The Criterion Collection

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I can definitely see where you're coming from.

The thing that I kept thinking throughout the entire film was that it felt very amateurish. I felt as if everything was scripted and very "by the books". Regardless of that, I feel as if it worked because of the style that he chose to utilize.

I'm sorry but Frances Ha had none of that supposed "amateurishness" or "by the books" characteristic. Plan 9 is amateurish, Frances Ha is a work by an interesting artist. You must be running low on adjectives, there's always "unassuming," "low key," "naturalistic," etc.

I think it's anything but. It's Baumbach's most interesting film because its always bubbling with an off putting, slightly comic and slightly endearing quality. I address it at length in my review.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I'm sorry but Frances Ha had none of that supposed "amateurishness" or "by the books" characteristic. Plan 9 is amateurish, Frances Ha is a work by an interesting artist. You must be running low on adjectives, there's always "unassuming," "low key," "naturalistic," etc.

I think it's anything but. It's Baumbach's most interesting film because its always bubbling with an off putting, slightly comic and slightly endearing quality. I address it at length in my review.

The film reminded me a lot of Following. It felt like it was recorded on a very low budget and with a slew of unknown actors and actresses.

It's as if I was a first time director and had some of my friends record a movie with me. That's how the editing and the style came off to me. I don't have a problem with it, as it seemed to work out, but that's just my two cents on watching it.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

But this came off as a poorly written episode of Girls by a film student who wanted to take a go at French New Wave.

Girls is one of my most-hated things at the moment , to the point where comparisons like that really make me want to run the other way.

It's that kind of comparison that pushes me away from wanting to see it, and it's the extremely positive reactions from so many others that makes me want to see it.

..I don't know..

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by iScottie

The film reminded me a lot of Following. It felt like it was recorded on a very low budget and with a slew of unknown actors and actresses.

It's as if I was a first time director and had some of my friends record a movie with me. That's how the editing and the style came off to me. I don't have a problem with it, as it seemed to work out, but that's just my two cents on watching it.

Following is a very well made film too. Hence, not "amateurish". Maybe I'm different, but I don't give "amateurish" films glowing reviews. It's derogatory in every sense.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

Girls is one of my most-hated things at the moment , to the point where comparisons like that really make me want to run the other way.

It's that kind of comparison that pushes me away from wanting to see it, and it's the extremely positive reactions from so many others that makes me want to see it.

..I don't know..

You should go and see it.

I know where Sammy is coming from. It did have somewhat of a Girls vibe because it was about a girl on her own with new characters coming in and out of her life, but the entire thing really didn't feel like anything Lena Dunhamie.

It was rather good and one of my favorites of the year. I'm glad it's coming via Criterion, as well. It reminded me a lot of Fish Tank, but without all of the rebellion and gloominess.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by iScottie

You should go and see it.

I know where Sammy is coming from. It did have somewhat of a Girls vibe because it was about a girl on her own with new characters coming in and out of her life, but the entire thing really didn't feel like anything Lena Dunhamie.

It was rather good and one of my favorites of the year. I'm glad it's coming via Criterion, as well. It reminded me a lot of Fish Tank, but without all of the rebellion and gloominess.

I thought the Criterion hint was proven to be for something else, no?

..and I'm glad you say it didn't feel like that, of course

[brandon_260]

Originally Posted by iScottie

You should go and see it.

I know where Sammy is coming from. It did have somewhat of a Girls vibe because it was about a girl on her own with new characters coming in and out of her life, but the entire thing really didn't feel like anything Lena Dunhamie.

It was rather good and one of my favorites of the year. I'm glad it's coming via Criterion, as well. It reminded me a lot of Fish Tank, but without all of the rebellion and gloominess.

Of all the movies out there, Fish Tank is the one you think to compare this to?

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

I thought the Criterion hint was proven to be for something else, no?

..and I'm glad you say it didn't feel like that, of course

I thought France + all of the laughter synonyms was for Frances Ha

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

Of all the movies out there, Fish Tank is the one you think to compare this to?

What would you compare it to?

(I know a couple others here have answered this already, just interested in your opinion as well..)

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

Of all the movies out there, Fish Tank is the one you think to compare this to?

Yes, because Frances and Mia were both similar in many ways. For example, they were both lost souls looking for their place in the world. The paths they took to get there were quite different, but the journey was still an arduous task, nonetheless.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I thought France + all of the laughter synonyms was for Frances Ha

It was To Be or Not To Be, apparently.

[brandon_260]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

What would you compare it to?

(I know a couple others here have answered this already, just interested in your opinion as well..)

The Girls comparison is very spot on, but I don't want that to scare you away, because it's a lot more likeable. There's definitely some Woody Allen in there, Manhattan especially (not just because the B&W). It's been nine months since I saw it, so I really need to refresh my memory.

[brandon_260]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Yes, because Frances and Mia were both similar in many ways. For example, they were both lost souls looking for their place in the world. The paths they took to get there were quite different, but the journey was still an arduous task, nonetheless.

There are loads of movies about "lost souls" but that doesn't make them alike.

[mallomar]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

It's odd, because I feel like I'm the only one that liked Greenberg - and I really liked it.

You're not alone. I adore that film. One of my favorites of the last five years, and my favorite Baumbach for sure. I've watched it a half dozen times. Baumbach mentioned somewhere that he had intended a leisurely, in-depth character study reminiscent of the seventies novels of Updike, Roth, Bellow et al., and I think perhaps that's why it strikes such a chord in me. For better or worse, my understanding of the narrative arts really began to develop with that strain of novel. Oddly, the movies that usually compel me are more exaggeratedly visual, or, barring high visual interest, at least feature stylized dialogue (e.g., Mike Leigh, David Mamet). Greenberg is stylistically muted. But its laughs feel like they bubble-up from the deepest kind of pathos, and it's clear Baumbach (and Ben Stiller, for that matter) really love that character. He is, like the best literary inventions, both type and original.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by mallomar

You're not alone. I adore that film. One of my favorites of the last five years, and my favorite Baumbach for sure. I've watched it a half dozen times. Baumbach mentioned somewhere that he had intended a leisurely, in-depth character study reminiscent of the seventies novels of Updike, Roth, Bellow et al., and I think perhaps that's why it strikes such a chord in me. For better or worse, my understanding of the narrative arts really began to develop with that strain of novel. Oddly, the movies that usually compel me are more exaggeratedly visual, or, barring high visual interest, at least feature stylized dialogue (e.g., Mike Leigh, David Mamet). Greenberg is stylistically muted. But its laughs feel like they bubble-up from the deepest kind of pathos, and it's clear Baumbach (and Ben Stiller, for that matter) really love that character. He is, like the best literary inventions, both type and original.

Speaking of Mike Leigh, the beginning of Frances Ha felt very reminiscent of some of the dialogue in Mike Leigh's "Life Is Sweet". That was another reason why I wasn't so won over by it towards the start.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

There are loads of movies about "lost souls" but that doesn't make them alike.

Yeah, Frances Ha is radically different than Fish Tank. They do not look the same, the characters operate in different ways...

[rock, stone]

Originally Posted by octagon

I'm more concerned that plain old watchability might be a factor. It sounds really intriguing but I know what my thought process is like when I'm selecting a film and this just screams night after night after month after month of 'yeah, I really want to watch/finish that but ehhhhhhhhhh not tonight'.

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

Ditto. Pass for me for sure.

"If you are going to not watch one holocaust movie this summer, be sure to make it Shoah!"

[octagon]

Originally Posted by rock, stone

"If you are going to not watch one holocaust movie this summer, be sure to make it Shoah!"

I'll never forget The Regular Guy (a local radio figure who does movie reviews in a heavy Superfan Chicago accent) calling The Shawshank Redemption the feel good prison movie of the year

[amoergosum]

The 50% deal is almost over...Amazon has started to raise prices.

[JoeBuck]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I wasn't expecting to be floored, but alas, I was. Baumbach is 3 and 1 with me


Sweet. I'll give them a try one of these days (after I listen to Tarantino's True Romance commentary and Favid Fincher's for Chinatown)

David Finchers Chinatown track was one of the most disappointing ever. Most of it pretty much just consisted of "Oh I love this scene. Oh this parts great. Oh I love this" The True Romance one is real good though!

And to the guy above whos trying to charge people for his list: Why the **** wouldn't they just look it up themselves? Are you kidding me?