Author Topic: The Underrated, The Overlooked & The Misunderstood: A Decade  (Read 24279 times)

sdedalus

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Re: The Underrated, The Overlooked & The Misunderstood: A Decade
« Reply #40 on: December 21, 2009, 04:32:59 AM »
I don't think its unintentional at all, but you are correct that it does that (point with bright neon that the universe has meaning and everything is connected, etc), but that doesn't make its argument about faith any less interesting.  He should have had it, but did not.  He failed to humble himself before the universe and was shown the error of his ways. 

Alternately, it was all coincidence, and he chose to interpret it as God.  Faith isn't about the unknowable, but the un-understandable.  The way we make sense of things, putting together various bits of reality in a coherent narrative we tell ourselves about the universe is an act of faith.  In the end, Gibson constructs his reality in a way that is useful to him, that makes him feel better and gives him the ability to fight off aliens or whatever.  It's not God beating him over the head: the bits were there all the time, Gibson just never assembled them until the end.
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Holly Harry

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Re: The Underrated, The Overlooked & The Misunderstood: A Decade
« Reply #41 on: December 21, 2009, 04:59:54 AM »
I don't think its unintentional at all, but you are correct that it does that (point with bright neon that the universe has meaning and everything is connected, etc), but that doesn't make its argument about faith any less interesting.  He should have had it, but did not.  He failed to humble himself before the universe and was shown the error of his ways. 

Alternately, it was all coincidence, and he chose to interpret it as God.  Faith isn't about the unknowable, but the un-understandable.  The way we make sense of things, putting together various bits of reality in a coherent narrative we tell ourselves about the universe is an act of faith.  In the end, Gibson constructs his reality in a way that is useful to him, that makes him feel better and gives him the ability to fight off aliens or whatever.  It's not God beating him over the head: the bits were there all the time, Gibson just never assembled them until the end.

Interesting.

I do think the film shoots itself in the foot with it's execution though. Just too heavy-handed. Need to watch again.

I'm surprised that we or somebody else hasn't mentioned the big problem most people have with the ending, the water. That aspect of the ending has never bothered me, and I don't understand people's hang-up about it.
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sdedalus

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Re: The Underrated, The Overlooked & The Misunderstood: A Decade
« Reply #42 on: December 21, 2009, 05:24:09 AM »
I need to watch it again.  I've only seen it once, and that was a year ago.  I really did like it though.
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Clovis8

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Re: The Underrated, The Overlooked & The Misunderstood: A Decade
« Reply #43 on: December 21, 2009, 09:33:31 AM »
Would superman be logical if he lived in a house made on kryptonite? No? then Signs is god awful.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: The Underrated, The Overlooked & The Misunderstood: A Decade
« Reply #44 on: December 21, 2009, 09:41:57 AM »
The hype around The Sixth Sense was the worst thing that could have happened to the rest of Shymalan's films.  None of the rest of them have "twists" in the sense that that film does, and they're better films because of it.
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Junior

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Re: The Underrated, The Overlooked & The Misunderstood: A Decade
« Reply #45 on: December 21, 2009, 10:58:41 AM »
Would superman be logical if he lived in a house made on kryptonite? No? then Signs is god awful.

Here's clovis, always having logic ruin his movie-going experiences.
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Clovis8

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Re: The Underrated, The Overlooked & The Misunderstood: A Decade
« Reply #46 on: December 21, 2009, 11:00:14 AM »
Would superman be logical if he lived in a house made on kryptonite? No? then Signs is god awful.

Here's clovis, always having logic ruin his movie-going experiences.

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smirnoff

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Re: The Underrated, The Overlooked & The Misunderstood: A Decade
« Reply #47 on: December 21, 2009, 11:52:42 AM »
5. The Village-M. Night's best film about fear, love and the virtue of color...that sounds sooo wrong.

Great pick sam.

Melvil

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Re: The Underrated, The Overlooked & The Misunderstood: A Decade
« Reply #48 on: December 21, 2009, 12:10:31 PM »
Would superman be logical if he lived in a house made on kryptonite? No? then Signs is god awful.

Everyone always assumes the aliens knew water was harmful to them. Logic tells me they wouldn't have had a clue.

jbissell

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Re: The Underrated, The Overlooked & The Misunderstood: A Decade
« Reply #49 on: December 21, 2009, 12:20:59 PM »
That's one I definitely need to see. I've heard a lot about Andersson but haven't taken the plunge.

Me too. I also recently acquired You, The Living and might make a double feature of it.

Vertical Ray of the Sun.

I remember a friend talking Vertical Ray up a lot when it came out here. Thanks for the reminder.

I have a few titles in mind but I need to do some research to see if they're actually underrated/overlooked/misunderstood.