21 Grams

[stalllove]

do you really think anything better will come out this year? really? because i doubt it. this movie is very, very, very good.

[godardian]

do you really think anything better will come out this year? really? because i doubt it. this movie is very, very, very good.

No, but it's a possibility. This one definitely seems a shoo-in for tops of the year at this point, though. It's still early in "quality" season, though; it might have some competition. More great films wouldn't diminish this one so much as it would just be a bounty for us movie-lovers.

[stalllove]

your right.
god, i just can't get this movie out of my head. it was amazing, huh?

[Jeremy Blackman]

I think Watts was robbed of all the awards she deserved for Mulholland Dr., which I still think is the best performance of the new millennium.

I've been saying the same thing since 2001.

Björk's performance in Dancer in the Dark comes close.

[cowboykurtis]

agreed that her performance was overlooked in mulholland -- howevedr, i think this performance is greater. much more depth ( i hate that term, but its true). she did kill me, she will break the hearts of those whose are already broken.

[godardian]

I think Watts was robbed of all the awards she deserved for Mulholland Dr., which I still think is the best performance of the new millennium.

I've been saying the same thing since 2001.

Björk's performance in Dancer in the Dark comes close.

Yeah, that was pretty amazing, as well...

As far as "depth" goes... I can see where maybe there is more forcefulness required of the character in 21 Grams, but to ace the emotional scales across two different (?) characters in Mulholland Dr. and just make every little gesture so perfect... the kind of understanding and craft she demonstrated there indicated the kind of intelligence and heart that's beyond most people, let alone actors.

[cowboykurtis]

I think Watts was robbed of all the awards she deserved for Mulholland Dr., which I still think is the best performance of the new millennium.

I've been saying the same thing since 2001.

Björk's performance in Dancer in the Dark comes close.

Yeah, that was pretty amazing, as well...

As far as "depth" goes... I can see where maybe there is more forcefulness required of the character in 21 Grams, but to ace the emotional scales across two different (?) characters in Mulholland Dr. and just make every little gesture so perfect... the kind of understanding and craft she demonstrated there indicated the kind of intelligence and heart that's beyond most people, let alone actors.

i remembering hearing that Lynch did not release the whole script for mulholland to the actors. they went moment by moment. if this is the case, the ranges in her perfomance should be more credited to Lynch's direction. If she did not know the final outcome of the film, the "insight" into the dual performance would be non-existant. I remember reading an interview with therauoux commenting on how he had no idea where the film was going, they'd take it occurance by occurance. im not sure that he used the same approach with naomi. also taking into considering that much of the film was shot for the pilot, with out the intention of have the current ending. it was only when he knew it was becoming a feature that he conjoured up the ending in order to "make it work".

[godardian]

I think Watts was robbed of all the awards she deserved for Mulholland Dr., which I still think is the best performance of the new millennium.

I've been saying the same thing since 2001.

Björk's performance in Dancer in the Dark comes close.

Yeah, that was pretty amazing, as well...

As far as "depth" goes... I can see where maybe there is more forcefulness required of the character in 21 Grams, but to ace the emotional scales across two different (?) characters in Mulholland Dr. and just make every little gesture so perfect... the kind of understanding and craft she demonstrated there indicated the kind of intelligence and heart that's beyond most people, let alone actors.

i remembering hearing that Lynch did not release the whole script for mulholland to the actors. they went moment by moment. if this is the case, the ranges in her perfomance should be more credited to Lynch's direction. If she did not know the final outcome of the film, the "insight" into the dual performance would be non-existant. I remember reading an interview with therauoux commenting on how he had no idea where the film was going, they'd take it occurance by occurance. im not sure that he used the same approach with naomi. also taking into considering that much of the film was shot for the pilot, with out the intention of have the current ending. it was only when he knew it was becoming a feature that he conjoured up the ending in order to "make it work".

You're partly right, but I know they didn't go "moment by moment." They had a significant chunk at first (for the pilot), and then when he regrouped them, they got another chunk. At some point, connections were being made and she shaped a performance.

I don't claim Lynch doesn't deserve some of the credit, but it'll take a helluva lot of convincing to make me think that Watts wasn't amazingly, extraordinarily intuitive in her Mulholland role. Which isn't to diminish her great work in 21 Grams; this is definitely her best role since Mulholland, and I'm speaking as someone who actually bought a ticket for Le Divorce. Yes, I went just for her, and yes, it pretty well sucked.

[cowboykurtis]

I think Watts was robbed of all the awards she deserved for Mulholland Dr., which I still think is the best performance of the new millennium.

I've been saying the same thing since 2001.

Björk's performance in Dancer in the Dark comes close.

Yeah, that was pretty amazing, as well...

As far as "depth" goes... I can see where maybe there is more forcefulness required of the character in 21 Grams, but to ace the emotional scales across two different (?) characters in Mulholland Dr. and just make every little gesture so perfect... the kind of understanding and craft she demonstrated there indicated the kind of intelligence and heart that's beyond most people, let alone actors.

i remembering hearing that Lynch did not release the whole script for mulholland to the actors. they went moment by moment. if this is the case, the ranges in her perfomance should be more credited to Lynch's direction. If she did not know the final outcome of the film, the "insight" into the dual performance would be non-existant. I remember reading an interview with therauoux commenting on how he had no idea where the film was going, they'd take it occurance by occurance. im not sure that he used the same approach with naomi. also taking into considering that much of the film was shot for the pilot, with out the intention of have the current ending. it was only when he knew it was becoming a feature that he conjoured up the ending in order to "make it work".

You're partly right!

I agree with a part of that.

[NEON MERCURY]

..this is limited release right now..right???..(ny/la)

gotta wait till it hits more theatres...hopefully soon..

i like all the positive feedback..i had a feeling about this one.... 8)

[modage]

it opened in 4 theatres today in the dc/maryland/va area and i went to see it tonite.  i was looking immensely forward to it as i loved amores perros, and from the plot/cast of this one it had been one of my 10 most anticipated movies of the year.  although like lost in translation, a bit of a dark horse, since there was very little about the movie released until it came out.  it was really really sad/heartbreaking/emotionallydraining.  i thought that one of the themes of the movie was really, you know what weighs more: death, guilt, love?  as in, look how miserable everyone is, and who do YOU think has it the worst.  and i dont know that i could decide, because all three of them were in a situation that was not their fault. and there wasnt anything they could do about it, and it was terrible.  the movies narrative was like a puzzle with the pieces spilled all over the floor assembled in pretty much random order for most of the film.  what i kept asking myself during the movie was, does showing us this out of order actually do anything?  like, would this have been just as good or made any real difference in telling this story had it just been told in order?  and i am not sure of the answer.  my fear is that sine people seem to be running out of stories to tell, a quick and easy way to put a new spin on the storytelling is to mess up the order.  which i dont have a problem with, if it seems like it needs to be (memento, all tarantino, etc.)  but like i said, i'm still not clear on what telling it out of order acheived other than masking what would've been an otherwise straightforward story.  regardless, it didnt blow my mind ( like i hoped it might've), but was still easily one of my top 5 films of the year.  the acting was great all around.  naomi watts seemed especially torn apart, but really like i said, i dont think i could choose who had it worst.  they all were the victims of terrible terrible circumstance and this movie really bummed me out.
do my reviews suck, or what?

[meatball]

Very good review, man.

I'm really looking forward to seeing this movie at my local Nuart.

[Ghostboy]

I just got back from seeing it, and am still mulling over it. I think it is simultaneously brilliant and semi-successful. Godardian makes a good point when he quotes Sarris about the what and the how, and the 'how' is what I would call brilliant, but like themodernage, I wonder if that brilliance hurts the 'what.' I loved assembling the pieces as the story proceeded, and the way they come together is just amazing and graceful....my supreme kudos to the editor. But there is that problem that the emotional impact is somewhat shattered. The story is depressing, but all of the unhapiness is predetermined, and we're privvy to most of it before it happens. This prolongs the pain, but also dulls it. In the end, I felt sad for the characters, but I wasn't depressed, nor was I terribly moved. I'm wondering now, what should have been more valuable to this film -- the drama or the filmmaking itself?

Whatever the case, the performances are...well, everyone's already said what needs to be said -- no disagreements there. And Rodrigo Prieto is quickly becoming my favorite DP. There's that shot during the sex scene of Naomi Watt's torso arching into the sunlight that is just amazing.

I didn't know beforehand that Danny Huston was in the film; the size of his role wasn't a problem, but seeing him onscreen did make me long for another great performance from him (anyone see ivansxtc?).

Despite by misgivings, I too would call this one of the best of the year. The amount of time that I'm spending (and will spend) thinking about it is justification alone.

[meatball]

Well... I have to watch this again, and see what I think.

But my first impression is... Great acting. Ineffective editing.

I keep wondering how this movie would play if all the events were linear. The editing as it is now kept me thinking and on my toes.. but since it jumped from the end to the middle to the end to the beginning to the middle to the end... some of the emotional scenes... felt less powerful then they could have been.

Maybe it was just me. I heard plenty of sniffles around me. Yet, it wasn't really jerking any tears out of me. I felt for them, but by the end.. I felt detached... like I was judging them all for their sins and pitying them for their troubles. And... I didn't really want to feel that way.

[pete]

spoiler

I didn't like that shot in the end with naomi watts happily holding her belly, it stuck out and kinda left a sour taste, and the dave matthews thing didn't help.
I liked everything else about it.  well, I thought sometimes the editing was too obvious in trying to mislead the viewer (the first three shots fired was obvious to me that he didn't shoot benecio), but that was about it.
oh and the dave matthews song in the end.

but liked everything else.