love

Author Topic: 1990s US Bracket: Verdicts  (Read 712565 times)

worm@work

  • Godfather
  • *****
  • Posts: 7445
Re: 1990s US Bracket commentary
« Reply #690 on: July 10, 2008, 11:01:20 AM »
What's eating Gilbert Grape (Lasse Hallstron, 1993)
vs.
The Game (David Fincher, 1997)

I had watched and liked both these film years ago and I knew going in that the decision wouldn't be easy. What I didn't realize at the time is how good a pairing this would turn out to be. I felt like both these films explore the same basic central theme - the feeling of being trapped in a situation from which you see no escape. In one film, we have Gilbert Grape stuck in Endora, Iowa in a completely dysfunctional albeit close-knit family. In the other we have Nicholas van Orton trapped in his gated San Francisco mansion with no real connection to his family. The two protagonists, one whose current ties are too strong to let him break free and another whose utter lack of human connection has him trapped in a empty albeit plush void, provide a nice contrast to one another.

I found very few flaws in Whats eating Gilbert Grape. The characters are all human and flawed in their own ways. The performances are excellent - Johnny Depp is magical and the rest of the cast is amazing as well. Leonardo di Caprio is very endearing as Arnie and a special shoutout to Darlene Cates who plays Gilbert's mom. Depp and Juliette Lewis share great chemistry and overall the movie really worked for me. The movie works especially well in its creation of small moments - Gilbert's betrayal of his ex-boss by visiting Foodland, the interactions between Gilbert and his mom. Overall, the movie ends up being really engrossing and moving.


It's relatively easy to criticize The Game for its gaping plotholes and the utter suspension of disbelief it requires from the viewer. Despite all that, I love mindbenders and puzzles and got drawn pretty easily into Fincher's dreamlike world. The movie is stylish and really clever in parts and like a fun amusement park ride, it keeps throwing the viewer into unexpected dizzying loops. What spoilt the movie for me was the utter lack of payoff in the end. It feels like there hasn't even been a rudimentary attempt at tying the threads together to give the movie some semblance of coherence. Overall, the movie doesn't really stand up to repeat viewings or to any kind of postfacto analysis.

Overall, I think Gilbert Grape really succeeds at what it's trying to do whereas the Game mostly failed in that respect for me. So Gilbert Grape moves on.
« Last Edit: July 10, 2008, 11:20:02 AM by worm@work »

¡Keith!

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 26774
  • Bitch, I been around since LimeWire.
Re: 1990s US Bracket commentary
« Reply #691 on: July 10, 2008, 11:09:39 AM »
I like The Game, but would have chosen the same.

pixote

  • Administrator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 34237
  • Up with generosity!
    • yet more inanities!
Re: 1990s US Bracket commentary
« Reply #692 on: July 10, 2008, 11:35:24 AM »
I believe that's the fifth Johnny Depp film to advance to the second round — further proof that Donnie Brasco wuz robbed!

Nice writeup, worm.  Glad at least one of the films was worth revisiting.  :)

pixote
Great  |  Near Great  |  Very Good  |  Good  |  Fair  |  Mixed  |  Middling  |  Bad

Valentine McKee

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 268
  • Nobody does it better
    • My music vid
Re: 1990s US Bracket commentary
« Reply #693 on: July 10, 2008, 11:52:02 AM »
It's relatively easy to criticize The Game for its gaping plotholes and the utter suspension of disbelief it requires from the viewer.

That's my all time favourite quote from these boards!
The cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river.

Valentine McKee

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 268
  • Nobody does it better
    • My music vid
Re: 1990s US Bracket commentary
« Reply #694 on: July 10, 2008, 07:26:33 PM »
City of Hope
vs.
Wayne's World


Because I'm unimaginitive, I find it hard to believe that anyone reading this hasn't seen Wayne's World. Compare that to The Love Guru, which I'd be surprised if many people here had seen, and it's shocking to think of the difference between pre and post-Shrek Myers.
I'm biased of course. I've seen Cat in the Hat of all things, and kinda liked a couple of things Myers' did in it.
Wayne's World is a good film. I'm a bit disappointed (or completely wrong) when I see that it's this and not Wayne's World 2 that has made it onto the list. But this is the film that bought headbanging to Bohemian Rhapsody. It's hard to imagine a time when that didn't happen. This film, to a small extent, changed the world we live in. Also lots of laughs. And the Scooby endings are awesome.

As for City of Hope, I gotta admit I hadn't heard of this film before pix sent me a message asking me if I'd like to watch it. As often with this contest, two completely different films have been paired up. City of Hope has John Sayles writ all over it - I couldn't tell you who directed Wayne's World!
Oddly enough City of Hope gives us much more of a world than WW does, with numerous characters' lives interweaving - an ensemble in the best sense.
City of Hope is a real film featuring real people. This was the (Paul Haggis) Crash of it's day.


And yet, I'm giving it to Wayne's World.
I'm not an awards ceremony, no pressure here to give it to the "worthy" film. And I've seen enough bad comedies to appreciate everything WW gets right.
Party on filmspotters!
The cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river.

pixote

  • Administrator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 34237
  • Up with generosity!
    • yet more inanities!
Re: 1990s US Bracket commentary
« Reply #695 on: July 10, 2008, 07:33:12 PM »
Wayne's World was definitely the favorite going in — the 73rd seed against 140th-seeded City of Hope.

The previous matchup, by the way, was the most even of the entire first round:  the 106th seed (Gilbert Grape) against the 107th seed (The Game).

I really like City of Hope, but I'm strangely okay with Wayne's World's moving on.

pixote
Great  |  Near Great  |  Very Good  |  Good  |  Fair  |  Mixed  |  Middling  |  Bad

mañana

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 20862
  • Check your public library
Re: 1990s US Bracket commentary
« Reply #696 on: July 10, 2008, 07:39:50 PM »
I would have liked to see City of Hope get some love, a film I saw about 5 years ago and remember being moved by; I really think it's something of a forgotten gem. With all that said I find the argument "I've seen enough bad comedies to appreciate everything WW gets right", really convincing.
There's no deceit in the cauliflower.

pixote

  • Administrator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 34237
  • Up with generosity!
    • yet more inanities!
Re: 1990s US Bracket commentary
« Reply #697 on: July 10, 2008, 07:42:07 PM »
With all that said I find the argument "I've seen enough bad comedies to appreciate everything WW gets right", really convincing.

Yeah, that's what sold me, too.  Even after being reminded of The Love Guru's existence.

pixote
Great  |  Near Great  |  Very Good  |  Good  |  Fair  |  Mixed  |  Middling  |  Bad

pixote

  • Administrator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 34237
  • Up with generosity!
    • yet more inanities!
Re: 1990s US Bracket commentary
« Reply #698 on: July 10, 2008, 07:49:39 PM »
So John Sayles goes 0-for-3, with City of Hope, Passion Fish, and Lone Star all losing?  :-\

Maybe there's an argument for resurrection in there somewhere.

pixote
Great  |  Near Great  |  Very Good  |  Good  |  Fair  |  Mixed  |  Middling  |  Bad

Valentine McKee

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 268
  • Nobody does it better
    • My music vid
Re: 1990s US Bracket commentary
« Reply #699 on: July 10, 2008, 08:20:27 PM »
I would have liked to see City of Hope get some love, a film I saw about 5 years ago and remember being moved by; I really think it's something of a forgotten gem. With all that said I find the argument "I've seen enough bad comedies to appreciate everything WW gets right", really convincing.


Thankyou.
I should add that works with "good comedies" as well. Of which WW definitely is one.

I haven't seen The Love Guru, but I'm sure even that stands up well against Dana Carvey's Master of Disguise.
Sorry, I'm getting seriously off topic!
The cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river.