MetaChat - 'Tis the season for movies I don't understand. *SPOILERS*

MetaChat is an informal place for MeFites to touch base and post, discuss and chatter about topics that may not belong on MetaFilter. Questions? Check the FAQ. Please note: This is important.

19 March 2009

'Tis the season for movies I don't understand. *SPOILERS* →[More:]

I haven't spoiled anything (yet) but there could be potential spoilers.

SPOILER ALERT

Movies discussed: Synecdoche, New York, Old Joy, Wendy and Lucy, and Two Lovers.

I watched Synecdoche, New York two nights ago. It is full of metaphors and symbolism, and I like those clever kinds of movies, but the second half was so incredibly boring for me. I don't think I am to dim to understand this movie because the voice-over at the end spoon-fed the audience the message of the movie. I found Seymour-Hoffman's character unappealing, especially after the first 30 minutes. Perhaps that is the point. Is it? I'm not sure.

Not too long ago I saw Old Joy. We watched from start to finish and we were glued. I think we were waiting for something to happen. I don't understand the fascination with this movie. It was compelling but I'm not sure why.

Tomorrow night is a double feature. First we're seeing Wendy and Lucy and then onto Timecrimes. Like Old Joy, I heard Wendy and Lucy is a movie about a whole lot of nothing.

Two weeks ago I saw Two Lovers. It's very well done -- it flows perfectly and the acting is fabulous. Loved it.

If you liked Synecdoche, New York and/or Old Joy I would love to hear your take.

post by: LoriFLA at: 13:22 | 12 comments

I watched Synecdoche the other night. The thing I liked the best was that it taught me how to pronounce "synecdoche", which I had only seen in writing prior to this movie coming out.

I mostly agree with your take on it--the movie tried too hard to be clever and failed to produce any characters I cared about. The concept was the least interesting of the other Kaufman movies I've seen--perhaps it was the subtle theme combined with the grandiose presentation that fell flat for me. But PSH is great as always, so it's not unbearable.

I also agree with your take on Old Joy. To me, it felt like there was a dramatic event waiting to explode from under the surface of the sweet and simple "old friends catch up and have a nice time" plot.

posted by mullacc 19 March | 13:47

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I liked every other Kaufman movie as well. I had big hopes for this one. Diane Wiest is one of my favorite actors so the second half wasn't completely boring. Actually, the entire cast was very good.

posted by LoriFLA 19 March | 15:51

Last night I watched Lynch's Inland Empire, which made no sense whatsoever until I realized this was a girl who was catnapping in front of a TV, drifting in and out of her dreams, and merging the TV shows, her thoughts, her memories and her fantasies. The film is pure stream of consciousness.

This isn't a spoiler because Lynch does not make it explicit, and I doubt 1 person in 20 will even figure out that that is what is happening. In fact, even knowing that up front may not prevent a first-time viewer from finding this movie maddening as hell.

posted by Ardiril 19 March | 16:04

I liked Synechdoche, but I can't really describe why. It seemed grandly sad, almost like Liza Minelli at the end of Cabaret. Maybe because I watched it during a period where I was having morbidly obsessive thoughts about growing old and dying. Maybe because it reminded me of a crazy mixed-up version of The Tempest.

posted by muddgirl 19 March | 16:20

I liked Old Joy a lot. Mostly, it was atmospheric and not really about the plot, sure, but I think the scene at the hot spring, when Kurt goes to give Mark a massage, was really somewhat climactic. I mean, sure, Kurt's this fuck up, but only this fuck up would be able to offer another (naked) guy a massage and it not be weird. The moment I remember most is when Mark's hand drops into the tub, totally relaxed, just giving in to the moment.

I guess I know a lot of people like Kurt, artists, pot heads, ravers, who don't really do much, who have all these weird ideas about the world and odd-ball philosophies and such, but are good people, none the less. No, you can't really count on them, and they'll get you lost and you'll end up camping in a garbage dump, but they're also the only ones with whom you'll ever have any transcendent moments, too, who won't judge you, who'll groove on your enthusiasm, whatever it is that you're enthusiastic for.

Or, hey, maybe I'm projecting.

posted by mrmoonpie 19 March | 16:24

mrmoonpie, I think you described it perfectly.

Husband and I are were disappointed to learn in the credits that you can't go nude in those hot springs and you can't bring beer.

One memorable line for me in Synechdoche was (paraphrasing) There is nobody watching you and there never was.

posted by LoriFLA 19 March | 16:59

The thing I liked the best was that it taught me how to pronounce "synecdoche"

So how do you pronounce it? I'd say "sinnek-dow-chay"

posted by essexjan 19 March | 17:48

ej: si-nek-duh-kee

The movie takes place in Schenectady, NY, which is pronounced almost the same as synecdoche. I would have pronounced like you did before hearing it spoken.

posted by mullacc 19 March | 19:19

[Synechdoche, NY] seemed grandly sad

Ah, perfectly phrased!

posted by Elsa 19 March | 19:31

I would have pronounced like you did before hearing it spoken.

... which puts you both ahead of me: I've been saying "SIN-ek-doke" my whole flippin' life. Doy.

When I first watched Synecdoche, I was surprised to find how tense it made me, and how very hostile I was to the film. An hour or two in, I relaxed a little and started to... "enjoy" isn't quite the word. I guess I stopped being so resistant to the film's internal logic. I watched it again the next night and found it a bit less wrenching, and far more lovely: haunting and elegiac.

[I think I should mark the following as a small spoiler for Synecdoche, even in a spoiler-blocked thread.] Initially, I thought the time confusion started only after the head injury, but on close examination, it becomes evident that time is slipping fast right from the start: the breakfast sequence occurs over two months, if we trust the dates given by the radio and newspaper[s].

posted by Elsa 19 March | 19:40

I watched Synecdoche a week ago and it still haunts my thoughts. I absolutely loved it. I'd put it on par with BJM and ESOTSM (I didn't like Adaptation at all).

posted by rocket88 19 March | 21:24

A buddy sent me a link (lost it) to a list of "films unwatchable a second time", and now my downloads folder is full of depressing, heavy stuff.

Of this batch I would like to strongly recommend The Seventh Continent.

posted by Meatbomb 21 March | 05:25

← METALLO! METALLO! || Bunny! OMG! →

HOME || REGISTER || LOGIN