Leaving Las Vegas left me with a surprisingly uplifted feeling of hope. I don’t know if it was intended to do that.
phil417
August 25, 2008, 6:32am
162
Two movies from the early 1970’s: Easy Rider & Last Tango in Paris. Everyone praised them as fine examples of cinematic art. I was bored & depressed. Easy Riderwas reviewed as “an exestential (sp?) ride through America,” and Last Tangowas hailed as “Marlin Brand’s finest performance to date”. Ho hum.
Ersatz Schmoe , I agree with you re Michael Moore.
Love, Phil
Agreed! (Spoilers follow)
The utterly appalling literary conceit that her lies and sanctimony which ruined the lives of innocent young lovers could be atoned by writing a book in which they had a happy ending was infuriating. The idea that Briony in some sense “gave them” a happy ending is patent bullshit. They were dead. She gave them nothing at all. It only works (to the extent that it works at all) by the simple illusion that the false happy ending looks as real as the “true” bits by virtue of the fact that it is all a movie. But the loony pointlessness of the atonement couldn’t possibly work in real life, and any attempt at it would look like the shallow, vain undertaking it was.
Y’know, I’m pretty sure you just described the kind of reaction you were intended to have. This movie is a tragedy .