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Friendo.
09-11-17
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MOVIEMEDITATIONS

REVIEWS
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Hello everybody

My diary thread finally reached its demise after two years of torture trying to keep that thing alive until the bitter end... We got there, thankfully, but that doesn't mean I'm done reviewing or that I haven't been thinking about my next move. This thread is going to be the first (out of two) new thread ideas I have had, which I think is time to be put out there. The other one will come later...

The point of this thread is to make reviews more accessable for everybody who wants to read reviews or simply want to start a discussion about a given movie. I think this concept will create a better fundament for those who like reading lengthy reviews and for those who want it short and direct.

I'll post my first review in here soon, where I will reveal the concept
and you will get an idea of what I mean.

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Mantis Toboggan, MD
09-11-17
Nice. Looking forward to this
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09-11-17
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2016
Patriots Day
directed by Peter Berg


one word
Polished.



one sentence
A hollow "Hollywood version" of actual events that fails to escape its by-the-books approach and polished style, turning the otherwise goodhearted patriotic picture into a pitiful mocking of those who got injured or lost their lives during this terrible tragedy.

one paragraph
I have a complicated hate-hate-love relationship with Peter Berg and his films. His films aren't extremely awful, but usually they contain a poorly contrived story that is a confused mess in style and approach, where only the actual look and feel of the production makes it seem otherwise. He is like the "light edition" of Nolan, although that doesn't make complete sense, since Berg's films are far more sugarcoated and with little to no substance apart from its "true story" source material. He has a fetish for real life events and turning them into big, patriotic mastrubation pieces for the mainstream audience, primarily America. You could almost describe him as the "Michael Bay of serious authentic drama movies", because in some ways they have some similarities, in the heavy-handed and almost vulgar way of handling themes and dialogue...

additional paragraph(s) for the avid follower
In fact, I actually enjoyed Deepwater Horizon somewhat and found it to be the best movie made by this director so far. I hated Lone Survivor though and Patriots Day seems to fall somewhere between these two. Berg can create a spectacle, he can direct his actors and he knows a thing or two about how to make movies. But his vision is so confused and weird that it messes up his good intentions. I just don't buy the emotion he tries to sell me on screen, for one, because he clouds the drama with personal views and politics, which just doesn't suit the raw emotion we are meant to feel. Second, his actors are good but the dialogue and their actions often come off as artificial or illogical, which once again takes me out of the movie.

With Patriots Day he even tries to up the realness by inserting what looks to be real video cam footage of the event - as it is happening on screen - but it feels overly forced in an attempt to stuff the drama down my throat. The best emotion and drama this entire movie delivers is at the end, when real life victims talk briefly about their story and their need to overcome life's obstacles. And when your 2+ hour movie can't even come close to two minutes of genuine emotion - or maybe just feel like a fine tribute or decent representation of the events - then you failed with your movie as far as I can see...


Question
What is your thought on this movie and movies that are based on a true story?
When does it work? When does it not? Examples?

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Last edited by MovieMeditation; 09-11-17 at 05:31 PM.



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Trying Real Hard To Be The Shepherd
09-11-17
I haven't seen Patriots Day yet, but I will eventually. I actually liked Lone Survivor a bit, Deepwater was pretty meh. I think true stories work best when they aren't going for the realism. Social Network and Foxcatcher are the first that jump into my head. Probably not am accident that they both are about tone before they are story. I do tend to appreciate bio-pics so maybe I am not the best person to ask about when they don't work. Berg's stuff feels so paint by numbers though. Almost feels like he would be a better doc director.
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09-11-17
Originally Posted by seanc
I haven't seen Patriots Day yet, but I will eventually. I actually liked Lone Survivor a bit, Deepwater was pretty meh.
I really liked both lone survivor and Deepwater. Not sure why I forgot to watch Ptriot's Day so just put it on my list.



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Trouble with a capitial 'T'
09-11-17
In honor of your new thread, I'll watch Patriots Day as soon I can. It sounds like my kind of movie, so I'll give it a go and come back and let you know what I think.



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Mantis Toboggan, MD
09-11-17
I'm not a big fan of Mark Wahlberg so I'm unsure as to whether or not I'll like Patriot's Day. I also haven't seen any of Peter Berg's films so I don't know what to expect if I end up watching it



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Friendo.
09-11-17
Originally Posted by seanc
I haven't seen Patriots Day yet, but I will eventually. I actually liked Lone Survivor a bit, Deepwater was pretty meh. I think true stories work best when they aren't going for the realism. Social Network and Foxcatcher are the first that jump into my head. Probably not am accident that they both are about tone before they are story. I do tend to appreciate bio-pics so maybe I am not the best person to ask about when they don't work. Berg's stuff feels so paint by numbers though. Almost feels like he would be a better doc director.
The problem with Lone Surivor for me, was that was so wannabe heroic and single minded that I just couldn't stand it. Most of the movie was just enemies popping up from behind the hills only to be shot and with a "die you middle eastern scumbag!" "This is for America!" And so on... it felt like a Murica! version of that game where you hit animals on the head with a hammer when they pop up from a hole...

I like realism in real event movies, but Berg polishes it too much imo and as you say does it by the numbers. I agree that those movies you mention are good not just because of tone but because they set out to make a movie. They create proper character arcs, a good story, a good script AS A LAYER on top of the fundament, that is the real story... Berg seems to just want to make a quick movie his way about others tragedy. There is not much thought put into it; gather some good actors, have a big budget, but screw the story, screw a good script, screw characters that works as anything else than plot devices...

I love bio-pics too though.



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09-11-17
Originally Posted by Yam12
I'm not a big fan of Mark Wahlberg so I'm unsure as to whether or not I'll like Patriot's Day. I also haven't seen any of Peter Berg's films so I don't know what to expect if I end up watching it
What dont you like about him? Always seems to be playing himself or something else? I like him but I think he's one note.



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This might just do nobody any good.
09-11-17
Someone needs to stop Marky Mark before he makes his alternate reality movie where he single handedly stops 9/11.



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Friendo.
09-11-17
Originally Posted by Saunch
Someone needs to stop Marky Mark before he makes his alternate reality movie where he single handedly stops 9/11.


Transformers: 9/11 Revolusurginialiation ... directed by Peter Berg starting Mark "Marky Mark" Wahlberg



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09-12-17
Cricket kept mentioning Patriots Day and i hadn't heard of it so i assumed it had something to do with the New England Patriots

Yeah not seen it and most likely won't, glad you've got a new review thread going though



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28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
09-12-17
I actually liked Lone Survivor, it felt realistic to me and I felt every hit those soldiers took. Especially when they tumbled down that rock hill. It lost me a bit towards the end in the village, but for the most part it worked for me.

Haven't seen Patriot's Day yet, but if I hope it's better than Deepwater Horizon.
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Friendo.
09-12-17
Originally Posted by TheUsualSuspect
I actually liked Lone Survivor, it felt realistic to me and I felt every hit those soldiers took. Especially when they tumbled down that rock hill. It lost me a bit towards the end in the village, but for the most part it worked for me.

Haven't seen Patriot's Day yet, but if I hope it's better than Deepwater Horizon.
I loved that aspect. Indeed that worked great and was nicely done. Too bad about the rest of the film.

I have no idea how you'd like Patriots Day, but since you've watched the other Berg features I guess you'll check out that one some day...



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09-12-17
Originally Posted by TheUsualSuspect
I actually liked Lone Survivor, it felt realistic to me and I felt every hit those soldiers took. Especially when they tumbled down that rock hill. It lost me a bit towards the end in the village, but for the most part it worked for me.

Haven't seen Patriot's Day yet, but if I hope it's better than Deepwater Horizon.
I loved the tumble down the hill.
What lost you re: scene in the village?



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09-12-17
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2017
mother!
directed by Darren Aronofsky


one word
Revelation.



one sentence
Darren Aronofsky's ‘mother!’ is a chaotic yet crystal-clear vision, which pushes the limits of creativity, movie production and not least the audience's own limits and thereby creates a movie experience that is so much its own that you can help but be spellbound by it.

one paragraph
The film is best experienced as a stimulating and thought provoking piece of mind trickery, which puts the mind and soul on overtime, inside a film that strongly reflects the sparkling auteur, who Darren Aronofsky once again proves he definitely is. He challenges the movie medium itself, and its “fixed-frame workspace”, and creates a nightmarish reality, where visuals, sound and acting is unhinged and untouched... a devilish fabled dreamscape, serving as an expanded apocalyptic anecdote, all about being in the midst of the moment, inside all the chaos, while struggling to get a firm grip on Aronofsky's uncontrollable sparkle of light in subjective cinema...

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Director, Darren Aronosky, resurrects himself from the ashes with a glowing and puzzling production, made in secret behind the backs of both the audience and the press. With the art piece, 'Mother!', Aronofsky takes us back to the beginning, where the director’s distinctive authority once again receives the right to tear down Hollywood's huge, enclosed walls in order to resurface, but without pressure from studies or high expectations from the audience.

Aronofsky plays around with cinematic elements like that consists of satirical, biblical and biographical pieces and then tosses everything into a blender, which then tears it all apart before the eyes of the audience, in the most crazy and sophisticated production I have seen in a long time – a completely insane and psychotic "split personality" of a movie production, made with so much energy and effort from the director, that the absence of straight forward logic and refined explanations doesn’t matter one bit.

Darren Aronofsky's ‘mother!’ is a divine, two-hour-long trip through hell - completely without hesitation - where your brain is constantly challenged by a cascade of uncontrollable contrasts and concepts that appear faster than you are able to digest it. I would like to think that there is a storyline present, but it is stretched out far above the heads of the audience, where Aronofsky continues to hang even heavier metaphors and stronger symbolism, which eventually threatens to break and fall to the ground – but the excitement of whether it does or not is exhilarating enough on its own.

The movie is exactly as flawed as it is flawless, if it makes sense, and this is precisely what gives the film a almost demanded energy, which I happily accept with open arms – even though Aronofsky cuts both my arms off in the process and prevents me from getting close to his latest, most fragile and most extreme work to date...

Also, the performances are top notch and almost delivered with what seems to be no effort from the cast. They are naturals, acting as natural and honest as possible, selling this movie with Hollywood actors as anything but a Hollywood movie. But it is definitely a movie, that will have people wander out from the theater… but it will also leave some people in awe… and also some people in confusion. It will split the audiences and critics in an extreme way, but that is exactly what makes this so great… A mainstream movie aims to please a wide audience, but fails to center in on something truly perfect; all the while a more artistically driven movie aims to please itself first, which means the audience that it does hit, it will hit dead center. And Aronofsky did for me here…


Question
In which way can artful movies be better than mainstream, as well as the other way around? Can it be a good thing, when a film kind of loses you towards the end, simply because it is such a subjective work and dares where others don't?

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You can't win an argument just by being right!
09-12-17
Stunning review, MM.

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