list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Mother Night on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Mother_Night/110604/default.aspx Title: Mother Night
Year: 1996
Director: Keith Gordon
Plot: Kurt Vonnegut Jr. once summarized the moral of his novel Mother Night like so: "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." In Keith Gordon's film adaptation of Vonnegut's book, Nick Nolte stars as Howard W. Campbell Jr., an American playwright living in Germany shortly before the U.S. entered World War II. Campbell is essentially apolitical; if he sometimes hobnobs with Nazi leaders, it's only because they're VIPs in his time, place, and social circle, and he cares for little besides his writing and his beloved wife Helga (Sheryl Lee). One day, Campbell is approached by Frank Wirtenan (John Goodman), an American intelligence agent who offers Campbell an unusual assignment -- a position as a radio commentator beaming Nazi propaganda broadcasts to U.S. troops across Europe, which in fact feature coded information that will aid the American war effort. Campbell agrees, but succeeds all too well -- he makes such a convincing Nazi sympathizer that at the end of the war, he finds it impossible to convince people he wasn't really a Nazi, and even those inclined to believe him feel he aided Germany as much as the Allies. After 15 years as a recluse in New York City, a racist tabloid prints a story about Campbell, and in 1961 he discovers himself behind bars, awaiting trial as a war criminal. Besides Nick Nolte, who gives an outstanding performance, the supporting cast also includes Alan Arkin, Frankie Faison, and Kirsten Dunst; Kurt Vonnegut Jr. also makes a cameo appearance. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 5
Number of Lists: 7
Number of blog posts: 2
Number of discussion threads: 6
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:04:06 GMTMother Night1996Keith GordonKurt Vonnegut Jr. once summarized the moral of his novel Mother Night like so: "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." In <a href="/players/P____92106/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Keith Gordon</a>'s film adaptation of Vonnegut's book, <a href="/players/P____52916/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Nick Nolte</a> stars as Howard W. Campbell Jr., an American playwright living in Germany shortly before the U.S. entered World War II. Campbell is essentially apolitical; if he sometimes hobnobs with Nazi leaders, it's only because they're VIPs in his time, place, and social circle, and he cares for little besides his writing and his beloved wife Helga (<a href="/players/P____41511/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Sheryl Lee</a>). One day, Campbell is approached by Frank Wirtenan (<a href="/players/P____27679/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>John Goodman</a>), an American intelligence agent who offers Campbell an unusual assignment -- a position as a radio commentator beaming Nazi propaganda broadcasts to U.S. troops across Europe, which in fact feature coded information that will aid the American war effort. Campbell agrees, but succeeds all too well -- he makes such a convincing Nazi sympathizer that at the end of the war, he finds it impossible to convince people he wasn't really a Nazi, and even those inclined to believe him feel he aided Germany as much as the Allies. After 15 years as a recluse in New York City, a racist tabloid prints a story about Campbell, and in 1961 he discovers himself behind bars, awaiting trial as a war criminal. Besides <a href="/players/P____52916/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Nick Nolte</a>, who gives an outstanding performance, the supporting cast also includes <a href="/players/P____79913/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Alan Arkin</a>, Frankie Faison, and <a href="/players/P____20669/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Kirsten Dunst</a>; Kurt Vonnegut Jr. also makes a cameo appearance. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide5Slightly Tagged (1-5)7263http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t075207r74s.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Mother_Night/110604/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/risselada/archive/2009/10/28/44247.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Risselada Blog
Post Date: 10/28/2009 1:13:09 PM
Body: This is the seventh feature length film I've seen by director Quentin Tarantino. I chose to watch this film based on previous good ratings I've given other films by this director and to better my favorite directors by algorithm listing. Inglourious Basterds I've seen all of Tarantino's films. And since I've become a fan I've made to sure to see all of them in the theatre. There are a lot of things that irk me about his style. Some of them irk me while giving me delight at the same time. But I always find the films entertaining. This film starts right out with a scene that was clearly modeled off of one of the very first scenes of my favorite film of all time The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. I know this to be Tarantino's favorite film of all time as well, so I wasn't too surprised. But Tarantino really has me being pulled back and forth violently regarding my admiration for this scene. My joy at wanting to call it a delightful homage and my disgust at what seems almost like straight up plagiarism are constantly at war trough my viewing of this scene. The segment starts out with the subtitle "Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied France" which is another in the long line of "Once Upon a Time..." titled films started by The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly director Sergio Leone with such films as Once Upon a Time in the West and Once Upon a Time in America. Then we hear the music of Ennio Morricone who became famous for providing all of the music in all of Leone's films from A Fistful of Dollars onward. Now the scene being referenced is our introduction to Lee Van Cleef's character, or "the bad". In The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, we see him riding up ominously to an isolated farmer's home. The farmer has a long, tense meal with the farmer. It begins with very few words and ends with mass murder by guns. There are endless similarities in structure, character, and tone. Tarantino's use of characters talking about movies is another point of tension for me. It's cool to see references to other films and film personalities of that era, but sometimes it seems a little unrealistic or forced the way these things are discussed. Is Tarantino trying to show us how cool and knowledgeable he is about film, or is he naturally just so that it comes out. Brad Pitt is super fun in this movie and would have been the most memorable character if he wasn't completely blown away by the revelation that is Christoph Waltz. Thank goodness Tarantino brought this guy to my attention. I'd never heard of him before despite the fact that he clearly has tons of talent and experience and a long filmography of European films. Here's hoping this guy will get more worthy parts. Anyone have any suggestions for his older films to see? *What follows may be a spoiler of sorts. There was a while as the plot was building that I felt like there was a lack of tension because what the protagonists were trying to do would alter the outcome of major World War II history was we know it. Since I already knew how the war ended, I felt like I knew if certain aspects of the plot would be successful or not. But as we neared the climax I realized there was no reason to feel like Tarantino of anyone would stick to straight history over his own sense of what would make a film the most exciting. It's an alternate history as a form of exploitation filmmaking that isn't apparent at first. It was a little strange to watch this film right after Mother Night. Although the films are quite different, because they both deal with Nazis and even some on screen representation of real famous Nazis I almost got a few scenes mixed up in my head. At least some of the themes of the two films entwined themselves in my mind. It made an interesting thematic double feature of sorts. Quentin Tarantino:Total feature length films seen: 7Previous average film score: 9New average film score: 9 Rating: 9/10
]]>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:13:09 GMTRisseladaRisselada Blog10/28/2009 1:13:09 PMThis is the seventh feature length film I've seen by director Quentin Tarantino. I chose to watch this film based on previous good ratings I've given other films by this director and to better my favorite directors by algorithm listing. Inglourious Basterds I've seen all of Tarantino's films. And since I've become a fan I've made to sure to see all of them in the theatre. There are a lot of things that irk me about his style. Some of them irk me while giving me delight at the same time. But I always find the films entertaining. This film starts right out with a scene that was clearly modeled off of one of the very first scenes of my favorite film of all time The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. I know this to be Tarantino's favorite film of all time as well, so I wasn't too surprised. But Tarantino really has me being pulled back and forth violently regarding my admiration for this scene. My joy at wanting to call it a delightful homage and my disgust at what seems almost like straight up plagiarism are constantly at war trough my viewing of this scene. The segment starts out with the subtitle "Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied France" which is another in the long line of "Once Upon a Time..." titled films started by The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly director Sergio Leone with such films as Once Upon a Time in the West and Once Upon a Time in America. Then we hear the music of Ennio Morricone who became famous for providing all of the music in all of Leone's films from A Fistful of Dollars onward. Now the scene being referenced is our introduction to Lee Van Cleef's character, or "the bad". In The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, we see him riding up ominously to an isolated farmer's home. The farmer has a long, tense meal with the farmer. It begins with very few words and ends with mass murder by guns. There are endless similarities in structure, character, and tone. Tarantino's use of characters talking about movies is another point of tension for me. It's cool to see references to other films and film personalities of that era, but sometimes it seems a little unrealistic or forced the way these things are discussed. Is Tarantino trying to show us how cool and knowledgeable he is about film, or is he naturally just so that it comes out. Brad Pitt is super fun in this movie and would have been the most memorable character if he wasn't completely blown away by the revelation that is Christoph Waltz. Thank goodness Tarantino brought this guy to my attention. I'd never heard of him before despite the fact that he clearly has tons of talent and experience and a long filmography of European films. Here's hoping this guy will get more worthy parts. Anyone have any suggestions for his older films to see? *What follows may be a spoiler of sorts. There was a while as the plot was building that I felt like there was a lack of tension because what the protagonists were trying to do would alter the outcome of major World War II history was we know it. Since I already knew how the war ended, I felt like I knew if certain aspects of the plot would be successful or not. But as we neared the climax I realized there was no reason to feel like Tarantino of anyone would stick to straight history over his own sense of what would make a film the most exciting. It's an alternate history as a form of exploitation filmmaking that isn't apparent at first. It was a little strange to watch this film right after Mother Night. Although the films are quite different, because they both deal with Nazis and even some on screen representation of real famous Nazis I almost got a few scenes mixed up in my head. At least some of the themes of the two films entwined themselves in my mind. It made an interesting thematic double feature of sorts. Quentin Tarantino:Total feature length films seen: 7Previous average film score: 9New average film score: 9 Rating: 9/10 http://www.spout.com/blogs/risselada/archive/2009/10/20/44217.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Risselada Blog
Post Date: 10/20/2009 5:16:33 PM
Body: This is the second feature length film I've seen by director Keith Gordon. I chose to watch this film based on previous good ratings I've given other films by this director and to better my favorite directors by algorithm listing. Mother Night First of all, Keith Gordon shares my birthday. February 3. So that's kind of neat. Gordon's first film I saw was The Singing Detective. I consider it quite a bit of luck that I ever did see it since I had never heard of it before and it was a handful of DVD pre-releases that I rented for free for a few days because I could when I was working at a video store. I brought the stack of movies over to a friends house and we got bored so decided to watch one. He remembered seeing Mel Gibson on some talk show mentioning the movie and said it seemed pretty strange. So we decided to put it in, not really expecting much. This was after Downy Jr. being out of the good acting roles for many years with all his drug problems so I wasn't thinking about him much. And I didn't check to see who else was in it. It turned out to be a really fantastic, brilliant film. At least my friend and I thought so. After doing more research I discovered who the writer Dennis Potter was and that this film was a remake of just one of his many famous British mini-series. I ended up seeking that series out and viewing it all. While certainly as brilliant and much more expansive (and starring the captivating Michael Gambon) than the American remake, I still feel like I prefer the remake. Mostly because it is American rather than British (even though I consider myself a bit of an Anglophile) and because it's so much more tight and compact. And I don't think you can be as upset about this being a remake considering Potter penned the actual screenplay for the American film version as well. And because the film has such an autobiographic feel this is essential. But mostly it revealed for me how much talent also had to have come from the director of the film. The performances of the characters, the handling of the enormous quantity of different scene settings and styles. The direction appealed to me greatly. But obviously not many people will agree as evidenced by the mostly horrible to mediocre reviews it received from critics and poor reception at the box office. And this is why I say it was lucky that I ever saw this movie, because apart from the chance scenario that brought me to it, I don't think I would have ever known to seek it out myself. Nor would I probably have looked into seeing any of Keith Gordon's other films, which after viewing Mother Night I feel would be also quite unfortunate. Mother Night is and adaptation of a Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. book. I have the sense that I'm supposed to like Vonnegut. If you are a smart, modern reader you are supposed to like him. He seems hip in a way that I've never heard anyone challenge. I've only read one of his books though, Breakfast of Champions. I was told this maybe wasn't the best one to start with since it's kind of a summation of many of his other works. Nonetheless I did enjoy it but not nearly as much as I'd hoped. Vonnegut is a smart and perceptive guy with some good ideas, but I find his style to sometimes be a bit off-putting to me. Vonnegut is a cynical guy I think but he likes to make himself seem more loveable and humane with these cutesy little touches. Calling the US Agent who interacts with him his "Blue Fairy Godmother", and the multiple copies of Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" album and other little touches like that. It bugs me, but not enough to go on too much more about it. I did love Mother Night. Again, I will attribute a lot of it to Keith Gordon. This and The Singing Detective are both surreal and stylized by very true and engaging. In both the source material must be rich with strong characters, but I feel like he brings them out even stronger. If you've seen this movie, but haven't watched it on DVD, I would recommend it to see the deleted scenes. There are some great ones that just didn't fit for time or continuity. Particularly a wonderful scene with David Strathairn that I guess had to be taken out for pacing, but otherwise would have been one of the best scenes in the film. Also included it a commentary track by Nick Nolte where he goes on rambling on tangents about technology, religion, and other vast subjects which end up seemingly having nothing to do with the film. Keith Gordon:Total feature length films seen: 2Previous average film score: 10New average film score: 9.5 Rating: 9/10
]]>Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:16:33 GMTRisseladaRisselada Blog10/20/2009 5:16:33 PMThis is the second feature length film I've seen by director Keith Gordon. I chose to watch this film based on previous good ratings I've given other films by this director and to better my favorite directors by algorithm listing. Mother Night First of all, Keith Gordon shares my birthday. February 3. So that's kind of neat. Gordon's first film I saw was The Singing Detective. I consider it quite a bit of luck that I ever did see it since I had never heard of it before and it was a handful of DVD pre-releases that I rented for free for a few days because I could when I was working at a video store. I brought the stack of movies over to a friends house and we got bored so decided to watch one. He remembered seeing Mel Gibson on some talk show mentioning the movie and said it seemed pretty strange. So we decided to put it in, not really expecting much. This was after Downy Jr. being out of the good acting roles for many years with all his drug problems so I wasn't thinking about him much. And I didn't check to see who else was in it. It turned out to be a really fantastic, brilliant film. At least my friend and I thought so. After doing more research I discovered who the writer Dennis Potter was and that this film was a remake of just one of his many famous British mini-series. I ended up seeking that series out and viewing it all. While certainly as brilliant and much more expansive (and starring the captivating Michael Gambon) than the American remake, I still feel like I prefer the remake. Mostly because it is American rather than British (even though I consider myself a bit of an Anglophile) and because it's so much more tight and compact. And I don't think you can be as upset about this being a remake considering Potter penned the actual screenplay for the American film version as well. And because the film has such an autobiographic feel this is essential. But mostly it revealed for me how much talent also had to have come from the director of the film. The performances of the characters, the handling of the enormous quantity of different scene settings and styles. The direction appealed to me greatly. But obviously not many people will agree as evidenced by the mostly horrible to mediocre reviews it received from critics and poor reception at the box office. And this is why I say it was lucky that I ever saw this movie, because apart from the chance scenario that brought me to it, I don't think I would have ever known to seek it out myself. Nor would I probably have looked into seeing any of Keith Gordon's other films, which after viewing Mother Night I feel would be also quite unfortunate. Mother Night is and adaptation of a Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. book. I have the sense that I'm supposed to like Vonnegut. If you are a smart, modern reader you are supposed to like him. He seems hip in a way that I've never heard anyone challenge. I've only read one of his books though, Breakfast of Champions. I was told this maybe wasn't the best one to start with since it's kind of a summation of many of his other works. Nonetheless I did enjoy it but not nearly as much as I'd hoped. Vonnegut is a smart and perceptive guy with some good ideas, but I find his style to sometimes be a bit off-putting to me. Vonnegut is a cynical guy I think but he likes to make himself seem more loveable and humane with these cutesy little touches. Calling the US Agent who interacts with him his "Blue Fairy Godmother", and the multiple copies of Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" album and other little touches like that. It bugs me, but not enough to go on too much more about it. I did love Mother Night. Again, I will attribute a lot of it to Keith Gordon. This and The Singing Detective are both surreal and stylized by very true and engaging. In both the source material must be rich with strong characters, but I feel like he brings them out even stronger. If you've seen this movie, but haven't watched it on DVD, I would recommend it to see the deleted scenes. There are some great ones that just didn't fit for time or continuity. Particularly a wonderful scene with David Strathairn that I guess had to be taken out for pacing, but otherwise would have been one of the best scenes in the film. Also included it a commentary track by Nick Nolte where he goes on rambling on tangents about technology, religion, and other vast subjects which end up seemingly having nothing to do with the film. Keith Gordon:Total feature length films seen: 2Previous average film score: 10New average film score: 9.5 Rating: 9/10 http://www.spout.com/groups/sci_fi/Re_Kurt_Vonnegut/4/34935/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: sci-fi
Post Date: 9/9/2008 12:04:06 PM
Body: [quote user="SkyPilot"] [quote user="TheWorkingDead"] I might be wrong, but I think you prefer more grounded stories to wacky sci-fi, so Mother Night, Bluebeard, or God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater are good places to start. Cat's Cradle ... [/quote] Hey TheWorkingDead, you just named my other four favorite Vonnegut novels! I haven't seen the Mother Night movie, would anyone recommend it? [/quote] All I know is that it's directed by the same guy who directed the American version of The Singing Detective which is fantastic!! I'd see it based on that alone.
]]>Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:04:06 GMTRisseladasci-fi9/9/2008 12:04:06 PM[quote user="SkyPilot"] [quote user="TheWorkingDead"] I might be wrong, but I think you prefer more grounded stories to wacky sci-fi, so Mother Night, Bluebeard, or God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater are good places to start. Cat's Cradle ... [/quote] Hey TheWorkingDead, you just named my other four favorite Vonnegut novels! I haven't seen the Mother Night movie, would anyone recommend it? [/quote] All I know is that it's directed by the same guy who directed the American version of The Singing Detective which is fantastic!! I'd see it based on that alone. http://www.spout.com/groups/sci_fi/Re_Kurt_Vonnegut/4/34865/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: TheWorkingDead
Post To: sci-fi
Post Date: 9/7/2008 8:21:37 AM
Body: [quote user="SkyPilot"] [quote user="TheWorkingDead"] I might be wrong, but I think you prefer more grounded stories to wacky sci-fi, so Mother Night, Bluebeard, or God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater are good places to start. Cat's Cradle ... [/quote] Hey TheWorkingDead, you just named my other four favorite Vonnegut novels! I haven't seen the Mother Night movie, would anyone recommend it? [/quote] I would, I really really would. It loses a few things from the story, obviously, and doesn't quite capture the tone of the book, but it's a pretty decent movie. I saw it before reading the book, so I think I was better able to accept it for what it is, but even going back to it now I still like it. Scratch that, I love it.
]]>Sun, 07 Sep 2008 12:21:37 GMTTheWorkingDeadsci-fi9/7/2008 8:21:37 AM[quote user="SkyPilot"] [quote user="TheWorkingDead"] I might be wrong, but I think you prefer more grounded stories to wacky sci-fi, so Mother Night, Bluebeard, or God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater are good places to start. Cat's Cradle ... [/quote] Hey TheWorkingDead, you just named my other four favorite Vonnegut novels! I haven't seen the Mother Night movie, would anyone recommend it? [/quote] I would, I really really would. It loses a few things from the story, obviously, and doesn't quite capture the tone of the book, but it's a pretty decent movie. I saw it before reading the book, so I think I was better able to accept it for what it is, but even going back to it now I still like it. Scratch that, I love it. http://www.spout.com/groups/sci_fi/Re_Kurt_Vonnegut/4/34857/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: SkyPilot
Post To: sci-fi
Post Date: 9/6/2008 9:23:25 PM
Body: [quote user="TheWorkingDead"] I might be wrong, but I think you prefer more grounded stories to wacky sci-fi, so Mother Night, Bluebeard, or God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater are good places to start. Cat's Cradle ... [/quote] Hey TheWorkingDead, you just named my other four favorite Vonnegut novels! I haven't seen the Mother Night movie, would anyone recommend it?
]]>Sun, 07 Sep 2008 01:23:25 GMTSkyPilotsci-fi9/6/2008 9:23:25 PM[quote user="TheWorkingDead"] I might be wrong, but I think you prefer more grounded stories to wacky sci-fi, so Mother Night, Bluebeard, or God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater are good places to start. Cat's Cradle ... [/quote] Hey TheWorkingDead, you just named my other four favorite Vonnegut novels! I haven't seen the Mother Night movie, would anyone recommend it? http://www.spout.com/groups/extraordinary_moments/Re_Extraordinary_moments_there_are_such_things/573/27275/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Puhnner
Post To: extraordinary moments
Post Date: 4/14/2008 10:15:09 AM
Body: Perhaps this scene hit me so having suffered bouts of the deep and dark depression throughout my life, but in Mother Night, Nick Nolte's character, Howard W. Campbell, mid-morning, walking along the sidewalk in New York City full of others, just comes to a complete and full stop, stuck and stays there until late in the evening on the dark, deserted, streetlightlit sidewalk until a Police Officer comes up to him and through some questions, gets him to decide to move on. It seemed he could stay there forever. The voice over quotes follow:Howard W. Campbell Jr.: I was deposited on to the streets of New York, restored to the mainstream of life. I took several steps down the sidewalk when something happened. It was not guilt that froze me; I had taught myself never to feel guilt. It wasn't the fear of death; I had taught myself to think of death as a friend. It was not the thought of being unloved that froze me; I had taught myself to do without love. What froze me was the fact that I had absolutely no reason to move in any direction.that was simultaneously aching and all too real...
]]>Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:15:09 GMTPuhnnerextraordinary moments4/14/2008 10:15:09 AMPerhaps this scene hit me so having suffered bouts of the deep and dark depression throughout my life, but in Mother Night, Nick Nolte&#39;s character, Howard W. Campbell, mid-morning, walking along the sidewalk in New York City full of others, just comes to a complete and full stop, stuck and stays there until late in the evening on the dark, deserted, streetlightlit sidewalk until a Police Officer comes up to him and through some questions, gets him to decide to move on. It seemed he could stay there forever. The voice over quotes follow:Howard W. Campbell Jr.: I was deposited on to the streets of New York, restored to the mainstream of life. I took several steps down the sidewalk when something happened. It was not guilt that froze me; I had taught myself never to feel guilt. It wasn&#39;t the fear of death; I had taught myself to think of death as a friend. It was not the thought of being unloved that froze me; I had taught myself to do without love. What froze me was the fact that I had absolutely no reason to move in any direction.that was simultaneously aching and all too real... http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Re_Top_5_Tear_Jerking_Scenes/190/18909/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 8/27/2007 5:09:17 PM
Body: [quote user="TheWorkingDead"] Waking The Dead: When Billy Crudup's character finally gets on the phone with someone who may or may not be his long dead love. They were young idealists, and now he's a succesful politician, and he cries and softly says 'I don't think you'll like me now'. Just heartbreaking. Mother Night: Well, i'm making it a trend now, with director's getting two films each. Maybe this should be top 6(if I can think of one). There's a couple scenes, and it's hard to not give anything away if you haven't seen it. Nick Nolte, writing his memoirs, gets to the point where his wife, thought killed in WWII, is reunited with him. Over audio of their meeting, as he asks 'how? why?', we see him sitting at his typewriter staring off into space, obviously heartbroken. Followed awhile later by the scene where his wife finds that he no longer lives for love, like the young playwright he once was, and responds with a teary, yearning 'tell me what to live for, and I will live for that too!' Excellent fil[/quote]Two from Keith Gordon eh? I've only seen one film of his. The excellent American adaptation of The Singing Detective and it's one of my absolute favorite films. I guess I should seriously check out his other stuff. Have you seen The Singing Detective? Which other one would you recommend first?
]]>Mon, 27 Aug 2007 21:09:17 GMTRisseladaTop 58/27/2007 5:09:17 PM[quote user="TheWorkingDead"] Waking The Dead: When Billy Crudup&#39;s character finally gets on the phone with someone who may or may not be his long dead love. They were young idealists, and now he&#39;s a succesful politician, and he cries and softly says &#39;I don&#39;t think you&#39;ll like me now&#39;. Just heartbreaking. Mother Night: Well, i&#39;m making it a trend now, with director&#39;s getting two films each. Maybe this should be top 6(if I can think of one). There&#39;s a couple scenes, and it&#39;s hard to not give anything away if you haven&#39;t seen it. Nick Nolte, writing his memoirs, gets to the point where his wife, thought killed in WWII, is reunited with him. Over audio of their meeting, as he asks &#39;how? why?&#39;, we see him sitting at his typewriter staring off into space, obviously heartbroken. Followed awhile later by the scene where his wife finds that he no longer lives for love, like the young playwright he once was, and responds with a teary, yearning &#39;tell me what to live for, and I will live for that too!&#39; Excellent fil[/quote]Two from Keith Gordon eh? I&#39;ve only seen one film of his. The excellent American adaptation of The Singing Detective and it&#39;s one of my absolute favorite films. I guess I should seriously check out his other stuff. Have you seen The Singing Detective? Which other one would you recommend first? http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Re_Top_5_Tear_Jerking_Scenes/190/18878/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: TheWorkingDead
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 8/27/2007 11:16:57 AM
Body: Some of these have already been mentioned, but screw it, these are the five I can think of at the moment(not, possibly, the Top 5).Dancer in the Dark: Many, many moments, as has been pointed out before. Two standouts; the I Have Seen it All song, particularly the line about her hypothetical grandson, and the ending, with her acapella rendition of The New World. An ending that actually made me double over in my theatre seat as I sobbed. I'm getting misty just thinking about it. Breaking The Waves: It might be unfair to have two Von Trier films on here, but the scene towards the end where Emily Watson is heading out to meet the sadistic Udo Kier, and quite possibly mutilation or death. She gives a quick glance at the camera, with a small smile, although she's obviously terrified. That scene brings me to tears, and affects me even more than the heartwrenching ending.Waking The Dead: When Billy Crudup's character finally gets on the phone with someone who may or may not be his long dead love. They were young idealists, and now he's a succesful politician, and he cries and softly says 'I don't think you'll like me now'. Just heartbreaking.Mother Night: Well, i'm making it a trend now, with director's getting two films each. Maybe this should be top 6(if I can think of one). There's a couple scenes, and it's hard to not give anything away if you haven't seen it. Nick Nolte, writing his memoirs, gets to the point where his wife, thought killed in WWII, is reunited with him. Over audio of their meeting, as he asks 'how? why?', we see him sitting at his typewriter staring off into space, obviously heartbroken. Followed awhile later by the scene where his wife finds that he no longer lives for love, like the young playwright he once was, and responds with a teary, yearning 'tell me what to live for, and I will live for that too!' Excellent film.Twin Peaks, Episode 14: Does a TV series count? Am I breaking the rules? The episode with the second murder by the mysterious, otherworldly 'Bob' gets me for the weirdness in the Roadhouse bar. When Cooper, Truman, and the Log Lady are watching a performance by Julee Cruise, and all of a sudden she fades of stage to be replaced by the giant from Cooper's dream, repeating 'I'm so sorry' as we see the murder take place. It gets me every time I watch the series.
]]>Mon, 27 Aug 2007 15:16:57 GMTTheWorkingDeadTop 58/27/2007 11:16:57 AMSome of these have already been mentioned, but screw it, these are the five I can think of at the moment(not, possibly, the Top 5).Dancer in the Dark: Many, many moments, as has been pointed out before. Two standouts; the I Have Seen it All song, particularly the line about her hypothetical grandson, and the ending, with her acapella rendition of The New World. An ending that actually made me double over in my theatre seat as I sobbed. I&#39;m getting misty just thinking about it. Breaking The Waves: It might be unfair to have two Von Trier films on here, but the scene towards the end where Emily Watson is heading out to meet the sadistic Udo Kier, and quite possibly mutilation or death. She gives a quick glance at the camera, with a small smile, although she&#39;s obviously terrified. That scene brings me to tears, and affects me even more than the heartwrenching ending.Waking The Dead: When Billy Crudup&#39;s character finally gets on the phone with someone who may or may not be his long dead love. They were young idealists, and now he&#39;s a succesful politician, and he cries and softly says &#39;I don&#39;t think you&#39;ll like me now&#39;. Just heartbreaking.Mother Night: Well, i&#39;m making it a trend now, with director&#39;s getting two films each. Maybe this should be top 6(if I can think of one). There&#39;s a couple scenes, and it&#39;s hard to not give anything away if you haven&#39;t seen it. Nick Nolte, writing his memoirs, gets to the point where his wife, thought killed in WWII, is reunited with him. Over audio of their meeting, as he asks &#39;how? why?&#39;, we see him sitting at his typewriter staring off into space, obviously heartbroken. Followed awhile later by the scene where his wife finds that he no longer lives for love, like the young playwright he once was, and responds with a teary, yearning &#39;tell me what to live for, and I will live for that too!&#39; Excellent film.Twin Peaks, Episode 14: Does a TV series count? Am I breaking the rules? The episode with the second murder by the mysterious, otherworldly &#39;Bob&#39; gets me for the weirdness in the Roadhouse bar. When Cooper, Truman, and the Log Lady are watching a performance by Julee Cruise, and all of a sudden she fades of stage to be replaced by the giant from Cooper&#39;s dream, repeating &#39;I&#39;m so sorry&#39; as we see the murder take place. It gets me every time I watch the series. http://www.spout.com/blogs/theworkingdead/archive/2007/7/21/15475.aspx Post By: TheWorkingDead
Post To: TheWorkingDead Blog
Post Date: 7/21/2007 4:44:00 PM
Body: With the release of Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix, I am forced to listen to friends and co-workers and in some cases complete strangers bitch and moan. Indeed, even many reviews for the movie contain the same gripes, and that is that 'it was OK, but they shouldn't have left such-and-such out.' A more common complaint is the simpler, more direct 'it wasn't as good as the book.' This is unfortunate, because a perfectly fine movie is getting short shrift because of how well it stands up to a completely separate entity; the book. Time was when I would be right alongside these people, complaining about how the movie removed my favorite subplot, or didn't capture the essence of the characters as perfectly as I'd hoped. Nowadays I like to think I'm much more enlightened, and oddly enough I owe this all to the Harry Potter series.I was a bit late on the Harry Potter bandwagon, and Azkaban was the first movie I saw after reading all the books. Strangely, instead of being upset by the (major) omissions from the book to film transition, the film showed me how you could cut out or alter quite a bit and still make a fantastic film. Azkaban is my favorite film in the series so far, and my reasoning, when I try to boil this down to it's essence, is this; The first films were fine, if you wanted to read the book without all those pesky words. The films kept in as many of the subplots as possible, as much of the minutiae that they could manage, but missed a lot of the heart. Prisoner of Azkaban removed as much of the peripheral stuff as possible, but hit the heart dead center.To me one of the best examples of book to screen adaptation would have to be Silence of the Lambs. Silence of the Lambs should be required reading/viewing in any film class on the subject of adapted works. The movie excises just enough, and fleshes out peripheral characters in order to give voice to what in the novel was internal dialogue. This meant the film wasn't burdened by clumsy narration or even clumsier exposition, but still maintained much of the atmosphere, information and precision of the source material. I'd also give Hannibal honorable mention, and before you stop reading, hear me out. Hannibal was not a very good movie, but keep this in mind; the book was worse. In this case the source material gave them very little to work with, including an underlining psychological explanation for Lecter that's a bit too on-the-nose, and characters that inexplicably act against everything laid down in previous books(keep in mind this was Hannibal Lecter's third outing). The movie trimmed the noxious backstory, and altered the horrid ending, and was the better for it.I guess the trick is to know what to cut, to be able to discern when the author is going off on an unsatisfactory tangent, or when it's just not necessary to include something. Take American Psycho, for example. Now, I won't say that Bret Easton Ellis is a bad writer, since I did enjoy the novel, in an odd way(and I haven't read anything else, so I can't really judge), but never was there a book more full of things I didn't want to read about. Whether describing sexual acts in a language Penthouse editors would probably blush at, or going on for page after page about where the main character buys his bottled water, the book seemed to urge you to put it down. The movie dropped most of this, and shortened what it did keep. Most likely out of necessity; as boring as it was to read about his choice of neck tie, it would probably not translate to film any better. However, in a true moment of genius, the screenwriter took Patrick Bateman's knack for spouting off about Huey Lewis or Whitney Houston albums and tied those in with the murders committed on screen. This kept the action going, while still hammering home how absolutely empty this man was; less a human being than a collection of appetites.Of course, inventive editing of the source material is a tricky feat to accomplish. In the Ninth Gate the three screenwriters(including Roman Polanski himself) edited so much out of the book that the movie had almost no plot. The book had several story lines running simultaneously, and more than a few mcguffins. The film pared it down to only one story(and, oddly, not the main one) and removed most of the twists. This wouldn't have been so bad if the film had been any good(actually, I did enjoy it the first time around), but in this case the gap in quality between movie and book is so large that it's hard to ignore. One good thing came of this change; I saw the movie first, and when I read the book I was still surprised by the outcome. Or perhaps I was surprised because I expected the movie ending.A few other honorable mentions would be Fight Club, which managed to be a rarity; the film that improved substantially on the source material. Mother Night, which accomplished the herculean task of adapting a Vonnegut novel and succeeding(it's perennially in my top 5, and to contrast, check out the horrid Breakfast of Champions film). It is almost a really great movie, despite being a made for TV mini-series. It could be argued that the mini-series is the best place for adaptations, since the expanded time allows for more of the side stories to be left in, and the nature of watching a movie over several days gives you that sense of familiarity and time spent with these characters that a 2 hour movie just can't. The first half of It is a perfect example of this, utilizing commercial breaks as dramatic punctuations, and a template with which to focus on each of the characters in turn. The second half is not quite so good, although it had a lot of stuff to try and fit into 2 hours, and Stephen King has problems with endings anyway. His novels always resolve themselves too neatly, in one notable case literally having the hand of god come down and stop the action.In the end, we fans are always going to have the book, and if the movie-going audience is content with the often watered down version on the screen, that shouldn't affect us at all. Upset that Quidditch isn't in the Harry Potter movies anymore? Read the book. http://workingdeadproductions.blogspot.com
]]>Sat, 21 Jul 2007 20:44:00 GMTTheWorkingDeadTheWorkingDead Blog7/21/2007 4:44:00 PMWith the release of Harry Potter &amp; The Order of the Phoenix, I am forced to listen to friends and co-workers and in some cases complete strangers bitch and moan. Indeed, even many reviews for the movie contain the same gripes, and that is that &#39;it was OK, but they shouldn&#39;t have left such-and-such out.&#39; A more common complaint is the simpler, more direct &#39;it wasn&#39;t as good as the book.&#39; This is unfortunate, because a perfectly fine movie is getting short shrift because of how well it stands up to a completely separate entity; the book. Time was when I would be right alongside these people, complaining about how the movie removed my favorite subplot, or didn&#39;t capture the essence of the characters as perfectly as I&#39;d hoped. Nowadays I like to think I&#39;m much more enlightened, and oddly enough I owe this all to the Harry Potter series.I was a bit late on the Harry Potter bandwagon, and Azkaban was the first movie I saw after reading all the books. Strangely, instead of being upset by the (major) omissions from the book to film transition, the film showed me how you could cut out or alter quite a bit and still make a fantastic film. Azkaban is my favorite film in the series so far, and my reasoning, when I try to boil this down to it&#39;s essence, is this; The first films were fine, if you wanted to read the book without all those pesky words. The films kept in as many of the subplots as possible, as much of the minutiae that they could manage, but missed a lot of the heart. Prisoner of Azkaban removed as much of the peripheral stuff as possible, but hit the heart dead center.To me one of the best examples of book to screen adaptation would have to be Silence of the Lambs. Silence of the Lambs should be required reading/viewing in any film class on the subject of adapted works. The movie excises just enough, and fleshes out peripheral characters in order to give voice to what in the novel was internal dialogue. This meant the film wasn&#39;t burdened by clumsy narration or even clumsier exposition, but still maintained much of the atmosphere, information and precision of the source material. I&#39;d also give Hannibal honorable mention, and before you stop reading, hear me out. Hannibal was not a very good movie, but keep this in mind; the book was worse. In this case the source material gave them very little to work with, including an underlining psychological explanation for Lecter that&#39;s a bit too on-the-nose, and characters that inexplicably act against everything laid down in previous books(keep in mind this was Hannibal Lecter&#39;s third outing). The movie trimmed the noxious backstory, and altered the horrid ending, and was the better for it.I guess the trick is to know what to cut, to be able to discern when the author is going off on an unsatisfactory tangent, or when it&#39;s just not necessary to include something. Take American Psycho, for example. Now, I won&#39;t say that Bret Easton Ellis is a bad writer, since I did enjoy the novel, in an odd way(and I haven&#39;t read anything else, so I can&#39;t really judge), but never was there a book more full of things I didn&#39;t want to read about. Whether describing sexual acts in a language Penthouse editors would probably blush at, or going on for page after page about where the main character buys his bottled water, the book seemed to urge you to put it down. The movie dropped most of this, and shortened what it did keep. Most likely out of necessity; as boring as it was to read about his choice of neck tie, it would probably not translate to film any better. However, in a true moment of genius, the screenwriter took Patrick Bateman&#39;s knack for spouting off about Huey Lewis or Whitney Houston albums and tied those in with the murders committed on screen. This kept the action going, while still hammering home how absolutely empty this man was; less a human being than a collection of appetites.Of course, inventive editing of the source material is a tricky feat to accomplish. In the Ninth Gate the three screenwriters(including Roman Polanski himself) edited so much out of the book that the movie had almost no plot. The book had several story lines running simultaneously, and more than a few mcguffins. The film pared it down to only one story(and, oddly, not the main one) and removed most of the twists. This wouldn&#39;t have been so bad if the film had been any good(actually, I did enjoy it the first time around), but in this case the gap in quality between movie and book is so large that it&#39;s hard to ignore. One good thing came of this change; I saw the movie first, and when I read the book I was still surprised by the outcome. Or perhaps I was surprised because I expected the movie ending.A few other honorable mentions would be Fight Club, which managed to be a rarity; the film that improved substantially on the source material. Mother Night, which accomplished the herculean task of adapting a Vonnegut novel and succeeding(it&#39;s perennially in my top 5, and to contrast, check out the horrid Breakfast of Champions film). It is almost a really great movie, despite being a made for TV mini-series. It could be argued that the mini-series is the best place for adaptations, since the expanded time allows for more of the side stories to be left in, and the nature of watching a movie over several days gives you that sense of familiarity and time spent with these characters that a 2 hour movie just can&#39;t. The first half of It is a perfect example of this, utilizing commercial breaks as dramatic punctuations, and a template with which to focus on each of the characters in turn. The second half is not quite so good, although it had a lot of stuff to try and fit into 2 hours, and Stephen King has problems with endings anyway. His novels always resolve themselves too neatly, in one notable case literally having the hand of god come down and stop the action.In the end, we fans are always going to have the book, and if the movie-going audience is content with the often watered down version on the screen, that shouldn&#39;t affect us at all. Upset that Quidditch isn&#39;t in the Harry Potter movies anymore? Read the book. http://workingdeadproductions.blogspot.com http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/war/MemberTagFilms.aspxwar
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