Cool News
Monty Cristo muses on and reviews CLOUD ATLAS
"Monty Cristo" here.
It's taken me weeks to get this out. I've started, restarted, and revised this review countless times. I have ended up deleting everything that came before and re-composing from scratch.
The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer formed the directing equivalent of a rock supergroup to make a movie out of a novel that has been considered unfilmable and unadaptable since its publication. The resulting trio, which I think of affectionately as "Wachowskykwer", have succeeded admirably in delivering a truly different evolution of what we consider cinematic vision. The simplest way to crystalize what the movie is about is to say that it is about "life, the universe and everything": not answering the meaning of it so much as driving you to ponder that question.
The six separate (though at once interconnected) stories that make up CLOUD ATLAS span different eras, genre, and stylistic tones, resulting in one of the most potent and densely packed modern cinematic experiences I've had the pleasure to digest. To define the scale and ambition of CLOUD ATLAS as "epic" feels reductive.
The stories, ideas, and themes of CLOUD ATLAS work concurrently in such a fashion that I can only define what the movie does as a form of "quantum narrative".
Roger Ebert has occasionally made mention of the "elevatory" experience that is rare in cinema, but which is at once what we all hope for each time the lights go down. CLOUD ATLAS delivers this momentary hit of a higher state of consciousness in bursts and waves throughout, such that it satisfies on first viewing, but at once drives a craving for a second and a third. It drives you to take a friend so that you can experience it rewiring their brain the way that it did yours. That first taste of the diverse spread of what universal humanity is and means is tremendously addictive. The movie has stayed in my thoughts on a constant, daily basis since I saw it at Fantastic Fest, and I'm glad that I can't shake it.
To recount characters, storylines, loglines, and individual performances feels futile. What I can offer is a stream-of consciousness braindump of the trans-existential theatre that everyone gets to see starting this weekend.
Is it wrong to hope I invented the term "trans-existential"? Whom or what may have influenced that combination of concepts in my head? When might I have heard someone use it, now unintentionally "stealing" it from them? Different than deja vu, I can hear the echo in my head of where that micro-idea came from, but I can't pin down anything approaching its origin point. It's like hearing an earworm you can't identify, and it drives you nuts for days, weeks, sometimes years or forever. CLOUD ATLAS features a piece of music in addition to other threads that make the characters in different stories and time periods make that momentary recognition of an intangible echo across existence.
CLOUD ATLAS features actors playing races, genders, and character archetypes that they never have the chance to so much as sniff at outside the theatre. Halle Berry plays a white woman wearing fancy dresses in a manor house. Doona Bae, a Korean actress who absolutely sets the screen on fire here, plays a woman in one place who has a southern/cajun type of patois, with freckles and reddish hair. Hugo Weaving plays a woman who is a true force of nature. Tom Hanks and Jim Broadbent, both actors I greatly admire, are allowed the chance to play characters I can best describe in the alignment of Dungeons and Dragons: lawful good, chaotic neutral, chaotic evil, the whole gamut. They do this with not just changes in makeup, but different dialectic and vocal register choices in service of painstakingly-crafted inhabitations of personae. Hugh Grant deserves a knighthood, sainthood, or something for the panoply of evil he presents so effortlessly.
The fact that I often mistook Jim Sturgess, Ben Whishaw, and James D'Arcy is partially a testament to the makeup, costume, and performance work all on display allowing them to truly dissolve across races and roles. As a multi-ethnic person (Chinese-Cuban/Western European American), I grew up as a young actor who was often passed over for the "white" guys for lead roles, being pushed instead into RAV types (Russians, Arabs, Villains, and "others"). This will undoubtedly sound racist (I welcome your angry, hateful comments below), but I personally took some satisfaction that the attractive young/youngish white guys all blended together to some extent. Let's call me subjectively objectively racist and call it a day. I've so often heard "they all look alike" regarding "ethnics" of various races that it's refreshing to actively see that at play with what Hollywood often considers the default setting for a hero: attractive white dudes. Whether intentional or not (likely not), this is one of the many things that make merely watching this movie a radical departure for the vast scores of passive viewers who show up for the latest action blockbuster sequel on autopilot.
CLOUD ATLAS crosses times from the colonial era to the recent past to the modern day, the near-future of 2144, and the far future that lacks a date stamp. Actors play varied types and races, sometimes linked to other characters in other story threads, whether directly or tangentially. It is about the biggest and smallest of ideas across romance, betrayal, suffering, fulfillment, and countless other microstories. Its six threads never feel like short subject features simply overlaid upon one another for fun. Instead, CLOUD ATLAS is like watching six features at the same time, with the interconnecting tissue feeding a productive progression in them all at once. As someone who studied Anthropology extensively in college, I can confidently assert that this "quantum narrative" delivers on the history and nature of humanity more profoundly than any film I've seen with so much as a similar aim. It's like PLANET OF THE APES combined with 2001, swirled with CHINATOWN and so much of Wilder, plus six or seven other things. The craft of CLOUD ATLAS from all points reveals such immaculate precision and intention that to me, it truly defines a new conception of modern epic storytelling. Much of that is owed to the source material, but it is just as much on the shoulders of "Wachowskykwer". CLOUD ATLAS defines "next level" filmmaking, and delivers ensemble cooperation and trust rarely seen outside the greatest stage acting and production in the world.
There are so many more things I'm sure I could say. I could keep writing this review for days.
Go in with an open mind or you're doing yourself an incalculable disservice.
Moisés Chiullan / "Monty Cristo"
@moiseschiu
email
Arthouse Cowboy
Screen Time podcast on 5by5.tv
Readers Talkback
comments powered by Disqus-
+ Expand All
-
But it was too flawed for my taste. Hope you guys like it. First By the way
-
anything that stands outside the norm with such style and confidence is worth seeing.
-
*It's taken me weeks to get this out. I've started, restarted, and revised this review countless times. I have ended up deleting everything that came before and re-composing from scratch.* No wonder poor old Harry is in the financial crapper if this is how his staff writers work. What a load of pretentious wank - its a fucking film review youre writing not an audition for poet laureate.
-
everyone is gushing over this movie...might have to check it out...still think it's going to bomb at the box office though
-
and I'm not the sort to pre-judge a movie (unless it looks like obvious dreck like say Beverly Hills Chihuahua). But my inner critic is screaming in my ear "this will be a muddled mess of pretentious garbage ". Maybe it'll be wrong. But I tend to be a little skeptical of films that try and "teach" me something.
-
Oct. 22, 2012, 5:36 p.m. CST
MC, glad to see i'm not the only one having problems writing out their thoughts on this film
by Kamaji
Saw it last Wed at the Chicago film festival with the directors in attendance. It's definitely a thinking person's film, and i can't help but feel its going to get left in the dust by John Q Public when they find out its not as 'cool' and 'hip' as 'The Matrix movies.' Though I can't help but think that Tom Hanks must have had the greatest experience in a long time making this film. He had several instances that I was just amazed with the character(s) and personalities he did with his work. Though I was a bit more into Doona Bae's character (blame my interest since I'm a Chinese/Caucasian mix), though I'm just waiting for the eventual explosion of upset trolls on imdb when they see the makeup on some actors.
-
Movie isn't out in the States yet, and I'm not a staffed writer under deadline. Am an occasional columnist on my own schedule.
-
I went in terrified it'd be self-indulgent and so on. It's radically more than that. Very much worth a shot.
-
why do they go together so well?
-
I'm chinese/caucasian/latino, and I get exactly what you mean. The dude at Racebending.com has already (wrongly) gotten up in arms over it before seeing the movie. Going to be an interesting dialogue.
-
Oct. 22, 2012, 5:41 p.m. CST
Jusy to be certain, Halle Berry is horrible no matter which race she's playing, right?
by daggor
I mean, why be anything different this go-'round?
-
Oi Monty, i'm glad to hear youre not getting paid cos you couldnt even afford to use a spellchecker in your nonsense. *Is it wrong to hope I invented the term "trans-existential"? Whom or what may have influenced that combination of concepts in my head? When might I have heard someone use it, now unintentionally "stelaing" it from them?*
-
Even in the happy happy joy joy future of Star Trek, we still had a nuclear/eugenics war. Even with the Jetsons, they lived above ground and the planet's surface was a wasteland. Can't there be a story where the future is just banal and boring, like it probably will be?
-
She's half black, half white, and no one would balk at her playing "black".
-
Just kidding! I appreciate your review. Trying to explain it further would be a diservice. Its like the line "No can tell you What the Matrix is, you have to see it for yourself." Anyway I love movies like this. cannot wait!
-
But, but Gothika man! Robert Downey Junior said the only good thing about that movie was meeting his future wife on set.
-
Oct. 22, 2012, 6:18 p.m. CST
say what u will about Halle but she is an Oscar winner. Nothing can be said that can change that.
by ray a
-
Oct. 22, 2012, 6:24 p.m. CST
MASTERPIECE!!!FACT!!! DON'T LISTEN TO CRITIC SWINE!!! THE FOUNTAIN, ANOTHER MASTERPIECE AND SPIRITUAL COMPANION TO CLOUD ATLAS, ONLY HAS 51% ON ROTTENTOMATOES!!!FACT!!!
by CreepyThinManForever
-
well, because it's the one's that have the look of "see how important a movie I am" that give me these sorts of reactions prior to seeing them. I have always been of the opinion that a movie works because of it's writing ,it's performances and it's photography/direction. Now, not all of these things have to be spot on (and all of these things can be bad yet the movie is still entertaining like say Redneck Zombies) but if you are going to go the route of "important" as your goal for your film, you are doomed to come off as pretentious,precious, begging the question and or overwrought. I tend to think the most important films are the one's that stayed true to their stories and didn't have to tell everyone how important they are (which is why Crash is such a POS, it tried too hard) but rather just let the audience decide for themselves. (2001, The Godfather, Kane,Jaws, most everything by The Archers...etc) So, those of us who actually give a damn about the art of filmmaking yet don't think it's some "precious commodity for teaching the world about blah blah dogmatic issue of the week" are a bit skeptical of movies like Cloud Atlas. Maybe I will be wrong, it won't be the first, nor last, time.
-
never mind what I think and feel... those things take objectivity and critical though. Still, Storm was unforgivable, Catwoman was un-unseeable, and her breasts in Swordfish were unremarkable.
-
You forgot to add: Jinx was unredeemable. This stupid biyatch has screwed up more franchises than I care to remember. I'd still destroy her ass if given the opportunity, though.
-
Mostly loved it. Very entertaining, each of the threads could have easily been it's own movie. The Neo-Seoul stuff is particularly cool. Great score too. Must have been a nightmare to edit. It jumps around a lot, but to it's credit I was never confused where and when the film was.
-
Just glanced at their article and gotta say that kind of activism doesn't help their cause. Criticizing a movie based on its trailer? Not even waiting to see the final product? Maybe they have a point, maybe they're jumping to conclusions. Maybe the film's depiction of race could start some interesting conversations. Or perhaps the yellowface in the film is uncomfortable. But the commentators at that site seem to be unable to imagine an ambivalent reaction, much less a positive one, to the film. I might support their cause in general, but their tone is one of the reasons why race is such a taboo subject for so many Americans. Still interested in seeing Cloud Atlas.
-
Is that prosthetics, or is that just age catching up with him?
-
Oct. 22, 2012, 7:19 p.m. CST
Did someone just compare this to THE FOUNTAIN?!? If so, my interest level just dropped to ZERO.
by ShiftyEyedDog
I was cautiously excited about this movie, but if it is ANYTHING like The Fountain then it is indeed pretentious crap and I have no interest.
-
I found it MUCH more engaging than The Fountain. I didn't find anything pretentious really about this movie. There are a couple of things at the end that could've been a bit less 'on the nose' perhaps.
-
I think opinions maybe all over the place on it. My wife didn't care for it at all, and we generally have similar taste in films.
-
Only in America would we think that patois sounded "weird" coming out of a Korean actress' mouth. FWIW, all those white guys DO start to blend together after a while!
-
close as a soulmate, but I think Fountain is a must see fo anyone trying to cope with loss. Heavy handed in the setup, okay I can see that, but I never found it pretentious, even though I'm predisposed to harshly judge Aronofsky -- hated Swan, for example - talk about 2 x 4.
-
wish you hadn't brought up race and identity politics, kinda bummed out here
-
In the late 90s I might have bought into something like this going in, but these types of large, avante garde special effects sci-fi films rarely work, whether it's The Fountain or something like The Tree of Life, they just can't seem to break free of the normal bounds of a 2 hour film.
-
Oct. 22, 2012, 8:42 p.m. CST
a novel that has been considered unfilmable and unadaptable
by Amy Chasing
No such thing. Same thing was said about Lord Of The Rings. Geez, even Joyce's Ulysses has a film adaptation. All you need is creative people. That said, I'm hoping Cloud Atlas as a film is a good film first, book adaptation second. Otherwise you get Harry Potter.
-
People are connected, as are the things you do. The end. That's the whole point of this movie. It's also total garbage, as was the novel, as the film is sure to be. Pass. Racist yellowface trash movie.
-
Oct. 22, 2012, 8:59 p.m. CST
vn01 and you notice how hard they're working NOT to address the racebending
by Nintendarth
They just don't even want to engage it because they know they're in the wrong.
-
Yellowface is wrong. It doesn't matter the context. Doesn't matter how respectful the film is. Doesn't matter the meaning. Doesn't matter the motivation. It's offensive. Period. And you don't get to do it without offending. Period. End of discussion. Glad we had this talk.
-
Oct. 22, 2012, 9:03 p.m. CST
It's like PLANET OF THE APES combined with 2001, swirled with CHINATOWN and so much of Wilder
by Left_Nut
Fuck off. Come back when you get a sense of perspective.
-
They both "borrowed" from Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix, which you have to pay a fortune on Amazon to get in book form nowadays.
-
Oct. 22, 2012, 9:10 p.m. CST
The book is crapola. This movie will be crapola. And not just 'cuz Tom Hanks is in it, though that's a big part of what will undoubtedly be a pretentious snore-fest.
by planetran_fan
-
... there's a reason why attractive white dudes are (or were) default heroes: that's where the audience was. as the audience changes, heroes have changed, and will keep changing, as well.
-
I don't know what it is. From what I've seen, with all the time periods, it doesn't really feel like it has a sense of adventure about it.
-
Race is a cultural construct, so why talk about it in absolutes? Surely you're more sophisticated than that.
-
Oct. 22, 2012, 9:22 p.m. CST
cobra--kai, why you gotta be such a downer dude? Give the guy a break. Ssseesssshhh you come across as a glass half empty type. Chill winston.
by peter
-
Grow up. Get a life. Find some real people to talk to. Enjoyed the article MC, and looking forward to seeing if Cloud Atlas lives up to the hype.
-
Dude, I don't know what planet you're living on -- but even on the stuff you're smoking, you should be able to discern that our world is anything but boring. Step outside of your door, walk a couple of blocks, and you'll see a world of endless stupidity and strangeness. And the future is only going to be even more strange. If you look at life from a personal perspective, it can well seem boring and banal. But that's only because you've become accustomed to the dullness of your very own individual life. But even a dull and boring life of some individual (who has to live it on a daily basis), can make for a fascinating story for a viewer (or viewers). An ingenious approach to futuristic sci-fi, would be to slow down the pacing occasionally, to reveal mundane lives, unaffected and oblivious to the adventures of the protagonists/antagonists. It's a very basic concept, and it still hasn't been used by Hollywood. Hollywood never ran out of ideas. They just never had any. Let me break it down for you mugato5150, so you get the gist of how "excitingly fucked up" our planet really is: 1) You have a world, that's beautiful, vast, varied, unique and bountiful in resources. Yet its inhabitants are unenlightened half-wits, who worry about chasing chimeras and destroying each other and the environment in the process. Do you think our world would seem boring and dull to an unbiased observer from out-of-space? It would seem like the greatest action/horror film in the history of the universe. And that's in fact what it is. The fact that you deem it dull and boring, is your failure as a human being to question the insanity around you and instead become unaffected and apathetic to such an extent, you've turned into a numb carcass of animated stupidity. 2) You have a world and a people, that have so much potential, and yet almost every single obstacle in our lives, serves to do nothing but quell and hinder that potential. And those obstacles are largely artificial. They're man-made obstacles. Not natural! Think about this for a long fucking time, you ignoramus. This world is not just a fucked up movie extravaganza, it's also an insane asylum for the billions of conditioned slaves who parrot and persecute one another. You have more than enough resources to clothe/feed/shelter every single individual on this planet, several times over, yet you have billions living below the poverty line and about a billion people starving to death as I speak right now. And that's the tip of the iceberg. Don't you think that makes for the most fucked up movie Hollywood could ever produce? I take that back: Even if Hollywood tried, it couldn't come up with such a retarded concept. This means that reality truly is stranger than fiction. That's the reality of the world you're living in, my friend. 3) In Hollywood movies, children rarely are killed. It's considered too offensive for the viewer. But this happens in the real world every single second, many times over. Think about this and ask yourself if this is just "dull and boring," or perhaps the problem is with people like you, who have become so numb and inundated with your own petty problems, that you have neither the energy, nor the time, to devote yourself to doing something useful with your life and for the planet. Planet Earth is very likely, the most entertaining planet in the entire galaxy. But it's a twisted form of entertainment. It's the kind of 'entertainment' that doesn't have a resolution, doesn't have a catharsis, doesn't have a hero saving the day; but rather a train wreck that continues piling up long after the film credits roll. There are no heroes saving the day in the real world. Just a bunch of unenlightened half-wits like you, driveling on AICN about useless shit that means nothing to nobody. And if history is anything to go by, it's only going to get more 'entertaining' in the future. Think about these things, before you blurt out something really stupid again in the future...
-
It's that she never DOES play those roles.
-
I couldn't agree more, and I'm a HUGE advocate of their Last Airbender crusade. They make tremendously uninformed and rather stridently ignorant assumptions. I expected more out of them.
-
There were prostheses used throughout, even in sequences with more "natural" looks. Not sure about the segment in the pic above. He actually looks to be in great shape when the images are in motion.
-
I thought it sounded awesome coming out of an actress who is most certainly not fluent in English. The spread of roles outside the actors' pidgeonholes was one of my favorite things the movie did.
-
Pay to go see it, and give it a half hour. If you don't sit through, they'll refund you. I've spoken to other mega-doubters. I'd wager it'll lock you in.
-
They've very directly addressed it, and quite intentionally so. They've been touting how they cross gender and race all over the place.
-
I've got loads of perspective. Show you mine if you show me yours.
-
So there have never been people of other races who want to see themselves represented as something other than servants or villains?
-
It's a lot more interesting and fulfilling than some assume. They'll be the judge when they see it.
-
... which is $$ of course everyone wants heroes (though it does get a little silly when a hero can only be someone who looks like you). however, here, my point is the simple reality that movie are a business, and most of the moviegoing public was white, and, well, you can do the math from there.
-
No, you didn't invent that term. I hope that puts your mind at ease.
-
Oct. 22, 2012, 10:57 p.m. CST
Of course the main agenda is to crush gender roles here...
by nephilim138
since Larry got his twig and berries steamrolled into a vagina.
-
Of course I didn't. You miss the point of the device I was using, which is my fault. A thousand apologies.
-
Monty Cristo - You and Muldoon work for Harry fukin Knowles, one of the most established movie geeks in the visible universe who says your good shit, and you have established yourselves as some badass fukin writers with some unique perspectives that geek out on movies too, everytime you jump on the forums and get it a dickfight with some asshole it water-downs your viewpoint, fukin stick to yer guns and let them cayotes fight fer them scraps- stay out of it!!!
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 12:32 a.m. CST
This is the most embarassingly ass kissing review since Harry's PM review
by Crooooooow
Please put the kool aid down
-
The sum of the squares of the two sides of a right triangle is equal to the ... oh never mind I expected this movie to suck, everything post-Matrix I has sucked. I will be happy to be wrong
-
......only if you have the balls of course, and i would have to say that most of you don't and will never have the fukin sack to look at yourself and ask what the fuck have you done lately??? Jak fukin shit, continue to hate as you hate yourself....I mean why would a shallow ignorant asshole even think about seein a movie like this, its like Putin all of a sudden changing his mind and listening to pussy riot....All of you get the fuk outta here you fukin twats
-
I've found that responding to people is a good thing for my Talkbacks, fostering an actual dialogue, which can be fun and entertaining, whether directed at a person who seems nice and the most unreasonable troll, in different and delightful ways. Trolls don't hurt my feelings, not in the least. They do, however, scare off decent, reasonable commenters.
-
Hanks plays John Travolta during his 'I'm not even pretending to be straight anymore' phases
-
sue me
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 2:38 a.m. CST
This film looks beautiful, I'm just gutted that it's months before released in the uk
by rakesh patel
-
The Pythagorean Theorem is actually a very smart thing, since it took mankind thousands of years to figure it out. Many kids in school today still don't!
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 3:39 a.m. CST
I'm counting the minutes until some nob shows up and screams "pretentious shit" to a movie just because he can't keep up.
by albert comin
God forbid a movie challenges your intelligence and makes you raise up to the challenge. No, all movies should be "dumb fun" (contradiction in terms if there was ever one) because, like, nobody goes to the movies to feel smart, do they? (and what passes for smart today is tripe like "Prometheus"). Thank the movie gods that Stanley Kubrick wasn't too found on that dumb fun crap thing.
-
look the person that no one wants to get stuck talking to at a party is here! great............ grow up One day you will understand that all of these things that make you SO ANGRY aren't worth a flying caterpillar shit. They aren't. Life is about enjoyment (or yer doing it wrong) it's about learning and appreciating. if you are gonna spend most of it trying to find reasons to get outraged...well one day, yer gonna wake up and realize that you have been an unbearable douchebag to most of the world. It's a movie dude, sometimes black folks play white folks, sometimes the bad guys all have british accents, sometimes there are bad guys who are gay....(I know crazy right?) and SOMETIMES PEOPLE WHO AREN'T ASIAN PLAY ...ASIAN PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what's next ? Nebraska Face? I can hear it now........" that feller is not a cornhusker, they are shipping in Minnesotans!! dammit woman I told you this would happen!!!!!"
-
vangog you sock puppet, get Monty's soft cock out of your mouth and let him concentrate... oh dear too late - hes had to start his review over again. *It's taken me weeks to get this out. I've started, restarted, and revised this review countless times. I have ended up deleting everything that came before and re-composing from scratch.*
-
Although his Asian accent was atrocious. And the reviewer is right about Doona Bae, she steals every scene she's in. She should get an Oscar nomination for this. She also looks good naked.
-
Write a review, for fucks sake. That is why we are all here, right. Yeah, I'm sure this movie re-wired your synapses, to the point, you could not think straight. It is a little, shall we say, redundant. Y
-
the wachowski brother? hahahha god he makes for an ugly girl!
-
I'm opening a barrel of pity for some of you fools.
-
We need more films like that. Cloud Atlas sounds right up my alley.
-
...other than the "Fast and Furious" franchise, what other mainstream Hollywood films offer up multi-racial/ethnic, and non-stereotypical, casts?
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 8:16 a.m. CST
Hugo Weaving plays a woman who is truly a force of nature...
by TheMachinist
Um, Mr. Cristo? I think you've got a typo.
-
re: Hugo Weaving. That wasn't a typo.
-
So many stupid people out there. You guys bitch about Hollywood and hate on every product they put out. They try and make something that at least is visually different... And you guys hate on it. Great go see Pitch Perfect you fucking tools. I don't buy it anymore. I think most people on here aren't even geeks. Just assholes who line up for Blockbusters and teen flicks... When it comes to real movies they are either jealous because they can't make movies or too stupid to see them so they hate blindly.
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 10:50 a.m. CST
myphdisdoom, could not agree more. I shall see Cloud Atlas.
by Nichole
-
Yup, Time to watch it again.
-
They hate all films.
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 12:02 p.m. CST
A nice way to start the day. A positive review of a movie I'd like to see!
by D o o d
And I'd like to thank Monty for being really involved in the TB's. How many from AICN do it to this level..?
-
Total Agreement. I plan on seeing Cloud Atlas. If I like it I'm going to take the girlfriend, who's been dying for a film experience. Fuck the haters.
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 12:27 p.m. CST
As long as were far away from Southland Tales territory, I'm good.
by openthepodbaydoorshal
This and Life Of Pi look to be the visual delights of the season.
-
Sometimes it's really easy to tell the real geeks from the poseurs...astounding to me that there actually are 'geek poseurs' but it must be true given how quickly they resort to naval gazing self-loathing and dime-store psycho-babble transference. the types that go: "You NERDS make me laugh! haha! nerdrage! haha!" Yeah..right..as if this is Times Square and people of all sorts are having a random group conversation as opposed to what this really is, a movie geek's website, by and utterly for movie GEEKS, with a "room" full of movie geeks...some of which are clearly ashamed of their 'geekdom' and have to attempt to separate and validate themselves by hating on others for what they themselves are. if you self-loathing types on this site were politicians, you'd predictably and pathetically be pushing for anti-nerdism amendments in the constitution.
-
No. SAYING you're doing yellowface isn't the same thing as addressing how offensive it is. When I say they're not addressing the racebending, I'm saying they refuse to acknowledge the offense, refuse to discuss how Asian actors were left out of the casting process (except, apparently, as robot sex dolls). THAT is what I'm saying they aren't addressing, the Charlie Chan history of Hollywood. Where's the discussion on the cultural impact of yellowface, whitewashing and racebending?
-
I don't hate blockbusters and art films. What I will freely admit to hating are movies that position themselves as either, or both, by their own hollow statements. LOOKIT ME I'M A BLOCKBUSTER ART FILM! That's one of the many problems I have with CLOUD ATLAS.
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 1:25 p.m. CST
Oh, and of course, The Hobbit. Should go without saying, but still.
by Mark
-
I hope none of this is directed at me... Read my posts I dont hate CLOUD ATLAS, I simply think that its a bad joke that a guy can take WEEKS to write one movie review - WTF?! And then when they finally submit that review it has spelling mistakes in!! Imagine the editor of a newspaper waiting for his copy to arrive in the film review section... and waiting.. and waiting for WEEKS for one review. I know this site embraces amateurism but Monty here is redefining the term.
-
That's all in your head nintendarth. It's just a film, they release it, and the film makers have mostly good intentions on delivering a solid film. This thing you put in your head about what you think they're putting out there is all you. You see what you want to see. I see an ambitious film made from the heart. That's why Cloud Atlas is getting my money this weekend. If that puts you off then I don't know what you want. No commercials? Zero reviews? What would make you happy? For a film to be quiet and pretend it's not needed to be watched?
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 1:35 p.m. CST
@ ________emperor_______: here's the movie I want to see: You are driving along in a late-70s powder-blue Buick when you lose control of the vehicle, smash through the guard rail, and then die a fiery death at the bottom of a cliff.
by Mark
And I would love to watch this film over, and over, and over again. And I want the endless versions of myself from infinite parallel worlds to watch it as well, ad infinitum, with a Boba Fett action shoved up their asses.
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 1:36 p.m. CST
@Mr knowthyself, and the sad thing is that there's too few of them. Holywood is too unballanced toward dumb ass morinic shit movies.
by albert comin
-
I've an unnatural tolerance for trolling: http://www.dailydot.com/business/n-control-moises-chiullan-paul-christoforo/
-
On racebending, I'd recommend you see the film, come back, and then we both argue from the standpoint of having seen it. I respect your opinion and am not saying you're wrong so much as saying "let's both be on the same footing". The "look at me, look at me" nature of the marketing, well...that's simply how movies are marketed, yeah? They don't often craft advertisements like "see it if you feel like it. whatever........."
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 2:08 p.m. CST
Hey scirocco - guess what's coming out on November 11th on Blu Ray?
by openthepodbaydoorshal
Funny, we were just talking about it.
-
Taking weeks for something to post after seeing it is actually not uncommon, especially when there is a review embargo. I'll repeat once again that the movie is not yet out in release, and newspapers aren't publishing their reviews until this week either. As for minor spelling errors, they happen, and get corrected quickly. Go fuck yourself. You'll feel so much better.
-
You forgot to mention the AMAZING score.
-
To be used in movie trailers for the next decade.
-
cue my immediate "aw CRAP, I knew I missed something great!" reaction. [goes to buy score]
-
Anybody that can drop Ohrwurm in a movie review gets my German ass in the theater seat every time. Monty, thank you for the well thought out review. I'll go in to see Cloud Atlas with an open mind, and enjoy it for what it is. Also, no comment from me on race issues. I think Krauts have resoundingly lost that privilege. Ahem.
-
...I've yet to see a "great" movie with Halle Berry and that includes "Monster Ball". She's cute and capable but not the brilliant thespian so many apparently seem to think she is. I'd, of course, be delighted to be wrong on that. On the other hand, I've yet to see a bad Wachowski's movie (and yes, that includes both Matrix sequels), most often their works are at least good, if not, uniformly excellent..looking forward to this.
-
Released today, streaming on Spotify now. http://open.spotify.com/album/4dlXSkhBFFlGlvgQIiwmid
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 6:46 p.m. CST
Racebending aren't trashing the film, though. They're merely pointing out the shameless YELLOWFACE
by TheKiller7
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 6:47 p.m. CST
Which goes back to how Bruce Lee had to wear a MASK in the Green Hornet or lost the part in Kung Fu to a white guy.
by TheKiller7
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 6:48 p.m. CST
Is it bad to ask, "when the fudge are ASIAN MALE ACTORS GOING TO BE CAST TO PLAY ASIANS IN A LEADING PART?"
by TheKiller7
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 6:50 p.m. CST
Either way, this movie does seems to be one of those films that will try (& most likely fail) to be a #GameChanger
by TheKiller7
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 6:51 p.m. CST
So... all this race thing will die out after a few weeks after it comes out Nationally. So who cares.
by TheKiller7
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 6:53 p.m. CST
I will watch it though. I haven't made up my mind over it. I could be wrong. I hope so. There hasn't been a film out that has done that: PROMETHEUS
by TheKiller7
-
Flop.
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 7:39 p.m. CST
I'm curious how many people will see Atlas Shrugged thinking that it's Cloud Atlas...
by RedJester
-
I actually enjoyed Waterworld!! What's up with that??
-
I have such a powerful effect on you, evidently. Who is the master, and who is the slave?
-
Seriously, it put me off ever dating an Asian woman, the obsession Western geeks have with Asian women because they like Anime and Manga and Samurai and Wuxia...
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 9:24 p.m. CST
I'm excited, can't wait to see Cloud Atlas. Even if the geek next to me will be fapping to Doona Bae.
by Hardboiled Wonderland
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 9:25 p.m. CST
To the haters -- Cloud Atlas intends to do exactly what The Matrix intended to do
by Hardboiled Wonderland
Entertain and open minds/hearts. No more, no less.
-
Oct. 23, 2012, 10:22 p.m. CST
_____emperor_______: Who is the slave? Your mom is. To my cock.
by Mark
-
I haven't seen the movie (yet) or read the book, but even I can tell from what little I've read that the reason they use the same actors playing different characters/races is to reinforce the idea that we are all connected. It's a concept, not a conspiracy. Grow up.
-
It could be simply Tragic - not enough Explosions. SO boring. You want me to follow SIX storylines? I can barely follow two. AS for The Hobbit - don't know if i'll be able to take the "Barrel of Mirth" provided by the gaggle of Disney Hobbits. So cute and Lovable. Ughh!
-
This movie now has my attention. Even more so than Life Of Pi, now that I think about it.
-
Idf you think asian females only have attraction to the geeks, you should seriously revise your sexual orientation, because the fetish about asian women is very widespread among western men, and it it's universal not just limited to geek culture and has nothing to do with manga and anime. Western guys love asian chicks because they are hot! This thing shouldn't even be questioned by any western heterosexual male.
-
There's absolutly nothing wrong in enjoying "Waterworld". Hold your ground and stick to your guns, for your cause is just.
-
Oct. 24, 2012, 10:29 a.m. CST
Words can barely express my lack of interest in this one...
by ScriptCunt
A rental... maybe.
-
But with 100% less Huey Lewis cock. Looks interesting though. Might catch it at one of those AMC Best Picture fests if gets a best picture nod. I think it will because it has Tom Hanks in it. Anyone remember "Incredibly Loud and Really Fucking Stupid" from last year? Didn't think so.
-
I am always bemused by comments like yours. There are dozens of films I am not interested in. I've never once felt the need to visit message boards devoted to them and profess said indifference. What motivates you?
-
Oct. 24, 2012, 5:21 p.m. CST
It's weird watching the Matrix special features with Larry talking knowing that's he's about to get his schlong cut off and then turn into Run Lola Run.
by peter
-
You know what motivates us to say we aren't going to see it? The fact that absolutely everyone is screaming that we SHOULD. It's practically an act of REBELLION on a site like this to say you're not going to see HOLY MOTORS or CLOUD ATLAS, and to articulate WHY. This is especially true when everyone says Hey, I know it looks like a pile of pretentious garbage, but it's really NOT. It's SPECIAL. Yoiu HAVE to see it. You MUST. Landru has spoken! Plus, there's a special kind of satisfaction in saying NO! when you're pretty much 100 percent aware that the viewing public, of which everyone who sees a movie is a part, speaks in one united voice to tell Hollywood that they are NOT buying what Hollywood is selling. It's a very strong feeling of satisfaction, in fact, when you can join with intelligent moviegoers and speak out in one united front to say Hey, Hollywood, we're NOT going to accept HOLY MOTORS. We're NOT going to accept CLOUD ATLAS. We're NOT going to accept LIFE OF PI. We're NOT going to see DREDD! We're NOT going to see ATTACK THE BLOCK! We're NOT going to see KICK-ASS! We're NOT going to see SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE BOX-OFFICE. We're NOT going to see SNAKES ON A PLANE! And, most especially, WE'RE NOT GOING TO SEE -JOHN CARTER-! Oh, and for the record, no, we're not going to see LONE RANGER either. Sorry, Disney. You've flopped-up again. But yes, we will see INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. It's also satisfying to see ads for a movie like CLOUD ATLAS after everyone has done all their work and the sites are madly promoting it and pwesents are flowing and to KNOW that if you were a producer you would tell them they simply couldn't make the movie for more than the likely $9-15 million opening weekend's total tally as the film's entire budget because a movie these days needs to make its budget back in the first couple of weekends. It's a good feeling to know if you were up there playing the producer game you'd be capable of making smarter decisions than te people who actually play with production money. Because anyone with a brain knows CLOUD ATLAS is headed for the discount $5.00 Blu-Ray bin. It could be the most magical cinemagoing experience of the last 50 years and it would still be headed for that bin. There's simply no audience on Earth for that film. It doesn't tell a story anyone really wants to hear. It doesn't offer anything new in terms of 3D or visual spectacle. People have rejected the whole wow-look-lots-of-ships CGI technology as a whole and the movie is headed for COSMIC flop levels, destined to crash and burn harder than a lot of films that DIDn'T deserve it. Unfortunately, just about EVERYTHING connected with CLOUD ATLAS looks like it was made - per the so-called vision of the Washawskis who started their arc of megastardom with bullet time and ended it with penis time - with an eye toward pleasing the fanboy audience that made MATRIX and duster jacket sales skyrocket to the top. Except that the fanboys didn't do that. Normal moviegoers did. Because fanboys, as calculated over and over again, account for about $30 million dollars. Oops.
-
Oct. 25, 2012, 1:47 p.m. CST
Dang, I just found out the director OF Run Lola Run actually did work on this with Larry/Lana. In the above comment I was referencing Larry's new hair.
by peter
-
So, you could've saved a lot of time and energy by typing "Because it makes us feel important. Because in our sweaty, masturbatory fantasies, Hollywood executives are reading our posts here and deciding which movies to make." Guess what? They don't care. They care about receipts. Not attending the movie will speak louder than any post you ever make here, no matter how many caps and exclamation points you put in it.
-
Oct. 26, 2012, 10:31 a.m. CST
Anyone remember "Incredibly Loud and Really Fucking Stupid"
by kevinwillis.net
Damn. That's exactly what that movie should have been called. Perfect.
Top Talkbacks
- JAMES GANDOLFINI 1961-2013 -- 191 total posts 38 posts
- Ages And Genders!! Casting Breakdown For Seven Characters Headed For J.J. Abrams’ STAR WARS: EPISODE VII?? -- 299 total posts 38 posts
- Mary Jane Watson is NOT going to be a part of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2! -- 284 total posts 22 posts
- A New KICK-ASS 2 International Poster!! -- 66 total posts 14 posts
- A Few Nice "Making Of' Pics From THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2!! -- 142 total posts 12 posts
- Sweet knights of Colombus!! A new trailer for ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES has been unleashed!! -- 147 total posts 11 posts
- ‘It’s The Least Of Your Problems!!’ Hercules Has Seen Tonight’s Big HANNIBAL Finale!! -- 9 total posts 9 posts
- David S. Goyer And Mr. Beaks Talk MAN OF STEEL Spoilers! DA VINCI'S DEMONS,100 BULLETS And JUSTICE LEAGUE Also Discussed! -- 593 total posts 8 posts
- AICN COMICS REVIEWS: WOLVERINE! THE TRUE LIVES OF THE FABULOUS KILLJOYS! SPACE 1999! LIBERATOR! & MORE! -- 59 total posts 7 posts
- Trailer for the Michael Cera Drug-Fueled Roadtrip CRYSTAL FAIRY!!! -- 55 total posts 7 posts