All the Real Girls! - August 19th! (UPDATED W/ SPECS!)

Started by Ernie, June 06, 2003, 11:13:57 AM

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chainsmoking insomniac

Quote from: Jake_82ok, I saw this last night, went through an ordeal to get it (finally ended up going to blockbusters, which had 6 copies), and I really enjoyed it, but I think towards the end I sort of lost focus and didn't really get certain parts (ie, the scene where he goes to her house and the stupid guy's making macaroni or whatever, and then their discussion). I definitely need to watch this a second time, and if I have time I'll check out the extras and commentary. It makes me really want to see George Washington, too, which I recently went through an ordeal to find that not one video store in this town carries it on DVD (my vcr is currently fucked up, and I'd rather watch the DVD anyway).

What about it didn't you get? He saw that she was moving on and he was bitter about it (hence him smashing the car window)...and they parted as amicably as possible.  That scene really really resonated with me.  Anyway, that's just my take on it.
"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

Gold Trumpet

Impressions off first viewing - Really liked it. I not only identified with what the movie said, I believed it got across the idea of love well. The story was simpler than GW but going for getting across a feeling - which it did. That said, I have complaints. It mainly addresses DGG's style and storylines according to it. With GW, scenes of confession in characters rang true because the focus was so intense and movie unidentifiable in what it was trying to be that it felt authentic. With this movie, clearly going for the simplistic, confessional scenes feel more like conveniances in the director's style than anything else. The two confessional scenes are of the best friend and mom to Paul. The film is so identifiable in what it is about that instead on following on its simpler narrative, it tries to extend in ways GW did. It doesn't work. The points it hammers are easy to see coming and easy to understand in this world already. Then there are moments of embarassing sincerity for these guys. Some hold well to showing Paul, some seem inserted just because they felt odd. The stock car racing scene is the most obvious. It easily could have been in a lesser film. Other moments just seem to be about little or nothing but their own quarkiness. Its just that the movie could have discarded with so many characters and situations that feel like an operation of a directors style more than anything else. This movie is too easy going in DGG's style than what GW presented.

All in all, I really liked the film more because I believed in the characters and identified with what it was talking about in love. Its not one of the best this year and only will be seen as a really good film likely for me. There could have just been so much more attempted in this film.

~rougerum

abuck1220

did it bother anyone else that in one scene the characters would act borderline mentally retarded and then in the next scene they'd be spouting off poetic philosophy?

also, the baraka "inspired" mill montage was kind of lame.

other than that, i liked it.

jokerspath

Quote from: abuck1220the baraka "inspired" mill montage was kind of lame.

I think I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you on this one, mostly that any moment in this film was Baraka-inspired.  

If you're referring to any moment of sped-up photography or something, or even the use of landscapes and factories (or mills, as you've mentioned) I think that'd be better atributed to the director's personal vision.

Now if you want to say it was Mallick-inspired, I think we can get a discussion going...

aw
THIS IS NOT AN EXIT

Ernie

I will have to support abuck1220 for a second and say that DGG and Paul do mention Baraka by name in the commentary sometime during that montage. They say something about it, I don't remember exactly what and I don't remember exactly when (I think it's during the downward tilt on the mill)...but I'm just saying. I've never seen Baraka so I can't really give my own thoughts on whether or not it influenced ATRG so I won't try to...I've been dying to see it ever since PTA mentioned it though and I definitely will soon. I've been thinking about buying it blindly actually.

Anyway, on the contrary...I'm going to have to strongly disagree with him that the montage is lame, it fucking rocks. It shows that life goes on no matter how heartbroken you are, the world doesn't stop for anyone...everything still keeps going. And you can't tell me I'm wrong this time cause they said all that in the commentary too. And it makes sense to me so I'm stealing it.

abuck1220

Quote from: jokerspath
Quote from: abuck1220the baraka "inspired" mill montage was kind of lame.

I think I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you on this one, mostly that any moment in this film was Baraka-inspired.  

If you're referring to any moment of sped-up photography or something, or even the use of landscapes and factories (or mills, as you've mentioned) I think that'd be better atributed to the director's personal vision.

Now if you want to say it was Mallick-inspired, I think we can get a discussion going...

aw

well, then i think the director's personal vision was influenced by baraka, which uses almost identical sped-up photography in factory-type settings. you could throw all the real girls' mill scene into the middle of the chicken factory scenes in baraka (if you're familiar w/ the film) and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the footage. not saying it's wrong or anything, just my opinion.

and yes, he's certainly influenced by malick.

SoNowThen

that mill montage was amazing.


looks almost like three shots superimposed on one another. is it three, or just two?

anyway, the whole sequence is great...
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.

abuck1220

Quote from: ebeamanI will have to support abuck1220 for a second and say that DGG and Paul do mention Baraka by name in the commentary sometime during that montage. They say something about it, I don't remember exactly what and I don't remember exactly when...but I'm just saying.

But I strongly disagree with him that the montage is lame, it fucking rocks. It shows that life goes on no matter how heartbroken you are, the world doesn't stop for anyone...everything still keeps going. And you can't tell me I'm wrong this time cause they said all that in the commentary too. And it makes sense to me so I'm stealing it.

well, i hadn't watched the commentary, so that's certainly interesting.

maybe "lame" was a poor choice of words on my part. it was just so identical to baraka that i couldn't believe it. i mean literally, there would be no way to differentiate between the two films' footage.

so, while the footage itself wasn't lame...i was just disappointed that it was just so blatantly copied. however, i guess if you admit to stealing (as he might have done in the commentary) then i guess it counts as an homage and not thievery!  :-D

Ernie

Quote from: abuck1220
well, i hadn't watched the commentary, so that's certainly interesting.

maybe "lame" was a poor choice of words on my part. it was just so identical to baraka that i couldn't believe it. i mean literally, there would be no way to differentiate between the two films' footage.

Ooooook, I see what your saying, alright, that makes sense. I'll have to see Baraka then. I'm definitely going to buy it blindly. Yea, if you saw the influence on your own without even listening to the commentary, it was probably an intended homage or stolen shot, lol...which is fine with me.

By the way SoNowthen, do you like Baraka??? I need one last reason to put up the money for it.

SoNowThen

saw the first 20 minutes of it in the middle of the insanity of shooting my short film two weeks ago

i was over-tired and not really concentrating

it's one of those things you have to be in the mood for

looks beautiful though
i would bb it if i were you, it's got merits for sure

one day i will revist and get through it all
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.

tpfkabi

i looked all around last Tuesday but couldn't find it anywhere. then i decided i wanted to revisit Adaptation and i was shocked to find ATRG (in the Hasting's that also shockingly has GW).

i like it a lot more than GW. or at least i could see me watching this repeated times, while i'm not sure i could GW (i'm the same way with Magnolia......it's kind of a hard street to go down again). i don't think this film is really "all out there." i think it could find a moderate mainstream audience if promoted the right way.

3 scenes i've watched again.
1. the clown scene (just funny and nice editing...great last look into the camera)
2. the bowling alley (again just funny.....i'm going to have to use that trick)
3. the bar/nature scene (just really good acting/monologue)

i didn't really like Paul Schneider(sp?) in GW, but i really liked him in this. i was hoping he was in Undertow and playing a killer or something........that would have been cool, but i just read the article at the first of this post and he's not even mentioned.

it starts out a lot like GW with the kind of wasteland suburban scenery, group of friends around railroads tracks, and odd adults pounding away at metal things........but it gets really zany at times........i'm going to watch the commentary soon and prob watch it on Labor Day.
I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Master is away.

edison

Quote from: bigideas
2. the bowling alley (again just funny.....i'm going to have to use that trick)

What trick was that?

Ernie

Quote from: bigideasi looked all around last Tuesday but couldn't find it anywhere. then i decided i wanted to revisit Adaptation and i was shocked to find ATRG (in the Hasting's that also shockingly has GW).

i like it a lot more than GW. or at least i could see me watching this repeated times, while i'm not sure i could GW (i'm the same way with Magnolia......it's kind of a hard street to go down again). i don't think this film is really "all out there." i think it could find a moderate mainstream audience if promoted the right way.

I definitely agree, it's a much more accessible film than GW. That's part of the reason I'm starting to like it more than GW. It's more polished, it's more cinematic and it's even more beautiful while still being real. It's just like, more of a movie...I think it's one of the best sophomore films ever. I think people like Wes Anderson are making films that are 10 times more quirky than ATRG...and that's great...a lot of the awkwardness in ATRG seems to be mistaken for weirdness a lot of the time, when it's actually very real.

QuoteWhat trick was that?

I'm not sure if it's what he's talking about but there's a killer, perfectly timed fade out that ends the scene.

tpfkabi

Quote from: EEz28
Quote from: bigideas
2. the bowling alley (again just funny.....i'm going to have to use that trick)

What trick was that?

oh. i meant the whole "i want to dance, but i don't want you to look at me" thing. a trick on a lady, not a camera trick.

of course i think that would be difficult since bowling lanes are extremely slippery......they must not have oiled it........no way he could have done the running man on an oiled lane
I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Master is away.

jokerspath

Quote from: abuck1220
Quote from: jokerspath
Quote from: abuck1220the baraka "inspired" mill montage was kind of lame.

I think I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you on this one, mostly that any moment in this film was Baraka-inspired.  

If you're referring to any moment of sped-up photography or something, or even the use of landscapes and factories (or mills, as you've mentioned) I think that'd be better atributed to the director's personal vision.

Now if you want to say it was Mallick-inspired, I think we can get a discussion going...

aw

well, then i think the director's personal vision was influenced by baraka, which uses almost identical sped-up photography in factory-type settings. you could throw all the real girls' mill scene into the middle of the chicken factory scenes in baraka (if you're familiar w/ the film) and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the footage. not saying it's wrong or anything, just my opinion.

and yes, he's certainly influenced by malick.

My apologies...

aw
THIS IS NOT AN EXIT