Author Topic: Steve Jobs  (Read 4835 times)

jmbossy

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Steve Jobs
« on: October 28, 2015, 11:36:59 PM »
"Though Fincher and Miller managed [Sorkin's] material to superb results, it is surprising to say that I don't know Sorkin has ever had such a technically compatible director to illustrate his works. Danny Boyle matches Sorkin's energetic and captivating language with equally dynamic technical prowess. The editing of Boyle films are unmistakable, and even when he chooses to rein in his expressionism (which he does here), he remains inexhaustibly potent."

"Where Gibney looked to understand what made Steve Jobs who he was, the kinetic pairing choose to instead utilize Jobs' character for a more interesting discussion. And the two may in fact be the perfect couple to explore the topic. Control."

"Steve Jobs is an undeniably heightened and questionably accurate portrayal of an ever more relevant character, but no responsibility was neglected. The story of a truly extra-odrinary character is suitably met by a spry director and a theatrically vivid screenwriter."


My full review (for context)
http://letterboxd.com/jmbossy/film/steve-jobs/



So I had to ask...
Did anyone else love this movie?

I'm seeing a lot of middling opinions by critics I don't usually follow, and most outlets I typically agree with disliked-slammed the movie outright... And I have yet to find anyone who was simply enthralled by this film. Some of you must exist. I must find you so we can geek about Sorkin quips!

My favourite is, "we told people to drink pepsi, we didn't tell them that the world would end if they drank a doctor pepper."
« Last Edit: October 29, 2015, 12:23:53 PM by jmbossy »

sdb_1970

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Re: Steve Jobs
« Reply #1 on: October 29, 2015, 09:05:05 AM »
"God sent his son on a suicide mission, but we love him anyway because he made trees."

Steve Jobs was a B+ for me.  But I am one of those snobs who tend to be underwhelmed by biopics, and the reverential slavishness that the genre usually entails, and so I found Boyle's kinetic adherence to Sorkin's dialogue-driven three-act play structure, and the actors' commitment to channeling rather than imitating, to be refreshing - a bigger risk (and to me, a more interesting payoff) than The Social Network.  (In the interests of full disclosure, I was one of those few who were underwhelmed by The Social Network, with the Reznor/Ross score only contributing to my malaise.)  That said, I'm not sure that the third act of Steve Jobs works quite as consistently as the first two (with that last sequence in particularly feeling like a proverbial bone being thrown).
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jmbossy

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Re: Steve Jobs
« Reply #2 on: October 29, 2015, 12:22:55 PM »
That said, I'm not sure that the third act of Steve Jobs works quite as consistently as the first two (with that last sequence in particularly feeling like a proverbial bone being thrown).

I almost completely agree with your take, but I'm curious about this point in particular. It's a criticism I've seen a lot, but I'm having trouble understanding the exact problem. I loved the third act, actually tearing up 3 times in just those thirty minutes (including in the last sequence, which i found beautiful).

Can you elaborate on this point? Is it just that the film slowed down in some ways, did the emotional sequences fall flat for you, or was the ending just not narratively satisfying? Or am I way off the mark?

EternalSunshine

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Re: Steve Jobs
« Reply #3 on: October 29, 2015, 12:28:12 PM »
Definitely a very insightful film, I would just say it was very technical and a little fast paced, but I believe that was part of Jobs's genius. He gets things done fast and right to the point.
Michael Mendez

sdb_1970

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Re: Steve Jobs
« Reply #4 on: October 29, 2015, 03:04:28 PM »
That said, I'm not sure that the third act of Steve Jobs works quite as consistently as the first two (with that last sequence in particularly feeling like a proverbial bone being thrown).

Can you elaborate on this point? Is it just that the film slowed down in some ways, did the emotional sequences fall flat for you, or was the ending just not narratively satisfying? Or am I way off the mark?

Beyond the larger chronological gap, it feels like there's a bit of an emotional history gap between acts 2 and 3 - both with Jobs and his daughter - like we may be missing an act 2.5 somewhere.  For example, it didn't entirely feel right, in terms of the rhythm, to all the sudden have Andy Hertzfeld in a semi-familial relationship with Job's daughter.  With respect to the final sequence on the roof, I felt like Sorkin was attempted to end the film on a positive note in a way that didn't really feel entirely natural (and with specific reference to the iPod, for the benefit of viewers under 30).  And as a minor point, and perhaps it's just me, but I didn't really notice Kate Winslet's accent until the third act, which doesn't make chronological sense. 
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MattDrufke

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Re: Steve Jobs
« Reply #5 on: November 12, 2015, 12:27:18 PM »
I'm with you, jmbossy! I loved this movie. So much. Just posted my review under "Last Movie You Watched"
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wuatenigenu1

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Re: Steve Jobs
« Reply #6 on: November 14, 2015, 06:00:17 AM »
I thought it was too one-sided in that it didn't really show many aspects of his life. We don't see him developing anything, we don't see him in his private life, we don't really get a glimpse inside his mind and thus don't really understand his motivations. It focuses too much on the scenes where everything's already accomplished and we don't get a sense of his struggle and how he got to that point. Although I thought it was very well acted and had great dialogue I never really got the sense that I understood this person or got any closer to how he must have been in real life. I also thought it was a bit rushed at times and what bugged me the most: Too much soundtrack. Too much dramatic scoring of moments that don't nearly have the weight and importance that they pretend to have. Whereas Social Network's eery soundtrack functioned as a subtle, driving force beneath the action this one just screamed "look at how important I am" all the time. In general, I thought that the subject material didn't warrant that many dramatic, emotional moments. By no means a bad film, but it could have been improved in my opinion by having more exposition, more room to breathe and showing a broader scope of his life and his story.