Film Comment Changes Name to Broken Record
Courtesy of Glimmer, live from Lincoln Center, here are the results from Film Comment’s End-of-Year Critics’ Poll:
BEST FILMS OF 2007
(Released theatrically in the U.S.)
1. No Country for Old Men - Joel & Ethan Coen, U.S. 754 points
2. There Will Be Blood - P.T. Anderson, U.S. 743
3. Zodiac - David Fincher, U.S. 699
4. Syndromes and a Century - Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thai./Aus./France 638
5. I’m Not There - Todd Haynes, U.S./Germany 592
6. Killer of Sheep - Charles Burnett, U.S. 508
7. Lady Chatterley - Pascale Ferran, France/Belgium 485
8. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days -Cristian Mungiu, Rom. 451
9. Eastern Promises - David Cronenberg, U.K./Canada 450
10. Colossal Youth - Pedro Costa, France/Portugal/Switzerland 393
More results after the jump…
11. The Lives of Others Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Germany 310
12. Black Book Paul Verhoeven, Neth./Ger./Bel. 297
13. Michael Clayton Tony Gilroy, U.S. 291
14. No End in Sight Charles Ferguson, U.S. 281
15. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead Sidney Lumet, U.S. 271
16. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Julian Schnabel, France/U.S 259
17. Away from Her Sarah Polley, Canada 252
18. Offside Jafar Panahi, Iran 250
19. I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone Tsai Ming-liang, Malaysia/China/Taiwan/France/Austria 241
20. Private Fears in Public Places Alain Resnais, Fr./It. 240
21. Ratatouille Brad Bird & Jan Pinkava, U.S. 237
22. Persepolis Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud, Fr. 236
23. The Host Bong Joon-ho, S. Korea 235
24. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Andrew Dominik, U.S. 226
25. Grindhouse Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino, U.S. 202
26. Margot at the Wedding Noah Baumbach, U.S. 196
27. Southland Tales Richard Kelly, U.S./Germany/France 181
28. The Savages Tamara Jenkins, U.S. 176
29. Bamako Abderrahmane Sissako, Mali/France/U.S. 174
30. 12:08 East of Bucharest Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania 170
31. The Bourne Ultimatum Paul Greengrass, U.S./Ger. 164
32. Once John Carney, Ireland 162
33. Into the Wild Sean Penn, U.S. 157
(tie) Juno Jason Reitman, U.S. 157
34. Brand Upon the Brain! Guy Maddin, Canada/U.S. 153
35. Sicko Michael Moore, U.S. 151
36. Regular Lovers Philippe Garrel, France 148
37. Knocked Up Judd Apatow, U.S. 142
(tie) Sweeney Todd Tim Burton, U.S. 142
38. Hot Fuzz Edgar Wright, U.K./France 125
39. The Darjeeling Limited Wes Anderson, U.S. 121
40. Lust, Caution Ang Lee, U.S./China/Taiwan/Hong Kong 117
41. Day Night Day Night Julia Loktev, U.S./Ger./Fr. 113
42. Control Anton Corbijn, U.K./U.S./Australia/Japan 110
43. Atonement Joe Wright, U.K./France 109
44. Into Great Silence Philip Gröning, France/Switzerland/Germany 108
(tie) Superbad Greg Mottola, U.S. 108
45. Terror’s Advocate Barbet Schroeder, France 107
46. Los Muertos Lisandro Alonso, Argentina/France/Netherlands/Switzerland 105
(tie) The Wind That Shakes the Barley Ken Loach, Ireland/U.K./Germany/Italy/Spain/France 105
47. 3:10 to Yuma James Mangold, U.S. 104
48. Rescue Dawn Werner Herzog, U.S. 99
49. Bug William Friedkin, U.S. 97
50. My Brother’s Wedding Charles Burnett, U.S. 95
BEST UNRELEASED FILMS OF 2007
(*Currently without U.S. distribution)
1. Silent Light Carlos Reygadas, Mex./Fr./Neth. 175
2. Flight of the Red Balloon Hou Hsiao-hsien, Tai./Fr. 171
3. Paranoid Park Gus Van Sant, France/U.S. 134
4. Secret Sunshine Lee Chang-dong, S. Korea 127
5. My Winnipeg Guy Maddin, Canada 97
6. Useless* Jia Zhang-Ke, China/Hong Kong 95
7. Still Life Jia Zhang-Ke, China/Hong Kong 91
8. In the City of Sylvia* José Luis Guerín, Spain 76
9. The Last Mistress Catherine Breillat, France/Italy 70
10. The Romance of Astrée and Céladon* Eric Rohmer, France/Italy/Spain 57
11. The Duchess of Langeais Jacques Rivette, Fr./Ger. 68
12. Alexandra Alexander Sokurov, France/Russia 44
13. The Unforeseen Laura Dunn, U.S. 43
14. Go Go Tales* Abel Ferrara, Italy/U.S. 41
15. Battle for Haditha Nick Broomfield, U.K. 37
16. Mister Lonely Harmony Korine, U.K./France/Ireland/U.S. 36
17. The Pool* Chris Smith, U.S. 35
18. George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead George A. Romero, U.S. 33
19. Chop Shop Ramin Bahrani, U.S. 32
20. Encounters at the End of the World Werner Herzog, U.S 29
(tie) Profit Motive and the Whispering Wind* John Gianvito, U.S. 29
21. Reprise Joachim Trier, Norway 28
22. The Man from London* Béla Tarr, Fr./Ger./Hun. 26
23. The Edge of Heaven Fatih Akin, Germany/Turkey 25
(tie) La France* Serge Bozon, France 25
(tie) The Silence Before Bach Pere Portabella, Spain 25
24. At Sea* Peter Hutton, U.S. 22
(tie) Boarding Gate Olivier Assayas, France 22
(tie) California Dreamin’* Cristian Nemescu, Romania 22
25. Chicago 10 Brett Morgen, U.S. 20
(tie) Dust Hartmut Bitomsky, Germany 20
26. Chronicle of a Chinese Woman* Bing Wang, China 19
(tie) I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK* Park Chan-wook, S. Korea 19
(tie) Taxi to the Dark Side Alex Gibney, U.S. 19
27. Calle Sante Fe* Carmen Castillo, Chile/France/Belgium 18
(tie) Glue Alexis Dos Santos, Argentina/U.K. 18
(tie) SpaceDisco One* Damon Packard, U.S. 18
28. Frownland* Ronald Bronstein, U.S. 17
(tie) I Just Didn’t Do It* Masayuki Suo, Japan 18
(tie) Lou Reed’s Berlin* Julian Schnabel, U.S./U.K. 17
(tie) Snow Angels David Gordon Green, U.S. 17
29. Caramel Nadine Labaki, France/Lebanon 16
(tie) Import Export Ulrich Seidl, Austria 16
30. Actresses Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, France 15
Filed under: Awards
Related Posts: - Soderbergh Makes Cannes
- BAFTA Nominations
- Asian Film Awards Nominees
- National Society of Film Critics Honors ‘Blood’
- Loose Ends: 9/14/08
Sweeney tied with Knocked Up at #37? That’s kind of sad for Sweeney.
And Atonement all the way at #43? Not that there’s anything wrong with their top films. I’m pleased to see No Country, TWBB and Zodiac high up, and Diving Bell didn’t make the top 10, but it did make the top 20. But, come on, Margot at the Wedding higher than Atonement? Atonement was terrific. Now, in all fairness I haven’t seen Margot at the Wedding, but I have heard enough about it to know it can’t be better than Atonement.
Margot definitely has her fans. I think it’s one of those deals that divides people. I fall on the negative side, but I know plenty of smart people who liked it, Jeffmcm for one: http://whenthedeadwalktheearth.blogspot.com/2007/12/margot-at-wedding-2007.html
I’m sure. And as I said, I haven’t seen it, so in all fairness I can’t judge it.
And this list is very good in that it contains a wider representation of excellent international films. I feel like a lot of these lists tend to be U.S.-centric, with a couple of foreign films thrown in here and there.
You’re more than welcome to hate Margot with me, sight unseen. I always like company.
If you liked Squid and the Whale though you should at least check out Margot on DVD. More than anything I think I was disappointed that it wasn’t the movie I wanted to be, which is silly I know.
Foreign. I love seeing all the foreign films too, especially Syndromes and a Century and I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone. Sometimes though I think some of these snobbier critics groups go out of their way to vote for obscure stuff so they can look like elitist smartypants. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, especially since it brings attention to worthy movies that would ordinarily never receive any.
Yes, the “elitist smartypants” comment does ring true.
I’d rather be an elitist smartypants than a populist douche bag.
Hee hee. So would I. :-)
I loved Squid and The Whale, and I haven’t seen Margot because I was in fear of getting disappointed like you Craig. But Jennifer Jason Leigh looks great, but I am judging from that perhaps, elusive trailer. But it being better than Atonement? Can that be possible? I guess for some people.
Poor Sweeney! Surprised to see the over rated (In My Opinion) Hot Fuzz on this list, just above Sweeney.
I love the fact that Zodiac and I’m Not There are up in the top ten.
JJL and Nicole were both great in Margot. So was Jack Black actually. Definitely factors to consider when deciding whether to see it. It was simply not my cup of tea, but hopefully you’re all getting a good enough sense of my likes and dislikes that you know when to ignore me.
(and yes Nick, you’re getting spammed again…all I can do is to keep unspamming you and the system is supposed to learn eventually)
I am sorry for wasting your time when you have to unspam me, I have no idea why I am being spammed! Dam systems, me and systems don’t go well together!
I don’t think “Margot” is as good as “Squid” (which I thought was one of the best films of its year) but I’m definitely in its positive camp.
You can read my review here: http://fromthefrontrow.blogspot.com/2007/12/review-margot-at-wedding.html
Don’t worry about it Nick. It’ll clear itself up.
Thanks for the link Matthew.
The best part of this is the unreleased films list. Most of those made the festival circuit in 2007 or got NY previews already, so their opportunity for exposure is somewhat blown for 2008. I would guess, based on previous experience, that many of these will quietly go directly to DVD now. Herzog, Van Sant, Madden, and Brelliat are likely to get some kind of release eventually, but the rest of these are going to struggle to find any distribution. I’ll be eyeing the listings for the Portland Int Film Fest next month to see if they happen to show up there.
Load up your Netflix Saved queue and cross your fingers.
Good point. Silent Light and Secret Sunshine are both Oscar candidates and both are scheduled for limited release.
I haven’t had time to go through the whole list, but there’s some good stuff on there that may or may not show up in everyone’s city even if it does get a release.
Well, Film Comment has the Top 4 right! That’s exactly my Top 4 as well.
I’m saddened by the omission of Exiled. It’s truly Johnnie To’s The Wild Bunch. When it comes to action, I’ll take To over Greengrass but I know plenty of folks with whom I respectfully disagree.
Usually you’d have to be reaching for a Top 50 but not this year.
Where did Gone Baby Gone go to? Is it… now just Gone?
I haven’t seen Exiled but I have a high regard for Paul Greengrass. A strong script is usually the foundation of a strong film. Yet with Greengrass I think the script can be merely solid with some good moments and he’ll make a strong film based on his direction and key collaborations with the cinematography and editor. In its own way, the Bourne Ultimatum was a remarkably expressionistic and arty mainstream entertainment.
They SHOULD change their name to Broken Record. It fits…
Some of the films on this list are superb (Zodiac, BTDKYD, The Assassination Of Jesse James, Once, Juno etc.) but not ONE of them is better than Atonement. Which barely made the top 50.
Plus ANY list that has Lady Chatterley in its TOP 10 has got serious flaws. What on God’s green earth is going on?
This is more than a bit ridic…
Up is down, black is white!
Be proud that you’re a part of the vanguard Serena.
Personally, I’m looking around for the dude with the crook and sandals. Baaaa.
Serena, i hope you aren’t building up Atonement to be something more than I will enjoy, but I appreciate your enthusiasm.
Indeed, sartre. INDEED….
I’m part of the vanguard, Craig? LMAO I wasn’t aware of that, actually. But that’s a lovely compliment in any case. Thanks, sweetie.
joel, I have some knowledge of the arts. Film, acting & writing in particular. I LOVED Atonement. But I honestly don’t know if you’ll enjoy it. I don’t have any idea where your particular tastes lie.
In any case, it’s JMO - & that’s only important if you like me, respect me or take me seriously…LOL
Cue one of Craig’s tastes in film profiles of regulars.
OMG…
I forgot all about that, sartre. The ones that I saw were pretty uncanny. That is, according to the people he did them for.
But I don’t know if Craig could effectively encapsulate all my…um…particulars.
What’s spooky is the trance state he enters to access the profile. The eyes roll up, he levitates, and his head starts to do 360 degree turns.
As long as he doesn’t bruise his collarbone….LOL
We shouldn’t tease Craig, sartre. He’s a lovely person. Really.
He might have a fortune to leave us some day.
I meant Vanguard as a compliment, of course. You’re leading the charge for Atonement lovers everywhere which seems a far nobler and more romantic thing than No Country for Old Sheep.
Yes, I’m a bit bitter about being a part of some sort of consensus I didn’t ask for. Before I know it, I’ll be a full on part of the mainstream and not even trying to swim up it.
I’ve given some thought to Serena’s tastes and I need more information. Part of the problem is that I think she would cringe at the notion of being predictable, and therefore by nature she defies prediction.
You’ve suffered your share of slings and arrows this awards season Craig. Defending No Country’s ending against naysayers, defending TWbB against a fury that seemed boundless :-)
I’ve been protected from the small number of NCfOM naysayers by generous coats of wool from all these sheep milling around…TWBB is another story…
If No Country becomes mainstream taste, we’re all better off. I applaud it getting as much hype as it has. I don’t need to be in the elite. I just want to see more decent movies getting made.
Every year should be like 2007.
I know Craig is being somewhat sarcastic (I forgot my sarcasm font) but I’m just saying…
Ohhhh….
I am most definitely NOT predictable. Not ever.
But you know that Atonement is rather unconventional by lush romantic standards. It’s quite the cerebral piece. Which almost defies its tearjerker status? I mean, that’s pretty much oxymoronic. There’s that tracking shot. Keira & James bang standing upright (well, she’s sitting, I guess) in a library. Not to mention that whole business with the “C” word.
Now that I’ve typed that I’m beginning to understand why this film that I adore is kinda falling through the cracks. LOL It ain’t exactly your standard romance. For all the yearning & luscious misery.
But you’ve gotta profile me, Craig. That one that you did for Hedwig (was it Hedwig?) was incredible. But I always hear that people can never get a bead on me. What sort of info would you like?
Questions, questions…
But yeah. If NCFOM becomes the standard what does that say about how much the poles have shifted?
Yes Joel, I’m thrilled by the Coen love, but I’ve also always wanted to be an outsider…
Atonement: “It ain’t exactly your standard romance.” Exactly! The thing that makes it appealing is the very thing that keeps it from complete acceptance.
Then again, No Country ain’t exactly your standard thriller so it’s all the more shocking people love it so much.
I’ll give some thought to what makes you tick Serena. With Hedwig I had several months of exposure to her assorted likes and dislikes.
“C” word? Didn’t he say ‘I want to kiss your aunt’? I never understood that part.
sartre, you are a funny & amazing man.
God surely broke the mold when he made you…& your lovely wife reaped the benefits. LOL
You’re always far too kind in your praise my friend.
To briefly continue… I’m just thrilled to enjoy the company and bonhomie of such exceptional individuals like you, Alison, Joel, Alexander, Chuck, Nick, glim, and other more or less frequent regulars here at LiC. Craig is the perfect host.
People like you make it what it is Sartre. I just make sure the place is swept up and the lights are turned off when everyone goes home.
Looking around this joint at the framed portraits on the walls I recognized a few - Kubrick, Coens, Altman, P.T. But the low lighting makes it difficult to identify the others. Who are they?
I did notice you had one of Ron Howard hanging in the toilet stall.
One whole wall is for the Japanese: Kurosaw, Ozu, Mizoguchi, Naruse, Kobayashi, Ichikawa, Suzuki. That corner is for the German expressionists, Murnau, Pabst, Lang. I can’t remember where I put the French. I think they have their own room.
But yeah. Howard is in the crapper for crimes against my childhood.
Ooh, I got a shout-out from sartre! :-)
A whole wall for Japanese seems appropriate. Really, Kurosawa deserves his own shrine. As you can see, I’m a Kurosawa fan. :-)
Very kind of you to have one of Ron Howard, even if it’s in the toilet stall. Some would say he doesn’t even deserve that. :-p
I’m just going to have to make this place bigger so Kurosawa can have some breathing room.
So many great directors, so little time…
Kurosawa does deserve a shrine. Sad to say, that besides Ozu, I’ve not seen films by the others you mention. The only Kobayashi I knows runs around with Keiser Soze. I’m a Takeshi “Beat” Kitano fan. And love the writing of Haruki Murakami. Really admire the German expressionist film genre and their influence on the film noir vocabulary.
Yeah, I’m down with Mr. K but know little of the other fine gentleman Craig speaks of. Still need to delve into Japanese cinema more deeply than I have. The cultural divide between Japanese cinema and myself is daunting.
I’ve already built a small shrine to the works of Kurosawa, Kubrick, and Hitchcock in my media room. It’s nothing much compared to Craig’s Gallery of Auteurs, but it suffices. I need to add Scorsese to that shrine (he gets a shout-out, but not proper appreciation), but sadly I’ve run out of room for the moment.
sartre, in your rundown of Craig’s Shrining, you may have missed the portraits of Soderbergh and the other Anderson (”Wes”). If you look around the corner there, you’ll see his framed portrait of Leone and Eastwood sitting nearby.
And then there’s the David Lynch, Jim Jarmusch, and Wim Wenders pictures. Those occupy their own room.
You’re right Joel. I should know by now that Wes and Sod would be up. Thanks for pointing out all the other portraits in his gallery. A mighty fine collection, as is your own small but high class one.
Jim Jarmusch definitely deserves his own room! Just rewatched Coffee and Cigarettes and Mystery Train recently. I’m a particular fan of Mystery Train but I loved Stranger Than Paradise too. I know Eszter Balint, the girl who played Eva in that film. :-)
Ugetsu and Sansho the Bailiff are the only two Mizoguchi movies available on Netflix if you’re interested. There are more choices for Ozu and Kurosawa.
I also happen to like the Japanese horror flick Ju-on.
Change in topic. Somewhere in another thread we were discussing DDL as Sweeney Todd, but I forgot where, so I’ll post this here. David Thompson’s article discusses this very thing.
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,2238464,00.html#article_continue
I just read this over at AD. It’s a fine article and what he says rings true to me.
Agreed.
I really like Depp a lot. His performances are subtle and nuanced, and he makes interesting and intelligent choices in creating his characters. He’s one of the few truly chameleon actors out there. And, of course, he always chooses interesting projects.
But the criticisms that Thomson gave ring true for me as well.
Good call on Soderbergh and W. Anderson, Joel.
Can we all just agree to agree that movies kick ass?
Eszter Bailnt! No way! “It’s Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and he is a wild man so bug off!”
I loved this part of the DDL article the bestest: “Can Day-Lewis sing? I don’t know, but I believe he would have tried harder than Depp does. And when Day-Lewis tries, the ground shakes.”
Naruse deserves mention for so many great films. I love his series of Mother-Husband and Wife-Wife-Older Brother, Younger Sister and of course When a Woman Ascends the Stairs. I definitely have a shrine for him.
Filmmakers for whom I have shrines in my humble abode (meaning, a big pile of DVDs and VHSes) off the top of my head:
Mizoguchi
Fellini
Kurosawa
Bergman
Welles
Lang
Minnelli
Wilder
Wyler
Wellman
Naruse
Chaplin
Keaton
Ichikawa
Coppola
Vigo
McCarey
(Anthony) Mann
Renoir
Truffaut
Preminger
Ozu
Malle
Tourneur
Tati
(Michael) Mann
Spielberg
Antonioni
Pabst
Altman
Lumet
Wise
Rossellini
(Spike) Lee
Resnais
Reed
Polanski
Siegel
Murnau
Ophuls
Borzage
Frankenheimer
Kubrick
(Woody) Allen
The Coens
Powell and Pressburger
Hitchcock
Wenders
Jarmusch
Tarantino
Lubitsch
Bunuel
Huston
Cassavetes
Chabrol
Capra
Wong (Kar-Wai)
Lynch
Costa-Gavras
Curtiz
(Richard) Fleischer
Malick
Leone
Ford
Fuller
Tarkovsky
Eisenstein
Visconti
Peckinpah
Wajda
To quote Daniel Plainview, “I’m finished!”
(No disrespect to any director who doesn’t enjoy a shrine at Alexander’s Film-Inundated Home. I can barely get around this place as it is! Better start using space in the garage… And I’m sure there are many other directors with impressive catalogues in my overstuffed library but I need to go get milk and eggs at the store and then come home and watch another film.)
thanks for the ref craig !!! :)
and i’m glad everyone is having fun. :)
I must interrupt with a few things.
1. I just got back from seeing Lust, Caution. Awesome movie.
2. In response to Sasha’s post at AD about the milkshake website, the wonderful Ryan Adams has posted a comment that takes milkshake quoting to a whole new level. Check it out if you haven’t seen it.
3. Sasha managed to stir up a hornets nest (I think she’s been trying to do that for a couple of days) by posting an article that didn’t worship Johnny Depp’s performance in Sweeney Todd. People are outraged. There is much praising of Johnny Depp, much praising of DDL and much bashing of both actors as well as Mr. Thomson himself. I’m scared, Mommy.
I’ve told you never to play there! Those badlands are second only to Hollywood Asswhores (as Ryan Adams calls the site).
It’s ok, you’re safe now. Craig has a hot chocolate brewing, and he’s fetching some freshly baked cookies from the oven.
I hope they’re chocolate chip. :-)
Man, she had to know that people were going to come crawling out of the woodwork to rant about that one. From both sides.
See? I had a feeling you’d like LC, Alison. Glad you did.
Ryan’s post was spectacular, but I had to chime in with my own probably unpopular opinion about the milkshake business. I’m prepared for the tomatoes.
I don’t want to see the cat fight over DDL and Depp, later.
Don’t you hate it when someone hands you a warm chocolate chip cookie and it turns out to be raisins???? I would never do that.
Yes, I do hate when those chocolate chips turn out to be raisin. I’m glad you wouldn’t do that.
I read your comment and saw nothing wrong with it. And I was happy to see that most of the responders to the post didn’t take the bait. ;-)
Yeah, well no one likes a buzzkill.
I know Friday’s and Saturday’s are notoriously slow for webites like AD. Perhaps this was a way to stir interest.
Really happy to hear that you liked Lust, Caution so much. I know many found it too slow, but the pacing never lagged for me, and it’s in my top 5 for the year. I couldn’t believe the courage and fantastic skills of the actors and Lee in conveying so much of the tense subtext between the leads through the appropriately frank sex scenes. And there was a memorable and emotionally weighty scene where Tang Wei’s character sang and danced for Mr Yee in a kind of Geisha House, everything is told through their eyes and subtle changes of expression.
I loved the scene where Tang Wei’s character sang and danced for Mr. Yee. That was wonderful.
You’re right, I could see where people would find it slow, but I didn’t. Tang Wei is terrific and she holds your attention throughout the film. She should be getting much more attention, in my opinion.
And the frank sex scenes were completely appropriate. Those scenes could have failed miserably in the film but they didn’t at all thanks to the talent and skill of the actors and Ang Lee. In fact…
*****spoiler warning****
The first time that they had sex in the hotel room, I actually thought the reason that Mr. Yee was so rough with her was because he knew the truth. And when it cut to her lying on the bed and he threw the coat over her and said, “Here’s your coat” I actually thought he’d killed her. Then the camera closed in on her face and I saw her eyes blink.
It really was an emotional and skillfully made film. I liked the musical score as well.
***more spoilerage****
I was thinking along the same lines as you Alison, though rather than him knowing, I felt like he was testing her…seeing how far she would go if she was just faking it….but she went all the way and convinced him she was for real….and as he leaves and she’s laying on the bed, was there a bit of a smile on her face? Did it say “hmm..I liked that” or did it say “gotcha!”?
The music and cinematography were superb. In fact, everything about it was top notch. I haven’t seen La Vie En Rose, Away From Her, or Juno but I doubt I’ll see a better performance by a woman this season.
The ambiguity you both speak of continued to some extent throughout the subsequent sex scenes and made them so intense, and emotionally raw and complex.
Very true. It was very subtle and it took a minute for the smile to start to show. She waited until it was safe. :-)
****more spoilerage****
I have to say that I was also a little surprised when she warned him, putting not only their mission but her own life (and those of her friends) in peril. Sometimes in her expressions you can see her feelings for him, and the huge diamond was the final thing that won her over. At the same time she was so good at the game, despite the fact that “she was letting him snake his way into her heart in order to get into his”, that it seemed as if she would hold out and let them accomplish what they had all set out to do.
I wasn’t expecting how it ended I don’t think.
I’ve said elsewhere it took me a while to warm up to this movie. I literally started writing a regretfully negative review, but as I wrote something clicked and I began to perceive all of the amazing subtext that was going on…all this below the surface stuff and repressed emotion…and I totally turned my opinion around. I’m not sure I’ve ever had such a delayed reaction.
I had a delayed reaction to Atonement, but it wasn’t as extreme and wasn’t as long coming.
****more spoilers****
I was completely accepting of it based in part by what you’ve said of their emotional connection (nicely put by the way) and the fact of how her side had asked so much of her without great compassion or empathy for the magnitude of sacrifice it entailed. I think at some level her loyalty to the group had eroded. But in the end, betraying him like that would have meant betraying her own heart. She couldn’t let him die.
Repressed emotion and subtext are common themes in Chinese films. You always need to look beyond the surface. The literature is like that, too. It’s very deep. Even in the mah jongg games between the women there are things going on under the surface. There are moments that you wonder how much Mrs. Yee knows about Mr. Yee and Wong Chia Chi. A lot of it is cultural.
Very true, sartre. Old Wu didn’t even want to hear about it when she had that moment of frustration and breaking down. He walked out of the room.
I loved the subtle politics between the women in the opening Mah Jongg game.
The amazing thing about the movie is how the subtle and repressed emotions were mixed with the outbursts of sex and shocking, horrifying violence. It was like going from a hot sauna into a cold shower and back again.
“C” word? Didn’t he say ‘I want to kiss your aunt’? ”
Lifted directly from silence of the Lambs:
[Miggs] “I smell your aunt.”
I mean jeez, how would he know that Jody even has an aunt?
Very apt description, Craig.
Many nosey losers have asked that last question Pierre. Oh wait I thought you said the “c” word.
Those who know me know may understand:
P.S. I Love You:
Domestic gross >$42 million
Foreign >$12 million
opened 3 weeks ago
****Spoilers*****
I’ll try to tie my separate points better together. Most of the film she is required in the most severe way to repress and/or subjugate her true self. First by her friends including her love interest (drippy lug), and then by the resistance movement handler. Even the slightest hint of her true feelings and purpose under the most vulnerable and normally revealing of circumstances would have been detected by the ever vigilant and mistrustful Mr Yee. In the end, once these two highly controlled and guarded individuals more deeply connect intimately, despite themselves, she is faced with a challenge understandably too big. For the first and only time she puts her lover (and by proxy herself) before the cause and others.
****End of Spoilers****
Pierre, wasn’t her Aunt called Fanny? Perhaps we could ask Alexander.
Very nicely articulated, sartre. :-)
Yes, that guy was a drippy lug.
*arches eyebrow*
Fair Pierre (golly, I made a rhyme LOL)…
I take it you’re not a fan of the horsie horsie…uh…I mean Ms. Swank?
I adore you, Pierre. I’m only teasing. I apologize right out of the gate in case you DO have a fondness for the woman…
Right. I did forget to thank that gracious gentleman sartre for the lovely compliments. His are so heartfelt & sincere. Unlike a lot of people’s.
Alexander, I like your style, honey. I worship the collective ground these distinguished fellows - Mr. Welles, Mr. Wilder, Mr. Coppola, Mr. Lumet, Mr. Reed, Mr. Kubrick, Mr. Allen, Mr Tarantino, Mr. Huston & Mr. Malick - walk on.
I am surprised that there are no shrines to Mr. Scorsese, Mr. Lean, Mr. Jordan or Mr. Edwards. But, as you say, you need the room. LOL
Still, excellent taste should be rewarded…