Audio Asylum Thread Printer

Get a view of an entire thread on one page

FAQ / News / Events

Films/DVD Asylum

The trailer piqued my interest

12.146.151.254

Jazz Inmate

In Reply to: RE: In their defense..................... posted by powermatic on August 01, 2007 at 11:22:52

I didn't like Man Who Wasn't There. In fact I disliked it. I saw it as a copout and an unwitting indictment of my generation--how shallowness and bullshit masquerade as depth. It was a bad story. Yeah, the style, directing and writing were there, but not the substance.

I think the Coen bros wrote their own destiny in Barton Fink (one of my absolute favorite films with stunning visual depth and symbolism). The protagonist goes to hollywood to capitalize on his success as a New York playwright. He attributes this success to his bond with the "common man" and is apprehensive about hopping to the west coast. By the end of the film he is wandering around a beach carrying someone else's head, while the contents of his own head are no longer his but a studio tycoon's.
-------------
"I have found that if you love life, life will love you back." -Arthur Rubinstein (1887-1982)

Follow Ups:

RE: "...unwitting indictment of my generation..." - powermatic 14:45:43 08/02/07 (0)
I've gotta agree with James below-you read a lot more into this movie than I did! Sometimes a film is just, well, a movie, not a treatise on the State of Mankind. You admit the style, directing and writing are good-I'd also add the acting and cinematography. To me that sounds like a good movie, though not necessarily a great film.

At the end of the day, for whatever reason, you didn't like it. Though far from my favorite Coen film, for me it was certainly not a waste of two hours. C'est la vie.
RE: The trailer piqued my interest - jamesgarvin 10:59:35 08/02/07 (0)
"I saw it as a copout and an unwitting indictment of my generation--how shallowness and bullshit masquerade as depth. It was a bad story."
I think the the extra features, which include an interview with the Coen Brothers, gives a clue into their psyche. It was obvious, to me, that the joke, to them, was that a man would commit the murderous acts so that he could be a dry cleaner. I think that they simply dressed up this silly premise in some great camera work and cinematography, and with a serious Thornton. I do not think they intended anything more than that.
I realize you wrote that the film was an "unwitting" indictment. Well, having seen numerous interviews with the Coens, I think they are too smart to do anything "unwittingly." And social commentary seems not too important to them.
With respect to their later films, you should note that with both Intolerable Cruelty and The Lady Killers, both disappointments in my view, there were other producers, and, as I recall, both films were made within the Hollywood system. I am not sure why the change in direction, but it appears there were other non-Coens with their hands in the cookie jar, which left a bad taste. Hopefully, that changes with their next film.

Edits: 08/02/07

Post a Followup:

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?

Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
	Remember my Moniker & Password (What's this?) Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:

Message:	(Posts are subject to Content Rules)

Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:	Automagically notify you when someone responds.

To view your new posting or follow-up, click on the RELOAD or REFRESH button on your browser.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Atma-Sphere Music Systems, Inc.