'Children of Men', the new Alfonso Cuaron sci-fi flick

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http://www.mostlybulldogstuff.com/Zelda_file/whatever%20floats%20your%20boat.jpg

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 16 January 2007 17:42 (seventeen years ago) link

Caine pretty much has the Edward G. Robinson role in Soylent Green -- old idealist doomed from the gitgo.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 16 January 2007 17:42 (seventeen years ago) link

How awesome would it have been if Dabney Coleman was on the boat.

― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Tuesday, 16 January 2007 17:46 (seventeen years ago) link

It was a predator ship.

(That could also be used on people confused after watching Inland Empire. Actually, never mind, the Lynch rabbits and Nastasja Kinski were on the boat.)

― AllyzayEisenschefterBDawkinsFlyingSquirrelRomoCrying.jpg (allyzay), Tuesday, 16 January 2007 17:47 (seventeen years ago) link

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0362270/004_061-0137.jpg

― TOMB07 (TOMBOT), Tuesday, 16 January 2007 17:50 (seventeen years ago) link

BAM

― TOMB07 (TOMBOT), Tuesday, 16 January 2007 17:51 (seventeen years ago) link

If they have Natasha Kinski's genes on the boat then rabbit genes are superfluous.

― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Tuesday, 16 January 2007 17:51 (seventeen years ago) link

THE HUMAN PROJECT WITH STEVE ZISSOU

― TOMB07 (TOMBOT), Tuesday, 16 January 2007 17:51 (seventeen years ago) link

CHILDREN OF MEN 2: VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 16 January 2007 17:53 (seventeen years ago) link

dude can you just fuck owen wilson already & get it over with

― and what (ooo), Tuesday, 16 January 2007 17:54 (seventeen years ago) link

http://www.lumiere.org/films/images/titanic-photo11.jpg

― AllyzayEisenschefterBDawkinsFlyingSquirrelRomoCrying.jpg (allyzay), Tuesday, 16 January 2007 17:55 (seventeen years ago) link

http://www.thesandpebbles.com/tsp2.jpg

― TOMB07 (TOMBOT), Tuesday, 16 January 2007 18:02 (seventeen years ago) link

lol

― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 16 January 2007 18:03 (seventeen years ago) link

This is why I think it feels like a short. Very simple concept that it follows single-mindedly, and the abrupt and open ending.

Yeah, see, I'm definitely on the side of appreciating this. The goal is to get her to the boat, and that gets accomplished, as much as tasks are accomplished in any contemporary setting. I have not seen that movie where Bruce Willis has to guide Mos Def across fourteen blocks, or whatever, but I'm guessing that their safe arrival doesn't end criminal behavior forever, which seems analogous to what some people in my audience expected from this one: that the unpleasant future would somehow be corrected at the end?

Theo dies in part because every single person who helps them dies. (The airstrikes obviously help with that, but it seems to be underlined when the Russians get shot.) Also: I really liked Sid's death, the sense of hesitance and repulsion on Theo's part as he bashes him. I appreciate seeing a film this suspenseful where the hero doesn't engage in any more action than knocking people with car doors, jump-starting a vehicle, and then showing great distaste in finally actually having to brain someone.

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 07:45 (seventeen years ago) link

Ahhhhh, Sid. His third-person self-commentary is awesome.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 11:59 (seventeen years ago) link

Also, Theo doesn't actually say "baby Diego's a wanker", much to my chagrin - he says "he was a wanker". I can still hear Owen saying my interpretation outloud though.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 12:00 (seventeen years ago) link

Also: I really liked Sid's death, the sense of hesitance and repulsion on Theo's part as he bashes him. I appreciate seeing a film this suspenseful where the hero doesn't engage in any more action than knocking people with car doors, jump-starting a vehicle, and then showing great distaste in finally actually having to brain someone.

Yeah, out of the heroes in the movie, who actually carries a weapon? Do we ever see Julian with a weapon? Theo uses a car door and a battery, but carries nothing. Kee: nothing. Jasper: nothing. Miriam: nothing. Merickha: carries nothing, but brandishes a piece of wood in an emergency (poor Sid brings out the worst in everybody). The only unsullied "good-guy" who carries a weapon in the movie is the Georgian(?) refugee who leads them to the boat.

― Fleischhutliebe! like a warm, furry meatloaf (Fluffy Bear Hearts Rainbows), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 14:50 (seventeen years ago) link

Ahhhhh, Sid. His third-person self-commentary is awesome.

-- Sick Mouthy (sickmouth...), January 17th, 2007 11:59 AM. (Nick Southall) (later)

i dunno, this seemed a little out of place to me.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 14:54 (seventeen years ago) link

For me it worked - Sid's presumably about 50 years old, and perhaps been a policeman all his life. He'd therefore have had a few years of working before all the troubles and immigration issues kicked off, and his job would have turned incredibly unpleasant. He smokes a lot of dope, and herds people into cages for a living. Talking about himself in the third person is probably a reasonably good coping mechanism for this.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 14:59 (seventeen years ago) link

Played by Jeff Bridges in the remake.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 15:05 (seventeen years ago) link

I thought Mullan nailed the "make a fugee face" line perfectly. I lauged, I was sickened, and I got a feeling not only of the enormity of the refugee suffering (for this to become common place), but I actually felt a little empathy for Syd, who, though he may be an opportunistic fascist pig, is totally getting fucked up dealing with his job.

― Fleischhutliebe! like a warm, furry meatloaf (Fluffy Bear Hearts Rainbows), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 15:08 (seventeen years ago) link

Ha, it hadn't occurred to me that he brains Sid with a car battery: all of Theo's actions/attacks are with cars! Underscoring this film's status as Scariest Road Movie Ever.

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 17:49 (seventeen years ago) link

http://www.hiphop-blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/fugees_1.jpg

― The Ready Or Not Cat (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 17:56 (seventeen years ago) link

http://videodetective.com/photos/458/019258_6.jpg

― Fleischhutliebe! like a warm, furry meatloaf (Fluffy Bear Hearts Rainbows), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 18:05 (seventeen years ago) link

This is devolving into a "walk this way" bit.

― Fleischhutliebe! like a warm, furry meatloaf (Fluffy Bear Hearts Rainbows), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 18:06 (seventeen years ago) link

glad I followed this thread and actually went to see this - totally harrowing, some really great technical feats of filmmaking in here.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 18:10 (seventeen years ago) link

The King Crimson song was great, and a lot of the music was great. The Ruby Tuesday cover was unnecessary - surely the original would have sufficed. Don't know why they had to add the screaming SFX to the Aphex Twin track that Caine's character blasts for a laugh (and they should've used some intense Venetian Snares or something anyway).

The Jarvis Cocker tune just compounded the awfulness of the ending. The last two minutes is by far the worst part of the film. They should have made it half an hour longer.

Awesome movie.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 22:17 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh, and I was totally having Half-Life 2 flashbacks the whole way through. Enhanced the experience for me.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 22:17 (seventeen years ago) link

The entire time watching the movie I thought it was "fuji" instead of "fugee," and I was scratching my head, like "she doesn't look Japanese."

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 22:20 (seventeen years ago) link

My take on it is pretty similar to Tombot's in that I watched it intently but the end left me in a state where I can't fully recommend it. Though less offensively than most Soderbergh (the director I most associate this with), it felt like Cuaron often used taste and craft to CONCEAL Hollywood bullshit, rather than make a film without it. Anybody looking for a good dystopian sci-fi film should see it, but it definitely feels overrated in some circles.

― Zwan (miccio), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 23:39 (seventeen years ago) link

Actually I can recommend it, I just can't say its A+ or anything.

― Zwan (miccio), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 23:42 (seventeen years ago) link

What, precisely, do you mean by "Hollywood bullshit"?

― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 23:44 (seventeen years ago) link

A lot of little contrivances as to who-dies-when, pointless moments of exposition (I really wanted Owen to say "um, yeah, I was there" when the midwife brought up how "that's when the despair started"), all the stuff people have brought up about the ending, minor details that you could argue the film HAD to have in order to work (I'm not really looking for an argument here - if I'm a nitpicker I'm a nitpicker), but I would have been fine without.

― Zwan (miccio), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 23:50 (seventeen years ago) link

Er, so basic conventions of storytelling = "Hollywood bullshit"?

I think you're being a nitpicker.

― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 23:52 (seventeen years ago) link

I would have liked it to be a little less conventional, yeah. Sorry!

― Zwan (miccio), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 23:54 (seventeen years ago) link

I don't think you have to apologize for anything except maybe inappropriate use of hyperbole (15-yard penalty, repeat 2nd down).

― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 23:57 (seventeen years ago) link

I'm not gonna apologize until I stop seeing the phrase "From the visionary director Alfonso Cuaron" in print ads, dude.

― Zwan (miccio), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 23:59 (seventeen years ago) link

for hyperbole, I mean.

― Zwan (miccio), Thursday, 18 January 2007 00:00 (seventeen years ago) link

The only point I'll agree on is the midwife speech, that was unnecessary.

I still can't find fault with the ending. Seems like it's lose-lose for Cuaron - every possible ending would have annoyed someone.

― milo z (mlp), Thursday, 18 January 2007 00:01 (seventeen years ago) link

That's not hyperbole, that's redundancy.

― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Thursday, 18 January 2007 00:01 (seventeen years ago) link

That's valid about the ending, though I was hoping the movie would just end with the two of them adrift in the fog. His death and the boat's arrival both felt really unnecessary.

― Zwan (miccio), Thursday, 18 January 2007 00:02 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, that's one that I would have thought about going with - but isn't it just as much of a cliché (albeit indie/art-film) as the hero's death?

― milo z (mlp), Thursday, 18 January 2007 00:03 (seventeen years ago) link

have you read Rosenbaum's long review, Anthony? He seems to have the same view as you.

― milo z (mlp), Thursday, 18 January 2007 00:04 (seventeen years ago) link

Which is why I said your point is valid, though I think that's really the end of the story (them getting to their destination, not whether the destination is what they hoped for).

x-post who's Rosenbaum? Is it linked here? I didn't read the entire thread.

― Zwan (miccio), Thursday, 18 January 2007 00:05 (seventeen years ago) link

Jonathan Rosenbaum
http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/moviereviews/2007/070105/

― milo z (mlp), Thursday, 18 January 2007 00:07 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, I'm pretty much in agreement, though complaints like his and mine are in large part a reaction to the hype - if this was a relatively ignored genre piece we'd be big-uppin' it (and I think it is a top quality genre piece - having a hard time thinking of dystopian sci-fi films that were better, unless in a Zardoz-esque way).

― Zwan (miccio), Thursday, 18 January 2007 00:10 (seventeen years ago) link

i think if it had ended with them in the fog I would have screamed in annoyance. at least this way there is some kind of ending that you can leave open to interpretation. leaving them in the fog would be a cop out.

― kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 18 January 2007 00:17 (seventeen years ago) link

Nothing really to add here, I just thought the escape from the Phish Pharm was one of the greatest non-powered car chases I'd seen in a while.

― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Thursday, 18 January 2007 00:33 (seventeen years ago) link

i think if it had ended with them in the fog I would have screamed in annoyance. at least this way there is some kind of ending that you can leave open to interpretation

For a couple of minutes after the film ended I was disappointed with the ending. The pair lost in the fog would have been a suitably modernist ending: despairing and symbolic at once. Then I realized that getting picked up by this crew Owen knows nothing about, whom we never see, whose motives we never know, is more legitimately creepy.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 18 January 2007 01:02 (seventeen years ago) link

ok i guess someone said this upthread but yeah, leaving them alone would be just as much a cliche as the way it ends. and what alfred said.

and i don't see how cuaron goes to any lengths to "conceal" anything, and frankly i think whatever gets you to that conclusion is a really fucking weird way to watch a movie.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 18 January 2007 02:58 (seventeen years ago) link

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