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Author Topic: The Guest (For real spoiler in the first post. I'm not kidding.)  (Read 5857 times)

smirnoff

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Re: The Guest (For real spoiler in the first post. I'm not kidding.)
« Reply #10 on: January 22, 2015, 09:32:12 PM »
Bourne Identity meets Terminator

I was thinking something similar. Bourne Identity meets The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (which is The Guest meets Mrs. Doubtfire).

1SO

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Re: The Guest - Is there anyone who doesn't like it?
« Reply #11 on: January 22, 2015, 10:33:24 PM »
The tension mounts to see who will step into this thread and say why they didn't like it.

philip918

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Re: The Guest (For real spoiler in the first post. I'm not kidding.)
« Reply #12 on: January 28, 2015, 12:17:35 PM »
Bourne Identity meets Terminator

I was thinking something similar. Bourne Identity meets The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (which is The Guest meets Mrs. Doubtfire).

This should be the sequel. Dan Stevens already has the cross-dressing thing down from his episode of High Maintenance.

smirnoff

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Re: The Guest (For real spoiler in the first post. I'm not kidding.)
« Reply #13 on: January 28, 2015, 04:06:09 PM »
:))

Bondo

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Re: The Guest - Is there anyone who doesn't like it?
« Reply #14 on: January 30, 2015, 07:57:16 PM »
The tension mounts to see who will step into this thread and say why they didn't like it.


You're Next was one of my least favorite films of 2013. It is probably for the best that I spent most of the time hearing The Guest hyped associated with Dan Stevens and not with Adam Wingard, because even though he singlehandedly destroyed Downton Abbey, I like Dan Stevens. And indeed, I was liking The Guest for a healthy portion. I think the description of it as Bourne meets Terminator is perfect. You've got a guy who has an uncanny, though not uncharming, stiff manner and seemingly unhuman skills and certainly no clear moral compass and he's come to stay with the family of a fallen comrade from the Army. He acts to protect this family and their friends. It isn't exactly moral, but it comes from a certain protective logic.

It is when the Bourne part takes over, when the black ops government conspiracy aspect really kicks in that the film completely falls apart with less mindful action set pieces (compare the bar to the attack on the house) and switching David (Stevens) into full on nihilistic mode. The moment he killed his presumed friend's mother, I was pretty done. The scene in the diner that would follow was just salt in the wound. And I just don't find violent nihilism amusing. I'm not sure if the last line helped exactly, because it is a pretty standard horror cop-out, but it was an effective variation. Obviously fire at the HS dance was a Carrie reference as well.

I guess I've answered question 1, I didn't really notice the You're Next reference, don't care about the soundtrack, was on board with Stevens before and continue to be, the bully bar was the greatest (in the film), and I'm pretty much averse to Wingard and co.

C-
« Last Edit: April 02, 2020, 12:13:19 AM by 1SO »

1SO

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Re: The Guest (For real spoiler in the first post. I'm not kidding.)
« Reply #15 on: January 30, 2015, 11:07:40 PM »
I'll agree there is a step down when the Bourne part takes over, but "completely falls apart"? No way. And the "less mindful action set pieces" are still better than action set pieces in most other films, including all of John Wick and The Equalizer.

Your Wingard allergy overinflated the weaker (but not bad) aspects of the film.

jmbossy

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Re: The Guest (For real spoiler in the first post. I'm not kidding.)
« Reply #16 on: February 05, 2015, 01:57:19 AM »
Wow. I just finished this one. Just now. Wow.

1. I don't think so at all. The entire movie, even the more enjoyable scenes were very rote going into the third act, so when the movie shows its hand and starts killing characters left and right, and then that final set piece where someone just said "CINECAST! it, let's have some fun", really breathed a lot of life into this piece. Glad the tension didn't just setup something as generic as it could have. Instead, Dan Stevens turns into Jason Voorhees.
2. Didn't see You're Next, not super into horror movies, but I might go back and look it up now that I've seen the guest.
3. Wasn't too into the soundtrack. I like the genre, but it felt forced into the script. I will say, when David popped his CD into the player at the party, I did start to really enjoy it.
4. Very attractive man. Wow. Also, pretty tremendous actor. Actually very surprised how much I liked his performance.
5. Great scene. Felt like I had seen it before, just not executed quite as well (actually how I felt about a lot of this movie).
6. I think my favourite scene has to be David negotiating with the principal. Very well directed, and pretty funny.
7. I really like what Wingard was doing, though i think he could benefit from some consideration of staging and framing, but that's only if i wanted to be super critical. As for the writer, I didn't think this script was all that great, except maybe if it were trying to purposely be familiar for two thirds (it's possible.. I haven't decided yet).

So yeah, I guess I'm one of the people who liked The Guest.
Do I get a jacket or something?

1SO

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Re: The Guest (For real spoiler in the first post. I'm not kidding.)
« Reply #17 on: February 05, 2015, 09:04:11 AM »
Glad the tension didn't just setup something as generic as it could have. Instead, Dan Stevens turns into Jason Voorhees.
This was my problem with what happens after the reveal. What could be more generic than taking a great character and reducing him to unstoppable killing machine?

jmbossy

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Re: The Guest (For real spoiler in the first post. I'm not kidding.)
« Reply #18 on: February 05, 2015, 11:53:30 AM »
Glad the tension didn't just setup something as generic as it could have. Instead, Dan Stevens turns into Jason Voorhees.
This was my problem with what happens after the reveal. What could be more generic than taking a great character and reducing him to unstoppable killing machine?

Well, I think "unstoppable killing machine" may do a disservice to what Wingard and Barrett were attempting. David allows the filmmakers to transition between genres pretty much at their own will. It would be one thing if the character suddenly stopped being as interesting, but Steven's performance really grounds the absurdity in something we are willing to watch. The film could have very easily continued with its "mysterious stranger" premise until- reveal and conclusion- but I personally don't think that would have been remotely as interesting. 

I could imagine someone seeing the first 2/3 of this and feeling excited to continue down the path it cleared, but I felt the movie pre-reveal was far too familiar, and I was really just glad to see the filmmakers try and do something unique with the characters they established. The last 30 minutes of this movie saved it for me, but I could see why it might be the opposite for others.

Thinking about it, I feel as though Wingard and Barrett were maybe deconstructing "the twist" as a narrative device. Typically we are introduced to new pieces of story that re-contextualize our experience, but here I don't think that was the goal. I think most people who see this will see the narrative twist coming (it's spelled out pretty clearly) and even afterwards we aren't given some self serious exposition as to why the narrative twist makes sense, instead Wingard actually surprises us, by twisting the genres instead (or  as well). I don't think any one could have reasonably expected David to become a slasher villain. And the whole time we understand his way of thinking, because we had an hour pretty much exclusively to watch how he functions in the world. That, is how you re-contextualize an experience.
 
As for the absurdity, I can't argue with that. But that's what the movie is. I don't think I'd review this as a thriller or an action movie, but as a slasher flick. Slashers (one of my favourite genres) don't really lend themselves to narrative consideration. The best you can do is deconstruct the film making, and maybe the writing. In those fields, I think The Guest's twist is a success.

Melvil

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Re: The Guest (For real spoiler in the first post. I'm not kidding.)
« Reply #19 on: February 07, 2015, 01:41:20 AM »
I thought The Guest was split pretty evenly into a really good first half and a really bad second one. I liked Dan Stevens a lot, his performance is mesmerizing and it's just great watching his early interactions with the family and genuinely liking the guy even though there's no question that there's something terrible under the surface. It would have been nice if there was a more subtle director in charge, since Wingard doesn't really ever try for ambiguity it ends up being more of a waiting game than anything, but it's still good. I'm just really not sure what they were going for in the second half other than "crazy". There's some craziness in the first half too, but I assumed it was trying at some sort of comment on masculinity or the soldier experience or something along those lines, but now I'm wondering if it was just bad writing. The second half seems to forget about that in order to go in a completely different direction that's pretty crazy, but not very intelligent.

Also, Adam Wingard really needs to cut it out with these stupid gotcha endings.