Author Topic: Dec MDC Write-ups  (Read 29715 times)

edgar00

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #80 on: January 13, 2009, 09:31:24 PM »
That's an interesting assessment of the film. I agree that there is little to no story, but I think it was that very element that sucked me into Ale's world. I was interested in seeing this boy work and behave in a world of adults. I thought it appropriate when he showed signs of immaturity because, regardless of the experience he has earned up until this point in his life, he remains a child.

Quite fascinating how we both reacted to it. I think the very things that left you disappointed satisfied me very much. Oh well, you can't win them all I imagine.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2009, 12:21:44 PM by edgarchaput »
-Le Chiffre: You changed your shirt, Mr Bond. I hope our little game isn't causing you to perspire.

-James Bond: A little. But I won't consider myself to be in trouble until I start weeping blood.

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jbissell

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #81 on: January 13, 2009, 11:02:27 PM »
I think we know the real reason sam didn't care about the character...

edgar00

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #82 on: January 13, 2009, 11:06:15 PM »
I think we know the real reason sam didn't care about the character...

Ah yes, of course. Why it's elementary my dear jbissell. He's racist sam!
-Le Chiffre: You changed your shirt, Mr Bond. I hope our little game isn't causing you to perspire.

-James Bond: A little. But I won't consider myself to be in trouble until I start weeping blood.

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http://crabkeyheadquarters.wordpress.com/

Clovis8

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #83 on: January 14, 2009, 12:28:47 AM »
I have come to the conclusion that if sam hated a movie its will be great and if he liked it, its safe to assume its not very good. :D

jbissell

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #84 on: January 14, 2009, 01:05:55 AM »
I have come to the conclusion that if sam hated a movie its will be great and if he liked it, its safe to assume its not very good. :D

I'd agree with that except he does like some good movies.  Such an enigma wrapped in a riddle.

Thor

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #85 on: January 14, 2009, 11:04:05 AM »
Ugh. I know I shouldn't bother because you have stated your "rights", but I have to ask anyway.

At the end of the day the film has to draw us in and give us a reason to care about what is happening on screen.

And we certainly don’t care about Ale (Alejandro Polanco)

Why don't 'we' (surely you mean 'you', unless you are more than one personality, which would at least explain the numbers and erratic viewing habits) care? Can you tell us? Did you contemplate it at all? What about the film stopped you caring? You first seem to indicate that it maybe had something to do with the film's breaking out of the conventional Hollywood mold, but didn't really explain why that is. You just stated it and then moved on to a total misreading of the film's character's actions towards each other and the story's "thematic underpinning" - that in areas of extreme poverty, lives, especially those of children, are often nasty, brutal and short, causing them to age before their time, and (in the case of the adults) to have little time for sentiment or those who cannot help them advance out that milieu, and that it is precisely Ale's resourcefulness and naive or 'childlike' optimism in the face of these conditions that makes his actions interesting, tragic, and moving - and then repeated yourself.

The problem is that we don’t care about Ale or his fate.

Why not?!

This could have been a fantastic look at a society that forces children to act with wisdom they don’t have or how this subculture is more than willing to screw over kids. And while this film touches on both it isn’t really about anything. All it’s really about is following this kid through this curious and interesting lifestyle, but we aren’t given a reason to care.

Here, you're contradicting yourself. You do get it - the films is indeed a "look at a society that forces children to act with wisdom they don’t have or how this subculture is more than willing to screw over kids" - and that is our reason to care. What would have made you care more? Perhaps he should have had a gimpy leg, or someone should have threatened to gouge his eyes out to really ram the message home?

Chop Shop thinks that being different it can be good.
Furthermore, the film has no ideological thought behind it, it simply is.

Films don't think. Or do they? I would have less problems with your review if it was coherent. Maybe you could try thinking about them a bit, rather than just letting them simply 'be'?
« Last Edit: January 14, 2009, 11:05:58 AM by Thor »
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Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #86 on: January 14, 2009, 12:00:10 PM »
This could have been a fantastic look at a society that forces children to act with wisdom they don’t have or how this subculture is more than willing to screw over kids. And while this film touches on both it isn’t really about anything. All it’s really about is following this kid through this curious and interesting lifestyle, but we aren’t given a reason to care.

Here, you're contradicting yourself.
Not really, because the film doesn't develop those ideas, it just touches on them. For instance there are only scene where that idea is even touched upon is when he realizes he's been screwed over.

roujin

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #87 on: January 14, 2009, 12:12:38 PM »

RocknRolla (Guy Ritchie, 2008)

I did not like this. Sorry, gman. No reflection on you since you generally have good taste ;) But this sort of stuff just wasn't made for me. I remember last year I watched a horrendous movie called Smokin' Aces. I had flashbacks to my experience with that movie. It wasn't as bad but it was getting to be. My biggest problems is that there's too many characters and too much boring bullshit going on (just like that film) except it has English/Russian accents to cover it up. Also, these characters are only as good/interesting as are the actors who're playing them. Smokin' Aces was, at least, insane in this regard since pretty much every character had their own dress code and could be told apart. The filmmaking here is also really annoying. Each scene is only as good/interesting as whatever song's playing in the background. And the little touches that are added to a scene are just bad. Consider this:

http://www.vimeo.com/2827665

A perfectly okayish scene until these little almost videogame style things start happening and I lose all interest. There's a couple of funny parts here and there (this scene is actually one of the better ones) but overall I was bored and wished it would stop. Sari

¡Keith!

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #88 on: January 14, 2009, 12:24:31 PM »
Sari

That reminds me, I need to nominate this for best costumes in the film spots.

I am more on top of things than I'd thought

edgar00

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Re: Dec MDC Write-ups
« Reply #89 on: January 14, 2009, 12:36:42 PM »
This could have been a fantastic look at a society that forces children to act with wisdom they don’t have or how this subculture is more than willing to screw over kids. And while this film touches on both it isn’t really about anything. All it’s really about is following this kid through this curious and interesting lifestyle, but we aren’t given a reason to care.

Here, you're contradicting yourself.
Not really, because the film doesn't develop those ideas, it just touches on them. For instance there are only scene where that idea is even touched upon is when he realizes he's been screwed over.


I think Chop Shop can be viewed as an exploration of that culture through the eyes of this child, Ale. He has indeed learned some of the ropes in order to make somewhat of a living. With his earned experience he gains some confidence and think s he can even start his own business. Little does he know that he has still much to learn. It was this balancing act between maturity and kid-like state that I found interesting. The maturity was a product of him living in this environment, this culture, while the kid-like state existed because that is, for all intents and purposes, what he still he, a child. There is this idea of children looking after themselves in a grownup world, a poor one at that, and what kind of children it makes out of them. It's this idea of growing up too fast, but without any choice about it at all.

Can one argue that that makes for a comprehensive theme that a film can run on? I think so. If you didn't fancy it, so be it, that's your opinion. I will side with Thor however in that I'm unsure as to what you meant with the 'it thinks being different makes it good' argument.
-Le Chiffre: You changed your shirt, Mr Bond. I hope our little game isn't causing you to perspire.

-James Bond: A little. But I won't consider myself to be in trouble until I start weeping blood.

https://twitter.com/Betweentheseats
http://crabkeyheadquarters.wordpress.com/