tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post4089588237668286805..comments2024-03-15T04:08:16.172-04:00Comments on Only the Cinema: Happy-Go-LuckyEd Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-48236602023317523242010-11-30T23:42:27.657-05:002010-11-30T23:42:27.657-05:00Yeah, "instigator" was a poor descriptor...Yeah, "instigator" was a poor descriptor. What I was really trying to convey is that if we decide that she's aware, then clearly she has to be aware that she's getting under Scott's skin in an unhealthy way llllllong before he totally flips. You referenced this in your review, but because they've stacked the deck with Scott, it's almost impossible for him not to be Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-83154152920226822482010-11-30T13:10:24.976-05:002010-11-30T13:10:24.976-05:00"on the screen rather than in my living room&..."on the screen rather than in my living room" is a very important point to make across the board. I abhor the way some people go on about "unlikeable" characters -- as if the filmmaker were arranging a blind date for them. What matters is the overall context. Jake La Motta in <i>Raging Bull</i> is as unlikeable as they come. Yet Scorses and DeNiro go so deeply into him that heDavidEhrensteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11016905507543736049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-78787468814763377162010-11-30T11:43:34.005-05:002010-11-30T11:43:34.005-05:00Jason, yes, I well remember you problems with Popp...Jason, yes, I well remember you problems with Poppy, and they're understandable, even if personally I really enjoy spending time with her peculiar breed of nuttiness — at least as long as she remains up on the screen rather than in my living room. I often find Leigh's loony characters simultaneously appalling and enthralling to watch, which is why David's comparison to Johnny in <i>Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-73378041337262889382010-11-29T23:33:24.846-05:002010-11-29T23:33:24.846-05:00"Poppy lives in this cult of extreme happines..."Poppy lives in this cult of extreme happiness that's disturbing."<br /><br />I take it that Jason's sentiment is behind a lot of the comments here which are critical of poor Poppy. But I just can't see it myself. To me her character is the exact opposite of the narcissism which is being attributed to her by remarks like this. I'll just make two quick points about what IAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-3748043797966485662010-11-29T21:08:49.630-05:002010-11-29T21:08:49.630-05:00Oh, Poppy. How I've missed her.
As you know, ...Oh, Poppy. How I've missed her.<br /><br />As you know, I had a <a href="http://coolercinema.blogspot.com/2008/11/irritatingly-true-happy-go-lucky.html" rel="nofollow">problem with this movie</a>. The acting is terrific, and as I said in my conflicted (non)review, I think there is a great amount of truth to these characters. I found reading your review wonderful, because I like thinking aboutJason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-59369096622566578302010-11-29T19:57:06.163-05:002010-11-29T19:57:06.163-05:00And yes, both Hawkins and Marsan deliver AMAZING p...And yes, both Hawkins and Marsan deliver AMAZING performances in this.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-10563982241260886462010-11-29T19:56:29.645-05:002010-11-29T19:56:29.645-05:00Thanks for the comments, all. Danton, that's a...Thanks for the comments, all. Danton, that's an interesting take on the character, though ultimately I think I agree more with Greg and David, below, about her. I don't think she's unintelligent, of course, but I question whether she's really representative of "the best aspects of our humanity." Yes, she means well and tries to do good, and to maintain a cheery attitude Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-55570386253740246892010-11-29T14:19:42.207-05:002010-11-29T14:19:42.207-05:00I'm still a little pissed that neither Hawkins...I'm still a little pissed that neither Hawkins nor Marsan were nominated for this film, both of which, had they been, I would have given the Oscar to. <br /><br />The confrontation scene between Scott and Poppy may be extraordinary but what is intriguing to me is that we don't see Scott again. We see Poppy and, as expected, she's fine and talking about how Scott isn't a bad chapGreghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05730146625671701859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-69843527861571902342010-11-29T09:29:55.841-05:002010-11-29T09:29:55.841-05:00At heart she's as psychotic as many another Mi...At heart she's as psychotic as many another Mike Leigh character (eg. David Thewlis in <i>Naked</i>)<br /><br />I trust I'm not alone in encountering one of those creeps who runs up to you on the street, sticks their grinning mugs in your face and commands "SMILE!"DavidEhrensteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11016905507543736049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-85325147060089878512010-11-29T08:29:02.909-05:002010-11-29T08:29:02.909-05:00Thanks for the review. I disagree only on the ques...Thanks for the review. I disagree only on the question of Poppy's naiveté. I actually think she's profoundly intelligent. What's incongruous is a character who is both extremely intelligent as well as someone of "boundless optimism and good will" - the two traits almost seem to be mutually exclusive. And yet there's no logical contradiction here. In what follows, I'mAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com