Films/DVD Asylum

No offense Troy, but I beg to differ; at it's best this is an "okay" film.

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Audiophilander

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In Reply to: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind posted by Troy on March 21, 2004 at 18:17:12:

As I've said in a post below, Kaufman's scripts aren't everybody's cup'a tea. While I'll grant that Carry's performance was fine as were others, I couldn't help but feel that I was watching someone's student film due to the nauseatingly shaky hand-held camera shots and scenes that felt more like rehersals than final takes. In the final analysis one should develope some sort of empathy or compassion for the characters in a film, and on that level ESoTSM fails miserably. My appraisal combined with a description the reactions of my wife and one of our friends is just a scroll away!
Cheers,
AuPh

Follow Ups:

No offense taken, but you're wrong - Troy 11:23:14 03/23/04 (8)
Gee, I wish I saw that other thread about this movie before I started this one. This board seems to clutter up with a lot of noise and the worthwhile things get lost off screen.
Here's why you're wrong:
http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/eternalsunshineofthespotlessmind/
It's one of the best reviewed movies in a long time. 15 reviews giving it a perfect "100", garnering an average score of 87 with 40 reviews? That's an average that you just can't ignore. But hey, it got a 50 in Balmer.
Not the biggest fan of random camera movement myself because most of the time it has no point, but the effect was just right for this disorienting story.
I really connected with these people. I know people just like this, don't you? I, like the posters in that other thread, empathized with these characters quite a bit even though I'm closer in age to the doctor than I am to the stars.
- 93% on Rotten Tomatoes...highest I have seen FWIW. (nt - dennzio 11:38:36 03/24/04 (1)
  nt
  - There are 6 films with higher ratings just on the current list. - sjb 08:34:28 03/25/04 (0)
    I don't know if that means 93% isn't that great or all 6 films are truly excellent.
    - http://www.rottentomatoes.com/movies/box_office.php?sort=t_meter&rank_id=482 (Open in New Window)
- Well, it isn't necessarily a matter of right or wrong here, it's differing tastes. - Audiophilander 13:51:43 03/23/04 (5)
  I wasn't overwhelmed and the folks I was with were even less impressed than I was with the film. We'd read the reviews and I was the one who insisted in our seeing it; BTW, I was roundly blamed afterwards because neither my wife nor our guest really wanted to see this movie. Charlie Kaufman, it would seem, is an acquired taste which some folks will NEVER acquire; I'm one of them, which is my loss or gain dependent upon your viewpoint.
  AuPh
  - Re: Disagree - rico 15:32:14 03/23/04 (2)
    I did not care for "Human Nature or "Being John Malkovich". I love
    "Adaptation". I like "Eternal Sunshine..." So it's not either/or, for me at least.
    - I came closer on Being John Malkovich than Adaptation or Sunshine. - Audiophilander 17:09:04 03/23/04 (1)
      The abstract quirkiness of Being John Malkovich is at least challenging in a surreal imaginative way. I've never seen Human Nature, so I have no opinion on it, but I'm of the opinion that a film HAS to have characters that I care about in order to hold my interest, regardless of whether they're heroic or villainous. You are correct that it isn't an either/or situation; that's not exactly what I meant by "an acquired taste which some folks will NEVER acquire." I do assess films on a case by case basis, but my negative appraisal of Charlie Kaufman's writing skill is indicative of the general direction he seems headed, if we are to assume that he, as an developing screenwriter, is gravitating toward a certain style. In essence, his style appearsd to be moving farther and farther away from my particular tastes.
      Of course there are many filmgoers raving about Kaufman's writing. Lots of folks like what he's doing and I respect those differing opinions.
      AuPh
      - Eternal Sunshine ..... I walked out after an hour. - Elmo 05:56:34 03/25/04 (0)
        
        In Reply to: I came closer on Being John Malkovich than Adaptation or Sunshine. posted by Audiophilander on March 23, 2004 at 17:09:04:
        
        It fails on so many basic cinematic levels. The previously mentioned herky jerky camera, the tight cramped shots, the quick cuts, the lighting, the palette. But mostly the mundane characters.
        By whatever means that were employed, it seemed to be too much of an attemt to capture some of the lightning of Being John M.. Where many of the same elements previously used, did work.
        The script (yes, certainly nice when a film actually has one), creates a not too believable mousy male, and a not too believable contrary female. I did enjoy the first twenty minutes inspite of the weakly scripted characters. I liked that the credits didn't roll until then, and that the third character wasn't introduced til then. I'm a fan of Carrey, loved Truman. Thoroughly enjoyed Being John M.. Carrey seems to be in search of the same magic of Truman, or Man on the Moon. I say relax, have fun, don't sweat it, you're trying TOO hard. And Kaufman should get out to a nightclub and have a drink. Shoot some pool, loosen up as well. Yes, the premise for the film was intriguing. But, that's as far as it went.
  - Well, cheers to differeing tastes - Troy 15:07:41 03/23/04 (1)
    Some people don't like anchovies or wasabi either.
    - LOL! Wasabi peas I can handle; anchovies are another kettle of fish! (nt) - Audiophilander 16:32:45 03/23/04 (0)
      :o)
Re: No offense Troy, but I beg to differ; at it's best this is an "okay" film. - rico 07:23:44 03/23/04 (1)
I think you were swayed by the other five people you were with. If they all had LOVED the film I think your reaction would've been more positive, don't you?
- Naw, I'm pretty much of my own mind on these things, but I see your point. - Audiophilander 08:11:24 03/23/04 (0)
  The reactions of others in a group can sway opinions, and sometimes that even occurs with me, but it's usually only in borderline cases. A good example is the film Dark City, an SF film I saw with a group of 7 or 8 folks, all of whom enjoy this genre similarly to myself. However, our reactions couldn't have been more different regarding Dark City. I enjoyed the film thoroughly, in spite of several overwrought script contrivances, but nearly everyone else left the theater before the movie was even half over. Now I don't believe that the majority's reaction to this film was quite as bad as this would suggest, but enough of the group felt marginally unimpressed that one or two walk outs influenced three or 4 others to regroup in the lobby, ...all except my wife and I, and I think she remained with me out of spousal loyalty! :o)
  As I mentioned earlier, I actually "liked" ESoTSM more than my wife or our friend (note: there were only three of us on this particular movie outing, not six), but that doesn't mean that I enjoyed the movie enough to recommend it to anyone. If I used a sliding review scale (say 1-5, with 5 being excellent), about all I could give ESoTSM would be a 2 or perhaps 2 1/2; the other scale is even more critical: a movie either "is" a DVD in our collection, or it isn't. On this scale it's doubtful that Eternal Sunshine will ever see the light of day in our home! ;^)
  Cheers,
  AuPh

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