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The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
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All reviews for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Nuanced Disability Depiction
by
apulrang
in
apulrang Blog
loved it.
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"The Diving Bell and The Butterfly is a better depiction of disability than most reviews would indicate. It isn't "heartbreaking", or even especially "uplifting". It is, above all, authentic and absorbing. It seems like "Jean-Do" Bauby was absorbed by the experience of his disability, though obviously he also experienced heartbreak and uplift. What keeps him going, as he says in the film, is imagination and, of course, his one good eye. From the perspective of someone with a disability, I was very pleased to see that for the most part, we are spared splashy temper tantrums from the disabled person, calmed by a scolding non-disabled mentor. One scene suggests this familiar formulation, but steers away at the last moment. One thing I do wonder about is whether Jean-Do got to know any of the other residents of his hospital. In the film, they are treated as scenery, in a borderline offensive and definitely dehumanizing way. This is a very "good" disability depiction, in a "great" film. "
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Oscar Predictions: Yours
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SpoutBlog
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SpoutBlog on spout.com
hasn't rated it.
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"With a few more days left before the Oscar nominations are revealed, it is time to look at what the non-professionals anticipate will be among those contenders announced Thursday morning. Last Monday, we posted our own predictions for the Academy Award nominees and invited readers to weigh in with their own forecasts. A lot of comments concentrated on what shouldn’t happen, like The Dark Knight shouldn’t be nominated for Best Picture and Dustin Lance Black shouldn’t be nominated for his screenplay for Milk. And apparently The Curious Case of Benjamin Button could be this year’s Dreamgirls. However, there were some interesting trends among the many who chimed in. Check out some highlights after the jump.
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The Guitar Director Amy Redford ...
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SpoutBlog
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SpoutBlog on spout.com
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"In The Guitar, ex-Mike Figgis muse Saffron Burrows plays a terminally ill, freshly laid-off woman who holes up in a downtown loft near the Hudson and doggedly pursues one last series of good times, as represented by the shiny red guitar which informs the title, and sex with Isaach de Bankole and Paz de la Huerta. Not bad as far as final flings go. After making its debut at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, with stops at Mill Valley and the Hamptons along the way, Amy Redford’s directorial debut opened on Friday in New York. We caught up with the fledgling film director (and Sundance chief’s daughter) to talk about her addiction to Family Guy, "
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Le Scaphandre et le Papilon
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chrismorrell
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chrismorrell Blog
loved it.
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"I put the title in the French ,well because ...we all know what a Papillon is ,and it's not so difficult to remember Scaphandre... this just blew me away..I heard that it was wonderful and it is .This film exceeded my expectations...i cried all the way through. I second every favourable review here.. As a piece of film-making it' s a triumph. A fitting testament to Bauby's strength of will,and wonderfully uplifting... "
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Summer Castle.
by
Smooth_J
in
Smooth_J Blog
loved it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
[What do you think?]
""Sex and politics are on full boil!" NY Times "Its sex scenes are mini revolutions!" Guardian "I got a boner--from all the sex!" TVs Fred Savage, DGA nominee That is the first impression that the viewer of Summer Palace is supposed to receive. A hot-seat, glorified porno, and that's mostly what the film is. However, it's a bit more high-class than that: Lou Ye has a better eye for photography than your average porno auteur, and he manages to meld the debauchery with political events, whether or not his characters (that happen to be having sex at the time) know what the hell is going on. I actually liked the film. While the running time was a bit on the long-side, and certain scenes were way too brooding and self-important, there were frequent shines of brilliance in Lou Ye's direction. The story involves a girl named Yu Hong from a small Chinese town, who is introduced as being strange and strong-willed and in a passionate romance with her boyfriend. Just as soon as she sleeps ... "
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The Rarely Recognized Art of th ...
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Smooth_J
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Smooth_J Blog
loved it.
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"The idea for this analysis came to mind when I recently saw Bergman's The Seventh Seal. While I was not quite as blown away by the film as most accolades of the film would suggest, I still found it to be an excellent movie, and could see very clearly the influence it has had on so many films that have come after it. The one scene that I especially noticed a direct legacy in later films was a short, almost gimmicky little snippet during the medieval religious cult scene in the town--where the drums are beating loudly, people are screaming in agony as whips crack, and monks and other repenters are carrying enormous crosses on their backs. There is a short string of profile shots: Antonius, Jons, and "The Girl" (the only specific name I could find for her anywhere on the internet). The cuts between the faces are done with the beats of the drums; they are perfectly centered, with mist or smoke rising in the backgrounds, adding to each image's raw, black-and-white imagery; and each f ... "
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The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
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JimBell
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JimBell Blog
liked it.
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"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) has already received the awards, so you don’t need to hear from me that it is an award-winning movie. But I can say who might like this movie: those who appreciate mature subject matter, and those who like calm, assured film making. When the protagonist suffers a massive stroke which leaves his mind intact but his body paralyzed, we face the question, “What would I do if I could do nothing but blink my left eye?” This question seems abstract and remote, but when the protagonist remembers shaving his old father or going to Lourdes for an unsuccessfull “dirty weekend” with a young beauty, I see the experiences far more vividly and appreciate them more (complex as they are) knowing that in a simple twist of fate, I may be able to do little except move my left eye lid, so I should pay a more attention to my own world.
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The Diving Bell and The Butterf ...
by
Ibetolis
in
Film for the Soul
loved it.
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"Julian Schnabel, 2007The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is the striking adaptation of Jean-Dominique Bauby's memoir 'Le Scaphandre et le papillon', the 43 year old fashion magazine editor, who at the very height of his game falls victim to a stroke and suffers from 'locked-in' syndrome. Rendering him paralysed and unable to speak yet still able to hear and see. Through extensive and furious effort alone he's able to communicate with the aid of his one good eye, blinking a special alphabet code to friends and family, eventually communicating his entire memoir.For the whole first reel we, like him, are paralysed in place, experiencing the horrifying realisation of a rare condition, learning slowly and painfully that we cannot move and even though we believe to be responding to the doctor's "
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Excellent film from a unique pe ...
by
DVD_dweeb
in
DVD_dweeb Blog
liked it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
[What do you think?]
"Overall, I have to say this is a wonderful film that should be seen. Do not let the subtitles scare you off (it is in French), there is no language barrier here. After viewing this film, it will make you think about life and how to live it to the fullest because you never know whats around the corner. "
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The Diving Bell and the Butterf ...
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JJ79
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JJ79 Blog
hasn't rated it.
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"When "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" opens, we are thrust into the world of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a previously healthy and virile Frenchman who has suffered a stroke. The stroke leaves him with control over only one body part: his left eye. With this limited resource, the former editor of "Elle" magazine tries to start his life anew, using his eye to talk to people through a series of blinks and, ultimately, to dictate a book. There is a stylistic choice made by director Julian Schabel from the very first frame of film: whether in first person or third, everything the camera sees is distorted as if the audience is watching the action through a degrading human eye. As the screen becomes blurry and goes dark several times in a row, it is obvious Jean-Do is fighting back tears. And when shapes and colors begin to blend together, forming little more than bright shadows at the end of the film, we understand the only link to the outside world for Jean-Do is failing him. Coupled with ... "
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