Watch, Watching, Watch -- Why do movies have to end so soon?

[Maithanet]

1 hour ago, Ramsay B. said:

I get what you’re saying, but I just see it as a work of fiction so I can accept the darker theme, I guess, without it taking away from how much I like the movie. We should probably add spoilers also.

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Yeah.  The movie was undoubtedly gripping, well made and well acted.  I can see why some people really appreciate it.  But I felt like the ending delivered a very confused message, and the more I thought about it, the less I liked it.

[john]

I don’t see Whiplash as endorsing abusive instruction. It’s more like, this is something that happens, it’s unpleasant and it can sometimes bring exceptional results. It’s like History of Violence. That film isn’t endorsing violence, it’s saying violence brings problems but it also can bring solutions and that’s something we can reckon with in a fictional setting.

Spoiler

The actual ending of Whiplash I thought was more like a shared moment of respect between the two characters. It wasn’t really for anybody else, I mean it must have been odd for the audience (wow, that guy is … technically proficient).

So I guess it is giving Fletcher credit but it seems impossible to deny that he was part of the achievement.

 

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

4 hours ago, Maithanet said:

 

I liked Whiplash as a film, but I also found the ending unsatisfactory.  At the end, Fletcher invites Andrew to this big concert without giving Andrew the proper music, as revenge for getting him fired.  Andrew goes out and gives a virtuoso performance and this is portrayed as a moment of triumph for both Andrew and Fletcher.  But this wasn't a moment where Fletcher was hoping Andrew would rise to the occasion - Fletcher clearly intended for Andrew to fail and this to end his musical career.  Fletcher's happy ending is totally undeserved. 

And speaking on a thematic level, the ending is basically endorsing the idea that abuse is helpful in getting the most out of your talents.  I don't agree with that, and I don't like it.  Fletcher's horrendous behavior is not acceptable and the idea that it is OK because it makes people better is both dubious and dangerous.  If they wanted to make that argument, they would have been better served to dial it back a fair bit.  Tough love works well for some people, but abuse doesn't help anybody. 

I'm not sure it's that straightforward. It's a triumphant moment in a sense, but is it a happy ending?

Fletcher got what he wanted; his "Charlie Parker". but he had to burn his life to the ground to get it. Neiman is similarly alienated from the world. He got what he wanted; though I'm not sure he's even clear on what that is. Was it to become a great musician or did he just achieve in getting the approval of the one person who matters to him? If it's the latter, then neither of them win. 

[KingintheNorth4]

Yesterday I watched Oblivion starring Tom Cruise. It's a nice homage to classic sci-fi films.

[Ran]

My reading of Whiplash is that the ending is very dark, and the sense of triumph it may have is the camera providing us Andrew's warped perspective.

FWIW, this is what Chazelle had to say in an interview:

Quote

Where do you think these two go after this movie ends? They had a moment at the end of the film, but I feel these two will always hate each other.

I think so. I think it's definitely a fleeting thing. I think there's a certain amount of damage that will always have been done. Fletcher will always think he won and Andrew will be a sad, empty shell of a person and will die in his 30s of a drug overdose. I have a very dark view of where it goes.

Read More: https://www.slashfilm.com/535179/whiplash-ending/

 

[john]

Just watched the first episode of season 2 For All Mankind (season 1 was very good) and noticed the following in the opening scrawl of alternate history early 80s headlines - Roman Polanski arrested, Solidarity members imprisoned, Jean Paul II assassinated. What do these writers have against Poland?

Btw, does anybody have recs for Apple TV? So far watched Foundation, For All Mankind and teen basketball drama Swagger and not finding much else catching my interest.

[Ran]

49 minutes ago, john said:

Btw, does anybody have recs for Apple TV? So far watched Foundation, For All Mankind and teen basketball drama Swagger and not finding much else catching my interest.

Ted Lasso has a massive fandom online, near as I can tell. People seem to love it. Haven't given it a try myself.

[Filippa Eilhart]

oh yeah, we watched that too. I liked it! 

[Filippa Eilhart]

On 1/24/2022 at 8:47 PM, Zorral said:

Seems odd that 100 long film list didn't include the works in Jerzy Hoffman's Polish trilogy -- still just about the best period warfare scenes on screen ever, and which affected Jackson a great deal in the LOtR screen trilogy, when it came to his depiction of orcs.  These are among my all time always favorite films.

I mean, Bohun is hot, but I suppose having the first two movies fed to me yearly for all of my formative years I have a sort of allergic reaction to them 

[john]

25 minutes ago, Filippa Eilhart said:

oh yeah, we watched that too. I liked it! 

True, I forgot Ted Lasso. The first season was great, very tight writing and a different approach to comedy than the usual sitcom. All the main characters were ultimately very wise and selfless rather than stupid and selfish. The actual jokes were very soft though. And season two was a bit daft, it felt much more like they were making it up as they went along, as opposed to the careful plotting of season one.

[Zorral]

54 minutes ago, Filippa Eilhart said:

I suppose having the first two movies fed to me yearly for all of my formative years I have a sort of allergic reaction to them 

I can wholly understand that! 

[TheLastWolf]

Ok just joined mubi.com

Not the paid streaming option, just the imdb like one, so got a doubt...

If a friend joins through referral but both of us don't go for the paid one, do we get to cash in one the one month free coupon?

 

[dbunting]

Watched The Last Duel tonight. I liked it more than I thought I would based on the trailers I saw. I normally like movies that are straight, not looping back but this one did it well. Gave us the three very different perspectives on the same timeline. Take a piece of each of them and you probably have the truth.

[Mark Antony]

Formatting issue. Could not figure out spoiler tags for a sec. anyway last duel spoilers

Spoiler

Last duel spoiler it’s implied that lady Marguerites portion of the flick is completely true when the text lingers on “the truth” before her perspective starts 

 

[Mark Antony]

Nvm

[john]

One thing about the different perspectives in The Last Duel, I’ll spoiler it but it really is nothing significant about the plot.

Spoiler

When Carrouges gets back from warring and he wants to go to Paris and get paid. From his perspective, his mother complains that he has a cold and shouldn’t travel but Marguerite supports him. Whereas from Marguerite’s perspective, she urges him not to travel with a cold but the mother says he should go. I get that they’re showing how Jean and Marguerite have differing ideas on what being a dutiful wife means but it seems odd to me that they were supposed to have complete opposite views of the words in an actual conversation.

 

[Isis]

On 1/25/2022 at 10:06 AM, Crixus said:

 

@Isis you mentioned LOST being your comfort rewatch; mine too! How many times have you watched it? I think about 4 for me!

Pretty sure I am also on 4. I watched it in real time (downloaded via links on LJ communities obviously). Then I bought the boxset and watched the whole thing again a few years after. Then I watched it again with my husband when we got together in 2010. So it's been a long time since I watched it last. When I say comfort watch, I just mean that I have lots of attachment to it. I recall all the threads on here, trying to solve all the mysteries. Those were more innocent times. 

[RumHam]

‘Fight Club’ Author Chuck Palahniuk Says China’s Censored Ending Is Actually Truer to His Vision

Chinese censorship is bad but this one is pretty funny:

Quote

A key tenant of China’s film censorship system is that criminals must always be punished for their crimes on screen and societal harmony restored. So, before the 20th Century Fox film began airing on Chinese streamer Tencent Video, Fight Club‘s ending was altered. The climactic scene was excised and replaced with a blank screen showing the message: “The police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding. After the trial, Tyler was sent to a lunatic asylum receiving psychological treatment. He was discharged from the hospital in 2012.”

 

[TheLastWolf]

Watched Rango, Zimmer's music, Deakin's camera, Depp's great voicing, the Clint Eastwood/ man with no name homage complete with the Oscars, ode to great westerns of all time. Nice computer animation too, no mindless CGI 3D. Gore Verbinski, no gore though.

[Iskaral Pust]

Another vote here for The Last Duel.  A very good film despite Damon and Affleck — their acting was weaker than the other leads and their accents were horribly out of place.  We know Jodie Comer can do a good French accent but obviously had to avoid it here or it would only further emphasize the American twang of the other two.  Adam Driver can at least manage a neutral accent, and acted far better than the other male co-leads.

We watched the first episode of Gilded Age and I can tell already my wife will make us watch it all.  The plot and characters are complete fluff, and replicate all of Julian Fellowes simplistic archetypes from Downton Abbey.  The set & costumes are incredible though.  Christine Baransky picks up the torch from Maggie Smith as the ultra-conservative curmudgeon with the best lines.