Elephant

Because everybody thinks they have an opinion.
Post Reply

Rate it.

A+
0
No votes
A
2
67%
A-
0
No votes
B+
0
No votes
B
0
No votes
B-
0
No votes
C+
0
No votes
C
0
No votes
C-
1
33%
D+
0
No votes
D
0
No votes
D-
0
No votes
F
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 3
Calfborg
Somebody Get Me A Doctor
Posts: 176
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 12:19 pm
Location: Joplin, MO
Contact:

Elephant

Post by Calfborg »

I just bought this movie at Hastings for about $8 the other day. I watched it this morning around 1:30 a.m., and I really liked it. Once I saw the two kids in the army gear (hinting at the "heavy shit that's gonna go down"), I was pretty anxious to see what happened next. I had no idea that it's basically about a school shooting when I bought it. The last 20 minutes are just shocking. The sound of the gunshots aren't overdone, they actually sound realistic (not that I've actually heard a real Tec-9 or anything, but it is very believable). It's a nice dissection of a regular day in high school, and the shooting part I'd assume is a pretty accurate representation. The ending felt a little incomplete and I think some things could have gone more into detail, but it was very well done overall. I give it an A.
User avatar
JonPorobil
Beat It
Posts: 5682
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 11:45 am
Instruments: Piano, Guitar, Harmonica, Mandolin, Accordion, Bass, lots of VSTs
Recording Method: Cubase 10.5
Submitting as: Jon Eric, Jon Porobil, others
Pronouns: He/Him
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Contact:

Post by JonPorobil »

Alright, I spent a good hour at least debating this film with some of my pretentious/artsy classmates, and I disagree with them. I saw it, and yes, I must concede, there's some genuine artistry in the pacing, the shots, and the eerie quality throughout. But my main complaint, I said, was that all the characters were flat stereotypes. We have the good-looking girls who throw up their lunch in the bathroom stalls, we have the quiet photographer who doesn't interact with people unless he's taking pictures of them... Worst of all were the shooters. They were both skinheads who indulged in violent video games, neo-Nazi propaganda, and homoerotic experimentation.

The reply from my friend Gail: "Well, that was the point, that we don't really know anything about these children, and Van Sant wasn't trying to explain anything."

Finally, I managed to formulate a response. If he doesn't want to offer any answers, but we don't know anything to begin with, then why was the film made? That's a pretty fundamental level for a film to fail on, so far as I'm concerned. I didn't faze my classmates, and I don't suspect I'll faze most of you, but that was my take on it.
"Warren Zevon would be proud." -Reve Mosquito

Stages, an album of about dealing with loss, anxiety, and grieving a difficult year, now available on Bandcamp and all streaming platforms! https://jonporobil.bandcamp.com/album/stages
User avatar
jute gyte
Mean Street
Posts: 595
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 1:27 pm
Location: Missouri
Contact:

Post by jute gyte »

i haven't seen it, but would like to. and van sant forever wins my praise for making one of the few successful horror remakes with his 'psycho'. (this is mainly because it is a scene-by-scene recreation, but whatever.)
"I believe the common character of the universe is not harmony, but hostility, chaos and murder." - Werner Herzog
jute gyte
User avatar
JonPorobil
Beat It
Posts: 5682
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 11:45 am
Instruments: Piano, Guitar, Harmonica, Mandolin, Accordion, Bass, lots of VSTs
Recording Method: Cubase 10.5
Submitting as: Jon Eric, Jon Porobil, others
Pronouns: He/Him
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Contact:

Post by JonPorobil »

Jute, you seem to be very outspoken.

said the pot to the kettle
"Warren Zevon would be proud." -Reve Mosquito

Stages, an album of about dealing with loss, anxiety, and grieving a difficult year, now available on Bandcamp and all streaming platforms! https://jonporobil.bandcamp.com/album/stages
HeuristicsInc
Beat It
Posts: 5297
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 6:14 pm
Instruments: Synths
Recording Method: Windows computer, Acid, Synths etc.
Submitting as: Heuristics Inc. (duh) + collabs
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Maryland USA
Contact:

Post by HeuristicsInc »

jute gyte wrote:...making one of the few successful horror remakes with his 'psycho'. (this is mainly because it is a scene-by-scene recreation, but whatever.)
Well, what's the point of that? The old one still exists. Why replace it with another one just like it?

Actually I have this question about most movie remakes.
-bill
152612141617123326211316121416172329292119162316331829382412351416132117152332252921
http://heuristicsinc.com
Liner Notes
SF Lyric Ideas
Jefff
Push Comes to Shove
Posts: 395
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2004 1:23 pm
Submitting as: PPV
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Denver, CO, US
Contact:

Post by Jefff »

Generic wrote:If he doesn't want to offer any answers, but we don't know anything to begin with, then why was the film made? That's a pretty fundamental level for a film to fail on, so far as I'm concerned.
I think it's not just that the film fails to provide answers. It willfully avoids answers. Any deep examination of the characters would suggest all kinds of answers that just aren't there. Personally, I saw the whole pre-attack sequence with the two killers as a way of teasing us about wanting simple answers. "Is this the reason? Is this the reason?"

I don't think the film cares about the reasons. It cares about the reality, and its purpose is to put the viewer into that reality without giving us any easy outs.

I found the shooting sequence to be completely brilliant, and for me, it's the point of the whole film- to watch the event unfold without drama, without suspense, and with as little speculation as possible. It's a wonderful antidote to all the media/cultural spin we got about the actual event. Understandably, there was the mad rush to explain what happened. This movie restores the initial reaction of horror.
User avatar
jb
Hot for Teacher
Posts: 4159
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 10:12 am
Instruments: Guitar, Cello, Keys, Uke, Vox, Perc
Recording Method: Logic X
Submitting as: The John Benjamin Band
Pronouns: he/him
Location: WASHINGTON, DC
Contact:

Post by jb »

Columbine is one of my worst nightmares. I will never watch this movie. Even this thread is freaking me out a little. Ugh.
User avatar
jute gyte
Mean Street
Posts: 595
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 1:27 pm
Location: Missouri
Contact:

Post by jute gyte »

HeuristicsInc wrote: Well, what's the point of that? The old one still exists. Why replace it with another one just like it?

Actually I have this question about most movie remakes.
-bill
yeah. i don't know what the point of it is. i certainly wouldn't spend my time on it were i a filmmaker. but as it is, his strict adherence to the original means that, whether or not the remake is necessary, it's guaranteed to be pretty good. which is more than i can say for the recent texas chainsaw massacre remake, for instance.

generic: i have been voicing my opinion more on this board lately, yeah. am i going about it in a disrespectful manner or something?
"I believe the common character of the universe is not harmony, but hostility, chaos and murder." - Werner Herzog
jute gyte
User avatar
JonPorobil
Beat It
Posts: 5682
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 11:45 am
Instruments: Piano, Guitar, Harmonica, Mandolin, Accordion, Bass, lots of VSTs
Recording Method: Cubase 10.5
Submitting as: Jon Eric, Jon Porobil, others
Pronouns: He/Him
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Contact:

Post by JonPorobil »

No, by "outspoken," I mean that you seem to hold unpopular opinions (which is cool; it takes balls to come out and disagree). Pretty much everyone I've ever spoken with hated Van Sant's remake of Psycho. I haven't seen it, but I've talked with many people who have. Here's my answer, then, to Bill:

The acting. Gus can set up every shot exactly like the original movie, but it won't change the fact that different actors, who look different, and who will give lines slightly different spins, are playing the same characters. I can respect that as an experiment, even if I don't really wanna see it.
"Warren Zevon would be proud." -Reve Mosquito

Stages, an album of about dealing with loss, anxiety, and grieving a difficult year, now available on Bandcamp and all streaming platforms! https://jonporobil.bandcamp.com/album/stages
User avatar
jb
Hot for Teacher
Posts: 4159
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 10:12 am
Instruments: Guitar, Cello, Keys, Uke, Vox, Perc
Recording Method: Logic X
Submitting as: The John Benjamin Band
Pronouns: he/him
Location: WASHINGTON, DC
Contact:

Post by jb »

I didn't hate Van Sant's "Psycho", but I did dislike Anne Heche's performance. When she's packing to leave, you can see every little actor-decision she made. Every twitch of an eyebrow looks planned out.

Meryl Streep does the same thing. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. In 'Bridges of Madison County' it totally worked. In, say, 'The River Wild' it most definitely did not. LOOK SHE'S ACTING! BOY IS SHE EVER!
HeuristicsInc
Beat It
Posts: 5297
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 6:14 pm
Instruments: Synths
Recording Method: Windows computer, Acid, Synths etc.
Submitting as: Heuristics Inc. (duh) + collabs
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Maryland USA
Contact:

Post by HeuristicsInc »

Generic wrote:I can respect that as an experiment, even if I don't really wanna see it.
This made me laugh. Thanks.
Sure, there are different people in them, yes... but I think there are still original stories worth filming, sequels, even... anyway.
-bill
152612141617123326211316121416172329292119162316331829382412351416132117152332252921
http://heuristicsinc.com
Liner Notes
SF Lyric Ideas
Eric Y.
Ice Cream Man
Posts: 1797
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2004 12:36 pm

Post by Eric Y. »

well ... songs get covered all the time, sometimes throwing a whole new creative spin on the original, and sometimes merely recreating it, but ordinarily the purposes for doing this are either to pay tribute to the original artist or to update the sound slightly and introduce the song to a newer audience, or a combination of those.

these are the same reasons, i'd imagine, for a film to be remade.
HeuristicsInc
Beat It
Posts: 5297
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 6:14 pm
Instruments: Synths
Recording Method: Windows computer, Acid, Synths etc.
Submitting as: Heuristics Inc. (duh) + collabs
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Maryland USA
Contact:

Post by HeuristicsInc »

good point, i guess that goes to show i know more about music than movies.
but there's no real point in doing a cover that sounds just like the original either :)
-bill
152612141617123326211316121416172329292119162316331829382412351416132117152332252921
http://heuristicsinc.com
Liner Notes
SF Lyric Ideas
Post Reply