would be shockedSanchez wrote:So, is it gonna win BP?
-Vader
Detroit (2017)
-Vader
Storywise? No, not really. Other than the basic themes that you can look for in basically any film if you really force yourself, like "it's about the strength of the human spirit" or "it's about the struggle to survive". I'm sure you can find generic messages like that in Detroit as well.okungnyo wrote:Then comparatively, does Dunkirk (say anything important beyond "this shit happened")?
Geniniely asking.
This is interesting because - it's (imo) a masterfully directed film, incredibly intense and harrowing experience. But it doesn't fully know what it is. It's like Boal initially wanted to try do something similar to how Nolan treated Dunkirk - capture the whole event with some snapshots of different characters and storylines, and for the first third that's what happens...then it becomes Algiers Motel: The Movie, for better or worse. Complete with an overextended epilogue (which is probably the weakest part of it). Quite a bit of an identity crisis here. But maybe we needed this to understand the context of the Algiers event? Or was the animated intro enough?
But what's in there, despite the overall structure issues, is intense and powerful thanks to Bigelow. But here's the thing - I'm in the target audience for this. Given the subject matter, I'm not in a position to comment on whether Bigelow's approach to it ('visceral - emphasis on that word, visceral' docu-dramatic journalism?') was the *right* one. It worked for me, yes.
But I see why it wouldn't work for the very people this film is about. Is it right that Bigelow/Boal made a film about police brutality against African Americans that's aimed directly towards white people? And, if the reactions coming out of the US are to go by - is it right that it took a film like this to finally get the message, given what's still happening in the US and previous similarly aimed films (12 Years A Slave for instance?) Should Bigelow/Boal have told this story *at all*? There are some great pieces out there debating all this that are must-reads - outside context, as usual, is key and king here: stuff like this doesn't exist in a vacuum...
Back to the film itself - all credit goes to Bigelow for the great execution. The cast, while mostly (similarly to Dunkirk) they are just pieces of the puzzles/snapshots - there are a couple of standouts, namely Will Poulter who steals the whole show with his despicable and unsettling performance.
In any case, this film needs to be seen - because the more discussion and debate the better. At the very least - again, so so well directed. Although I will acknowledge that whether the direction is *right* or not is another debate entirely.
8/10
But what's in there, despite the overall structure issues, is intense and powerful thanks to Bigelow. But here's the thing - I'm in the target audience for this. Given the subject matter, I'm not in a position to comment on whether Bigelow's approach to it ('visceral - emphasis on that word, visceral' docu-dramatic journalism?') was the *right* one. It worked for me, yes.
But I see why it wouldn't work for the very people this film is about. Is it right that Bigelow/Boal made a film about police brutality against African Americans that's aimed directly towards white people? And, if the reactions coming out of the US are to go by - is it right that it took a film like this to finally get the message, given what's still happening in the US and previous similarly aimed films (12 Years A Slave for instance?) Should Bigelow/Boal have told this story *at all*? There are some great pieces out there debating all this that are must-reads - outside context, as usual, is key and king here: stuff like this doesn't exist in a vacuum...
Back to the film itself - all credit goes to Bigelow for the great execution. The cast, while mostly (similarly to Dunkirk) they are just pieces of the puzzles/snapshots - there are a couple of standouts, namely Will Poulter who steals the whole show with his despicable and unsettling performance.
In any case, this film needs to be seen - because the more discussion and debate the better. At the very least - again, so so well directed. Although I will acknowledge that whether the direction is *right* or not is another debate entirely.
8/10
