Poll

Which is your favorite?

haven't seen any
2 (25%)
don't like any
1 (12.5%)
other
0 (0%)
This Is the Life
0 (0%)
I Will Follow
0 (0%)
Middle of Nowhere
0 (0%)
Selma
2 (25%)
13th
3 (37.5%)
A Wrinkle in Time
0 (0%)
When They See Us
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 8

Author Topic: DuVernay, Ava  (Read 1716 times)

1SO

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DuVernay, Ava
« on: March 09, 2018, 12:17:32 PM »
1. 13th
2. Selma
3. Middle of Nowhere

4. A Wrinkle in Time
« Last Edit: July 14, 2021, 10:54:24 AM by 1SO »

Corndog

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Re: DuVernay, Ava
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2018, 12:43:38 PM »
No Venus Vs.?

1. Selma (3.5)
2. 13th (3)
3. Venus Vs. (3)
4. A Wrinkle in Time (2)
"Time is the speed at which the past decays."

Bondo

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Re: DuVernay, Ava
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2018, 01:17:05 PM »
Selma
13th
I Will Follow
Middle of Nowhere

DarkeningHumour

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Re: DuVernay, Ava
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2018, 01:30:34 PM »
Posting to follow. Will come back after a Wrinkle in Time.
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Dave the Necrobumper

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Re: DuVernay, Ava
« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2018, 02:03:53 PM »
Seen none

1SO

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Re: DuVernay, Ava
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2018, 05:07:57 PM »
No Venus Vs.?
That is her Nine for IX. I didn't list it because it is considered an episode of a television series and she has a number of those. I considered Queen Sugar because she's credited as Creator, but there have been a lot of directors on that series.

Corndog

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Re: DuVernay, Ava
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2018, 06:44:10 PM »
Nine for IX is like 30 for 30. They’re their own independent docs.
"Time is the speed at which the past decays."

Will

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Re: DuVernay, Ava
« Reply #7 on: June 21, 2020, 10:23:31 PM »
Selma 7/10
The Door 7/10
13th 5/10
A Wrinkle in Time 5/10
Middle of Nowhere 5/10
I Will Follow 4/10

-

When all is said and done, quite possibly the most overrated American director to emerge from the 2010s. She was a publicist for most of her career leading up to feature filmmaking and it shows in her carefully crafted celebrity persona. I am very confused how she got the job for SELMA after watching I WILL FOLLOW or MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. Both of these films reveal fundamental problems: a lack of 180 line respect, utter confusion over lighting black people, bizarre editing choices, and overpowering dramatic scenes with a forgettable score. Beyond her ability of directing actors well (which came under scrutiny for WRINKLE), she doesn't seem to possess much of a strong cinematic aesthetic.

1SO

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Re: DuVernay, Ava
« Reply #8 on: June 21, 2020, 10:45:20 PM »
When all is said and done, quite possibly the most overrated American director to emerge from the 2010s.
Superficially, this cries out for rebuttal. I immediately thought of Andrew Bujalski because just with Computer Chess and Support the Girls he has those same fundamental problems except for the score. Also, like DuVernay he was around before the 2010s but gained more attention in this decade. If I didn't have to limit myself to a time frame, I would say THE overrated director of the 2010s is Zack Snyder.
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
Sucker Punch
Man of Steel
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
#ReleaseTheSnyderCut
...or better yet, don't.


Now that I got the silly stuff out... bold claim and I fully support it. Not to entirely blame her, but the marketing for Wrinkle in Time referred to her as "Visionary Director" while none of the footage supported it. The end result was closer to Aeon Flux than Denis Villeneuve.

I do like the way she makes her case in 13th and from what I heard about When They See Us, maybe she's better with documentaries which doesn't ask for a strong cinematic aesthetic.

Will

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Re: DuVernay, Ava
« Reply #9 on: June 22, 2020, 04:51:37 PM »
There's a case for Bujalski as a director but I guess we disagree on SUPPORT THE GIRLS which (to me) fully redeemed him if only for getting completely out of his actresses' way (no joke: Regina Hall's performance might be my favorite performance of the 2010 decade).

Agreed on Snyder though I have a soft spot for LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS. If Ava should transition exclusively to documentaries, Snyder should transition exclusively to animation.

Looking over Ava's filmography, it appears that she has some roots in the 2000s as well but with documentary filmmaking solely. Did any of these documentaries get a theatrical release? I doubt it.

By the way, you brought up Denis Villeneuve... I would make a case for him too!  ;D