list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Fight Club 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/Fight_Club/134821/default.aspx Title: Fight Club
Year: 1999
Director: David Fincher
Plot: In this darkly comic drama, Edward Norton stars as a depressed young man (named in the credits only as "Narrator") who has become a small cog in the world of big business. He doesn't like his work and gets no sense of reward from it, attempting instead to drown his sorrows by putting together the "perfect" apartment. He can't sleep and feels alienated from the world at large; he's become so desperate to relate to others that he's taken to visiting support groups for patients with terminal diseases so that he'll have people to talk to. One day on a business flight, he discovers Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a charming iconoclast who sells soap. Tyler doesn't put much stock in the materialistic world, and he believes that one can learn a great deal through pain, misfortune, and chaos. Tyler cheerfully challenges his new friend to a fight. Our Narrator finds that bare-knuckle brawling makes him feel more alive than he has in years, and soon the two become friends and roommates, meeting informally to fight once a week. As more men join in, the "fight club" becomes an underground sensation, even though it's a closely guarded secret among the participants. (First rule: Don't talk about fight club. Second rule: Don't talk about fight club.) But as our Narrator and Tyler bond through violence, a strange situation becomes more complicated when Tyler becomes involved with Marla (Helena Bonham Carter), whom our Narrator became infatuated with when they were both crashing the support-group circuit. Based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club was directed by David Fincher, who previously directed Pitt in the thriller Seven. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 346
Number of Lists: 272
Number of blog posts: 34
Number of discussion threads: 26
SpoutRating: 4
]]>Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:03:51 GMTFight Club1999David FincherIn this darkly comic drama, <a href="/players/P___215904/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Edward Norton</a> stars as a depressed young man (named in the credits only as "Narrator") who has become a small cog in the world of big business. He doesn't like his work and gets no sense of reward from it, attempting instead to drown his sorrows by putting together the "perfect" apartment. He can't sleep and feels alienated from the world at large; he's become so desperate to relate to others that he's taken to visiting support groups for patients with terminal diseases so that he'll have people to talk to. One day on a business flight, he discovers Tyler Durden (<a href="/players/P____56988/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Brad Pitt</a>), a charming iconoclast who sells soap. Tyler doesn't put much stock in the materialistic world, and he believes that one can learn a great deal through pain, misfortune, and chaos. Tyler cheerfully challenges his new friend to a fight. Our Narrator finds that bare-knuckle brawling makes him feel more alive than he has in years, and soon the two become friends and roommates, meeting informally to fight once a week. As more men join in, the "fight club" becomes an underground sensation, even though it's a closely guarded secret among the participants. (First rule: Don't talk about fight club. Second rule: Don't talk about fight club.) But as our Narrator and Tyler bond through violence, a strange situation becomes more complicated when Tyler becomes involved with Marla (<a href="/players/P_____7266/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Helena Bonham Carter</a>), whom our Narrator became infatuated with when they were both crashing the support-group circuit. Based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club was directed by <a href="/players/P____89783/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>David Fincher</a>, who previously directed Pitt in the thriller <a href=/films/93032/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Seven</a>. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide346Tag Target (>10)27234264http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u34490jamds.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Fight_Club/134821/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_July_6_The_Song/625/42947/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: mercurial
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 7/7/2009 9:04:03 PM
Body: The Pink Room - David Lynch Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me Probably one of my favorite scenes from a movie, The Pink Room is the name of the song that is playing in the back room of the seedy bar that Laura Palmer goes to to unwind. It just one of those songs that I can listen to on repeat and completely zone out to. Daybreak - Barry ManilowSerial Mom I had never heard any before and haven’t had the desire to listen to any after, but whenever I hear Barry Manilow’s Daybreak I will forever think of Kathleen Turner going psycho in Serial Mom. Hold Tight - Beaky, Dave Dee, Dozy, Mitch & TichGrindhouse A group of gorgeous ladies rocking out to this song before the unthinkably gruesome happens. Has become a staple in my iPod. My Sharona - The KnackReality Bites The gas station food mart with the whole gang dancing crazily to this song. Young Americans - David BowieManderlay Played during the closing credits, the placement of this song in the film was pretty much a big “Fuck You!” from Lars von Trier to America. I still like the guy though. Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing - Chris IsaakEyes Wide Shut The use of the song in the trailer and film was just perfect. Perfect! I’m Shipping Up to Boston - Dropkick Murphys The Departed I’m certain Scorsese won the Oscar purely for putting this song in the film. Where Is My Mind? - The PixiesFight Club Played during the crescendo of the film’s conclusion, I still get goosebumps when I hear this song. My Beloved Monster - EelsShrek Probably one of the only semi-upbeat songs sung by the Eels and it fit perfectly in the film. Needle in the Hay - Elliott SmithThe Royal Tenenbaums Sadly, Luke Wilson’s attempted suicide to this song was mirrored by Smith’s own suicide a few years later. Tiny Dancer - Elton JohnAlmost Famous I always see Kate Hudson twirling in an empty auditorium when I hear this song. To Be Continued . . .
]]>Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:04:03 GMTmercurialWeekly Theme7/7/2009 9:04:03 PM The Pink Room - David Lynch Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me Probably one of my favorite scenes from a movie, The Pink Room is the name of the song that is playing in the back room of the seedy bar that Laura Palmer goes to to unwind. It just one of those songs that I can listen to on repeat and completely zone out to. Daybreak - Barry ManilowSerial Mom I had never heard any before and haven&rsquo;t had the desire to listen to any after, but whenever I hear Barry Manilow&rsquo;s Daybreak I will forever think of Kathleen Turner going psycho in Serial Mom. Hold Tight - Beaky, Dave Dee, Dozy, Mitch &amp; TichGrindhouse A group of gorgeous ladies rocking out to this song before the unthinkably gruesome happens. Has become a staple in my iPod. My Sharona - The KnackReality Bites The gas station food mart with the whole gang dancing crazily to this song. Young Americans - David BowieManderlay Played during the closing credits, the placement of this song in the film was pretty much a big &ldquo;Fuck You!&rdquo; from Lars von Trier to America. I still like the guy though. Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing - Chris IsaakEyes Wide Shut The use of the song in the trailer and film was just perfect. Perfect! I&rsquo;m Shipping Up to Boston - Dropkick Murphys The Departed I&rsquo;m certain Scorsese won the Oscar purely for putting this song in the film. Where Is My Mind? - The PixiesFight Club Played during the crescendo of the film&rsquo;s conclusion, I still get goosebumps when I hear this song. My Beloved Monster - EelsShrek Probably one of the only semi-upbeat songs sung by the Eels and it fit perfectly in the film. Needle in the Hay - Elliott SmithThe Royal Tenenbaums Sadly, Luke Wilson&rsquo;s attempted suicide to this song was mirrored by Smith&rsquo;s own suicide a few years later. Tiny Dancer - Elton JohnAlmost Famous I always see Kate Hudson twirling in an empty auditorium when I hear this song. To Be Continued . . . http://www.spout.com/blogs/indieabby88/archive/2009/1/31/40113.aspx Post By: indieabby88
Post To: Bloggish review blog
Post Date: 1/31/2009 2:09:28 AM
Body: It's hard to think of the accurate words to describe "The Guitar." "Ridiculous," "overdramatic" and "Oxygen channel after dark" are all words and phrases that spring to mind. But mostly, it's just bad. Basically, the plot is this: Saffron Burrows is sick. She has cancer. Dr. Janeane Garofalo gives her one or two months to live. In addition to this, she gets laid off from her job and ends a relationship with a man she's apparently dating (I gathered...I wasn't entirely sure what was going on) to add up to pretty much the worst day ever. Saffron Burrows almost kills herself, but notices an ad for short-term loft apartment rentals and goes for it, completely abandoning her apartment and all the stuff in it (Saffron isn't much of one for moving her stuff with her, it turns out). What follows is a kind of bisexual, white New York City "Last Holiday." Saffron starts spending money left and right, buying all kinds of swanky clothes and furniture for her apartment. She also buys a guitar, and a bunch of amps she doesn't really need (it looks like she's getting ready to host a rock concert in her loft) because of some childhood dream of owning a guitar that never got fulfilled. Oh! and before I forget, there's that bisexual thing: Saffron has sex with the guy who keeps delivering all her packages (Isaach De Bankole) and the gal who keeps delivering all her pizzas (Paz de la Huerta). All this without ever leaving the apartment! Things keep getting more and more implausible, to the point of utter laughability. All the characters, including the female lead, are totally two-dimensional, barely explained, and chock-full of stereotype fulfillment. Here's an example: the pizza delivery girl is both a) Italian and b) getting married to an abusive boyfriend with mob connections. Other characters, such as Saffron's boyfriend who breaks up with her in the first ten minutes of the movie, should seem more important than they appear (and they appear very little, mostly as incidental plot devices). Finally the whole plot structure collapses and the movie just goes flat, at which point it has the good sense to end. The thing that gets me the most about this movie isn't the terribly goofy plot, nor the more-intimate-than-necessary sex scenes. It's the message that materialism will heal you, and that an object can give you meaning and something to live for. "The Guitar" is more or less a female-empowered antithesis to "Fight Club." Where Edward Norton found emptiness and confusion in endless catalog shopping, Saffron Burrows seems to have found happiness. "The Guitar" tells us that shopping cures all ills, even, it turns out (spoiler alert) cancer. Reccommended movies: Fight Club: searching for meaning and masculinity in a comercially dominated culture. Last Holiday: At least it's supposed to be funny. Wit: A movie about cancer that's far more interesting and believable.
]]>Sat, 31 Jan 2009 07:09:28 GMTindieabby88Bloggish review blog1/31/2009 2:09:28 AMIt's hard to think of the accurate words to describe "The Guitar." "Ridiculous," "overdramatic" and "Oxygen channel after dark" are all words and phrases that spring to mind. But mostly, it's just bad. Basically, the plot is this: Saffron Burrows is sick. She has cancer. Dr. Janeane Garofalo gives her one or two months to live. In addition to this, she gets laid off from her job and ends a relationship with a man she's apparently dating (I gathered...I wasn't entirely sure what was going on) to add up to pretty much the worst day ever. Saffron Burrows almost kills herself, but notices an ad for short-term loft apartment rentals and goes for it, completely abandoning her apartment and all the stuff in it (Saffron isn't much of one for moving her stuff with her, it turns out). What follows is a kind of bisexual, white New York City "Last Holiday." Saffron starts spending money left and right, buying all kinds of swanky clothes and furniture for her apartment. She also buys a guitar, and a bunch of amps she doesn't really need (it looks like she's getting ready to host a rock concert in her loft) because of some childhood dream of owning a guitar that never got fulfilled. Oh! and before I forget, there's that bisexual thing: Saffron has sex with the guy who keeps delivering all her packages (Isaach De Bankole) and the gal who keeps delivering all her pizzas (Paz de la Huerta). All this without ever leaving the apartment! Things keep getting more and more implausible, to the point of utter laughability. All the characters, including the female lead, are totally two-dimensional, barely explained, and chock-full of stereotype fulfillment. Here's an example: the pizza delivery girl is both a) Italian and b) getting married to an abusive boyfriend with mob connections. Other characters, such as Saffron's boyfriend who breaks up with her in the first ten minutes of the movie, should seem more important than they appear (and they appear very little, mostly as incidental plot devices). Finally the whole plot structure collapses and the movie just goes flat, at which point it has the good sense to end. The thing that gets me the most about this movie isn't the terribly goofy plot, nor the more-intimate-than-necessary sex scenes. It's the message that materialism will heal you, and that an object can give you meaning and something to live for. "The Guitar" is more or less a female-empowered antithesis to "Fight Club." Where Edward Norton found emptiness and confusion in endless catalog shopping, Saffron Burrows seems to have found happiness. "The Guitar" tells us that shopping cures all ills, even, it turns out (spoiler alert) cancer. Reccommended movies: Fight Club: searching for meaning and masculinity in a comercially dominated culture. Last Holiday: At least it's supposed to be funny. Wit: A movie about cancer that's far more interesting and believable. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/29/40066.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/29/2009 2:01:34 PM
Body: Celebrating the films of 1999, Rotten Tomatoes kicks off a 12-month, retrospective series of features with an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of The Blair Witch Project. The groundbreaking, record-smashing indie horror flick made its debut at Sundance ten years ago this month, and RT writer Joe Utichi does a great job of reminding us of both the film’s legendary story and its lasting influence. While I left The Blair Witch Project out of SpoutBlog’s five-day series of “Sundance Stories of Yore,” I wouldn’t have paid as great a tribute as Utichi has. Personally, I never appreciated the film in any way, but thanks to this video I’m now thinking differently about the merits of the production. I may never need to watch the actual film again, but I have to give the filmmakers credit for how they went about getting their 20 hours of footage. That’s why it’s even more unfortunate that directors Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick haven’t done anything noteworthy since. At least Blair Witch actor Joshua Leonard has just made his “comeback” with a starring role in the 2009 Sundance hit Humpday. In the past ten years, he’s had small parts in films like Men of Honor, The Shaggy Dog and Prom Night, and interestingly enough he provided the voice of “Tyler Durden” in a video game version of Fight Club (another landmark film from 1999). But with Humpday, which like Blair Witch utilizes his talent for improvisation, he’s in the foreground once again. Now someone needs to give Heather Donahue and Michael C. Williams their due spotlights so we may continue to celebrate a Blair Witch renaissance. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:01:34 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/29/2009 2:01:34 PMCelebrating the films of 1999, Rotten Tomatoes kicks off a 12-month, retrospective series of features with an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of The Blair Witch Project. The groundbreaking, record-smashing indie horror flick made its debut at Sundance ten years ago this month, and RT writer Joe Utichi does a great job of reminding us of both the film’s legendary story and its lasting influence. While I left The Blair Witch Project out of SpoutBlog’s five-day series of “Sundance Stories of Yore,” I wouldn’t have paid as great a tribute as Utichi has. Personally, I never appreciated the film in any way, but thanks to this video I’m now thinking differently about the merits of the production. I may never need to watch the actual film again, but I have to give the filmmakers credit for how they went about getting their 20 hours of footage. That’s why it’s even more unfortunate that directors Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick haven’t done anything noteworthy since. At least Blair Witch actor Joshua Leonard has just made his “comeback” with a starring role in the 2009 Sundance hit Humpday. In the past ten years, he’s had small parts in films like Men of Honor, The Shaggy Dog and Prom Night, and interestingly enough he provided the voice of “Tyler Durden” in a video game version of Fight Club (another landmark film from 1999). But with Humpday, which like Blair Witch utilizes his talent for improvisation, he’s in the foreground once again. Now someone needs to give Heather Donahue and Michael C. Williams their due spotlights so we may continue to celebrate a Blair Witch renaissance. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Re_Workin_for_the_Weekend_Top_5_Working_Films/190/39938/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: mercurial
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 1/26/2009 7:14:40 PM
Body: Secretary Type 80 wpm: Check. Knowledge of Excel: Check. BDSM: Check. American Psycho A number of great scenes about corporate businessmen ennui in the 80's. Clockwatchers Great indie flick about temp. secretaries. Even better cast. Fight Club Had to mention it. Joe Vs. The Volcano Tom Hanks on the verge of a seizure from the florescent lights. Love it.
]]>Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:14:40 GMTmercurialTop 51/26/2009 7:14:40 PMSecretary Type 80 wpm: Check. Knowledge of Excel: Check. BDSM: Check. American Psycho A number of great scenes about corporate businessmen ennui in the 80's. Clockwatchers Great indie flick about temp. secretaries. Even better cast. Fight Club Had to mention it. Joe Vs. The Volcano Tom Hanks on the verge of a seizure from the florescent lights. Love it. http://www.spout.com/blogs/tenenbaums/archive/2009/1/22/39808.aspx Post By: Tenenbaums
Post To: Tenenbaums Blog
Post Date: 1/22/2009 10:30:25 PM
Body: David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a remarkable film and the best of 2008. It's been nominated for 13 Academy Awards, more than any other film this year, and deserves at least one more for Cate Blanchett. Yet despite being the 6th most positively reviewed film of the year, there has been an inordinate amount of critical backlash toward it.For all the snobiness inherent in so many film reviewers, the hatred makes sense. Buzz has been surrounding the film for nearly a year when the first trailer appeared and Benjamin Button was anointed the Best Picture front runner long before its release date. Critics hate hype, especially when it comes from a star-studded, big budget film begging to be lauded with awards that it may or may not deserve. A film like that is the equivalent of the Patriots in last year's Super Bowl: no one, besides die hard Patriots fans, wanted an undefeated, record-setting team to win. The team was too loaded, just like to many critics Benjamin Button is too loaded to warrant being a respectable film. "Real" sports fans retained their reputation by bashing the Patriots and critics who champion purely independent and foreign films have already begun the crusade against Benjamin Button. They want to see the film fail and they'll take any shot possible to knock it down.The current favorite critical noogie is to closely link Benjamin Button to Forrest Gump and claim that little separates the two. Critics make this claim because the films share a screenwriter (Eric Roth), and, according to Spout's Karina Longworth, they "both put groundbreaking special effects to the service of sprawling stories, spanning many decades and weaving a breadcrumb trail through modern American history, in which a man holds a torch for a woman who can’t reciprocate his love until her dreams of autonomy are spectacularly dashed."For Longworth, "the Gump comparison is a pejorative, a shorthand way to say, 'This film will likely make a lot of money and win a lot of awards, and yet is so phony and cloying and gimmicky that its success will some day be seen by some as a tragedy,'" just as "true" cinema fans (myself included) cry foul that Gump beat out their beloved Pulp Fiction for Best Picture in 1994. Longworth furthers her attack by saying that "[i]t’s a film about the feat of its own whiz-bang, Frankensteinian digital imagery, drunk on its own accomplishment to an extent that feels quasi-ethical."While the effects are stunning, critics like Longworth are missing the point of the film. In turn, these viewers deny themselves the wondrous discovery that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is far too complex to be a child of Gump.Exceptional effects are capable of furthering a film's story and making audiences feel deeply about the characters. In a story as unusual as Button (for those who don't know, Benjamin, played by Brad Pitt, is born an old man the size of a baby, and gets younger on the outside as he grows older) , why shouldn't the effects play a major part? How else are we to experience the unique feeling of being around Benjamin without us, too, being in awe of him? Never is this more true than when he shows up in Daisy (Blanchett)'s studio as a beautiful-faced teen. Benjamin is a one-of-a-kind human being, and it takes likewise original effects to fully flesh out his story.Additionally, Longworth is perturbed by very small pieces of the film, including the 4-second scene of Benjamin and Daisy resting on his sailboat off the Florida coast while a NASA launch is seen behind them. However, it's scenes like this that distance Benjamin Button from its Best Picture predecessor. Forrest Gump hit audiences over the head with its protagonists' interaction with history. In Benjamin Button, the references, like the NASA launch, are far more subtle. Additionally, Benjamin and Daisy watch the Beatles on "Ed Sullivan" from their living room and, as discussed later, Benjamin has a refreshingly anonymous brush with war. In Gump, Vietnam took up a bulk of the film, and if placed in Benjamin's situations, Forrest would have accidentally blasted into space or accidentally kept an astronaut from going on a doomed mission, and would certainly have made a dim-witted reference to insects to inspire the Beatles' name. Even telling the story from Daisy's death bed via Benjamin's journal with Hurricane Katrina rapidly approaching (another of Longworth's thorns) is more of a tribute to New Orleans, the story's primary setting, than an arbitrary plot device. No other piece of the city's history is worthy to be symbolically linked to the end of Benjamin's (as filtered through Daisy's) life. Each was a titan in its own right, and the demise of both is notably tragic. When minute details begin to affect one's reviews, it's time for such critics to stop nit-picking and focus on why they love film in the first place.Ironically, one of the more remarkable things about Benjamin is that he never does anything that remarkable in the sense of teetering on celebrity. Unlike Gump, he doesn't come across many famous people. Instead, they're mostly ordinary folk, many of whom are poor blue collar workers. When WWII hits, Benjamin accidentally becomes a part of the combat and is involved in only one major scene. Even there, the heroism is largely accidental and Benjamin is refreshingly quick to deflect chances to wax nostalgic (as opposed to Forrest's "Jenny and the sky" montage). With the exception of the lone rousing battle scene, all we see of Benjamin's time "in" the war is his affair with Elizabeth Abbott (Tilda Swinton), a clear indication that Fincher is concerned with the nuances of his characters and not merely CGI. Additionally, it is through Benjamin's first major interaction with someone outside of his New Orleans bubble that the film introduces its primary conflict: Benjamin's role in the world.As such, the underlying piece of fascination is how Benjamin is able to stay below the social radar. His condition is one that the media (or the circus) would love to get a hold of, and yet he is able to live a somewhat normal life.How is one who knows Benjamin supposed to act? Is his "curious case" one that should be shared or kept secret? Apparently, it's the latter. As it happens, Benjamin surrounds himself with a cluster of loyal friends who keep his secret (though he doesn't ask them to) and people who either die (the old folks' home residents, who give him ideal cover, and his tugboat employer, Captain Mike, played by Jared Harris) or who he never sees again (Elizabeth Abbott; Daisy's husband) and therefore cannot discover his secret. Most significant is Daisy. The secret is the center of her life, yet she keeps the truth from her daughter until she's on her death bed. That's dedication! Benjamin's general course of action is that he lives a fitting life in his current backwards age situation, lets it run its course, and then moves on so that he isn't discovered. His resulting inability to make many lasting relationships is as heartbreaking as his unusual demise.There is a lack of strong sadness in the film, with the exception of the final, tearful few minutes, but therein lies one of the film's strongest pieces. Director Fincher, he of such dark fare as Se7en, Fight Club, and Zodiac, and, interestingly, sentimental target Roth (perhaps weaned off the sap by working on The Insider and Munich) are to thank for that. Growing up in the old folks' home, Benjamin becomes accustomed to death, and when it strikes his loved ones, he's able to not let it slow him down. In such scenes, Fincher and Roth keep the film from becoming overly sentimental by keeping the story moving and focusing on Benjamin and Daisy's relationship. In the sepia-tinged world that Fincher depicts, and through the honest, blunt statements Roth scripts for his characters, none such sappiness can endure. As a result of this dynamic team, Benjamin's situation is more than extraordinary to carry the film, and with equally superb performances and technology surrounding said story, the film cannot help but soar, even when it winds down. As Benjamin's life nears its end, he embraces his isolation and travels the world with the body of a teenager and the soul of an old man. The montage of his treks to what appear to be India are visually and emotionally rich, and serves as the perfect preamble to his decay into dementia and death in an increasingly youthful vessel. In the above sequence, Benjamin completes his personal bucket list completely alone and without fanfare, and the "just-so" attitude with which he has conducted his life carries him and us through to his final chapter. It is as if both parties are coming to accept that precious little time is left, and yet for us (and Daisy), letting go is terribly difficult. The resulting climactic feeling is so strong because we are emotionally invested in Benjamin throughout the film. The entire time, we know that Benjamin is going to die, and yet, like our own unavoidable death, we put off thinking about it until it's on top of us. Then, when it hits, it's stunning and beautiful. Saying goodbye to Benjamin is the hardest thing to do this year in cinema, and one of the most difficult in the history of film. As a character, he is so magnetic that we cannot help but love him, just as Daisy and those who take the time to know him do. To accompany his story with visuals so appealing that they beg to be lived in, and to firmly trust in an auteur behind the camera, one in such complete control of a fragile story because he too loves film, is sublime. To experience The Curious Case of Benjamin Button over and over, with the same satisfying results, is simply a gift.
]]>Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:30:25 GMTTenenbaumsTenenbaums Blog1/22/2009 10:30:25 PMDavid Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a remarkable film and the best of 2008. It's been nominated for 13 Academy Awards, more than any other film this year, and deserves at least one more for Cate Blanchett. Yet despite being the 6th most positively reviewed film of the year, there has been an inordinate amount of critical backlash toward it.For all the snobiness inherent in so many film reviewers, the hatred makes sense. Buzz has been surrounding the film for nearly a year when the first trailer appeared and Benjamin Button was anointed the Best Picture front runner long before its release date. Critics hate hype, especially when it comes from a star-studded, big budget film begging to be lauded with awards that it may or may not deserve. A film like that is the equivalent of the Patriots in last year's Super Bowl: no one, besides die hard Patriots fans, wanted an undefeated, record-setting team to win. The team was too loaded, just like to many critics Benjamin Button is too loaded to warrant being a respectable film. "Real" sports fans retained their reputation by bashing the Patriots and critics who champion purely independent and foreign films have already begun the crusade against Benjamin Button. They want to see the film fail and they'll take any shot possible to knock it down.The current favorite critical noogie is to closely link Benjamin Button to Forrest Gump and claim that little separates the two. Critics make this claim because the films share a screenwriter (Eric Roth), and, according to Spout's Karina Longworth, they "both put groundbreaking special effects to the service of sprawling stories, spanning many decades and weaving a breadcrumb trail through modern American history, in which a man holds a torch for a woman who can&rsquo;t reciprocate his love until her dreams of autonomy are spectacularly dashed."For Longworth, "the Gump comparison is a pejorative, a shorthand way to say, 'This film will likely make a lot of money and win a lot of awards, and yet is so phony and cloying and gimmicky that its success will some day be seen by some as a tragedy,'" just as "true" cinema fans (myself included) cry foul that Gump beat out their beloved Pulp Fiction for Best Picture in 1994. Longworth furthers her attack by saying that "[i]t&rsquo;s a film about the feat of its own whiz-bang, Frankensteinian digital imagery, drunk on its own accomplishment to an extent that feels quasi-ethical."While the effects are stunning, critics like Longworth are missing the point of the film. In turn, these viewers deny themselves the wondrous discovery that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is far too complex to be a child of Gump.Exceptional effects are capable of furthering a film's story and making audiences feel deeply about the characters. In a story as unusual as Button (for those who don't know, Benjamin, played by Brad Pitt, is born an old man the size of a baby, and gets younger on the outside as he grows older) , why shouldn't the effects play a major part? How else are we to experience the unique feeling of being around Benjamin without us, too, being in awe of him? Never is this more true than when he shows up in Daisy (Blanchett)'s studio as a beautiful-faced teen. Benjamin is a one-of-a-kind human being, and it takes likewise original effects to fully flesh out his story.Additionally, Longworth is perturbed by very small pieces of the film, including the 4-second scene of Benjamin and Daisy resting on his sailboat off the Florida coast while a NASA launch is seen behind them. However, it's scenes like this that distance Benjamin Button from its Best Picture predecessor. Forrest Gump hit audiences over the head with its protagonists' interaction with history. In Benjamin Button, the references, like the NASA launch, are far more subtle. Additionally, Benjamin and Daisy watch the Beatles on "Ed Sullivan" from their living room and, as discussed later, Benjamin has a refreshingly anonymous brush with war. In Gump, Vietnam took up a bulk of the film, and if placed in Benjamin's situations, Forrest would have accidentally blasted into space or accidentally kept an astronaut from going on a doomed mission, and would certainly have made a dim-witted reference to insects to inspire the Beatles' name. Even telling the story from Daisy's death bed via Benjamin's journal with Hurricane Katrina rapidly approaching (another of Longworth's thorns) is more of a tribute to New Orleans, the story's primary setting, than an arbitrary plot device. No other piece of the city's history is worthy to be symbolically linked to the end of Benjamin's (as filtered through Daisy's) life. Each was a titan in its own right, and the demise of both is notably tragic. When minute details begin to affect one's reviews, it's time for such critics to stop nit-picking and focus on why they love film in the first place.Ironically, one of the more remarkable things about Benjamin is that he never does anything that remarkable in the sense of teetering on celebrity. Unlike Gump, he doesn't come across many famous people. Instead, they're mostly ordinary folk, many of whom are poor blue collar workers. When WWII hits, Benjamin accidentally becomes a part of the combat and is involved in only one major scene. Even there, the heroism is largely accidental and Benjamin is refreshingly quick to deflect chances to wax nostalgic (as opposed to Forrest's "Jenny and the sky" montage). With the exception of the lone rousing battle scene, all we see of Benjamin's time "in" the war is his affair with Elizabeth Abbott (Tilda Swinton), a clear indication that Fincher is concerned with the nuances of his characters and not merely CGI. Additionally, it is through Benjamin's first major interaction with someone outside of his New Orleans bubble that the film introduces its primary conflict: Benjamin's role in the world.As such, the underlying piece of fascination is how Benjamin is able to stay below the social radar. His condition is one that the media (or the circus) would love to get a hold of, and yet he is able to live a somewhat normal life.How is one who knows Benjamin supposed to act? Is his "curious case" one that should be shared or kept secret? Apparently, it's the latter. As it happens, Benjamin surrounds himself with a cluster of loyal friends who keep his secret (though he doesn't ask them to) and people who either die (the old folks' home residents, who give him ideal cover, and his tugboat employer, Captain Mike, played by Jared Harris) or who he never sees again (Elizabeth Abbott; Daisy's husband) and therefore cannot discover his secret. Most significant is Daisy. The secret is the center of her life, yet she keeps the truth from her daughter until she's on her death bed. That's dedication! Benjamin's general course of action is that he lives a fitting life in his current backwards age situation, lets it run its course, and then moves on so that he isn't discovered. His resulting inability to make many lasting relationships is as heartbreaking as his unusual demise.There is a lack of strong sadness in the film, with the exception of the final, tearful few minutes, but therein lies one of the film's strongest pieces. Director Fincher, he of such dark fare as Se7en, Fight Club, and Zodiac, and, interestingly, sentimental target Roth (perhaps weaned off the sap by working on The Insider and Munich) are to thank for that. Growing up in the old folks' home, Benjamin becomes accustomed to death, and when it strikes his loved ones, he's able to not let it slow him down. In such scenes, Fincher and Roth keep the film from becoming overly sentimental by keeping the story moving and focusing on Benjamin and Daisy's relationship. In the sepia-tinged world that Fincher depicts, and through the honest, blunt statements Roth scripts for his characters, none such sappiness can endure. As a result of this dynamic team, Benjamin's situation is more than extraordinary to carry the film, and with equally superb performances and technology surrounding said story, the film cannot help but soar, even when it winds down. As Benjamin's life nears its end, he embraces his isolation and travels the world with the body of a teenager and the soul of an old man. The montage of his treks to what appear to be India are visually and emotionally rich, and serves as the perfect preamble to his decay into dementia and death in an increasingly youthful vessel. In the above sequence, Benjamin completes his personal bucket list completely alone and without fanfare, and the "just-so" attitude with which he has conducted his life carries him and us through to his final chapter. It is as if both parties are coming to accept that precious little time is left, and yet for us (and Daisy), letting go is terribly difficult. The resulting climactic feeling is so strong because we are emotionally invested in Benjamin throughout the film. The entire time, we know that Benjamin is going to die, and yet, like our own unavoidable death, we put off thinking about it until it's on top of us. Then, when it hits, it's stunning and beautiful. Saying goodbye to Benjamin is the hardest thing to do this year in cinema, and one of the most difficult in the history of film. As a character, he is so magnetic that we cannot help but love him, just as Daisy and those who take the time to know him do. To accompany his story with visuals so appealing that they beg to be lived in, and to firmly trust in an auteur behind the camera, one in such complete control of a fragile story because he too loves film, is sublime. To experience The Curious Case of Benjamin Button over and over, with the same satisfying results, is simply a gift. http://www.spout.com/blogs/usesoap/archive/2008/12/27/38883.aspx Post By: usesoap
Post To: usesoap Blog
Post Date: 12/27/2008 8:34:11 PM
Body: Make no mistake, 2008 was the year of the woman. From politics to multiplex, they were the most newsworthy. At the box office, week after week brought about stories about how, mother of all shockers, women enjoy going to the movies too. From summer “event movies” (usually an exclusive boys tree house where "No Gurlz Allowd"), to record-breaking such as best opening for a female director, women were the new black at the box office. In 2008: Twilight was the highest-grossing film opening by a female director (at $70 million); It received the second-largest advanced ticket sales, trailing only The Dark Knight; Sex and the City was the best opening ever for an R-rated comedy; The SATC gals also debuted as the fifth best R-rated film of all time; The film also bested Mission Impossible as the best debut of a film based on a TV show. Now, perhaps next year we can do the same with good movies. Sex in the City was the female equivalent of Iron Man, replacing magical gadgetry with matching accessories and pyrotechnics for Prada. The other glass ceiling-shattering film, Twilight, featured a lead who thankfully did not have to resort to sex for empowerment, but she really didn't do much else, either. Twilight's accolades are deserved for what it accomplished behind the camera, not what was captured on it. Though there were film aplenty that could populate both lists, I tried to limit this list to films that would have played in most major cities outside the metropolitan areas. BESTThe Dark Knight: Let me join the chorus of hosannas for this little underrated indie gem, for I know it could use the help financially.WALL·E: A family film with a virtually dialogue-free first half, a protagonist made of metal, an Earth barren of life and squelched by pollution, a cuddly cockroach sidekick, and a human cast that's a Dorito away from permanent bedrest. A film of staggering beauty from a company for which that is a trademark feature.The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Director David Fincher's most accessible, polished film to date. While Zodiac and Fight Club may resonate longer, Button is the kind of marriage between theatrics, epic scope, and pure emotion that lands him in the top tier of working directors. Winning, tender performances by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett only further cement the film's top 10 placement.Burn After Reading: After bumming us out of us with last year's stark, desolate (but excellent) No Country for Old Men, the Brothers Coen demonstrate their sharp comic chops with this irreverent, all-star dissection of middle-age madness and frustration of lives lived that come nowhere close to youthful aspirations. Milk: Sean Penn offers further proof of his necessity in cinema today with his ingratiating portrayal of slain politician Harvey Milk. Director Gus Van Sant lifts his vision from his navel (where it was focused during films such as Gerry and Last Days) to create a sensitive, intimate biopic that is saved from maudlin tendencies by Penn's presence. Tropic Thunder: Bold, unexpected comedy that does not wear out its welcome by the third act, like so many other mainstream comedies. Ben Stiller directs Robert Downey Jr. to his second standout performance this summer.Quantum of Solace: Some have decried the fact that Daniel Craig's Bond is just too mean. But Solace, which feels like a perfect extension of Casino Royale, feels as though it is taking its sweet time in creating the psyche of someone who has reason to be known as the greatest super-spy the world has ever known. Let the Right One In: This is a bit of a cheat, since this may have only appeared on area screens as part of a film festival, but its effect is one that reverberates far outside its limited runs nationwide. In a year when Twilight has been garnering all the attention, The Right One has become the one true vampire (and adolescence) film whose bite leaves a mark and should be sought out on DVD before the inevitable US remake. U2-3D: Demonstrating just why they are the world's biggest rock band, U2 raised the roof with this truly cinematic 3D spectacle that not only captured the feel of one of their concerts, but invited the audience on stage to jam with Bono and the boys. Slumdog Millionaire: Danny Boyle never disappoints, even with his misfires (A Life Less Ordinary, Sunshine). But he nails it again with Slumdog, a rather pedestrian tale told with wit, undeniable humanity and delivered with uncompromising conviction. WORST The Happening: When wind is your chief villain, it's time to rethink the script. The Love Guru: Mike Myers steps in Deepak doo-doo.Sex and the City: Inside this film's Sax Fifth Avenue window dressing lies the the cold, calculated heart of an empty Wal-Mart.88Minutes/Righteous Kill: Al Pacino should have known better after working with director Jon Avnet in 88, but instead enlisted fellow legend Robert DeNiro to further Kill both their careers.X-Files: I Want to Believe: But now I no longer do.Seven Pounds: Will Smith packed his bags for a guilt trip, and we're forced to ride along in the back seat. An American Carol: Looks like Republicans were just as good at making films as they were winning elections in 2008.Meet the Spartans/Disaster Movie: Cinematic parody: Born 1923, Died 2008.
]]>Sun, 28 Dec 2008 01:34:11 GMTusesoapusesoap Blog12/27/2008 8:34:11 PMMake no mistake, 2008 was the year of the woman. From politics to multiplex, they were the most newsworthy. At the box office, week after week brought about stories about how, mother of all shockers, women enjoy going to the movies too. From summer &ldquo;event movies&rdquo; (usually an exclusive boys tree house where "No Gurlz Allowd"), to record-breaking such as best opening for a female director, women were the new black at the box office. In 2008: Twilight was the highest-grossing film opening by a female director (at $70 million); It received the second-largest advanced ticket sales, trailing only The Dark Knight; Sex and the City was the best opening ever for an R-rated comedy; The SATC gals also debuted as the fifth best R-rated film of all time; The film also bested Mission Impossible as the best debut of a film based on a TV show. Now, perhaps next year we can do the same with good movies. Sex in the City was the female equivalent of Iron Man, replacing magical gadgetry with matching accessories and pyrotechnics for Prada. The other glass ceiling-shattering film, Twilight, featured a lead who thankfully did not have to resort to sex for empowerment, but she really didn't do much else, either. Twilight's accolades are deserved for what it accomplished behind the camera, not what was captured on it. Though there were film aplenty that could populate both lists, I tried to limit this list to films that would have played in most major cities outside the metropolitan areas. BESTThe Dark Knight: Let me join the chorus of hosannas for this little underrated indie gem, for I know it could use the help financially.WALL&middot;E: A family film with a virtually dialogue-free first half, a protagonist made of metal, an Earth barren of life and squelched by pollution, a cuddly cockroach sidekick, and a human cast that's a Dorito away from permanent bedrest. A film of staggering beauty from a company for which that is a trademark feature.The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Director David Fincher's most accessible, polished film to date. While Zodiac and Fight Club may resonate longer, Button is the kind of marriage between theatrics, epic scope, and pure emotion that lands him in the top tier of working directors. Winning, tender performances by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett only further cement the film's top 10 placement.Burn After Reading: After bumming us out of us with last year's stark, desolate (but excellent) No Country for Old Men, the Brothers Coen demonstrate their sharp comic chops with this irreverent, all-star dissection of middle-age madness and frustration of lives lived that come nowhere close to youthful aspirations. Milk: Sean Penn offers further proof of his necessity in cinema today with his ingratiating portrayal of slain politician Harvey Milk. Director Gus Van Sant lifts his vision from his navel (where it was focused during films such as Gerry and Last Days) to create a sensitive, intimate biopic that is saved from maudlin tendencies by Penn's presence. Tropic Thunder: Bold, unexpected comedy that does not wear out its welcome by the third act, like so many other mainstream comedies. Ben Stiller directs Robert Downey Jr. to his second standout performance this summer.Quantum of Solace: Some have decried the fact that Daniel Craig's Bond is just too mean. But Solace, which feels like a perfect extension of Casino Royale, feels as though it is taking its sweet time in creating the psyche of someone who has reason to be known as the greatest super-spy the world has ever known. Let the Right One In: This is a bit of a cheat, since this may have only appeared on area screens as part of a film festival, but its effect is one that reverberates far outside its limited runs nationwide. In a year when Twilight has been garnering all the attention, The Right One has become the one true vampire (and adolescence) film whose bite leaves a mark and should be sought out on DVD before the inevitable US remake. U2-3D: Demonstrating just why they are the world's biggest rock band, U2 raised the roof with this truly cinematic 3D spectacle that not only captured the feel of one of their concerts, but invited the audience on stage to jam with Bono and the boys. Slumdog Millionaire: Danny Boyle never disappoints, even with his misfires (A Life Less Ordinary, Sunshine). But he nails it again with Slumdog, a rather pedestrian tale told with wit, undeniable humanity and delivered with uncompromising conviction. WORST The Happening: When wind is your chief villain, it's time to rethink the script. The Love Guru: Mike Myers steps in Deepak doo-doo.Sex and the City: Inside this film's Sax Fifth Avenue window dressing lies the the cold, calculated heart of an empty Wal-Mart.88Minutes/Righteous Kill: Al Pacino should have known better after working with director Jon Avnet in 88, but instead enlisted fellow legend Robert DeNiro to further Kill both their careers.X-Files: I Want to Believe: But now I no longer do.Seven Pounds: Will Smith packed his bags for a guilt trip, and we're forced to ride along in the back seat. An American Carol: Looks like Republicans were just as good at making films as they were winning elections in 2008.Meet the Spartans/Disaster Movie: Cinematic parody: Born 1923, Died 2008. http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_December_1_The_Anti_Hero/625/37830/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: mercurial
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 12/1/2008 9:30:22 PM
Body: Great theme Leeroy! The Silence of the Lambs - Hannibal Lector Sick, perverse yet you can't help rooting for him to get out of prison. A Clockwork Orange - Alex DeLarge Again, sick and perverse but you're still rooting for the bastard. The Professional - Leon Minimalist. Botanist. Cold-blooded killer. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - Max You thought he wasn't gonna help those aboriginal kids, didn't you! Natural Born Killers - Mickey & Mallory Knox Bring on the arguments, but I loved this cute little couple. Kill Bill - Beatrix Kiddo Trained assassin that shows (almost) no mercy. Great female anti-hero. Pitch Black - Riddick Great role for Vin Diesel. He barely spoke the entire film. Constantine - John Constantine Smoker. Sinner. Blasphemer. Suicidal. But still cool a pretty cool guy. Hellboy - Anung un Rama, The Beast of the Apocalypse Again, smoker, blasphemer, jerk. But really nice to pyrokinetics, cats and the occasional human baby. From Dusk Till Dawn - Seth Gecko Mass murderer. Kidnapper. Bank Robber. But we all still think he's badass. Even if it is George Clooney. Brick - Brenden Frye Loner. Plays rough with the ladies. Blackmailer. Smart little hard-boiled detective. Point of No Return - Maggie Hayward Druggie. Runaway. B*#$h. But really likable towards the end. The Fifth Element - Korben Dallas Complete a*&#@le but does good and gets the alien chick. The Crow - Eric Draven Goth freak vigilante revenant (?) serial killer. But the good kind. Fight Club - Tyler Durden Thief. Terrorist. Womanizer. Soap Maker. Made every straight man just a little gay with his abnormally perfect abdominal muscles. The Boondock Saints - Connor & Murphy McManus Blah. Blah. Murderers. Blah. Blah. Alcoholics. Blah. Blah. Inspirational Vigilantes. Sin City - Marv Brutish ogre with a soft spot for big breasted woman.
]]>Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:30:22 GMTmercurialWeekly Theme12/1/2008 9:30:22 PMGreat theme Leeroy! The Silence of the Lambs - Hannibal Lector Sick, perverse yet you can't help rooting for him to get out of prison. A Clockwork Orange - Alex DeLarge Again, sick and perverse but you're still rooting for the bastard. The Professional - Leon Minimalist. Botanist. Cold-blooded killer. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - Max You thought he wasn't gonna help those aboriginal kids, didn't you! Natural Born Killers - Mickey &amp; Mallory Knox Bring on the arguments, but I loved this cute little couple. Kill Bill - Beatrix Kiddo Trained assassin that shows (almost) no mercy. Great female anti-hero. Pitch Black - Riddick Great role for Vin Diesel. He barely spoke the entire film. Constantine - John Constantine Smoker. Sinner. Blasphemer. Suicidal. But still cool a pretty cool guy. Hellboy - Anung un Rama, The Beast of the Apocalypse Again, smoker, blasphemer, jerk. But really nice to pyrokinetics, cats and the occasional human baby. From Dusk Till Dawn - Seth Gecko Mass murderer. Kidnapper. Bank Robber. But we all still think he's badass. Even if it is George Clooney. Brick - Brenden Frye Loner. Plays rough with the ladies. Blackmailer. Smart little hard-boiled detective. Point of No Return - Maggie Hayward Druggie. Runaway. B*#$h. But really likable towards the end. The Fifth Element - Korben Dallas Complete a*&amp;#@le but does good and gets the alien chick. The Crow - Eric Draven Goth freak vigilante revenant (?) serial killer. But the good kind. Fight Club - Tyler Durden Thief. Terrorist. Womanizer. Soap Maker. Made every straight man just a little gay with his abnormally perfect abdominal muscles. The Boondock Saints - Connor &amp; Murphy McManus Blah. Blah. Murderers. Blah. Blah. Alcoholics. Blah. Blah. Inspirational Vigilantes. Sin City - Marv Brutish ogre with a soft spot for big breasted woman. http://www.spout.com/blogs/edwa8698/archive/2008/10/22/36598.aspx Post By: edwa8698
Post To: edwa8698 Blog
Post Date: 10/22/2008 9:27:32 PM
Body: Is one of the most memorable lines of this cracking good film. Ed Norton plays the narrator and the movie follows his journey of meeting a soap salesman Tyler Durden (played fantastically by Brad Pitt). The movie is brilliantly directed by David Fincher (Se7en, Panic Room, The Game, Alien 3). I can't really say anything else except see this film right away if you haven't already!!
]]>Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:27:32 GMTedwa8698edwa8698 Blog10/22/2008 9:27:32 PMIs one of the most memorable lines of this cracking good film. Ed Norton plays the narrator and the movie follows his journey of meeting a soap salesman Tyler Durden (played fantastically by Brad Pitt). The movie is brilliantly directed by David Fincher (Se7en, Panic Room, The Game, Alien 3). I can't really say anything else except see this film right away if you haven't already!! http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/10/7/35995.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 10/7/2008 11:01:06 AM
Body: Product placement in movies is now so overdone that we may not even notice it unless a particular film or TV show really hits us over the head with a blatant in-your-face product shot. Otherwise, seeing commercial goods everywhere merely seems like everyday life in capitalist America. Just look at any of the websites that tally up products spotlighted in mainstream movies and you’ll probably be surprised (though not shocked) at how many brands appear in each new release. Did you notice that Blades of Glory contains 38 separate products? Probably not. Many of those products couldn’t have gotten their money’s worth, because the movie doesn’t allow the audience to walk away recalling any one particular item. At a time when TV’s Top Chef and 30 Rock show us how lame blatantly whorish and ironic product placement can get, and while moviegoers are being subjected to more subliminal, suggestive and unintentional advertisements (Speed Racer, Wall-E and Beverly Hills Chihuahua respectively have us thinking about McDonalds, Apple products and Taco Bell, though some of these associations are not necessarily the movie’s fault), it’s good to remember that not all product placement is superfluous or despicable. Some of it is actually funny, smart and beneficial to mankind. Movie: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Product: Reese’s Pieces In case you don’t believe the part about product placement being beneficial to mankind, just imagine what could have happened if E.T. had featured either of Steven Spielberg’s first choices in candy placement, M&Ms or Hershey’s Kisses, rather than Reese’s Pieces. Would the delicious peanut butter candies still exist today? Okay, they might, but they certainly wouldn’t have become so popular so fast. Don’t forget that advertising is not simply about a greedy corporation marketing a product for profitable gain; it’s also about alerting us to wonderful new products that we otherwise might not have noticed. And isn’t your choice of sundae mix-ins better thanks to millions of moviegoers noticing the existence of Reese’s Pieces? Movie: Back to the Future Product: DeLorean DMC-12 On the opposite side of the spectrum from Reese’s Pieces, the DeLorean DMC-12 (popularly referred to as simply the DeLorean), is possibly the least necessary product ever to be placed prominently in a film. Maybe if it were actually a time machine it would be a must-have and the DeLorean Motor Company could have been back in business despite having gone bust a few years prior to the release of Back to the Future. Instead, the DeLorean is just a cool car, yet one that highly appeals to huge BTTF fans. And of the 6,500 DMC-12s still in existence, it’s likely that a large percentage are possessed by people who’ve installed a mock Flux Capacitor and own a vanity license plate that says something like “MCFLY” or “88 MPH” or “OUTATIME”. Get ready to see more tributes to the movie, too, since a car manufacturer in Houston has begun making new DMC-12s in limited production. Movie: The Wizard Product: Nintendo A year after Mac and Me seemed to indicate that really, really prominent and shameless product placement was possibly a bad idea, The Wizard came out and provided the opposing argument. Then and now people have looked at the film’s promotion of Nintendo’s latest and much-anticipated blockbuster video game (and the the system’s “so bad” Power Glove controller) as one of the low moments in product placement, but for anyone who cared about video games in 1989, the chance to even get a glimpse of Super Mario Bros. 3 was worth the price of admission for an otherwise lame kiddie version of Rain Man. Movie: Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle Product: White Castle Like The Wizard’s promotion of Nintendo products, the employment of the White Castle fast food brand in Harold and Kumar is about reminding an audience about something it already likes and desires. But unlike The Wizard, Harold and Kumar doesn’t make the sponsorship seem like such a cheap grab for cash. Sure, the stoner comedy could have used any fast food place, real or made up, but for anyone who has devoured a whole Crave Case with one other friend at four in the morning, the specifically branded joke is all the more appreciated. Movie: Wayne’s World Products: Pizza Hut; Doritos; Reebok; Nuprin; Pepsi Tina Fey may seem like the smartest SNL vet ever, but each time 30 Rock does the ironic product placement shtick, a number of Mike Myers and Dana Carvey loyalists likely shout at their screen, “Sheah, right! As if that’s not a 15-year-old gag.” And Fey isn’t the only one guilty of recycling the joke, although occasionally movies like Talladega Nights and Josie and the Pussycats can get away with it, because it’s kind of a necessary gag when satirizing things like NASCAR and pop music. Even the reflexive use of product placement in Fight Club somewhat descends from the Wayne’s World scene. Movie: Best in Show Products: Starbucks; Apple; J. Crew; L.L. Bean Product placement doesn’t always have to be about favorably advertising a brand. It can also be about making fun of a brand, or making fun of a certain kind of person that brand is geared toward. In the mockumentary Best in Show, Starbucks is made fun of for having so many locations, while Apple is merely employed in the joke. Catalog clothing companies J. Crew and L.L. Bean are also simultaneously the butt of a joke and the means with which Christopher Guest makes fun of two of his film’s characters. Movie: Good Bye Lenin! Product: Coca-Cola Product placement can also be about employing a product that serves as an idea. Coca-Cola is a brand that has been featured in tons of films as more a symbol of capitalism and the West than of soda pop (see my old post on Coca-Cola in cinema here), and in this German comedy, a giant Coca-Cola billboard serves to represent the westernization going on outside the window of the room of an oblivious woman being duped to believe the Berlin Wall never fell. Movie: One, Two, Three Product: Pepsi The Coca-Cola placement in Good Bye Lenin! recalls Billy Wilder’s film One, Two, Three, which also deals with the division of East and West Berlin and also employs the iconic brand for the same kind of symbolic representation of capitalism. In Wilder’s film, though, the product is much more prominent, as the plot revolves around a Coca-Cola executive (played by James Cagney). Yet after so much mention of Coke, especially with the association of overbearing consumerism and cultural imperialism, you’re more likely to come away from the film wanting a bottle of Pepsi, instead. Of course, it also helps that the final shot in the film is of Cagney holding a bottle of Coca-Cola’s main competitor. Movie: Breathless (À bout de souffle) If you’re surprised that there was product placement as long ago as 1961, when One, Two, Three was released, let’s go back even further to 1960, and to another country, France. Jean-Luc Godard’s breakthrough and groundbreaking film probably wasn’t meant to increase sales of the New York Herald Tribune, but what male viewer could resist purchasing a subscription after watching and hearing Jean Seberg peddle the newspaper at the beginning of the film? Perhaps now the film even still inspires young men to subscribe to New York magazine, as a substitute for its now unavailable ancestor. Oh, and just so you know, product placement can be found many, many decades earlier than the 1960s. Movie: Minority Report Products: Lexus; Guiness; American Express; and others The product placement in Minority Report is considered an example of overkill, but that’s also the point. The film is set in a not-so-far-off future in which ads are everywhere, and most of them are personalized to address the consumer directly by name. It’s one of many futurist ideas in the film meant to exaggerate the present while predicting the direction technology is going. Already people receive personalized spam and internet ads, and advances in personalized marketing are growing closer and closer to what exists as a joke/prophesy in Spielberg’s film. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:01:06 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com10/7/2008 11:01:06 AM Product placement in movies is now so overdone that we may not even notice it unless a particular film or TV show really hits us over the head with a blatant in-your-face product shot. Otherwise, seeing commercial goods everywhere merely seems like everyday life in capitalist America. Just look at any of the websites that tally up products spotlighted in mainstream movies and you’ll probably be surprised (though not shocked) at how many brands appear in each new release. Did you notice that Blades of Glory contains 38 separate products? Probably not. Many of those products couldn’t have gotten their money’s worth, because the movie doesn’t allow the audience to walk away recalling any one particular item. At a time when TV’s Top Chef and 30 Rock show us how lame blatantly whorish and ironic product placement can get, and while moviegoers are being subjected to more subliminal, suggestive and unintentional advertisements (Speed Racer, Wall-E and Beverly Hills Chihuahua respectively have us thinking about McDonalds, Apple products and Taco Bell, though some of these associations are not necessarily the movie’s fault), it’s good to remember that not all product placement is superfluous or despicable. Some of it is actually funny, smart and beneficial to mankind. Movie: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Product: Reese’s Pieces In case you don’t believe the part about product placement being beneficial to mankind, just imagine what could have happened if E.T. had featured either of Steven Spielberg’s first choices in candy placement, M&Ms or Hershey’s Kisses, rather than Reese’s Pieces. Would the delicious peanut butter candies still exist today? Okay, they might, but they certainly wouldn’t have become so popular so fast. Don’t forget that advertising is not simply about a greedy corporation marketing a product for profitable gain; it’s also about alerting us to wonderful new products that we otherwise might not have noticed. And isn’t your choice of sundae mix-ins better thanks to millions of moviegoers noticing the existence of Reese’s Pieces? Movie: Back to the Future Product: DeLorean DMC-12 On the opposite side of the spectrum from Reese’s Pieces, the DeLorean DMC-12 (popularly referred to as simply the DeLorean), is possibly the least necessary product ever to be placed prominently in a film. Maybe if it were actually a time machine it would be a must-have and the DeLorean Motor Company could have been back in business despite having gone bust a few years prior to the release of Back to the Future. Instead, the DeLorean is just a cool car, yet one that highly appeals to huge BTTF fans. And of the 6,500 DMC-12s still in existence, it’s likely that a large percentage are possessed by people who’ve installed a mock Flux Capacitor and own a vanity license plate that says something like “MCFLY” or “88 MPH” or “OUTATIME”. Get ready to see more tributes to the movie, too, since a car manufacturer in Houston has begun making new DMC-12s in limited production. Movie: The Wizard Product: Nintendo A year after Mac and Me seemed to indicate that really, really prominent and shameless product placement was possibly a bad idea, The Wizard came out and provided the opposing argument. Then and now people have looked at the film’s promotion of Nintendo’s latest and much-anticipated blockbuster video game (and the the system’s “so bad” Power Glove controller) as one of the low moments in product placement, but for anyone who cared about video games in 1989, the chance to even get a glimpse of Super Mario Bros. 3 was worth the price of admission for an otherwise lame kiddie version of Rain Man. Movie: Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle Product: White Castle Like The Wizard’s promotion of Nintendo products, the employment of the White Castle fast food brand in Harold and Kumar is about reminding an audience about something it already likes and desires. But unlike The Wizard, Harold and Kumar doesn’t make the sponsorship seem like such a cheap grab for cash. Sure, the stoner comedy could have used any fast food place, real or made up, but for anyone who has devoured a whole Crave Case with one other friend at four in the morning, the specifically branded joke is all the more appreciated. Movie: Wayne’s World Products: Pizza Hut; Doritos; Reebok; Nuprin; Pepsi Tina Fey may seem like the smartest SNL vet ever, but each time 30 Rock does the ironic product placement shtick, a number of Mike Myers and Dana Carvey loyalists likely shout at their screen, “Sheah, right! As if that’s not a 15-year-old gag.” And Fey isn’t the only one guilty of recycling the joke, although occasionally movies like Talladega Nights and Josie and the Pussycats can get away with it, because it’s kind of a necessary gag when satirizing things like NASCAR and pop music. Even the reflexive use of product placement in Fight Club somewhat descends from the Wayne’s World scene. Movie: Best in Show Products: Starbucks; Apple; J. Crew; L.L. Bean Product placement doesn’t always have to be about favorably advertising a brand. It can also be about making fun of a brand, or making fun of a certain kind of person that brand is geared toward. In the mockumentary Best in Show, Starbucks is made fun of for having so many locations, while Apple is merely employed in the joke. Catalog clothing companies J. Crew and L.L. Bean are also simultaneously the butt of a joke and the means with which Christopher Guest makes fun of two of his film’s characters. Movie: Good Bye Lenin! Product: Coca-Cola Product placement can also be about employing a product that serves as an idea. Coca-Cola is a brand that has been featured in tons of films as more a symbol of capitalism and the West than of soda pop (see my old post on Coca-Cola in cinema here), and in this German comedy, a giant Coca-Cola billboard serves to represent the westernization going on outside the window of the room of an oblivious woman being duped to believe the Berlin Wall never fell. Movie: One, Two, Three Product: Pepsi The Coca-Cola placement in Good Bye Lenin! recalls Billy Wilder’s film One, Two, Three, which also deals with the division of East and West Berlin and also employs the iconic brand for the same kind of symbolic representation of capitalism. In Wilder’s film, though, the product is much more prominent, as the plot revolves around a Coca-Cola executive (played by James Cagney). Yet after so much mention of Coke, especially with the association of overbearing consumerism and cultural imperialism, you’re more likely to come away from the film wanting a bottle of Pepsi, instead. Of course, it also helps that the final shot in the film is of Cagney holding a bottle of Coca-Cola’s main competitor. Movie: Breathless (À bout de souffle) If you’re surprised that there was product placement as long ago as 1961, when One, Two, Three was released, let’s go back even further to 1960, and to another country, France. Jean-Luc Godard’s breakthrough and groundbreaking film probably wasn’t meant to increase sales of the New York Herald Tribune, but what male viewer could resist purchasing a subscription after watching and hearing Jean Seberg peddle the newspaper at the beginning of the film? Perhaps now the film even still inspires young men to subscribe to New York magazine, as a substitute for its now unavailable ancestor. Oh, and just so you know, product placement can be found many, many decades earlier than the 1960s. Movie: Minority Report Products: Lexus; Guiness; American Express; and others The product placement in Minority Report is considered an example of overkill, but that’s also the point. The film is set in a not-so-far-off future in which ads are everywhere, and most of them are personalized to address the consumer directly by name. It’s one of many futurist ideas in the film meant to exaggerate the present while predicting the direction technology is going. Already people receive personalized spam and internet ads, and advances in personalized marketing are growing closer and closer to what exists as a joke/prophesy in Spielberg’s film. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/owtkast/archive/2008/10/2/35809.aspx Post By: owtkast
Post To: owtkast Blog
Post Date: 10/2/2008 3:01:55 AM
Body: Fight Club is, quite simply, flawless. The casting is perfection, the acting exquisite, the humor totally unexpected, and the rollercoaster ride of a plot is intense, thrilling and utterly unpredictable. When you watch Fight Club for the first time, it is impossible to anticipate what will happen next. Other than that you will definitely see it again. And again. And again. It will have an impact on you. It may even leave you literally breathless. The fact that many reviewers have felt the need to explain Fight club, variously, as a morality play, an existential masterpiece, a socio-economic commentary, an exercise in gratuitous violence, a bizarre hetero romance, a festival of homo-eroticism, etc, attests to the truly profound effect Fight Club has on nearly everyone who sees. Personally, I prefer to regard Fight Club as exactly what it is: an incredible, superb piece of entertainment, creative, original, unique, engrossing, puzzling, hilarious, unpretentious and, oddly enough, quite charming. It is unlike anything else, including "Clockwork," where the brutality is sexual foreplay joyfully inflicted on hapless victims. By contrast, the violence in Fight Club exists for its own sake alone, and it is joyfully sought and entered into by the participants, with no overt sexual overtones. For whatever reason, they ENJOY it. The pain, the bruises, the audience, the secrecy - all of it. And the pleasure and release the find in the fighting, being incommprehensible to the vast majority, is undoubtedly the reason why so many need to find an underlying theme.
]]>Thu, 02 Oct 2008 07:01:55 GMTowtkastowtkast Blog10/2/2008 3:01:55 AMFight Club is, quite simply, flawless. The casting is perfection, the acting exquisite, the humor totally unexpected, and the rollercoaster ride of a plot is intense, thrilling and utterly unpredictable. When you watch Fight Club for the first time, it is impossible to anticipate what will happen next. Other than that you will definitely see it again. And again. And again. It will have an impact on you. It may even leave you literally breathless. The fact that many reviewers have felt the need to explain Fight club, variously, as a morality play, an existential masterpiece, a socio-economic commentary, an exercise in gratuitous violence, a bizarre hetero romance, a festival of homo-eroticism, etc, attests to the truly profound effect Fight Club has on nearly everyone who sees. Personally, I prefer to regard Fight Club as exactly what it is: an incredible, superb piece of entertainment, creative, original, unique, engrossing, puzzling, hilarious, unpretentious and, oddly enough, quite charming. It is unlike anything else, including "Clockwork," where the brutality is sexual foreplay joyfully inflicted on hapless victims. By contrast, the violence in Fight Club exists for its own sake alone, and it is joyfully sought and entered into by the participants, with no overt sexual overtones. For whatever reason, they ENJOY it. The pain, the bruises, the audience, the secrecy - all of it. And the pleasure and release the find in the fighting, being incommprehensible to the vast majority, is undoubtedly the reason why so many need to find an underlying theme. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/love/MemberTagFilms.aspxlove
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]]>Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:10:58 GMT609316942Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Loved-It/MemberTagFilms.aspxLoved-It
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]]>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:53:36 GMT13398180Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Cool/MemberTagFilms.aspxCool
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]]>Sat, 26 Sep 2009 13:20:50 GMT10397188Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Best/MemberTagFilms.aspxBest
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