tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post4441365921683309984..comments2023-11-05T02:01:53.847-06:00Comments on Antagony & Ecstasy: A BITTER PILLTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491952893581644049noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-74437531391473816322013-02-14T10:08:24.346-06:002013-02-14T10:08:24.346-06:00I will now anxiously await for Tim's review of...I will now anxiously await for Tim's review of 2005 "Side Effects", that adequately compares the two films, especially assessing Mara's performance against that of blog fav, Kathrine Heigl. Tim, you know it is the right thing to do.<br /><br />I'll get my popcorn ready to read that review.Surly Duffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12847807145926996504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-54785482155290438682013-02-13T21:15:04.862-06:002013-02-13T21:15:04.862-06:00I might be wrong, but I think that "limited&q...I might be wrong, but I think that "limited" means "limited to non-US countries", but I'd be ecstatic to be wrong about that. Because I agree, it should be pretty great.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09491952893581644049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-61398193782173002322013-02-13T20:44:20.747-06:002013-02-13T20:44:20.747-06:00@ Tim,
I'm going to watch this movie but it&#...@ Tim, <br />I'm going to watch this movie but it's technically not Sodenbergh's last as Behind The Candelabra will have a limited theatrical release (so I've read). And it looks fantastic. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04634087887519608773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-59948019721617598162013-02-13T18:38:41.094-06:002013-02-13T18:38:41.094-06:00I can respect that Tim, especially in an age when ...I can respect that Tim, especially in an age when Tarkovsky's & Kubrick's patience with shots & dedication to ambience seem to have not so much evaporated or withered away, as been actively hunted to the brink of extinction. I've long admired Soderbergh for (often) embracing an approach that slowly worms its way into the viewer before clamping down with much in the way of drama, something that can be ascertained by his excellent commissioning of haunting & subdued scores (most from Cliff Martinez, whom I admire deeply) over the more bombastic & emotionally bullish music that has become such the rage these days. <br /><br />That, and I agree that any kind of structural spice is like water in a desert these days. <br /><br />In any case, I wanted to at least confess that I didn't dislike the movie as much as my previous comment indicates: up until the twist it was on its way to becoming one of my favorite of Soderbergh's films.reventropyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11777382184484865373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-47120009461875621152013-02-13T18:13:50.524-06:002013-02-13T18:13:50.524-06:00Benjamin- Yeah, the spam definitely happened, and ...Benjamin- Yeah, the spam definitely happened, and I apologise. Steps have been taken to make sure it doesn't happen again. I would also like to caution that the film isn't "inscrutable", so much as it is "super damn weird".<br /><br />reventropy- I completely agree with just about every single word you have written, except that for whatever reason, it doesn't bother me. Though certainly, I don't have the slightest hesitation in agreeing that it would be worth getting bothered by.<br /><br />For me, it comes down to, "this is ideologically toxic and/or incoherent" vs. "this is a mechanically terrific thriller playing a cagey structural game", and I am always going to vote for weird structure over content.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09491952893581644049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-6421007806166129372013-02-13T18:00:56.217-06:002013-02-13T18:00:56.217-06:00I think you were right to focus on the film's ...I think you were right to focus on the film's enormous plot-shift; what I'm more concerned with is the plot *twist* (for I think the plot *shift* happens beforehand, with the change in protagonist perspective). The twist occurs with such brutish swiftness that it diverts attention away from a retrospective reanalysis of what came before it. For example, was Mara's character depressed? If not (the film's implication, if not outright description), then why do we see so many shots of her seeming depressed whilst alone—on the subway, staring off vaguely into the distance?<br /><br />WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW <br /><br /> I think the twist does not do nearly as much damage to the plot in terms of consistency as it does to theme, to appearance of authorial attitude and aim re: antidepressants, psychiatry as an institution, & such. Doesn't Law's seemingly irrational obsessive efforts to 'out' Mara, despite shaky inferential grounds, become justified when later he is shown to have been right all along? Does the obvious critique of overuse & -prescriptive of SSRIs still stick when we find out that Mara had not been taking them all along? I think, at the very least, that even if the twist works in terms of dramatic excitement, defying viewer expectations, etc., it undeniably muddies the waters of theme & message, & not in a constructive way. <br /><br />Perhaps as disturbing, I detected strong hints at a kind of metaphor for homosexual relationships destroying the heterosexual family, & at the evils of women enacting vengeance against 'the patriarchy' or male-dominated relationships (the scene with Mara staring off after Tatum's arrest does wonders with establishing this theme, & her explosion of anger in Law's office at the end does wonders with sh*tting on her position). <br /><br />It might just be me, but I feel the plot twist does much to destroy the brilliance that came before it. There's of course room for debate about my interpretations of the plot, & my concerns regarding the consistency of theme, but I feel it's difficult to dismiss how I arrived at my stance, & this at least makes the film far from a success in my eyes. reventropyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11777382184484865373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-66040752450156324972013-02-13T11:55:51.199-06:002013-02-13T11:55:51.199-06:00I've only seen a handful of Soderbergh films, ...I've only seen a handful of Soderbergh films, but way you describe this one makes it sound pretty great (I was totally on board with the opacity of <i>The Master</i>, so inscrutability isn't necessarily a bad thing for me). Methinks I'll check it out.<br /><br />Also, I'm pretty sure I got some spam from you a few days ago.Benjaminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14709333325776591295noreply@blogger.com