NP - Into the Woods - movie

[kelber at mindspring.com]

Thank you for not liking Obvious child - I felt like I was the only one. I've avoided Wild, because I'm afraid it's overly sappy. I kind of have a horror of the sappy, mawkish and treacly - but maybe I'll catch it on Netflix.

I assume Blue Ruin is anything but, though if it's overly gruesome or sadistic …

I tried watching Locke, which has gotten raves from some of my friends. I had no problem with the whole confined space premise, but I turned it off once I realized how ludicrous the character's decision was - revealed way too early in the movie.

As an antidote to The Imitation Game, I dug up a math/science-y movie called The Travelling (sic) Salesman - a low-budget story that would work better as a stage play - about a group of mathematicians who solve the eponymous math problem, and then have qualms about handing over the solution. More about the moral responsibilities of scientists/mathematicians than actually about the math (as if I'd understand it!), it was definitely the sort of movie I thought I'd rather be watching while watching The Imitation Game. Not that good, but still worth a watch for Pynchon fans:

travellingsalesmanmovie.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ybd5rbQ5rU

LK


-----Original Message-----

From: David Morris 

Sent: Jan 2, 2015 2:13 PM

To: "kelber at mindspring.com" 

Cc: jochen stremmel , P-list 

Subject: Re: NP - Into the Woods - movie



I borrowed Obvious Child from the library. After 20 minutes I turned it off.  It's easier to eject a DVD than to leave a theater.
I really liked Blue Ruin, for reasons I can't divulge.  It very subtly defies expectations. Give it a chance.
Later today I'm going to see Wild.  I hear it's very good.
David Morris
On Friday, January 2, 2015,  <kelber at mindspring.com> wrote:
I've always found it surprisingly difficult to walk out of even the crappiest movies. Sheer lethargy or excessive politeness? Or maybe it just seems snooty to walk out of a movie that other people seem to be enjoying? I recently sat through a movie I absolutely hated while texting a couple of friends about how bad the movie was. That movie - Obvious Child - has ended up on a lot of people's Best Of lists, solely, so far as I can figure, because it's pro-choice. I expect more from a movie - plot, decent dialogue, character development, believability - something! I was tempted to walk out of Interstellar, once it became clear that it was irredeemably bad. Don't think I could have forced myself into Into, or, for that matter, any of the Hollywood Blockbusters this year.



It does seem a particularly bad year for movies. Much as I was underwhelmed by Inherent Vice, I'd probably rank it the second best, after Selma. Selma was inspiring and topical, and din't insult the intelligence by falling for the standard-issue Hollywood biopic cliches. Can't say the same for The Imitation Game, which made me cringe (though not nearly as much as Interstellar did). What it this thing where filmmakers now think it's reasonable to toss the same platitude at us multiple times, to the point of nausea or high blood sugar?



I'm racking my brains to think of other movies I liked this year. I enjoyed Big Eyes, though it's forgettable. Much as I hated the poorly-motivated characters and the excessive misogyny go Gone Girl, it was at least entertaining. Boy was certainly a film-making coup, but, aside from the gimmick and it's being a believable story about likable people, it's not very memorable. Birdman was OK, though it didn't have anything fresh to say about Art vs Schlock, and the constantly moving camera started to nauseate me after a while. A very small, low-budget movie called It Felt Like Love made a good impression on me (though it had a 2-day theatrical run) because it's set in non-hipster Brooklyn, and told a timeless Brooklyn coming-of-age story.



I haven't seen Nightcrawler or The Homesman - maybe I'd like them?



Laura

-----Original Message-----



From: David Morris



Sent: Jan 2, 2015 10:19 AM



To: jochen stremmel



Cc: P-list



Subject: Re: NP - Into the Woods - movie







I did eventually leave, after too much patience, when it became clear that it wasn't going to redeem itself.



On Friday, January 2, 2015, jochen stremmel <jstremmel at gmail.com> wrote:

why didn't you leave?



2015-01-02 5:29 GMT+01:00 David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com>:

Do NOT go see this!  I cringed! I squirmed for its end to come. My brain hurt enduring this crap!

David Morris
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Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l