Tales from Cinematic Motions

[morgan]

So, I was just looking around IMDB, and...

Jack and Diane

Plot Keywords:
Lesbian Interest / Lesbian / Werewolf / Title Based On Song / Character Name In Title

Plot Summary:
Jack and Diane, two teenage lesbians, meet in New York City and spend the night kissing ferociously. Diane's charming innocence quickly begins to open Jack's tough skinned heart. But, when Jack discovers that Diane is leaving the country in a week she tries to push her away. Diane must struggle to keep their love alive while hiding the secret that her newly awakened sexual desire occasionally turns her into a werewolf.

Cast:
Ellen Page, Olivia Thirlby

 

[elpollodiablo]

I friggin detest Ellen Page/Diablo Cody/this entire precious thing that's happening in independent cinema right now.*

Also: the only theater in the state showing Southland Tales is our little indie theater and I can't get anyone to go with me. C'mon! Who doesn't want to go to a 150min. universally panned trainwreck of a film at 10pm on a Monday night?


Although that movie sounds pretty intriguing

[Trousers and Pat]

Also: the only theater in the state showing Southland Tales is our little indie theater and I can't get anyone to go with me. C'mon! Who doesn't want to go to a 150min. universally panned trainwreck of a film at 10pm on a Monday night?

I was only just barely able to convince any one to go to this too, but the movie was loads of fun.
And then like that it was gone.

[Andrew_TSKS]

i haven't seen anything diablo cody has written yet, for reasons that i would think are obvious, but i'm definitely in favor of stuff like that.

that "jack and diane" movie sounds kind of awesome.

[elpollodiablo]

You're in favor of the insipid treacle that's turning corporate indie cinema into endless sequels to Little Miss Sunshine?


And yeah w/r/t Southland Tales I'm fairly certain it's only running here for one week, so it looks like I'll be going alone.

[Bernard]

I friggin detest Ellen Page/Diablo Cody/this entire precious thing that's happening in independent cinema right now.*

Co-signed, big time.

[lastclearchance]

You're in favor of the insipid treacle that's turning corporate indie cinema into endless sequels to Little Miss Sunshine?

I think you have your causality backwards. And I hear for indie tripe Juno is really good.

[elpollodiablo]

Alright, alright. That was the probably the acme of this shit, though, and its success signaled to me that indie cinema was becoming more quirky, less compelling.

[hannah]

I was thinking of seeing Juno and then I read this:

Unlike the decision in Knocked Up, which is portrayed as a personal choice with little elaboration, Juno’s about-face on abortion is framed explicitly as a moral choice. Her encounter with the pro-life protester is validated when, explaining her decision to have the baby to her friend, Juno says that the fetus already has fingernails. The film tries to deflate this notion, stressing the creepiness of the waiting room and playing up the protestor’s lameness. But one can’t ignore what’s shown: a pro-lifer telling a pregnant teenager that her fetus is a life, that rather than abort she should carry it to term and give it up for adoption, and the teen, after some thought, doing exactly that. It’s no wonder the movie has been well-received on pro-life blogs and chat boards.

and

Cody, in an interview with the Guardian, stressed her own pro-choice views and said of the abortion clinic scene, “I didn't want it to seem as if she left because she suddenly had some moral epiphany. It was more that she left for really human, teenage reasons. She's freaked out.” To be clear, what matters here isn’t whether Cody is pro-life or pro-choice. And obviously, this is not about the morality of Juno keeping her baby (the movie wouldn’t exist otherwise). What matters is how Cody frames that decision—and whether she understands the link between text and subtext. In her defense of the scene, she inadvertently points up what’s fundamentally wrong about Juno and the culture of quirk. Playing everything for effect, Cody and Reitman excuse themselves from addressing—or even thinking about—knottier issues of meaning and politics. Play everything for laughs, make sure it’s weird but not too weird, and send the audience home on a reassuring high.

and I was all naw maybe later, life is too short

[elpollodiablo]

I knew my sight unseen dismissal was valid

[hannah]

Huzzah!

Did I mention I saw I'm Not There? Todd Haynes Todd Haynes Todd Haynes I wish you would calm down and make a movie that is art or at least about art -- not about artists, not about mythology, not about martyrs or mystics. No, that's not fair; I like Far From Heaven, and I love Safe, and Superstar is pretty great for what it is, but Velvet Goldmine is some hefty crud. I'm Not There isn't crud entirely, no. It's like I agree with J. Hoberman's extended analysis of the film and nonetheless think the film self-important and not too interesting.

[diesel_powered]

Oh pish. You're just jealous that Jonathan Rhys Meyers spent more time kissing the boys and not you in Velvet Goldmine.

[Ah_Pook]

i am legend was great up until the end, even taking into account the horribly lame cgi monster fx. the ending was excessive cheese with the butterfly and stuff, but i guess it was an ok enough ending outside of the bad execution. just lame enough to leave a bad taste in your mouth.

also, from what ive read about the book they seem to have totally fucked the story into something much less interesting than it originally was. and they would seem to have totally changed the meaning of the title. but i guess thats par for the course in these things.

edit: the batman trailer was so rad on the big screen

[Trousers and Pat]

i am legend was great up until the end, even taking into account the horribly lame cgi monster fx. the ending was excessive cheese with the butterfly and stuff, but i guess it was an ok enough ending outside of the bad execution. just lame enough to leave a bad taste in your mouth.

I was also upset by the computer monsters-- but we all saw how obsessed he was with the movie Shrek, and maybe the weird overly-animated CGness of the mutants is supposed to tip us off that they're manifestations of that weakened mind. or hallucinations. or whatever. Because in a "last man on earth" scenario, there's only one point of view to choose from- the last man. In a way.

Yeah, playing the unreliable narrator card but I'm just trying to make my peace with this movie.

[Ah_Pook]

like every time you see that one guy he does the cliched cgi monster RAWRRRR thing. every single time. and it looks really bad in this particular incarnation too.

im 100% sure that the monsters were not supposed to be hallucinations, also.

i need to read this book some time, it sounds really cool.

[lastclearchance]

I was thinking of seeing Juno and then I read this:

Unlike the decision in Knocked Up, which is portrayed as a personal choice with little elaboration, Juno’s about-face on abortion is framed explicitly as a moral choice. Her encounter with the pro-life protester is validated when, explaining her decision to have the baby to her friend, Juno says that the fetus already has fingernails. The film tries to deflate this notion, stressing the creepiness of the waiting room and playing up the protestor’s lameness. But one can’t ignore what’s shown: a pro-lifer telling a pregnant teenager that her fetus is a life, that rather than abort she should carry it to term and give it up for adoption, and the teen, after some thought, doing exactly that. It’s no wonder the movie has been well-received on pro-life blogs and chat boards.

and

Cody, in an interview with the Guardian, stressed her own pro-choice views and said of the abortion clinic scene, “I didn't want it to seem as if she left because she suddenly had some moral epiphany. It was more that she left for really human, teenage reasons. She's freaked out.” To be clear, what matters here isn’t whether Cody is pro-life or pro-choice. And obviously, this is not about the morality of Juno keeping her baby (the movie wouldn’t exist otherwise). What matters is how Cody frames that decision—and whether she understands the link between text and subtext. In her defense of the scene, she inadvertently points up what’s fundamentally wrong about Juno and the culture of quirk. Playing everything for effect, Cody and Reitman excuse themselves from addressing—or even thinking about—knottier issues of meaning and politics. Play everything for laughs, make sure it’s weird but not too weird, and send the audience home on a reassuring high.

and I was all naw maybe later, life is too short

how did dana stevens not mention that shit???

i give up on this movie

[morgan]

also, from what ive read about the book they seem to have totally fucked the story into something much less interesting than it originally was. and they would seem to have totally changed the meaning of the title. but i guess thats par for the course in these things.

Yeah, I haven't read the book but I've read discussion threads about this movie in regards to the book, and the book just seems way more awesome and interesting in pretty much every feasible way.  I really, really want to read it. 

[elpollodiablo]

In her defense of the scene, she inadvertently points up what’s fundamentally wrong about Juno and the culture of quirk. Playing everything for effect, Cody and Reitman excuse themselves from addressing—or even thinking about—knottier issues of meaning and politics. Play everything for laughs, make sure it’s weird but not too weird, and send the audience home on a reassuring high.

This is exactly what I'm talking about.

[Andrew_TSKS]

damn, i really wish i'd gotten to see that movie before reviews ruined it for me.

[DCDave]

Shmamortion.

[howardfinkel]

Late to the scene but holy shit that Batman trailer is making me crazy.

[DCDave]

Crazy in a good way?

[guavacris]

So, say you really like Noir. How does NoirCon sound? For $180--now how does it sound? I need help making an informed purchase 'cause this lineup could be crap. Thing is, my boy would get to see the films anyway for $10 each so I'm really buying it for the discussions and he'd be excited about the philly noir panel. Does this festival set anyone off? It's bonus season so I could swing an extravagant present if it can lay waste entire neighborhoods. Otherwise i'll stick with an Inernational House membership. It includes the 24-hour Halloween horror film marathon. And cereal!

[jebreject]

Re: Juno, I don't care anything about anything except Michael Cera.

[Andrew_TSKS]

Re: Juno, I don't care anything about anything except Michael Cera.

no lie, dude, i'm still gonna see it.

oh, and guavcris, that sounds cool, but i don't know if it's $180 cool.