Xixax Film Forum

Film Discussion => The Vault => Topic started by: wilder on November 29, 2011, 05:42:13 PM

Title: Dark Horse
Post by: wilder on November 29, 2011, 05:42:13 PM
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg208.imageshack.us%2Fimg208%2F9555%2Fdarkhorse.jpg&hash=d88ed764b85271381ebbf75ced3c5850fb0ea5fd)

Romance blooms between two thirty-somethings in arrested development: an avid toy collector and a woman who is the dark horse of her family.

Written and Directed by Todd Solondz
Trailer (http://youtu.be/sk41YbAH3rA)
Trailer 2 (http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/exclusive-new-trailer-for-todd-solondzs-dark-horse-starring-christopher-walken-mia-farrow-selma-blair-more-20120508?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed)
IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1690455/)
Release Date - June 8, 2012

(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg338.imageshack.us%2Fimg338%2F4083%2Fdarkhorsegall1.jpg&hash=d2c1aa023f57ca8d51a23a8e4aa36da52bbd8ada)

Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on December 01, 2011, 01:17:56 AM
Yawn.

What happened, Todd Solondz?
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Pubrick on December 03, 2011, 04:32:30 AM
he was always boring and irrelevant.

people are just realising that now.

happiness was a fluke.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on December 03, 2011, 03:51:26 PM
Meh that's hyperbole. Happiness/Storytelling/Palindromes are all amazing.

Life During Wartime was amazing ...ly bad.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: squints on December 04, 2011, 10:02:16 AM
has anyone seen this?

Mod? Where are you?
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: socketlevel on December 04, 2011, 11:41:31 AM
I saw it at TIFF in september. I liked it. It's very low budget. It's what you would expect; beautiful, disturbing, and sad. Selma Blair reprises her role from storytelling. If you didn't like todd solondz before, you probably still won't.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Reel on December 04, 2011, 01:12:30 PM
apparently this hasn't found distribution yet in the U.S. This is his third quasi-sequel to his first three 'real' movies. Maybe people aren't feeling him as much because he keeps repeating himself? I am glad that Selma Blair is reprising her role from 'Storytelling'. I wanted to see more from that character and always thought she had the best way of delivering Solondz's dialogue.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on December 04, 2011, 02:01:42 PM
Quote from: socketlevel on December 04, 2011, 11:41:31 AMdisturbing

Hmm is the trailer omitting most of that?
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Reel on December 04, 2011, 02:16:23 PM
did you check out the 2 second clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp9ueZ6rUA8)?
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on December 04, 2011, 02:27:56 PM
I'll keep an open mind, I guess.

I did find a better trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=3Y-PaEsCINk
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Reel on December 04, 2011, 02:43:07 PM
you're right, that trailer makes it look like a completely different movie!
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: socketlevel on December 05, 2011, 12:47:11 AM
***SPOILS***

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on December 04, 2011, 02:01:42 PM
Quote from: socketlevel on December 04, 2011, 11:41:31 AMdisturbing

Hmm is the trailer omitting most of that?

It's a strange flick for him because the disturbing elements don't find their way into the film until the last act. the set up is probably the most tame and mainstream of all his films.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on December 05, 2011, 12:47:54 AM
I am intrigued.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: wilder on May 02, 2012, 08:56:50 PM
Opens in New York on June 8, followed by a slow expansion.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Reel on May 03, 2012, 12:42:34 AM
cool! gonna take me forever to see this shit. I hope he puts it up on demand like with Life During Wartime.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: wilder on May 08, 2012, 02:36:49 PM
New Trailer (http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/exclusive-new-trailer-for-todd-solondzs-dark-horse-starring-christopher-walken-mia-farrow-selma-blair-more-20120508?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed)
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: wilder on September 02, 2012, 03:53:50 PM
Blu-ray on November 13, 2012 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008ZQ4W5U/ref=nosim?tag=dvdbeaver-20&link_code=as3&creativeASIN=B008ZQ4W5U&creative=373489&camp=211189)
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: jenkins on September 19, 2012, 08:10:13 PM
Saw this with three friends and we were all blown away and clapped at the end. I think it's his best suburban surrealism. And it made me feel tender.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Reel on September 19, 2012, 08:24:05 PM
Polka told me I could pre-order this over Amazon. This is what I got for $14.95



(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.moviegoods.com%2FAssets%2Fproduct_images%2F1020%2F210040.1020.A.jpg&hash=3782c76b2dece066edf24ee9620c3ce36d0e537e)
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: JG on September 19, 2012, 09:20:42 PM
there's a visual gag in this movie that is great - one of my favorite moments in a movie this year - and the kind of thing that i'm surprised hasn't been in a movie before. i won't spoil it, but def +1 if you can guess what it is.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on September 19, 2012, 09:24:09 PM
Is it the relentless soft focus?
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: 72teeth on September 21, 2012, 03:35:59 PM

jaundice
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: socketlevel on September 22, 2012, 01:51:21 AM
Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on December 05, 2011, 12:47:54 AM
I am intrigued.

going way back with this quote. so what did you think in the end?
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Reel on September 22, 2012, 09:54:58 AM
are you kidding me? JB didn't see this. The thread would be 20 pages by now.


did you?
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on September 22, 2012, 10:51:56 AM
Not yet. After Life During Wartime, it wasn't worth the drive and $8 plus $4 parking to see this in the theater.

However, I am eager to see this on home video, as they say. I will report back in November.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: socketlevel on November 05, 2012, 03:10:00 AM
Quote from: Reelist on September 22, 2012, 09:54:58 AM
are you kidding me? JB didn't see this. The thread would be 20 pages by now.


did you?

ya I saw it at Tiff two years ago. scroll back in this thread and you'll see my post about it after I did.

I liked it, though didn't love it like i usually do with his work. It's too far back to be able to remember the finer points sadly. I'll have to watch it again on video.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Reel on November 05, 2012, 10:37:46 AM
Damn, it's already two years old? Damn... It's my most anticipated film to see this year as of now. I rented it on itunes, but the shit wouldn't play, so I bitched about it and got a refund. I discovered that you can do this with anything, even if you've already used it. Pretty awesome loophole, they'll even give you free song credits if you make enough of a fuss, so there's that. I'm gonna find a way to watch it soon. PAY FOR IT, PEOPLE! Don't download it. Todd needs your help.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: socketlevel on November 05, 2012, 01:04:18 PM
well two septembers ago, so more like a year and change.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Reel on November 07, 2012, 10:39:17 PM
It's on Netflix  Watch Instantly (http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Dark_Horse/70146862?trkid=2361637)   FUCK YES!!!!
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: ono on November 07, 2012, 11:36:33 PM
I know there's like 17 different Dark Horse movies mentioned in this thread, but that's not the one I care about.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Reel on November 09, 2012, 05:17:12 PM
So, I was rating my purchases on Amazon and they were all satisfactory except this one firewire cord I bought that wouldn't work. I don't even think it was their fault, the computer I was using it on was probably outdated. Anyway I rated it 1* and said it was a piece of shit, and I was given a refund of $4, so guess who's watching Dark Horse on Amazon prime tonight? And guess who else is watching my copy of 'Welcome To The Dollhouse' right now? ( my little sister and her friends.. love it )


you guys should really take advantage of this. I'm gonna start complaining about everything I buy online, see what happens...
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on November 18, 2012, 08:12:27 PM
I saw this last night, and I feel somewhat indifferent. I think I'm still coming to terms with the fact that Todd Solondz is apparently done making confrontational movies.

But if I ignore that context, it's a really good and very strange movie. I especially liked how it handled dream sequences. The Toys R Us scenes were fantastic.

Maybe I should revisit Life During Wartime and see if I can appreciate it without expecting something big to happen.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Reel on November 19, 2012, 11:30:54 AM
This was the first of Solondz films that I totally understood upon first viewing and there wasn't any confusion about if he was using his characters as a mouthpiece for himself or not. Abe is pretty clearly laid out as a despicable person by the way he treats those closest to him, yet he seeks redemption, and as audience members we have to ask ourselves- does he deserve it? His behavior throughout the film makes a great case for why he doesn't and the way things turn out for him follow suit ( no spoilers ). In the end, like most of Solondz work, the film presents the question of- what kind of values do we root for when we partake in a cinematic experience? Should an unsavory character have his day in the sun or get what's coming to him? It all depends on how much you identify with the material, I guess. However you approach it, you can't deny how bittersweet the outcome of this film is.

Definitely a buy from me. I've already seen it twice and I think it deserves more viewings. It might even be one of my favorites of Solondz because my initial reaction to it was so positive. All of his other films have left me really confused the first time I watched them and I had to wrestle with them for awhile before I could decide if I liked them or not. With this I felt like I was along for the ride from the very start- I really enjoyed it, probably made me laugh the most of any of his films with Abe's childish antics.


Solondz is on WTF (http://www.wtfpod.com/) today, should be the best interview with him ever. Since Maron totally get's him and doesn't shy away from the tough questions or treading heavy emotional terrain.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: classical gas on January 18, 2013, 03:23:43 PM
This is on Netflix instant now, for real.  Who else is gonna stick it in their queue and think about watching it sometime?
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: Stefen on January 18, 2013, 04:35:29 PM
Quote from: classical gas on January 18, 2013, 03:23:43 PM
This is on Netflix instant now, for real.  Who else is gonna stick it in their queue and think about watching it sometime?

I watched it. Thought it was dumb. It's basically Forever Alone: The Movie. There's one plot point that is kind of edgy, but it's mostly just about a fat nerd doing fat nerd things.
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: jenkins on January 19, 2013, 02:59:05 PM
if that was like an audience card it'd be a total shrugger. movie is or isn't good, but obvs about things, has things
Title: Re: Dark Horse
Post by: ElPandaRoyal on September 27, 2013, 05:21:12 AM
I saw this yesterday and even though I didn't love it, it made me feel quite uncomfortable and been thinking a lot about it. It has a great central character, the kind that makes you laugh at for being such an idiot but you can see has very strong demons inside him. Good watch, reminded me I still have to take a look at some Solondz's stuff I've missed, like Palindromes and Life During Wartime.