northfork

[pete]

no spoilers, I don't think--this isn't one of those movies you can spoil anyways

I just saw it tonight.  it was pretty good.  I missed the beginning so gonna have to see it again to know exactly what I think about it.  But yeah, haven't seen an American magical realist movie, maybe the Gilliam stuff can kinda be considered magical realism but this is like the only one I've really seen, or even Magnolia?  I dunno I'm no good with these things.  anyhow,  the cinematography is beautiful, and I like a lot of bad puns and jokes they've put in there, blindsiding you and all, including a very random Gary Coleman reference.  
the film as a whole is pretty melancholy.  it's about a little montana town about to be filled with water in 47 hours when the dam is blown.  most of its residents have left, a team of six G-men are promised waterfront property if they could evacuate the rest, with bonuses.  the stubborn residents who've decided to stay are pretty quirky characters, but that over-the-topness is brought down by good acting and just the overall melancholic tone throughout the film.  the g-men here remind me a bit of the bible salesman in the maysles brothers' documentary "salesman in that they're both guys in hat and briefcase whose business involve "saving people" but they themselves are having doubts.
the other plot involves a priest (played by Nick Nolte) who is taking care of a dying boy, who dreams of making deals with four angels that seem to base themselves in an actual Northfork house.  the connection between the two realities is interesting.
overall I have minor dislikes about the film's ending, but we'll talk about it after everyone's seen it.
I saw this in my theater's advanced screening, the theater is packed but a lot of people have walked out.  I like to think they walked out because they're not used to magical realism, but maybe they are experts of the genre and this is like a bad magical realist movie, I dunno, but I'm recommending it and I hope you go see it too so we can talk about it here.

[Ghostboy]

I saw this a couple of weeks ago, and it's one of my favorite movies so far this year. I really loved it. It's really depressing that people walked out of it. Almost the entire movie is breathtaking in its visual scope. The story is very simple and bittersweet -- I can imagine it becoming really trite if the Polish brothers hadn't been so sincere about the material. Also, I can't believe they made this movie for less than two million. When you see it you'll understand, and I highly recommend seeing it.

What didn't you like about the ending, Pete? And how much of the beginning did you miss?

My full review is here: http://www.road-dog-productions.com

I really liked Twin Falls Idaho as well, but I never saw their second film, Jackpot. I'm gonna have to go rent that now.

[pete]

*very vague spoiler*

I just thought it was a bit too sweet, which I suppose it unavoidable.  but you're right, it's really hard to be cynical about something when the brothers are so sincere about their own material.

[Fernando]

I saw this a couple of weeks ago, and it's one of my favorite movies so far this year. I really loved it. It's really depressing that people walked out of it. Almost the entire movie is breathtaking in its visual scope. The story is very simple and bittersweet -- I can imagine it becoming really trite if the Polish brothers hadn't been so sincere about the material. Also, I can't believe they made this movie for less than two million. When you see it you'll understand, and I highly recommend seeing it.

What about the cinematography GB? I happen to know David Mullen (its DP) through amk (alt.movies.kubrick), he is a good contributor of it and seems to know his stuff pretty well.

In fact he said this about the shooting:

"The third film that I shot for the Polish Brothers, "Northfork", opens Friday in select theaters.  It was shot in 35mm Panavision anamorphic, up in Montana during the late winter.  It's sort of a dreamlike tale of a town that has been emptied because it will sonn be under water, but a few people emain for various reasons."

"It was shot in 24-days on a just-under 2-mil budget.  I also had about four
days with just a camera assistant driving around and shooting some landscape shots in Montana that were fun to do.  And during the shoot, I had two AFI students shooting second unit who did a nice job getting more shots for me of period cars driving through the landscapes, plus some other inserts. It's that stuff that makes the film look bigger-budgeted than it really was. I have to give a lot of credit to the Montana plains in winter, which are amazingly bleak and powerful when you can see the base of the Rockies in the distance.  The secret to great cinematography: put great-looking things in front of the camera and then don't screw it up..."

[dufresne]

this movie is fucking amazing.

[Ghostboy]

What about the cinematography GB?

It's astounding. The effects he got with natural light beats out any studio project I've seen in recent years. It's also makes some of the best use of bleach bypassing I've ever seen.



For those of you who are intrigued, you can go to www.paramountclassics.com/northfork to see the trailer. However, I'd strongly recommend NOT watching the trailer and just going to the movie and letting it take you completely by surprise.

[Sal]

Ghostboy are screenings in Austin typically much sooner than in other parts of the US?  You seem to catch 'em quite early on.

[Ghostboy]

I'm in Dallas, actually. The timeliness of the screenings varies...usually they screen smaller movies pretty far in advance (before they open in NY and LA), but I don't see most big movies until the week they open in wide release.

[Gold Trumpet]

I'm always envious of Ghostboy. I'll be lucky to see this film in the next 6 months given my location. Damn, what it is like to be a texan and from Austin......

~rougerum

[Gold Trumpet]

........Dallas.........same difference.

~rougerum

[Ravi]

The DP, M. David Mullen, is a frequent contributor to the rec.arts.movies.tech newsgroup, FYI.

Being a Texan is the most exciting thing ever.  You get a gift basket upon moving here.

[RegularKarate]

Fuck, I didn't get that basket!

and I work right next to the capital building, you'd think they would have spotted me by now.

[SoNowThen]

I wanna see this movie so bad.

Early August, it comes to town.

[chainsmoking insomniac]

Good goddamn, this movie sounds AMAZING.  What a cast!  What a synopsis!

[mindfuck]

I caught this last night and was pretty impressed. The cinematography was nothing short of amazing.