Licorice Pizza - Speculation & General Reactions

[Montclair]

The only film he's done that I would consider "minor" is Sydney.  I think this conversation as a whole is rather meaningless.  I thought "minor" was assigned to works that weren't up to par, not based on their length or scope. Almost all of Bergman's films are 90 minutes. Did he just make minor films?

Minor means that it's not up to par in comparison to either other works of art or specifically to the artist's works of art. In the case of Paul, I'm not saying Sydney, PDL and IV aren't up to par with other movies, I'm saying they aren't up to par with the movies Paul has done that really made a big impact on the world of film as well as the craft itself. Almost all of Bergman's films are 90 minutes and almost all of Paul's films are 150 minutes. I think they both clearly have a very defined amount of time that they do their greatest work in.

Punch Drunk Love is a lot of filmmaker's favorite PTA film(Safdies, Apatow, Bong Joon-Ho, Guillermo Del Toro), but it's still minor by your "impact of the world of film and craft itself" definition? Why not just say it's not your favorite and minor in your opinion? And that brings back to the ultimate point: just as one film may be minor to me, but an essential to you,  we should wait and see the work itself before we use such labels.

For example, I consider The Master his best film and therefore an essential, but a lot of my film pals think it's a PTA deep cut at best.

The amount of effort and attention to detail in PDL is minor in comparison to his other works outside of Sydney. Your film pals wouldn't deny that The Master had more research, effort and resources poured into it than PDL. Bottle Rocket is a lot of filmmaker's favorite films. I'd say it's a minor workout in comparison to the amount of effort put into Wes Anderson's subsequent films.

[pynchonikon]

https://twitter.com/Emily_Is_Moore/status/1457916916111011841

Keeps getting raving reviews in LB as well:

[Rooty Poots]

I'm just going to chalk up all the heated responses in this thread to it being No Nut November and see it as an opportunity for the rest of us to freely give our grace as we grow as empathetic beings.

For my part, very few of the Letterboxd reviews made this sound like 'minor PTA.' Some did, sure, but there was a whole bunch of ebullience on display in many of those reviews, as well.

[Lots of Bees]

https://letterboxd.com/vkenichi/film/licorice-pizza/

Great review. They saw it twice and it's interesting to hear how their thoughts changed.
(mostly just talks about general tone and stuff but they put their own disclaimer before any spoilers so I felt comfortable putting it in this thread)

Think I'm gonna stop reading stuff now. Yes, I have been actively seeking out information, but I don't wanna know much more before going into it for real.

[RudyBlatnoyd]

https://letterboxd.com/vkenichi/film/licorice-pizza/

Great review. They saw it twice and it's interesting to hear how their thoughts changed.
(mostly just talks about general tone and stuff but they put their own disclaimer before any spoilers so I felt comfortable putting it in this thread)

Think I'm gonna stop reading stuff now. Yes, I have been actively seeking out information, but I don't wanna know much more before going into it for real.

That is a very thoughtful review.

LP seems like the kind of movie that will get written off by some critics and audience members as lightweight or simply odd in the immediate wake of its release, only to grow in stature down the line. Rather like IV, but perhaps not to the same extent of polarisation. Not really seeing it as a major awards magnet, not that it matters at all, since the subject matter isn't particularly 'worthy' and words like 'strange' and 'tonally jarring' don't tend to sit well with the Academy.

At this point in his career, I do find it baffling that some people whom I know to be highly intelligent can fail to recognise that PTA is one of the greatest living American filmmakers. It would seem so self-evident to me. Ain't it funny how two people can see the same thing and come away with completely different perspectives on it.

Also, I would just like to say that I do not accept that smallness or modesty in scale or subject matter equals 'minor'. For proof, please watch Jean Renoir's A Day in the Country if you haven't seen it; one of the absolutely essential films from one of the absolutely essential filmmakers of the 20th century. The fact that Renoir is referenced in that review gets me excited.

[jzakko]

To go back to Montclair's early write-off, though I'm sure nobody wants to.

Montclair, I think it's fine for you to want to form an early impression of the film, and for you to conclude that the film will likely be a minor entry for you, but it is objectively strange to let some early buzz like that (which is pretty much all positive anyway) stop you from seeing it in theaters.

You're spending a lot of time in a PTA fan thread, writing comment after comment, many of which are paragraphs long, and all it takes for you to avoid the new film by one of your favorite filmmakers is reading between the lines of a few very early reactions? After writing essays of your thoughts on all this?

Like, that's pathologically weird behavior, and it's ridiculous that you have the gall to tell us "You're "unable to 'kill your idols' which is causing you an inability to grow and have your own opinion."

Let's just make one thing clear, you don't have your own opinion here, since you haven't seen the movie. You have a loose prediction of how you're going to feel based off of very little.

[max from fearless]

Super interesting marketing roll out with this one....Seeing the film play guilds first, etc. Will we see any home made trailers? Do we miss the home made trailers or prefer the more glossy IV like trailers, with big songs etc? Will there be another trailer before Xmas? (fingers crossed) Whatever people think about the movie, based on one or two viewings (I really think you need longer, to sit with it and let the damn thing breathe and play alongside your own life, not unlike an album etc, but they are all super exciting to read) it is SUPER COOL that people are going back n forth passionately about what they think it is, and how it felt to them and I'm really glad that the movie is generating discussion - it really illustrates how much love there is for PTA and his movies (of all shapes, sizes and lengths lol. ps. there's no such thing as minor PTA, without PDL you don't get TWBB - its all process, progression and learning/unlearning, right?) and how well regarded he is, regardless of whether he hits or misses! Isn't it amazing to have this movie coming out after shooting in 2020 (which was a brutal, brutal year) isn't it amazing to have a film from PTA so quickly after PT? Especially with the way 'the business' is going, VOD releases for 'smaller movies', big movies struggling throughout the pandemic....Honestly, saying this with love, we kinda need to count our blessings - this is truly a great thing thats happening, with this release - this year (or next year for some of us) Hoping for another trailer (al rose promotions lookin at you!!!) and also looking forward to the soundtrack announcement as well as the movie itself! New posters look spiffy as well! Thanks for posting all the reviews, especially the twitter ones for us non-twitter folk.

[Montclair]

https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2021/11/fyhjxedja144sc0lu1teq96o48ax1t


"The film meanders, but that's part of its charm. I liked the "Lady Bird" comparisons. "Licorice Pizza" felt like a mix between Gerwig's film, Linklater's "Everybody Wants Some" and "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." It's a hangout movie with a very big heart and a highly emotional payoff. It does feel like the most minimally realized but personal movie of his career. It's not striving for greatness as much as artful comfort food. The photography elevates everything though, the tracking shots are stunning. There are some groovy '70s needle drops, including a killer moment with [Redacted]. Safdie as Joel Wachs actually has [Redacted]. Yes, there is not necessarily a story to speak of here. It's just bits and pieces, bits and pieces, etc.  But there IS this undercurrent all through it, which is that they like each other a lot but [Redacted]. I went with it and was rewarded with an enormous amount of pleasures. it's anecdotal with lots of cultural pointilism and also a interesting and exciting capture of the 1973–'74 San Fernando Valley."

[Alethia]

Can we refrain from posting even moderately detailed reviews in this thread please? While the above isn't especially spoilery, it does, for instance, ruin what would have otherwise been the very pleasant surprise of a cool-sounding needle drop that I'd have preferred to experience in the moment. Picky, perhaps, but please, thanks.

EDIT - apologies for coming across as unreasonably cranky, this was a pre-coffee post.

[ono]

The amount of effort and attention to detail in PDL is minor in comparison to his other works outside of Sydney.

You are just flat out wrong about that.  Looky here: someone's wrong on the Internet!  There is a whole thread here dedicated to all the "quirky delights" (read: attention to detail) in PDL, and back in college I wrote a paper about that phenomenon as well.

[jviness02]

The only film he's done that I would consider "minor" is Sydney.  I think this conversation as a whole is rather meaningless.  I thought "minor" was assigned to works that weren't up to par, not based on their length or scope. Almost all of Bergman's films are 90 minutes. Did he just make minor films?

Minor means that it's not up to par in comparison to either other works of art or specifically to the artist's works of art. In the case of Paul, I'm not saying Sydney, PDL and IV aren't up to par with other movies, I'm saying they aren't up to par with the movies Paul has done that really made a big impact on the world of film as well as the craft itself. Almost all of Bergman's films are 90 minutes and almost all of Paul's films are 150 minutes. I think they both clearly have a very defined amount of time that they do their greatest work in.

Punch Drunk Love is a lot of filmmaker's favorite PTA film(Safdies, Apatow, Bong Joon-Ho, Guillermo Del Toro), but it's still minor by your "impact of the world of film and craft itself" definition? Why not just say it's not your favorite and minor in your opinion? And that brings back to the ultimate point: just as one film may be minor to me, but an essential to you,  we should wait and see the work itself before we use such labels.

For example, I consider The Master his best film and therefore an essential, but a lot of my film pals think it's a PTA deep cut at best.

The amount of effort and attention to detail in PDL is minor in comparison to his other works outside of Sydney. Your film pals wouldn't deny that The Master had more research, effort and resources poured into it than PDL. Bottle Rocket is a lot of filmmaker's favorite films. I'd say it's a minor workout in comparison to the amount of effort put into Wes Anderson's subsequent films.

I do not think there's anyway we can claim that The Master had more "effort" than Punch Drunk Love. That's just ludicrous. More resources and research? Simply because of what the story was about.  Greyhound also has more resources and research than PDL. No one is going to say that is a better movie. Your moving the goalpost.

[HoQTeMR4]

Is there ignore option on this forum?
It became unbearable.

[Drenk]

Is there ignore option on this forum?
It became unbearable.

Yep. In Account Settings, put your cursor on "Modify Profile", then "Buddies/Ignore List" and "Edit Ignore List".

[HoQTeMR4]

Is there ignore option on this forum?
It became unbearable.

Yep. In Account Settings, put your cursor on "Modify Profile", then "Buddies/Ignore List" and "Edit Ignore List".

Thank you very much.

[wilberfan]

I'm just going to chalk up all the heated responses in this thread to it being No Nut November and see it as an opportunity for the rest of us to freely give our grace as we grow as empathetic beings.

This comment started my day off in the best possible way.