven't stopped listening to since the trailer came out).


Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: wilder on July 24, 2017, 04:10:58 PM
Blu-ray (http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/A-Ghost-Story-Blu-ray/184661/) on October 3rd
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: wilder on August 14, 2017, 02:41:54 AM
10 movies that influenced 'A Ghost Story' (http://www.imdb.com/imdbpicks/ghost-story-influences/ls020726890/?ref_=ls_mv_close)
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: tpfkabi on August 29, 2017, 09:25:41 PM
Ooo, Poltergeist and Under the Skin. I have not even heard of several of the films on this list, so I will have to look into them.

Poltergeist tangent:

When I was watching some of the Ready Player One ComicCon panel thing with Spielberg, I wondered how Steven would react if someone took the mic and asked him about who directed Poltergeist. Now, Tobe is gone. It is pretty weird how PII/III can get nice Scream Factory releases and the most famous of all Poltergeist films, one of the most famous movies of the 80's, can't get jack squat in a nice home video release.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Drenk on September 19, 2017, 12:56:21 PM
It's on iTunes US now.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/a-ghost-story/id1252853654
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Alexandro on September 29, 2017, 08:05:26 AM
this film is a masterpiece.
even with the attention granted to it so far, I don't think it's been properly appreciated.
time will find it growing in stature, I'm sure, because it's just impossible it doesn't.
really, I'm in awe of the whole thing. it was moving, beautiful, funny and eerie, sometimes all at once.
awesome.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Robyn on September 29, 2017, 10:53:25 AM
I haven't seen it yet, but at RYM it listed at #7 over the best films of 2017. I thought that was interesting I guess.

https://rateyourmusic.com/films/chart?year=2017 (https://rateyourmusic.com/films/chart?year=2017)
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on December 12, 2017, 01:19:28 AM
Believe the hype. A Ghost Story is a masterpiece.

And for what it's worth, I had noooo idea it was going to those places. I pictured something far simpler and less ambitious. But by the end, this is wonderfully bold. And it played me like a fiddle, as they say. There are jaw-dropping moments in this movie that would not translate at all if you tried to describe them to someone. Funny how that works.

SPOILERS

Absolutely loved every scene that dealt with the passage of time. Rooney Mara looks out the window, but it's two different days. We see multiple Rooneys pass through the door, one by one. And then that headphone scene really got to me. That's when it truly gets great — I was fully on board and delighted till the very end.

Ghostfleck attempts ghost suicide jumping off that building, and I think it's clear that he then loops back in time, perhaps to the first moment that geographical location was used as a home.

The last few seconds killed me. I couldn't think of a more perfect ending.

This eerily reminded me of Inland Empire, which is also a ghost story in which the ghost gets stuck on earth, confused about how much time has passed, and then travels back in time and encounters herself, which triggers an eventual resolution.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on December 21, 2017, 12:27:07 AM
On sale for $5:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/a-ghost-story/id1252853654



Also... SPOILER TALK

I realized this when I saw Last Jedi (spoilers for that movie too). When the ghosts in this movie "move on," their sheets drop just like those Jedi robes. So basically Ghostfleck is a Jedi master who becomes one with the force.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: tpfkabi on December 21, 2017, 08:52:01 PM
SPOILERS

One thing I wanted addressed in the commentary was - the door/portal appearing in the hospital - and I believe it was passed over and never talked about.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: jenkins on March 02, 2018, 06:33:48 PM
Variety Oscar Predictions 2018: Who Will Win, Who Could Win (http://variety.com/2018/film/in-contention/oscar-predictions-2018-academy-awards-who-will-win-1202711485/)

Best Picture
Should have been here: "A Ghost Story"

Directing
Should have been here: "A Ghost Story" (David Lowery)

if it was so definitely a risky film to release then it was of course a risky year of returns, and as far as i can tell the overall reception to A Ghost Story was warm and appreciative.
Title: Re: A Ghost Story
Post by: Reel on January 24, 2022, 02:51:02 PM
To all the Lowery heads out there, " A Ghost Story " has left Netflix and found a new home at Showtime Anytime