Poll

Which is your favorite Matt Reeves film?

haven't seen any
3 (12.5%)
don't like any
0 (0%)
The Pallbearer
1 (4.2%)
Cloverfield
3 (12.5%)
Let Me In
4 (16.7%)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
13 (54.2%)
War of the Planet of the Apes
0 (0%)
The Batman
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 24

Author Topic: Reeves, Matt  (Read 4269 times)

1SO

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Re: Reeves, Matt
« Reply #20 on: July 13, 2014, 09:51:31 AM »
I think 1SO means auteur?

It's nothing I haven't experienced before, I just don't experience it often enough.

I often think of this criticism, which I have made many times before, to be incredibly shaky. Could you elaborate? Are you judging art from a purely subjective point-of-view? Can't we argue that all films are art and the people who create them artists?

Wouldn't opening up my thought to a wider discussion just make my point-of-view shakier? In the span of 2 posts, my word was changed from 'artist' to 'auteur', followed by an immediate reply as to why Reeves can be considered an auteur. Those last two post are full of land mine debates - subjective, are all films art?, auteurism and novelty - and I don't care to be pulled into stepping on any of them.

But I will jump on another hot-button debate to explain my point. Tarantino steals his ideas - verbal and visual - from a wide variety of sources. However, he puts those lifts through his own filter to create something new original whatever the safe word is for 'it didn't look that good in its original form'. He didn't invent paint, but he throws the colors together in a very unique way.

Matt Reeves has a solid idea of the mathematics of cinema. A + B will produce C. Those 2 scares from Cloverfield posted earlier. Nothing I haven't seen done before, but they work and Reeves knows they work and that's why he does it. He doesn't present it in a novel way, but it creates the intended effect. There's a lack of risk with Reeves, which is going to keep him hirable.

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Re: Reeves, Matt
« Reply #21 on: July 13, 2014, 07:14:07 PM »
I think 1SO means auteur?

It's nothing I haven't experienced before, I just don't experience it often enough.

I often think of this criticism, which I have made many times before, to be incredibly shaky. Could you elaborate? Are you judging art from a purely subjective point-of-view? Can't we argue that all films are art and the people who create them artists?

Wouldn't opening up my thought to a wider discussion just make my point-of-view shakier? In the span of 2 posts, my word was changed from 'artist' to 'auteur', followed by an immediate reply as to why Reeves can be considered an auteur. Those last two post are full of land mine debates - subjective, are all films art?, auteurism and novelty - and I don't care to be pulled into stepping on any of them.

But I will jump on another hot-button debate to explain my point. Tarantino steals his ideas - verbal and visual - from a wide variety of sources. However, he puts those lifts through his own filter to create something new original whatever the safe word is for 'it didn't look that good in its original form'. He didn't invent paint, but he throws the colors together in a very unique way.

And your response entrenches your point into shallower waters. We know Tarantino steals his ideas because he's so obvious about it, but that doesn't mean others all directors don't just because he's so flippant and flashy about it. Don't all painters throw their colors together in unique ways? Aren't you breaking down the point of "what art is" to incredibly basic levels only to inadvertently serve my point even more? Tarantino is no different than any filmmaker today, he's just more willing to admit it than all the others.


Matt Reeves has a solid idea of the mathematics of cinema. A + B will produce C. Those 2 scares from Cloverfield posted earlier. Nothing I haven't seen done before, but they work and Reeves knows they work and that's why he does it. He doesn't present it in a novel way, but it creates the intended effect. There's a lack of risk with Reeves, which is going to keep him hirable.

I understand this and somewhat even agree, but it's far simpler to observe his work from a macro level; three out of the four features he has under his belt rely on gimmicks, concocted from others than by himself. They are a found-footage film, a remake, and a sequel. There's no unity amongst any of them other than the craftsmanship. This makes him no less or no greater than an auteur. However, risks are only seen as such if the film is successful; Let Me In could be viewed as a risk since Let the Right One In had its devoted few followers, not much else. Cloverfield, with its mixed reception, may be considered a risk because it was putting so much budget into a found-footage film, one that wasn't exactly a classic horror film by the sub genre's standards either.

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Re: Reeves, Matt
« Reply #22 on: July 13, 2014, 09:33:52 PM »
According to he podcast, all characters made sense in Apes. Am I the only one who thought that the character who says 'Hippie Drippy Bullshit' was pointless. Do films actually need characters like him?

Plus: They only bought him along cause supposedly he was the only guy who could get the damn going. But once he gets kicked out they have no trouble.

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Re: Reeves, Matt
« Reply #23 on: July 13, 2014, 09:41:45 PM »
No, you're right. He's angry about everybody dying and blames the apes? Not good enough. Everybody else works, though.
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1SO

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Re: Reeves, Matt
« Reply #24 on: July 13, 2014, 10:17:19 PM »
Don't all painters throw their colors together in unique ways?
No. Some throw them together in completely trite or ordinary ways. Some deliberately choose to throw them together to perfectly emulate another painter.

Aren't you breaking down the point of "what art is" to incredibly basic levels - Nope - only to inadvertently serve my point even more? Definitely Not

Tarantino is no different than any filmmaker today
Didn't I just deliberately quote you out of context to serve my point even more? Maybe I didn't. I don't know. I try not to break down and over-analyze my opinions, but they are mine and it is what I think.

it's far simpler to observe his work from a macro level
I never analyzed if my viewpoint was micro or macro. It's just what I observe.

StudentOFilm

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Re: Reeves, Matt
« Reply #25 on: May 03, 2015, 10:29:31 PM »
1. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
2. Let Me In

3. Cloverfield
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Re: Reeves, Matt
« Reply #26 on: June 29, 2015, 05:57:33 AM »
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Cloverfield
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Re: Reeves, Matt
« Reply #27 on: June 29, 2015, 08:06:26 AM »
Let Me In
Cloverfield

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes


Yep. Didn't like Dawn during my first viewing. I was really bothered by the final act for some reason... need a rewatch.

Let Me In was a case of "seeing the remake before I've even seen the original", and I did enjoy the movie and what it brought with its characters and story concept, so.

Cloverfield was... clever. I wouldn't say it's unique, but I'm lacking a better adjective. I suppose the most I could say is that I like how it was paced and how the tension was built up. The guerrilla filmmaking didn't nauseate me as much as it did to other people. Makes for a decent thriller.
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Re: Reeves, Matt
« Reply #28 on: July 01, 2015, 06:40:30 AM »
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Let Me In
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Re: Reeves, Matt
« Reply #29 on: July 02, 2015, 06:31:36 AM »
Great
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Really Good
Cloverfield