December 2011
Boxofficemojo’s Top 10 Grossing Films of 2011 http://t.co/D3OLiDWw Glad to see so many original films on here! Oh wait. No. We’re f*cked.
Incredible renderings of Disney female characters as real-life people http://t.co/pkv3qWYg
Here’s Carey Mulligan singing the incredible, unconventional arrangement of “New York, New York” in SHAME: http://t.co/GollWE43
Thank goodness for the entrepreneurial Orientals… (@ Formosa Taipei) [pic]: http://t.co/luhsKaKu
Some decent discussion going on in our GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO /Filmcast review. Check it out and chime in! http://t.co/qJn0eGny
Amazon’s gold box deal of the day is a 40” LCD TV for $260. I ordered one for my parents for Xmas delivery http://t.co/6VRtMZnJ
Here’s an in-depth conversation about the merits of MARGIN CALL that I had with @tasharobinson http://t.co/SqkcaC6S
Tasha Robinson and I Discuss the Merits of MARGIN...
David Chen: so...
David Chen: Margin Call???
Tasha Robinson: Oh right.
Tasha Robinson: I enjoyed it. I'm not sure that means it's particularly good.
Tasha Robinson: I showed it to a dinner party of six guests, and they all pretty much hated it.
David Chen: I would have hated it. And by extension you.
Tasha Robinson: It was not what they were expecting — I think they wanted something more like Wall Street 2 — and they were very dismissive.
Tasha Robinson: Ha.
David Chen: it's cool though
Tasha Robinson: So you didn't like Stanley Tucci running you through 27 iterations of a math problem?
Tasha Robinson: Or a bunch of people quietly driving around all night?
David Chen: It was more that the storytelling was atrociously bad
David Chen: you have different people repeating THE SAME SET OF FACTS over and over again
David Chen: that is terrible screenwriting.
David Chen: I can't imagine how people think it's good.
David Chen: But whatever, I mean, I didnt' like TREE OF LIFE either, so...
Tasha Robinson: I was amused by Jeremy Irons basically saying "Okay, please explain that again for the absolute slowest members of the audience. No, stupider than that. Seriously, there are some morons watching."
David Chen: Yeah
David Chen: that was amusing
David Chen: THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENEd
David Chen: but it happens like 4x
David Chen: oh and then that ending with the dog
David Chen: horrible
David Chen: how do people like this film. I can't fathom it.
Tasha Robinson: OMG SYMBOLIC
Tasha Robinson: See, it's like the DOG is his COMPANY which he USED TO LOVE but now he has to PARTICIPATE in BURYING IT.
David Chen: LOL
David Chen: YES
David Chen: I GET IT NOW! THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXPLANATION
David Chen: This is why THE ARTIST is best picture
David Chen: People are so desperate for anything that even smells sophisticated they will latch onto it and praise it even if it stinks to high heaven.
David Chen: Sorry
David Chen: that's totally unfair.
Tasha Robinson: Actually, I think that's kind of fair in this case. I was expecting it to be something between THE BOILER ROOM and WALL STREET 2.
Tasha Robinson: And I was pleased with how unique it was.
Tasha Robinson: I had a lot of problems with it, and wouldn't actually recommend it to people for the most part.
Tasha Robinson: But it was a lot more daring and interesting than I thought it would be.
Tasha Robinson: For instance in not trying to explain mortgage backed securities at all.
Tasha Robinson: And concentrating on the people.
Tasha Robinson: And operating at such a leisurely, thoughtful pace.
Tasha Robinson: Instead of basically being The Social Network 2.
David Chen: Yes. Daring choice.
David Chen: Except…the relationships were all so poorly drawn.
David Chen: Okay
David Chen: let's take three films
David Chen: SOCIAL NETWORK
David Chen: MARGIN CALL
David Chen: MONEYBALL
David Chen: all of those films deal mostly with white men sitting around tables
David Chen: and talking about things that make them money.
David Chen: Of those movies, SOCIAL NETWORK is visually interesting and dynamic, and has some crackling dialogue.
David Chen: MONEYBALL I at least respect. A great performance by Brad Pitt and some decent exploration of sabermetrics.
David Chen: MARGIN CALL I can't recommend on any level. I don't think it does anything well.
David Chen: So I think TRYING to be "THE SOCIAL NETWORK 2" would have vastly improved MARGIN CALL.
David Chen: As it is, it's a dull bore with no characterization and absolutely NOTHING illuminating to say about the financial crisis, other than "INVESTMENT BANKER BAD. CREATE NO VALUE."
David Chen: Thanks Margin Call. You worthless piece of shit.
David Chen: Okay. I'm done now.
David Chen: I'm spent.
Tasha Robinson: Goodness. I hope it was good for you too.
Tasha Robinson: Here's my take on it.
Tasha Robinson: MONEYBALL is trying to actually cover history and explain how these events happened and what they mean.
Tasha Robinson: THE SOCIAL NETWORK is partially trying to capture an era and is trying to be art — its characters are so far from the reality of the situation that they're practically made up, but they're meant to illustrate why people do the things they do, and what can result.
Tasha Robinson: MARGIN CALL as I see it is trying to illustrate why the financial crisis happened, not by explaining what happened on the markets, but by looking at the people involved.
Tasha Robinson: How the buck got passed. How the decisions were made. Why no one was willing to stand in the way of this ball rolling downhill.
Tasha Robinson: Those people are not important as individual characters. Their relationships aren't important, beyond the obvious: There's a clear chain of hierarchy which I think is very well established.
Tasha Robinson: What's important is their personalities and how they each react to crisis, and how the company's structure reinforces their selfish decisionmaking.
Tasha Robinson: What's secondarily important is the feel of things. I think MARGIN CALL really effectively captures the feeling of this long, cold, painful night where everyone's pulling an all-nighter to figure out how to save themselves, but it's not a sweaty collegiate thing, it's in an industry where literally billions of dollars are at stake and everyone's determined not to be the one to show emotion.
Tasha Robinson: Even when they feel it. Even when they have every reason to feel it.
Tasha Robinson: So a lot of decisions went into making the film that I disapprove of.
Tasha Robinson: The dog thing is excessive and obvious and silly.
Tasha Robinson: So is the "explain it stupider."
Tasha Robinson: You're right, it's very repetitious.
David Chen: Well, in terms of feel, you are certainly correct about that: it certainly felt listless and never-ending.
Tasha Robinson: Ha.
Tasha Robinson: But in spite of all that, I think it had some interesting ambitions and it accomplished them.
Tasha Robinson: As I said on Twitter, it's the BEFORE SUNRISE of financial movies.
Tasha Robinson: It's about capturing a night, not conveying real information.
David Chen: Hmmm okay
David Chen: first of all
David Chen: great points, as usual. Obviously if it's you and me going head to head, you will win 99% of the time.
David Chen: But secondly: that is a pretty limited goal…capturing an evening.
David Chen: Sure I guess it does that well.
David Chen: But it is so sorely lacking in any other filmmaking skill that I can't even come close to recommending it.
David Chen: I mean
David Chen: primarily I think it fails on a script level.
David Chen: You talk about the relationships and the buck passing and so on and so forth.
David Chen: The stakes have never been established!
David Chen: it's TINKER TAILOR all over again.
David Chen: "Oh okay, they're going to pin this whole thing on ______"
David Chen: Oh except we have no idea who the hell that is or why we should care.
David Chen: Anyway. I think this conversation could go on forever. But I am glad we had it :)
RT @cameronMstewart: The Dark Knight Rises prologue was really great, especially when Bane spoke the soon-to-be-classic line: “Mmrbl ffr …
This DARK KNIGHT RISES fan poster = spectacular http://t.co/8HziqXmk
RT @ScottMendelson: ATTENTION! Stop crediting DARK KNIGHT RISES prologue for huge IMAX opening of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 4! It only played o …
My favorite bit of wardrobe from THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (2011) http://t.co/5wKuFxQf
RT @gabrielsnyder: If you need a visual recap of the debate @elspethrb’s screencaps cannot be beat: http://t.co/uGrb3SYY
a bonus story from Stephen Tobolowsky
Thoughts on the Endings of YOUNG ADULT and UP IN...
David Chen: Did you like YOUNG ADULT?
Devindra Hardawar: yes
Devindra Hardawar: pretty much loved it
David Chen: I thought it was very good but also relentless
David Chen: there is so much human ugliness and sadness in that movie.
Devindra Hardawar: it's a pretty brave film in many respects, even though I still find the ending sort of baffling
Devindra Hardawar: it seems like there's so much more to say, then it just ends
David Chen: you know
David Chen: a lot of people have complained about that
David Chen: I think the ending is great.
David Chen: we can discuss this on the show
Devindra Hardawar: yes
Devindra Hardawar: I'm ok with it now, but in the midst of the film it seemed weird
Devindra Hardawar: especially after that talk with the sister, who basically confirmed Mavis hasn't grown at all
David Chen: the talk was kind of weird and also extremely troubling.
Devindra Hardawar: I KNOW
Devindra Hardawar: I was wondering if that's the thesis of the film
Devindra Hardawar: but honestly, we can't trust that character to speak for the film
Devindra Hardawar: she's only telling mavis exactly what she wants to hear
Devindra Hardawar: but it sounds like something Jason Reitman would be fine with saying
Devindra Hardawar: in a certain sense, but not sure if we're supposed to agree with her
Devindra Hardawar: she's laying out mavis's reasoning
David Chen: well
David Chen: if we can interpret that character to in some way represent what the film is saying
David Chen: which I think we can
David Chen: then I'd say that what the film is saying is that no one is happy anywhere. The grass is always greener on the other side. And as totally fucked up as Mavis is, other people live lives that are infinitely sadder.
David Chen: But of course, Reitman always likes to leave his films open to interpretation.
Devindra Hardawar: sure
David Chen: Just like we had differing interpretations about the ending of UP IN THE AIR.
David Chen: I believed it ended with Clooney consigned to spend the rest of his existence with no home, ever drifting from location to location.
David Chen: But you can interpret it as a happy ending too.
David Chen: Ditto this film. I choose the sadder interpretation.
David Chen: Makes sense to me.
Devindra Hardawar: I'm not saying it's happy at all
David Chen: Oh sure.
David Chen: I'm saying: I'm opting for the most bleak, most pessimistic interpretation.
Devindra Hardawar: of course you are
Devindra Hardawar: one more thing: for me the most sensible interpretation of the ending is that Mavis has learned something about herself, but she's just beginning to understand it. I would have liked to see a bit more on that, which is I guess why I thought it felt abrupt
David Chen: oh see
David Chen: I interpret it totally differently
David Chen: the movie ends with Mavis learning nothing at all.
Devindra Hardawar: it's the final shot that seals it for me
Devindra Hardawar: I tthink previously she wouldn't have noticed that her freaking front fender was destroyed
David Chen: ahhhh very very interesting
Devindra Hardawar: but in that shot there's a kernel of, "hmm maybe I should do something about this"
David Chen: The final shot is her quoting her book with the fictional character saying something like "Life! I'm on the way!"
David Chen: and she looks at her fender
Devindra Hardawar: like that one scene where she tells her parents she's an alcoholic, almost out of the blue
David Chen: activates the car alarm
Devindra Hardawar: yup
David Chen: and the almost-totalled car springs to life
David Chen: the car represents her destroyed psyche
Devindra Hardawar: sure
Devindra Hardawar: but her looking at it seemed significant
David Chen: and the voiceover indicates her willingness to press on in her incredibly self-destructive ways, despite massive evidence that it's harming her irreparably.
Devindra Hardawar: I think she recognizes her self destructive ways, but looking at the car was almost like really looking into a mirror
David Chen: yeah
Devindra Hardawar: but again, not enough to tell one way or the other I guess
David Chen: but she is triumphant with that voiceover
David Chen: thus reinforcing that she has learned nothing.
Devindra Hardawar: perhaps
David Chen: Again, you can totally interpret it different ways.
Devindra Hardawar: or it could just be an interesting juxtaposition
David Chen: I interpret it least charitably towards the main character
Devindra Hardawar: sure
Devindra Hardawar: I think we can agree she's still screwed up
Devindra Hardawar: but that whole trip taught her something, otherwise the ugly sex scene was totally pointless
David Chen: I think it WAS pointless!
Devindra Hardawar: that i can't buy
Devindra Hardawar: everything leading up to it certainly wasn't
David Chen: It was her showing tenderness and compassion for a moment.
David Chen: But then the next day, BLOOP, right back into her old ways.
David Chen: She has learned nothing.
Devindra Hardawar: that moment was important though
David Chen: She is in a kafka-esque nightmare of an existence.
Devindra Hardawar: haha are we talking about the movie or you now?
David Chen: They're not mutually exclusive.
RT @deborahfrenkel: Tobolowsky Files = v bad podcast for public transporting. Each time I listen I either go all laugh-snorty, or tear-u …
Aerial view of the ball. Thousands of Harvard students in one room. Amazing http://t.co/WqiVtnM6
I can’t tell if this article is mind-blowingly insightful, or complete bulls*it. http://t.co/fB7PBTnu @gruber? Weigh in?
All you people who are saying you think Jurassic Park 3 is in any way superior to The Lost World are out of your f*cking minds. Seriously.
YES http://t.co/ZKKTYDws
RT @erickohn: When it comes to Spielberg porn, nothing beats the real thing. #warhorse
Photographs from today’s Highrock Christmas Rehearsal Concert: http://t.co/8OOc9AFz December 9th, 10th, 11th in Arlington, MA!
Ms. @lizzwrightmusic has a one-in-a-billion voice. When I feel down, she reminds me there’s still beauty in this world. http://t.co/7Umbaret
After years of waiting for this to drop in price, finally snagged it on sale for $25 http://t.co/LWyRtilb
