Boredom Threshold
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Maksimov
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Everyone I know who have watched the movie have said it's pretty crap. Even my comic book collecting brother didn't think it was good and he will watch any old movie based on a comic book that he owns/likes. I've seen about ten minutes of it and based on that I have no interest in watching it all the way through. I like the idea of just going mad with it and combining all sorts of fictional characters in one story, so I think I'll borrow (some of)the comic books from my brother to see what it's supposed to be about. It is Alan Moore's creation afterall so I'm expecting it to be at least half decent(the comics, not the movie).
Maksimov
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If you want to list Costner's films that should be avoided, you really have to mention Waterworld and The Postman(Waterworld on land). SO. VERY. BORING.
moi
Welcome back, twin! XXX
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Life is Beautiful is a fabulous film. Classifying it as simply a heart wrenching drama is far too dismissive and if you are to do that you may as well pigeon hole, for example, Titanic and The English Patient in the same category.
The juxtaposition of one of the most brutal crimes against humanity and a connection of humour between a father and his child is superb but the longer the film goes on the more it becomes apparent that there is only a limited period that Guido can shield his son from the reality of the Nazi camp. Then you start to query the wisdom of Guido's fatherly approach and protection of his son and you start to realise that this is a remarkably common story but told with a brutal back drop.
Aside from the actual story the tecnhical nature of the film is also superb. It is fantasically well shot and just now and again the direction brings you crashing back to reality with a scenes like the one where Guido comes across the dead bodies recently gassed. It jolts you out of the almost feel good factor you were building up and almost crushingly reminds you that a happy ending is very unlikely.
In response to references to the Coen brothers and Liam's art house remark I actually had a similar thought just yesterday. I am a big fan of the Coen brothers but for some reason didn't get round to watching 'No Country for Old men' until last weekend. For me this is a perfect example of Liam's art house theory - desperately disappointing and riding high purely because of the Coen brother's reputation and emperor's new clothes syndrome.
The juxtaposition of one of the most brutal crimes against humanity and a connection of humour between a father and his child is superb but the longer the film goes on the more it becomes apparent that there is only a limited period that Guido can shield his son from the reality of the Nazi camp. Then you start to query the wisdom of Guido's fatherly approach and protection of his son and you start to realise that this is a remarkably common story but told with a brutal back drop.
Aside from the actual story the tecnhical nature of the film is also superb. It is fantasically well shot and just now and again the direction brings you crashing back to reality with a scenes like the one where Guido comes across the dead bodies recently gassed. It jolts you out of the almost feel good factor you were building up and almost crushingly reminds you that a happy ending is very unlikely.
In response to references to the Coen brothers and Liam's art house remark I actually had a similar thought just yesterday. I am a big fan of the Coen brothers but for some reason didn't get round to watching 'No Country for Old men' until last weekend. For me this is a perfect example of Liam's art house theory - desperately disappointing and riding high purely because of the Coen brother's reputation and emperor's new clothes syndrome.
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Maksimov
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Sure...pigeonholeing always oversimplifies things, but it also makes it easier to talk about things like art. It was Moi who said she hates all heart wretching dramas and I think Life is Beautiful could be put in that territory. The theme of the movie is big, but it just doesn't quite deliver. To me Life is Beautiful is just the sort of film you're talking about that people are expected like just based on the hype and reputation and what not. I just didn't see what the fuss is about.
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Fair enough although clearly I entirely disagree! I think it is a stunning film and was ridiculously criticised for belittling holocaust victims. There is no shortage of evil menace throughout the Nazi camp section of the film, it just emphasises it by contrasting the innocence of a child against the brutality of the Holocaust rather than resorting to the easier route of packing the film with images of suffering.
The first half of the film introduces Guido as a character who deals with life's 'trivial' ups and downs through humour and the second half shows him take that and use it, not to protect himself, but to shelter his child whilst underneath he grieves for the assumed loss of his wife and the reality that he, and his son, will probably meet a horrific fate.
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moi
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Yes, I did say I hated all "heart-wrenching dramas" - because to me that phrase epitomises all that is calculated and cynically manipulative about films like Titanic.
I don't see Life is Beautiful in those terms at all. Quite the opposite - it avoids cheap appeal to sentiment, but portrays the desperate courage of a father using the only gift he has to protect his child from reality.
I don't see Life is Beautiful in those terms at all. Quite the opposite - it avoids cheap appeal to sentiment, but portrays the desperate courage of a father using the only gift he has to protect his child from reality.
Maksimov
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Fair enough...we'll have to agree about disagreeing on this one. It just didn't feel "genuine" and "honest"(if you know what I mean) to me and there was something about Benigni's performance...I just couldn't fully get behind the character(emotionally)...if that makes any sense(hopefully my explanation is not lost in translation). It's not a bad movie...I like the idea of how it tries to handle the theme, but it just doesn't manage to move me emotionally quite as much as I feel like I should when watching the movie. Like I mentioned, it didn't feel "genuine" and "honest", but instead I got a feeling the movie was trying too hard to impress. It's hard to explain it, but I just didn't "believe" Benigni's character, if that makes any sense.
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