Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
My least favorite of his. I was one and done with this film.
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FBG Movie Club - DotM: Denis Villeneuve (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter KarmaPolice
- Start date
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
His movies with Deakins are probably the best from an overall visual perspective. Didn’t totally realize that until going through his whole filmography for this thread.
The Gator
Footballguy
Man I love this one.
I watched it twice before returning the DVD (redBox was still a think then iirc lol ).
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
I watched dune for the first time the other night. It was ok. I guess I liked the last 30 minutes the best, that felt the most realistic and most Villeneuve-y. I’m not a big sci fi or fantasy guy. I will say that I thought chalamet was pretty good, not sure I’ve ever really seen any of his movies.
Ilov80s
Footballguy
Interesting. I don’t want to spoil it but I thought the ending was an Empire Strikes Back level twist I don’t recall seeing very often.
jwb
Footballguy
I liked it a lot.
I stayed pretty engaged even though it could be characterized as slow. I particularly liked that the main character
did nothing really, which followed why they had her there in the first place.
I also appreciated that he let the story develop without really telling us anything. Coming from Marty last month, who liked to explain every last thing, Villeneuve seems content to let you figure it out. It was the same way with Dune - lot of stuff happening but little explaination, but you eventually got it (more on Dune later.)
Ilov80s
Footballguy
Been a really slow movie watching month for me, longest in awhile. I've had so much going on from family stuff to fun nights out to looking for a new job for next year. I am just now firing up for Denis month. Going in for a 2nd watch of Sicario...I love how this just hits the ground running right from the jump. The descent into Jaurez feels like Dune. The deep looming music, the desert. You can see it all right here.
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KarmaPolice
Footballguy
I've been thinking about it the last couple days and I've come to the realization that I am being overly cautious in any negative comments that I refraining from not posting at all. I've been watching Denis and Denis adjacent movies this month, but stupidly have been not posting because I didn't absolutely love them. Not sure why me giving something a solid B or B+ is such a bad thing, but I guess that's where I was.
I think what is going on is that maybe I should have been more clear about who we are deciding on each month or why to the group. These aren't our top directors or anything. Some might be for sure as we saw with Wilder and Spielberg. Some might be directors that we aren't sure about but think are interesting enough to start the discussion. Some are going to be decided on by voting or without input from the other during our birthday months. It's all good, and enjoy the journey.
Long story short, I watched a few more Denis movies and my opinion hasn't changed much - I think he make very good movies that look amazing. I prefer old Denis over sci-fi blockbuster Denis, but based on the way they look and the care he puts into them, I can't think of anybody else I'd rather be in charge of these properties either. At the end of the day that is more not connecting with the source materials or big blockbusters than it has to do with him or his talent.
Ilov80s
Footballguy
I love the point I bolded. He is so strong with detail. If I had a script, novel, idea, etc. Denis is the person I would feel most comfortable bringing it to life- especially if it was complicated. I just fired up the directors cut of Blade Runner now so I can then rewatch BR2049. I am pretty sure my big takeaway will be Blade Runner is the greatest sci-fi movie of all time but Denis is one of the few making movies that can challenge it.
The Gator
Footballguy
Blew my mind the first time i watched it. Absolutely love it
Ilov80s
Footballguy
The way it interweaves the visuals, sound and story is exceptional.
ETA: I forgot about 2001...I do think these are the contenders for best of sci-fi
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jwb
Footballguy
Just watched Arrival. I really enjoyed it. Very visual, very trippy story (eventually), and it kept me very engaged. Which is cool because it's a movie about... talking? Besides his big, visual style, that's been my biggest takeaway - Denis keeps me very interested in the subject and the story where someone else might bore me to tears.
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
I could watch the opening of Blade Runner on a loop. If you need something to demo your surround sound system - that's the one.
The only minor gripe I have with BR2049 is the stuff with Joi is too drawn out and causes the movie to bog down. But Ana de Armas is Joi so you can live with it.
I'm bummed it didn't perform well at the box office. I think a third film that shows how/if the Replicants get free would be awesome. That trope is probably my favorite in sci-fi and is why I love similar things like Westworld and Battlestar Galactica.
the moops
Footballguy
Ilov80s
Footballguy
Tonight is a first watch of David Lynch's Dune. Pretty much exactly what I imagine when I think of everything bad about sci-fi. Laughably bad. A true flex by Denis to nail this story and make-up for this disaster. I saw an exceptionally great review from Janet Maslin, "Several of the characters in Dune are psychic, which puts them in the unique position of being able to understand what goes on in the movie"
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
Very 4/20 movie.
Eephus
Footballguy
Incendies (2010)
Sorry I've been AWOL from the DotM but family stuff has interfered with my movie watching. Incendies was only my fifth film overall for the month which is a very slow month for me. I needed some time to work myself into a place to be able to deal with the subject matter of Incendies.
It's Villeneuve's final Canadian film and his last one to be filmed in French (and Arabic). It's an adaptation of Wajdi Mouawad's stage play based on the life of Lebanese Communist activist Souha Bechara. Villeneuve abstracts the location and character a bit to make the film's themes more universal. It's very impressive how the film's broad canvas transcends its origins on stage. It's an ingenious script that combines a mystery, a quest, a family drama and current events. When I reflected back afterwards and knew what Nawal knew, I thought the gimmick of her letters for her children to deliver was a bit contrived but in the moment, it was a clever way to set up the parallel storylines of Nawal and her daughter. I thought the twist ending worked although I could see it coming and it was a leap from the ambiguity of the rest of the film.
It's a powerful film that is made even stronger by its restraint. Villeneuve's technique is subtle with little of the flashy editing that we saw from Spielberg and Scorsese. The dialog is sparse and the pacing is generally deliberative. When there is violence, it's presented in a realistic, non-exploitative way. Incendies is beautifully shot by Villeneuve's Quebecois contemporary Andre Turpin; you can feel the heat and dust from the Middle Eastern locations.
Sorry I've been AWOL from the DotM but family stuff has interfered with my movie watching. Incendies was only my fifth film overall for the month which is a very slow month for me. I needed some time to work myself into a place to be able to deal with the subject matter of Incendies.
It's Villeneuve's final Canadian film and his last one to be filmed in French (and Arabic). It's an adaptation of Wajdi Mouawad's stage play based on the life of Lebanese Communist activist Souha Bechara. Villeneuve abstracts the location and character a bit to make the film's themes more universal. It's very impressive how the film's broad canvas transcends its origins on stage. It's an ingenious script that combines a mystery, a quest, a family drama and current events. When I reflected back afterwards and knew what Nawal knew, I thought the gimmick of her letters for her children to deliver was a bit contrived but in the moment, it was a clever way to set up the parallel storylines of Nawal and her daughter. I thought the twist ending worked although I could see it coming and it was a leap from the ambiguity of the rest of the film.
It's a powerful film that is made even stronger by its restraint. Villeneuve's technique is subtle with little of the flashy editing that we saw from Spielberg and Scorsese. The dialog is sparse and the pacing is generally deliberative. When there is violence, it's presented in a realistic, non-exploitative way. Incendies is beautifully shot by Villeneuve's Quebecois contemporary Andre Turpin; you can feel the heat and dust from the Middle Eastern locations.
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
Ilov80s
Footballguy
If I hadn't see the recent Dune movies, I would have had zero clue what was going on in this thing despite the constant narration. One of the worst movies I've seen in awhile.
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
As the only person who understood the assignment, I watched sicario and sicario: da my of the Soldado this weekend. It is fairly clear, when paying attention, that the violence in the sequel is so much more performative. In the original, it is super quick and abrupt in contrast to the wide shots and expansive breathability of the original. As Deakins describes Here
In day of the soldado, there are a lot more exteriors and closeups, making for a much different film and leaning into action movie tropes. Now, it does seem like the script of the second one is more invested in the personal feelings of Matt and Alejandro and the relationship between Alejandro and reyes’ daughter is cool, so that does lend itself to a different style. But I still greatly prefer the first one and the overwhelming ambiguity of what everyone is doing and morality in general.
the moops
Footballguy
Curious how this goes for you. One of my favorite movies I have ever seen, but I tend to love alien movies
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
I'm betting you'll like it.
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
The actual aliens are really least important part of the movie
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
I'm planning a rewatch of Incendies. I'd say this and Arrival are my favorite of his, but I've only seen in the once. I want a rewatch to make sure.
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
There's a dearth of sci-fi that is patient, touches on human emotions, and remains enjoyable.
I'm not sure I'd call it "beloved" in the pantheon of sci-fi movies though.
Amy Adams just does a great job of conveying the lifetime of emotions her character experiences in such a short time.
I think it posits some very interesting questions - the primary being "If you could see your whole life from start to finish, would you change things?" Would you endure the worst pain imaginable for a parent if it meant you got to experience the joy? Would you be judged for putting your child through that, knowing in advance what would happen to them?
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KarmaPolice
Footballguy
Yeah, the parent-kid relationship and the choices she makes really hit home. Like Andy said as well, there is just a general void of good, intelligent sci-fi.
That said, after a rewatch Incendes is still my favorite of his, followed by Arrival.
That said, after a rewatch Incendes is still my favorite of his, followed by Arrival.
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
I will post the next director tomorrow. 80s and I wanted to gear up for blockbuster season and summer, but with some twists and turns. We also were talking and wanted to make some connections to themes, movies, and directors featured in other threads and countdowns. The FFA will directly decide 2 of the months. June and September are 80s' and my birthday months so each of us will choose a director to feature without input.
We will have blockbusters, dramas, kids movies, scares, and our first foreign language director.
We will have blockbusters, dramas, kids movies, scares, and our first foreign language director.
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
Eephus
Footballguy
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
This was one of the few Villeneuve films that I had watched going into this month. I didn't care for it much the first time around but I thought I might enjoy it more coming in with a better understanding of the story. This turned out to be true but only to an extent because I still didn't love it. Science Fiction isn't my favorite genre; the future it imagined was visually interesting but raised more questions than the script answered.
I acknowledge it's the type of movie that would play much better in a theater. The scale and strange beauty of the visuals are diminished on a small screen but the glacial pacing becomes more problematic as well. Everything develops so slowly that it taxed my patience. I suppose this makes the sudden acts of violence stand out more but that's hardly worth the wait. A director like Walter Hill could have told the same story in under two hours. Gosling was good, de Armas conveyed the mixture of fantasy and reality and Harrison Ford wore the same weary scowl as I did as the film entered its third hour.
This was one of the few Villeneuve films that I had watched going into this month. I didn't care for it much the first time around but I thought I might enjoy it more coming in with a better understanding of the story. This turned out to be true but only to an extent because I still didn't love it. Science Fiction isn't my favorite genre; the future it imagined was visually interesting but raised more questions than the script answered.
I acknowledge it's the type of movie that would play much better in a theater. The scale and strange beauty of the visuals are diminished on a small screen but the glacial pacing becomes more problematic as well. Everything develops so slowly that it taxed my patience. I suppose this makes the sudden acts of violence stand out more but that's hardly worth the wait. A director like Walter Hill could have told the same story in under two hours. Gosling was good, de Armas conveyed the mixture of fantasy and reality and Harrison Ford wore the same weary scowl as I did as the film entered its third hour.
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
You're not wrong @Eephus . It is too long by about 15 minutes. I feel that way about a lot of movies and when the genre isn't in your wheelhouse it can make it seem even longer. I think as a general rule the maximum length a movie should be is 2.5 hours. The sweet spot is 2 hours.
The examples that spring immediately to mind for me are Shawshank, The Godfather, and Lawrence of Arabia. Sure they're all epic (especially, of course, the latter two) but it just gets to be a lot.
The original Blade Runner has this in parts too. It's pretty dull when Deckard goes gumshoe.
But the theme of "More human than human" is expanded in BR2049 in such an interesting way that I can live with the fluff stuff to get to it.
The examples that spring immediately to mind for me are Shawshank, The Godfather, and Lawrence of Arabia. Sure they're all epic (especially, of course, the latter two) but it just gets to be a lot.
The original Blade Runner has this in parts too. It's pretty dull when Deckard goes gumshoe.
But the theme of "More human than human" is expanded in BR2049 in such an interesting way that I can live with the fluff stuff to get to it.
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Eephus
Footballguy
I don't think there's necessarily a "right" length for movies as a whole. Some stories are complex and warrant more time to tell. I don't believe BR 2049 merited its length; there weren't many characters and it sure didn't spend its time on exposition. Parts of it were just slow for slow's sake. There was a scene without dialog where Gosling's character opens a box containing a sock. I didn't time it but it must have taken three or four minutes to show the box and reveal its contents. Howard Hawks would have knocked that out in 15 seconds.
BR 2049's themes were thought provoking but I thought Incendies had more to say about humanity.
BR 2049's themes were thought provoking but I thought Incendies had more to say about humanity.
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
Going to post the new DotM now as I think about what to write. I will say that Waterworld was probably a better idea than I thought at first as a bridge between the two directors and themes 80s and I were thinking and joking about. That said, it's every bit as terrible as I remember so it was more of the reverse of what we were going for.
We will heading right back to the desert for May, so I just wanted a world without sand for the night.
. post-apocalyptic themes ties it together as does a level of ridiculousness.
We will heading right back to the desert for May, so I just wanted a world without sand for the night.
. post-apocalyptic themes ties it together as does a level of ridiculousness.
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
Wow, Walter hill’s blade runner would be something.
Rick deckard, come out an pla-a-ayyy
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
George Miller?Going to post the new DotM now as I think about what to write. I will say that Waterworld was probably a better idea than I thought at first as a bridge between the two directors and themes 80s and I were thinking and joking about. That said, it's every bit as terrible as I remember so it was more of the reverse of what we were going for.
We will heading right back to the desert for May, so I just wanted a world without sand for the night.
