tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post7860444682717311775..comments2024-03-15T04:08:16.172-04:00Comments on Only the Cinema: Whatever WorksEd Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-430692454742942762010-06-28T10:08:27.060-04:002010-06-28T10:08:27.060-04:00Very very grim, chock full of outright hatred and ...Very very grim, chock full of outright hatred and intolerance, the potent nastiness then wrapped up in totally fake good feeling & shallow moralising. This film is not funny at all. I'm tired of the paedophile plot you see in a lot of WA films, it just is not at all funny any longer. LD is free to do whatever works for him in this film, but doesn't allow anybody the same freedom. ArenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-82378660827359165012009-07-26T16:58:47.587-04:002009-07-26T16:58:47.587-04:00So I finally got to see this today, and I agree th...So I finally got to see this today, and I agree that it's a mess. I wish I could say that it is an enjoyable mess, but the lows (or should I say dry spots) outnumbered the highs.<br /><br />Personally, the only character I really cared about was Melodie. Wood gives this huge performance as this totally implausible person that's so terrific and heartfelt that Melodie actually seems real. Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-58004614208187503802009-07-09T12:04:00.147-04:002009-07-09T12:04:00.147-04:00On a somewhat related note, I have a theory that t...On a somewhat related note, I have a theory that the original plot for Whatever Works was much darker, but no one seems to agree with me and I have only a smattering of evidence to back it up, so it's probably not worth going into. But I think it accounts for some of strange things about the film.<br /><br />Anyway, I think Woody himself is unclear where his sympathies lie and it ends up Aaronnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-33309360372788576852009-07-08T22:24:31.983-04:002009-07-08T22:24:31.983-04:00Those are very interesting points, Aaron. Maybe yo...Those are very interesting points, Aaron. Maybe you're right that that's why the film never progresses beyond the level of a mildly amusing minor effort -- it doesn't go far enough. It's true that Boris, no matter how nasty he is, is too much of a comic figure to be truly unlikable. This is one of the things that unsettled me from time to time. Since he's treated as a humorousEd Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-16454967741217769142009-07-08T14:48:38.710-04:002009-07-08T14:48:38.710-04:00Despite this being a "dark comedy," I fe...Despite this being a "dark comedy," I feel as though Allen didn't go far enough.<br />With films like Deconstructing Harry, Celebrity, and Sweet & Lowdown, he created three portraits of seriously unsympathetic, unlikeable, narcissistic people. I'm also thinking of the scene with Sydney Pollack and his young girlfriend fighting at the party at Husbands and Wives. Those Aaronnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-76635820833406264812009-07-07T00:06:57.836-04:002009-07-07T00:06:57.836-04:00Thanks for stopping by, Kevin. I'll be curious...Thanks for stopping by, Kevin. I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on the film once you do see it.<br /><br />I'm with you on <i>Gran Torino</i>, though, which made me really uncomfortable with the suspicion that Eastwood was encouraging us to laugh <i>with</i> rather than <i>at</i> his character's racist asshole demeanor. There's a similar vibe to Larry David's character Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-81582746386078259642009-07-06T19:35:05.615-04:002009-07-06T19:35:05.615-04:00I can't comment on the film as I haven't s...I can't comment on the film as I haven't seen it yet (I hope to do so this week), but your thoughts on the uncomfortable nature of Allen/David's comedy in the first part of the film had me thinking about <i>Gran Torino</i>, and how all of the language in that film took away any momentum the film may of had -- and by the end I just didn't care enough about what happened. <br /><brKevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-14973123826853612742009-07-05T23:26:56.054-04:002009-07-05T23:26:56.054-04:00Pat, I don't know if Woody doesn't care ab...Pat, I don't know if Woody doesn't care about young people more generally -- I'd certainly argue that <i>Anything Else</i> and <i>VCB</i>, at the very least, display some sharp insight into people who aren't 70 year-old Jewish intellectuals. But I think his interest in young people is kind of sporadic, as the really lazy caricature of his "punk" son in <i>Hollywood Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-4314852851901560952009-07-05T16:40:07.245-04:002009-07-05T16:40:07.245-04:00Ed -
Very fine reviewm,and as you know, you and I...Ed -<br /><br />Very fine reviewm,and as you know, you and I are very much in agreement.<br /><br />I think your assessment of the younger actors' performances is absolutely correct. This is the weakest performance I've ever seen from Wood, and Cavill did absolutely nothing for me either; I never sensed any real chemistry between the two of them. As I've discussed with you and Patricia Perryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15394997608325540950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-56031548190856389192009-07-05T10:36:12.399-04:002009-07-05T10:36:12.399-04:00Well Ed, I'll admit my position in comparing t...Well Ed, I'll admit my position in comparing this with VCB is in an extreme minority, and I've heard the music from a number of my close associates as well. It's probably "me" on this.<br /><br />Likewise, I fully understand what you are saying there about Ms. Clarkson, and I do love her as an actress, especially in her compelling role in FAR FROM HEAVEN.<br /><br />And I doSam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-38238204345846687602009-07-05T01:07:14.371-04:002009-07-05T01:07:14.371-04:00I totally disagree about Patricia Clarkson, Sam, I...I totally disagree about Patricia Clarkson, Sam, I thought she was fantastic in this -- so quick-witted and funny, and she manages to make her abrupt transformation seem natural and emotionally true. I loved her character, and from the second she first appears on screen, the film really seems to come to life. She was the best thing about the film by far, if you ask me. Her sparring with Larry Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-34545185404066660372009-07-04T10:00:58.131-04:002009-07-04T10:00:58.131-04:00It is supposed to read:
"Somehow Patricia Cl...It is supposed to read:<br /><br />"Somehow Patricia Clarkson, usually reliable, rings false here..."Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-15097272469363967812009-07-04T09:59:22.482-04:002009-07-04T09:59:22.482-04:00Somehow, Patricia Clarkson, usually reliable, run ...Somehow, Patricia Clarkson, usually reliable, run false here, and this is not the first time the Woodman has been uncomfortable with young actors. But yes, there is some nastiness on display in the first half, but (as you note) it does evolve into a rather charming sex comedy. I actually enjoy this film, warts and all, more than I did VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, but I know I'm in the minoritySam Julianonoreply@blogger.com