Cloud Atlas - 8.5/10
I would love to write a long, well-written review that is thought provoking and informative, but I fear that the film is just too recent in my memory for it to come out as anything but a jumbled mess.
In short, if you like big, high concept movies, Cloud Atlas could be for you. If you're an open-minded person, it could be for you. If you are a day dreamer, it could be for you. If you just love losing yourself in a movie, escaping to a place unlike your own, Cloud Atlas could be for you.
Cloud Atlas juggles multiple storylines, but ...Read More...
Originally Posted by Emily
Cloud Atlas- 9/10
I went to see Cloud Atlas last night and was honestly pretty blown away. Still Servant, I agree with everything in your post- this is definitely a film for open minded, day dreamer type of people. I've always loved stories that have to do with the way people's lives are connected and intertwined and this movie hones in on that concept beautifully. Each character embodies a sort of idea ...Read More...
Its soundtrack is one of the best made in last years...
*It was quite a challenge to find Mike's review. I almost gave up.*
I think it was very confusing at the beginning. There are 6 different plots going on, you skip from one to another periodically like in every two minutes or so. Also, each story takes place in extremely different universes. And players take multiple/different roles in each story. So at the beginning you feel like you're trying to find your way on the clouded atlas with a mad compass. This complexity is one of the best things to the movie. As the minutes pass, the same complexity begins to take a shape, like a weaving.
Big and little details building bridges between stories are quite tasty. But, as always, what makes me adore this movie is the ideas/philosophy told with great imagination. That is why I am so eager to read the novel.
Spoiler:
The movie is fed with the ideas that are messages of a couple of religions... But, the same movie, in the post apocalyptic future plot, shows us the clan's religion was the revolution of past era.
Wachowski Brothers' finger prints were more obvious on some parts. Especially thinking the scene Neo first saw the human farm in Matrix.
Reincarnation, invisible ties between people effecting each individual, a kind of butterfly effect, past and present cycling, freedom, sacrificing for truth, resistance, idea of what comes around goes around and more.
I regret letting the negative reviews deter me from seeing it. I normally don't let them factor into whether or not I'll watch something, but some of those were draconian. "Worst movie I have ever seen", "A colossal failure", and "A bigger disaster than the Titanic" were just some of the insults being hurled at it.
I think it was very confusing at the beginning. There are 6 different plots going on, you skip from one to another periodically like in every two minutes or so. Also, each story takes place in extremely different universes. And players take multiple/different roles in each story. So at the beginning you feel like you're trying to find your way on the clouded atlas with a mad compass. This complexity is one of the best things to the movie.
don't know if I am ready to face this. I am afraid Memento exhausted my limited ability of understanding overcomplicated form.
Ask not what bears can do for you, but what you can do for bears. (razz)
When one is in agreement with bears one is always correct. (mae)
bears are back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
will you volunteer to be my guinea pig? The experiment is as follows: if, while watching, you experience even a minor difficulty understanding what goes on, we'll know that bears have no hope with this one
Ask not what bears can do for you, but what you can do for bears. (razz)
When one is in agreement with bears one is always correct. (mae)
bears are back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That sounds like a fair point. But bears, you should keep in mind that there's many stories where I enjoy purely for the complexity. Hardly all, but I do enjoy those kind of films from time to time.
Still, if it's simplicity you want, I heartily recommend Dredd! That's simple as hell, and yet it was my favourite film of last year. I would be curious on your take on it bears. I'm sure you won't enjoy it as much as I did (being a fan of the comic, there's certainly a nostalgia factor involved partially), but still, I'll be curious for your reaction (even if you loathe it).
Never be cruel and never be cowardly. And if you ever are, always make amends.
You are a walking talking Doctor Who encyclopedia to me. - Melike
I agree. I actually wanted more too. I didn't want the movie to end. Emily, Cloud Atlas comes out on DVD February 5. I'm really interested in seeing it again, so I might buy it even though I'm not into buying DVDs anymore.
I am really looking forward to owning this on DVD. I'm not usually on top of DVD release dates but I've had this one marked for a while now. I feel like I'll never be able to get enough of it.
Originally Posted by Melike
Its soundtrack is one of the best made in last years...
*It was quite a challenge to find Mike's review. I almost gave up.*
I think it was very confusing at the beginning. There are 6 different plots going on, you skip from one to another periodically like in every two minutes or so. Also, each story takes place in extremely different universes. And players take multiple/different roles in each story. So at the beginning you feel like you're trying to find your way on the clouded atlas with a mad compass. This complexity is one of the best things to the movie. As the minutes pass, the same complexity begins to take a shape, like a weaving.
Big and little details building bridges between stories are quite tasty. But, as always, what makes me adore this movie is the ideas/philosophy told with great imagination. That is why I am so eager to read the novel.
Spoiler:
The movie is fed with the ideas that are messages of a couple of religions... But, the same movie, in the post apocalyptic future plot, shows us the clan's religion was the revolution of past era.
Wachowski Brothers' finger prints were more obvious on some parts. Especially thinking the scene Neo first saw the human farm in Matrix.
Reincarnation, invisible ties between people effecting each individual, a kind of butterfly effect, past and present cycling, freedom, sacrificing for truth, resistance, idea of what comes around goes around and more.
In the end this movie is about opening minds.
Cloud Atlas - 20/10
Lovely review, and I'm so glad another person has now seen and enjoyed Cloud Atlas. I agree about the beginning being confusing- it was particularly nice seeing it a second time and understanding that first half an hour a little better.
I'm dying to read the novel now as well. I read a few excerpts from it a few weeks back and it looks like it's fantastic, Timothy Cavendish's parts seemed especially fun to read.
I had my infatuations, but we both know in our hearts who is the sole love of my short, bright life.
I think it was very confusing at the beginning. There are 6 different plots going on, you skip from one to another periodically like in every two minutes or so. Also, each story takes place in extremely different universes. And players take multiple/different roles in each story. So at the beginning you feel like you're trying to find your way on the clouded atlas with a mad compass. This complexity is one of the best things to the movie.
don't know if I am ready to face this. I am afraid Memento exhausted my limited ability of understanding overcomplicated form.
wait, does that mean you haven't watched any of David Lynch's films?
Plenty. Bears differ between "complex" and "overcomplicated", or "convoluted".
Ask not what bears can do for you, but what you can do for bears. (razz)
When one is in agreement with bears one is always correct. (mae)
bears are back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ask not what bears can do for you, but what you can do for bears. (razz)
When one is in agreement with bears one is always correct. (mae)
bears are back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I remember discussing with bears about this before, and if I remember rightly, where bears sees "complexity", it's never in the top layer, Fernando i.e. the story. Not the basic story, anyway. A film could have an incredibly simple story, and yet the work itself could be full of many, many layers. It maybe the characters themselves, the way the film is shot, the little details that the director has included etc. That's why both me and bears adore Life on Mars - the "time travel" story is really basic, it's not about paradoxes or non-linearity or whatever. Hell, even the cases themselves are frankly pretty predictable at times, so I certainly don't enjoy it as a "mystery" show. It's more about the hidden themes and the characters that we enjoy it so much. That's right, isn't it bears?
That doesn't stop me enjoying a film when the story is told to be deliberately "complex" in a scifi or non-linear sense, but I can see why bears would be put off by such stuff.
EDIT: and bears is right again, we are in the wrong thread for this kind of discussion.
Never be cruel and never be cowardly. And if you ever are, always make amends.
You are a walking talking Doctor Who encyclopedia to me. - Melike
can all this be moved or copied somewhere, where we could go on?
As usual, James summarized everything perfectly. I could only try to make the summary even shorter: a "complex" film doesn't mean the watcher desperately tries to figure out what the fuck is going on.
Ask not what bears can do for you, but what you can do for bears. (razz)
When one is in agreement with bears one is always correct. (mae)
bears are back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I remember discussing with bears about this before, and if I remember rightly, where bears sees "complexity", it's never in the top layer, Fernando i.e. the story. Not the basic story, anyway. A film could have an incredibly simple story, and yet the work itself could be full of many, many layers. It maybe the characters themselves, the way the film is shot, the little details that the director has included etc. That's why both me and bears adore Life on Mars - the "time travel" story is really basic, it's not about paradoxes or non-linearity or whatever. Hell, even the cases themselves are frankly pretty predictable at times, so I certainly don't enjoy it as a "mystery" show. It's more about the hidden themes and the characters that we enjoy it so much. That's right, isn't it bears?
In that case, you're going to fucking love Funny Games!
I'll move this to the General Movie Discussion thread ..
I remember discussing with bears about this before, and if I remember rightly, where bears sees "complexity", it's never in the top layer, Fernando i.e. the story. Not the basic story, anyway. A film could have an incredibly simple story, and yet the work itself could be full of many, many layers. It maybe the characters themselves, the way the film is shot, the little details that the director has included etc. That's why both me and bears adore Life on Mars - the "time travel" story is really basic, it's not about paradoxes or non-linearity or whatever. Hell, even the cases themselves are frankly pretty predictable at times, so I certainly don't enjoy it as a "mystery" show. It's more about the hidden themes and the characters that we enjoy it so much. That's right, isn't it bears?
Or take our two all-time favorites:
Mine:
Spoiler:
a man moves to a tenement where a woman commited suicide by jumping out the window. He can't find common language with the other tenants, loses his mind and jumps out the same window
Yours:
Spoiler:
two actors can't find jobs. They move to the countryside, then back. In the end, one of them finds an employment, and the other doesn't.
Ask not what bears can do for you, but what you can do for bears. (razz)
When one is in agreement with bears one is always correct. (mae)
bears are back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
a man moves to a tenement where a woman commited suicide by jumping out the window. He can't find common language with the other tenants, loses his mind and jumps out the same window
Yours:
Spoiler:
two actors can't find jobs. They move to the countryside, then back. In the end, one of them finds an employment, and the other doesn't.
Oh yeah, you really can't get two better examples than that, bears. W&I was the first time I truly realised that you can have next to fuck all actual plot in a movie and still make a great movie.
Never be cruel and never be cowardly. And if you ever are, always make amends.
You are a walking talking Doctor Who encyclopedia to me. - Melike
Cloud Atlas never appealed to me either. I'm all for intriguing, complex narratives, but nothing about it really stood out to me in trailers, tv spots, synopsis, etc. so I just passed on it.
Melike, loved your review. So glad you enjoyed Cloud Atlas so much. Sorry it was so hard for you to find my review. I would have found it for you/reposted it for you if you wanted me to.
Heather, I find that I don't buy movies anymore because I have such a collection of dvd's of films that I love that I don't want to go back and buy them all again on blu-ray. I'll only buy a blu-ray of a dvd I already own if it's a film I really love or a boxed set. Like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Saving Private Ryan, Braveheart to name a few. I find that I don't buy new blu-rays anymore because I see so many movies in theaters now than I used to. I just can't justify buying a blu-ray for a film I've already seen once. That being said, there are a few exceptions that I would really like to purchase and Cloud Atlas is one of those.
Cloud Atlas really isn't that complex. Yes, the film skips between 6 different stories, but the stories by themselves are pretty straight forward. It's really hard to explain the plot to Cloud Atlas. That is partially because of the multiple story lines, but also because some of the stories overlap. How the stories overlap and impact each other really is the whole point of the film. How we as humans are connected through time. If you go in expecting a normal Hollywood film, you're going to hate it. It's the kind of film that will really split people down the middle. Some people are going to love it, some people are going to loathe it.
Omg, did everyone watch Cloud Atlas but me?
I regret letting the negative reviews deter me from seeing it. I normally don't let them factor into whether or not I'll watch something, but some of those were draconian. "Worst movie I have ever seen", "A colossal failure", and "A bigger disaster than the Titanic" were just some of the insults being hurled at it.
I plan to rectify this once the blu ray is out.
Hahaha. Must feel bad. Even Melike watched it!
I do not read reviews before the movies, only in special occasions.
Originally Posted by Emily
I'm dying to read the novel now as well. I read a few excerpts from it a few weeks back and it looks like it's fantastic, Timothy Cavendish's parts seemed especially fun to read.
Timothy Cavendish's part was so funny! Actor did a great job, and his story is both hilarious and strange. *Oh, that nurse!*
Originally Posted by Jean
I know what I've been deterred by -
Originally Posted by Melike
I think it was very confusing at the beginning. There are 6 different plots going on, you skip from one to another periodically like in every two minutes or so. Also, each story takes place in extremely different universes. And players take multiple/different roles in each story. So at the beginning you feel like you're trying to find your way on the clouded atlas with a mad compass. This complexity is one of the best things to the movie.
don't know if I am ready to face this. I am afraid Memento exhausted my limited ability of understanding overcomplicated form.
Originally Posted by Still Servant
Melike, loved your review. So glad you enjoyed Cloud Atlas so much. Sorry it was so hard for you to find my review. I would have found it for you/reposted it for you if you wanted me to.
Cloud Atlas really isn't that complex. Yes, the film skips between 6 different stories, but the stories by themselves are pretty straight forward. It's really hard to explain the plot to Cloud Atlas. That is partially because of the multiple story lines, but also because some of the stories overlap. How the stories overlap and impact each other really is the whole point of the film. How we as humans are connected through time. If you go in expecting a normal Hollywood film, you're going to hate it. It's the kind of film that will really split people down the middle. Some people are going to love it, some people are going to loathe it.
Sooo true. I agree with you, Mike.
Maybe I wasn't clear enough the complexity I was trying to describe.
It is not something disturbing. They intentionally created this complexity: To make it easy to understand the overlaps, references, bonds between six stories. Actually they did a decent job here, it must have been difficult to write/direct/play it this way.
Different characters performed by same players is also amazing and well fit with the general aspect of the film. Actors/Actrists skip from races, ages, sexes, colors. It is magnifical.
Jean, it is only confusing at the beginning, especially if you have no idea what to expect from the movie like I did. For the first four-five minutes... Not more. Because you get the idea after skipping two time the 6 stories. Then I was like "Wow!!!".
Ask not what bears can do for you, but what you can do for bears. (razz)
When one is in agreement with bears one is always correct. (mae)
bears are back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Subversive and perversive are the name(s) of the game.
The film centers on a family of three during a week long getaway at a relatively secluded vacation home in Austria. Before the family is able to completely settle in, they are visited by a boy named Paul that claims to be a nearby neighbor. He asks for a few eggs and the mother casually obliges. It's not long before he begins to overstay his welcome and is then joined by a second boy named Peter. The exchanges are amiable enough at first and as the tensions rise it's clear that these two have a more sinister agenda in mind. The tie the family up and proceed with their games.
One of the things I admire most about Haneke is the ease with which he dispels conventional storytelling methods. Here one of the central antagonists breaks the fourth wall and challenges us, the audience, to bet on who will emerge victorious at the end of the film - the family, or the psychopaths? One of his goals with this film was to mess with the rules which movie going audiences have come to accept from prolonged exposure to standard films. According to most things that have come before, the captives must find an ingenious method to escape / thwart their captors, find help and return to save the day, right? But does real life work that way? What makes the film even more sinister is the casual demeanor with which Peter and Paul carry out their perverted games. They don't yell or impose their physical dominance, they calmly tell the family that they will all die with a smile on their face and with the most impeccable manners.
When asked by the father "Why are you doing this?" one of them replies "Why not?" A clear gesture by Haneke that evil doesn't always come with a face. We are so used to the ultimate villain that wants to rule the world with an iron fist that we forgot that the worst kind of evil is the one that can't be rationalized, the evil that men commit just because.
There is a lot more going on in the film that I unfortunately can't get to now since I'm low on time, but I will definitely pop back in here for any follow up discussions. It's a very divisive film, but love it or hate it - you won't forget it. An unforgiving masterpiece.
9/10
Very bizarre little film. I watched it months ago.
The Awesomest fled across the desert and The Awesomer followed.
If you rescue me
I’ll be your friend forever
I wish that I could write fiction, but that seems almost an impossibility. -howard phillips lovecraft (1915)
Django Unchained 9/10. I really enjoyed this movie. I was afraid because of all the hype it would not live up to expectations. However, it exceeded them with a great story and great acting. Highly recommend this flick.
Originally Posted by Still Servant
Its soundtrack is one of the best made in last years...
Reply With Quote
That sounds like a fair point. But bears, you should keep in mind that there's many stories where I enjoy purely for the complexity. Hardly all, but I do enjoy those kind of films from time to time. 
