Bringing Out the Dead

Started by Keener, April 25, 2003, 08:46:32 PM

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Ghostboy


Derek237

I loved BOTD! One of my favourite movies. For some reason I just personally liked it better than Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, Casino, and all of Scorsese's other great movies. The only one I like better is Goodfellas. I totally agree with the 'midnight movie' comment. It just doesn't feel right watching it on a sunday afternoon.   :)

modage

Quote from: MacGuffinAlso, I think this is Scorsese's best use of source music. The soundtrack is killer.

i really liked the soundtrack too.  EXCEPT did anyone else think that the one scene with Nic and Patricia in the back of the ambulance with NATALIE MERCHANT playing was more than a bit out of place in THAT MOVIE?!?  it seemed to kind of capture the spirit of the scene but really seemed to not fit with the overall spirit of the picture.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

SoNowThen

No, no, I almost cry when I see that. No talking, but they just kinda bump with the ambulance, like when she almost hits her head and kinda grins at him. That's in my top romantic scenes ever.
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.

Victor

i think its a great scene. even though i hate the song, it works in a way, it makes it feel more like a period piece, new york in the early 90s, that song would have been playing on the radio, or in their heads. you know when you start to fall in love and songs you never liked are suddenly great?

this is one of my favorite scorsese pics, the whole things gravy. he needs to work with cliff curtis again.
are you gonna eat with us too?

ShanghaiOrange

Marc Anthony's role in this movie its the best thing he ever did.
Last five films (theater)
-The Da Vinci Code: *
-Thank You For Smoking: ***
-Silent Hill: ***1/2 (high)
-Happy Together: ***1/2
-Slither: **

Last five films (video)
-Solaris: ***1/2
-Cobra Verde: ***1/2
-My Best Fiend: **1/2
-Days of Heaven: ****
-The Thin Red Line: ***

Find Your Magali

Finally watched this late last night (after midnight), after working 12+ hour shifts 10 of the past 11 days. ... So I was very punchy but a bit too caffeinated to sleep. ... It's a very impressive movie to watch, tremendous cinematic. Wonderfully captures the late-night beats and rhythms of the city. ... But I can understand some people's comments that it "doesn't click" like a "traditional" movie. ... I think the reason it's so hard to get sucked into the movie and identify with anyone is because it's supposed to be unsettling. Cage's nervous breakdown of long night shifts with different partners, whiskey, caffeine, cigarettes, phantoms, and general craziness doesn't give his character -- or the viewer -- a chance to really get comfortable with the character, or the movie. And that's mostly the point, I think.

Some other random comments:

-- Great soundtrack, agreed.
-- I loved the scene with Cage and Arquette riding in the back of the ambulance. Not because of or inspite of the Merchant music. But because I watched Arquette's face the entire time, watching her go through the range of emotions and expressions, and it's just a wonderful, wonderful acting job. Who needs dialogue?
-- I thought the dream sequences ranged from creepy and surreal to overproduced in a special-effects kind of way, which sucked me out of the moment. For example, Cage pulling the ghostlike bodies out of the street was just too crisp and Hollywood of an effect for me. It seemed like a movie, not a dream.
-- OK, it's always great to have Scorsese in a film. BUT I was annoyed and distracted by having him as the voice of the Dispatcher. The dialogue by the male dispatcher is already over the top and too stylized to seem real. But then having Scorsese recite these perfectly written, poetic, "missions" for the ambulance crew just disrupted the suspension of disbelief too much. Maybe that was just me. I'm not saying I didn't like it. It just didn't fit with the tone the movie was going for, I think.

SHAFTR

I watched this movie late at night and it freaked me out.  Everytime Rose appeared, I got freaked out.  Most of the dream sequences worked, but I agree with the drug halucination sequence of him pulling people out of the sewers..did not work.  I also didn't buy Patricia Arquette's character.  Most of the soundtrack worked for me, especially Red Red Wine.  Most of Scorsese's cinematic tricks worked for me, except the strange jump cut in the Waiting room with Arquette's character, that felt out of place.  I loved Ving Rhames' character, cracked me up.
"Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon"

SHAFTR

also, could kind soul quote the scene in the ambulance when Cage & Rhames are talking about people be saved before jumping, and Cage mentions something that happened in Iceland(?) and that the wind blew the girl back up.  Rhames says it was jesus, and Cage says it was the wind.  Thanks.
"Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon"

SiliasRuby

I LOVE this Movie, The cinematography, The soundtrack, the acting. Reading this thread made me want to watch it again so....it is now 12:25 in the AM, I'm going to turn off all the lights in my room and I am just about to put the DVD in....See yeah later
The Beatles know Jesus Christ has returned to Earth and is in Los Angeles.

When you are getting fucked by the big corporations remember to use a condom.

There was a FISH in the perkalater!!!

My Collection

Big Owl

Quotecould kind soul quote the scene in the ambulance when Cage & Rhames are talking about people be saved before jumping, and Cage mentions something that happened in Iceland(?)

It was Ireland actually.I just think i should be the person to point that out

                                 

                          Marcus
Say I ever tell you about that time years ago i was on this ledge uptown trying to pull this damn psycho inside

                                    Frank
you mean where the guy jumped and you almost fell. No, you never told me that story

                                    Marcus
no you never listened .So there i was , i put everything i had into saving this dumb-ass, low-life suicidal that when he went down it was like I wanted to go with him

                                     Frank
That happened once in IRELAND this girl jumped off the cliffs of Moher and the wind blew her back up

                                    Marcus
the wind blew her back up

                                    Frank
yeah the wind

                                   Marcus
oh no that was jesus son

                                    Frank
it, it was also..the wind

                                   Marcus
The wind my black ass that was jesus Don't tell me about the good book now ill preach heaven and beat the hell out of ya.Don't tell me that now

                                    Frank
alright

                                    Marcus
I was going son .But if some one up on high-thank you jesus-hadn't pulled me in

                                      Frank
Can you turn left here i wanna make a stop

                                  Marcus
The point is everybody goes through a stretch where some ones gonna die on you just don't meditate on it
\\\\\\\"God damn these electric sex-pants!\\\\\\\"

gob

I bought this today. Watched it today. The second time I've seen it. I'm not too sure how highly regarded this film is, the reviews were fairly underwhelming as I remember but I don't think it's as appreciated as it should be.

Nic Cage is perfect in this movie. (And in my humble opinion a damn fine actor). The supporting cast of nutters, Sizemore, Goodman, Rhames and Afemo Omilami as Griss (Don't you make me take off my sunglasses!) are all brilliant as well.

Scorsese's style works in everything he does but the use of under-cranked film speed and the dynamic use of moving camera in this especially combined with a fantastic soundtrack makes for a really effective film.

It's also really funny in a brilliantly dark, bitter taste in the mouth kind of way.

I think it's shortcoming is that it never truly grabs the viewer emotionally. Despite this you can still sympathise with Cage's character especially and the deaths/ghosts/impacting moments in the film do have a tangible effect.

I know it's not Scorsese's cinematic zenith but I think it's pretty pretty pretty good.

JG

Yes, its very good and very underappreciated.  In fact, I think you just inspired me to go watch it again!

FORT

saw this in theaters like 5 times, dragged all my ignorant friends to it.

im feelin Derek237's enthusiasm over this flick.

so im gonna go out on a limb too, n state that
this is prolly one of marty's greatest.
"..we had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a saltshaker half-full of cocaine, and a whole multi-colored collection of uppers, downers, laughers, screamers, also; a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of beer, a pint of raw ether, and two dozen amyls.. not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can. the only thing that really worried me was the ether. there is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge, and I knew we'd get into that rotten stuff pretty soon."