For sure its a broad range from Nazi to insurance agent. It takes some serious acting chops to play the most despicable, unredeemable, evil element of society, and also be able to play an Aryan rapist.
JK Simmons was a highlight of Burn After Reading. Iāve never not enjoyed him in something though.
If it makes a difference, the main character Andrewās father is played by Paul Reiser. Their scenes with Andrew offer the conversation about the abuse you are hoping the movie will express, even if it takes pains not to ahem abuse that point into the audience.
According to Patrick Willems, the person responsible for the death of movies and the birth of the eternal cinematic franchise is:
George Lucas, 1999, The Phantom Menace
Whiplash was very good and definitely worth seeing.
The one part I really didnāt like was the car accident scene. Unrealistic (especially with regard to timing) to an absurd degree. Took me out of the movie for a bit.
Iām not interested in seeing that kind of abusive relationship on screen. The only opinion I have on the quality of the movie is from that YouTube I posted.
For sure and I accept this 
We have friends who live just north of Venice and took some time to travel with them to Crete and Florence. We wrapped up our vacation in Venice where we took in a few films at the festival.
Venice Film Festival - mini trip report
Itās mini because we only saw three films. First, a couple of duds on the Friday night.
FRIDAY
Out of Season - a French romantic drama film directed by StĆ©phane BrizĆ©. This movie reviewed well and there is an excellent performance from the co-lead Alba Rohrwacher. The piano soundtrack and the cinematography are beautiful. By the last 30 minutes I was so restless I could barely stay in my seat. Iāve never walked out of a movie and this was damn close - all four of us struggled with this one. The pacing is glacial. There was a nice 40 minute short in here but at two hours it was way too much. Again, the reviews are great and it is described as a delicate mood piece but I could barely sit through it.
Memory - starring Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard. My least favourite genre - the Family Trauma Drama. Jessica Chastain is a recovering addict with tons of family trauma. Sarsgaard has very early onset dementia. Letās see if these two kids can make it work shall we? I did not care. Another one that was well reviewed but I struggled with. I felt like it hit every trope these movies rely on - especially on the Chastain side. The Sarsgaard piece was a little more interesting due to the early dementia angle which was different. Great acting by all involved but I could not connect at all. Not as restless in my seat compared to the French film but still a bit of a chore.
SATURDAY
Saturday we see one film but we didnāt know what it would be. We had tickets to the winning film of the festival, the Leone Dāoro, which they reveal 30 minutes prior to showtime. We were sitting on a terrace just outside the festival area enjoying a few drinks. We could hear the cheers and applause from the awards celebration inside the venue as they handed out the various trophies.
There were a few small groups, maybe 20 people total, hanging around on the same terrace and we were all waiting for the same thing. The announcement of the festival winner. If it was one of the films we saw the night before we could grab a water bus and head home. But we were all waiting and hoping for the same outcomeā¦
Poor Things
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe.
The terrace erupted in cheer when the winner was announced. Seems we were all hoping for the same result. Unlike the films of the previous evening, I had very high expectations going into this one. I am fan of Lanthimosā previous films and Poor Things was the buzz of the festival after its earlier screenings.
This was easily my favourite film of the year thus far and as good as anything Iāve seen in the past few years. Poor Things is much more in line tonally with The Favourite. It can be playful and funny, less of the existential dread from The Lobster or Killing of the Sacred Deer (both of which I recommend).
All I knew going in was the film is a take the Frankenstein mythology. For all I was aware the entire film took place in a lab. It doesnāt. It is a sprawling epic, a feminist fable, that takes place across several continents as Bella (Emma Stone) comes of age and searches for her liberation. Emma Stone is a revelation, which sounds like an odd thing to say considering how well we know her work. She is absolutely fearless and gives the role everything sheās has. Mark Ruffalo is hilarious as he becomes more and more unhinged as the movie progresses.
This is a very minor but important spoiler which is revealed very early in the film. I recommend you read it but if you want to go in 100% cold then please skip it.
The film opens with a pregnant woman committing suicide by falling off a bridge. Dr. Godwin Baxter (Dafoe) comes across her nearly lifeless body at the bottom of a cliff. He takes her back to his lab and removes the brain from her still living but unborn infant and transplants it into the motherās skull! A few shots of electricity later and Bella is born. Sheās both infant and adult, mother and daughter. Emma Stoneās physicality in these scenes is incredible to watch.
Visually, Poor Things is something to behold. It has a Jules Verne/Steampunk aesthetic. There is so much going on in the background of these scenes that the film cannot be fully appreciated in one viewing. It can be overwhelming. It is also extremely sexual, often times hilariously sexual.
I went into this with high expectations and they were exceeded. It is a wonderful, funny, heartfelt odyssey of Bellaās self discovery. There is more I would like to say but I donāt want to spoil anything. Iām looking forward to discussing it more after its release.
Here a short 90 second trailer. It doesnāt reveal any major plot points but gives a good representation of the filmās tone.
Very much enjoyed The Favourite and am stoked for Poor Things, which should be a fun diversion from Emma Stoneās true master work of collaborating with Nathan Fielder.
Thanks for the detailed review (I read everything but the spoiled part).
Thanks, LKJ. What I posted in the spoiler is revealed in the first 10 minutes of the movie.
Iām guarded about the Fielder film. Not that I canāt appreciate what he does but I canāt watch it. I have a strong visceral reaction to cringy humor. When done well, it makes me want to crawl under a table. Unfortunately that means when it is done well, I have to skip it.
The episode of The Office where Michael Scott tells the kids he doesnāt have the college money he promised. Ugh, the vicarious embarrassment is too much, lol. Canāt do it.
Ah okay, I just looked at the spoiler then.
I totally understand the aversion to deliberate cringe stuff, I definitely have a whole series of physical reactions on the order of squirming, looking away, etc., but I donāt skip it, and when done well I love it. And as suzzer described upthread, thatās usually just a first experience; once you no longer have anxiety about what the hell is going to happen, the bandage is ripped off. (I love Scottās Tots.)
My comments about the Fielder project were kind of tongue-in-cheek. Iām truly quite excited about it on a level that Iām rarely excited for a TV/movie release, but I donāt think thereās actually any guarantee of it being great.
Wow.
Thank you for this detailed recap. Makes me appreciate the thrill of being there for the actual competition instead of just hearing who won.
I think thats what makes me so excited. The Rehearsal also had no guarantees it would be great, especially after shooting was interrupted by Covid, but it turned out to be one of the most unique TV experience Iāve ever had. We essentially know almost nothing about this new project other than a basic premise, cast, and that its (likely) scripted over reactionary, so its pretty up in the air on what exactly is going to go down. Putting a concept into Fielderās hands has not been a mistake so far so until it is, I have to lean towards optimism.
This is off to a good start. Iāll pull out some stuff to respond to and wonāt bring up later stuff really in the movie until you talk about it first.
Iām a person who isnāt really into comic book movies at all. I havenāt seen any of the Disney Marvel stuff, like any of it. Iāve periodically done work for a lot of major DC related properties over the last 20 years or so, so I know more of the history of it. I generally like the idea of origin stories before they become superheroes if done well, such as Batman Begins, etc (I did like the Burton Batman and Batman Returns movies). I tapped out of TV The Flash in the second season, though I didnāt mind the start of it. I tapped out of Arrow around the time the universe began expanding, also probably sometime in season 2. I know at least a little of the origin story of The Flash, so it wasnāt like I was dropped in from Mars.
My interpretation of the animated version of The Flash was that he was a bit of an arrogant prick/misogynist/braggart. The TV guy didnāt seem that way at all, but I donāt know which one is closer to the comics, because I never read them. A reporter/newspaper editor Iāve been working with whoās in his mid-70s said The Flash was his favorite comic growing up because he was a slow runner. He thought the movie, while it had issues, was his favorite interpretation of the character and he didnāt like the TV version at all.
The person I worked with on the project is a huge comic book buff and when he first saw the movie, he gushed about it, even though bias could have been in play. He thought it was one of the best DC movies heād seen and his endorsement made me want to see it because heās a tough critic and I thought Andy did a great job on the IT movies.
As for the actual barista scene, though I donāt have firm memories of the movie only having seen it once, I thought it was a good tongue in cheek moment since we hadnāt been introduced to this impatient a-hole as who he is yet. Remember, we know heās The Flash walking into the theater, but weāre not supposed to know that at the start of the movie when your full suspension of disbelief should have begun. It was obviously playing on the joke of him always being late despite being so fast, and how a person working so slowly would drive a guy that fast nuts (similar to how other people probably feel about him). If you divorce yourself from knowing who he is, and conversely how you should feel about him, I think that scene completely works even though it was very weird because the barista was annoying af, if I remember correctly.
While itās certainly not spoken of or really hinted at, I feel like Ezra played the character like he lives somewhere on the autism spectrum based on how the character acts in all universes in the movie, especially with his inability to properly connect with people (like heās incapable of altering his routine, even if not true). If thatās not it, I think Barry is just extremely mad that he has to always save Batmanās a** and everything going wrong in Gotham. Like heās completely over it or something. I didnāt get taken out of the movie in that first scene as a non-watcher at all.
I canāt answer this for sure, but I think there are two reasons. One, he appears to be āchargingā. Two, we might be seeing the exaggerated pose in his slowed down universe. It may not look like that at all to the outside world, because thatās inside his point of view even though the camera is facing him. Thatās the kind of thing that should never bother you and when you see it and it bothers you, thereās likely something deeper going on because it would have bothered anyone else who thinks like you (hundreds of people would have put a stop to it likely if there wasnāt a reason for it).
When it comes to questions like this, I try to think of why it might be done instead of thinking it was for a goofy reason. Thatās also part of being a creative person. It could have been something goofy Ezra put in (I didnāt see Justice League, so I donāt know if this was a carryover/explained in that), but once a creative decision is made be ready to give an answer of why it was done even if itās not true. That strategy has staved off way more than one Hollywood note.
Did you see IT and/or IT 2? Tonal pauses are a thing that Andy does, and I think he is probably one of the best ātonalā directors around. I canāt think of someone who legit can pull every emotion out of you without it making it look like theyāre trying to do that. I did not expect to be affected by the one big scene, but was, and felt that totally got there. I had a similar feeling going into a scene in IT 2, and didnāt make it through that one either. Andy is a rare talent, even if you donāt like all he does or some of the decisions he makes.
I also think it doesnāt give you any kind of interesting start to just go straight into saving CGI monster babies from the bathroom. I find this a bit of an odd criticism that it doesnāt get into the movie fast enough. I also completely enjoyed the Batman chase part of the opening scene and it was really cool how they did that (again bias possibly in play on my part, but I liked most of the opening of the movie a lot), and I think the sound has an outside shot at an Oscar nomination (definitely my favorite mix Iāve seen in a movie theater in a long time, with almost all sound effects having the proper impact for a change unlike Top Gun). Plus, this pause in the crucial action moment allows you to answer the question you asked in your first paragraph. āAre we supposed to like Barry Allen?ā Throwing a falling baby into a microwave will not answer this question, but a person on the street being starstruck by seeing him and him feeling awkward about it does tell you that, yes, you are supposed to like him even though he was being a jerk in the previous scene.
I actually hate that scene for another reason. I found it irresponsibly cringe for a teenage girl to be starstruck by The Flash and for this to have been used in marketing materials well after the numerous scandals broke. This was a major misstep by the studio and director. They should have re-shot that with some other group of people. Thatās the kind of thing that took me out of the movie even though I was well aware of it beforehand. I didnāt ever see it in context before seeing the movie, but context didnāt make it play better and it would have been a really easy re-shoot had they not used it in trailers.
The movie was budgeted at $200 million and it has some absolutely great viz FX in it, like Oscar worthy in my opinion. The problem is the monster babies scene, the Zod scene, and a few others that either looked like video games or incomplete. No changes to effects in the movie had been made since November of 2022, which was surprising. In the stuff I saw, a lot looked incomplete (the multi-verse stuff is specifically what Iām referring to) but I thought the idea of it worked in the context of the movie because heās only just discovered it. There was literally only one scene that was re-shot, also very uncommon for this type of movie.
The Oscar worthy effect is why actors should not stop striking until they make sure it canāt be used without compensation. Itās called volume capture and allowed the filmmakers to convincingly replace another actor with Ezra (trivia is the reporter who asks a question at the end of the movie is the actor playing the other version of The Flash/Barry).
Itās worth noting that as absurd, bizarre, and goofy as the hospital scene was, it perfectly sets the tone for the movie at the end of the scene when The Flash lays out all the babies on a gurney or whatever it was, with the proudest look ever on his face. He just seemed completely incapable of understanding why this and how he went about the saving of the CGI monster babies would freak someone out. It was weird. The Flash is weird. The tone is set for what youāre about to see if even if looked absurd and often cheesy. If the end of the scene doesnāt happen the way it does, it just doesnāt work at all, but I liked that I knew what I was getting into right away. The button of the Batman part also shows off the other side of that tone, while also showing the contrast of their approaches to āsuperheroingā. To me, feels like the point was The Flash doesnāt seem to think things through, which leads to tons of mistakes. Andy said The Flash makes a lot of mistakes, in fact everything he does is basically a mistake. When you view him as an inept well-meaning superhero, who doesnāt really want to do it and who doesnāt understand the full scope of his power, I think it plays better, but thatās just me.
===
I get that most critics and many moviegoers couldnāt get past Ezra, knowing what had gone on shortly before and during the production of this movie. I think the movie Ezra did before this broke them, and Ezra also really went for it in this movie, in what is essentially a three character tragedy. Itās a very good performance, and Ezra is an extremely talented actor. But, Ezra flushed all that, and with the movie bombing I see no way home for Ezraās career (once through all legal and criminal stuff if not convicted) even though there were rumors of a sequel before the movie came out that would have still had Ezra in it (unbelievable but whatever).
To me, itās an absolute miracle this movie made it to the street in the condition it did, based on all that went on. I donāt think it deserved to bomb and it would certainly rank in the top half of my filmography of movies Iāve done work for, nowhere near the worst. Iām sure if youāve seen every comic book movie known to man, this wouldnāt rank very high (see HueHueās post about the movie to reiterate that), but of the ones Iāve seen, itās up there as a person who isnāt into the genre at all. Thatās why I wanted to get deeper with you on this. Itās astonishing to me to think this is āwithout hyperbole, one of the worst movies youāve ever seenā. Itās not even anywhere near the bottom half of movies Iāve done work for or seen.
I look forward to the rest of your screed.
Whiplash is one of my favorite 2010s movies. Just watch it.
I guess I will be the dissenting voice on Whiplash. I thought it was pretty dumb. My wife hated it. Minor spoilers ahead.
The teacher character was unrealistic. I get that you have to do some exaggeration for dramatic effect, but nobody could last in that job (in the present day) being so abusive. Nobody would sign up for his class. Heād be fired. OK, putting that aside, he is still a cartoon, a caricature. Sure they tried to give him a little polish and humanity in spots, but I just wasnāt buying it. And the car crash scene was ridiculous (it was very contrived, plus: really? Youāre going to let this guy play? JLawok.gif).
Even though the movie (and presumably the creators) try to deny it, they are definitely glorifying assholes and abuse. I know they would probably say āno, you are missing the point of the movie.
We wanted to show the price some people must (or do) pay in pursuit of their craft. We are commenting on the toxic characters, not glorifying them. See, some people produce great art under these circumstances. Some people might even require this abuse to flourish.ā
Still not buying it. I still think it glorifies the teaching style. Who doesnāt like Great Art?? Anyway, weāre not given any reason why this kid might not do well under a normal teacher. Even if it was true for this kid, what made it true? Weāre not really shown. I guess I donāt find it all that interesting if one person needs a toxic teacher to really shine.
Also the āharder and faster drumming is the way to be greatā rubs me the wrong way. I tend to like musicians who stay in the song and improve it subtly, not someone who has to play HARDER FASTER. Iām a Ringo Starr guy. (Yes I know jazz is a different beast; I listen to a lot of it.)
My wifeās grandfather was a professional jazz drummer and she just rolled her eyes at all the hard-core boot camp training and said āthatās not how you get good.ā
Anyway, the performances were fine (given the script), the production was good. But I found the whole thing pretty unrealistic and cartoonishly melodramatic. Itās a Serious American movie about Art with a capital A and has faults I associate with that.
Looking forward to Poor Things.
Completely disagree. Bobby Knight was a hero for decades! There is a list hundreds deep for abusive coaches at colleges, that a music teacher couldnt be almost as bad as a football coach is silly.
Until maybe about 10 years ago, if you grew up playing sports you were almost guaranteed to have a coach kind of like that at an elite level. Is music different? Im not as familiar, but if you made Miles Tellerās character a point guard, it would be spot on for sure.