I am probably underthinking the whole thing, to be honest. It felt like, to me,…
Naomi Watts woke up after the blue box was opened and looked into. I take it that almost the entire 2 hours before this was some kind of dream or hallucination. Now she is awake and we learn more about what her actual life is…like, not so great.
This does not explain the segments of the main movie with the director or really anything that Watts was not in. It also does not explain how those old people showed up and attacked her at the end.
I think he put as much thought into this movie as he did Twin Peaks. Lots of great mysteries, few actual coherent answers.
We just watched “The Courier” , an Amazon original movie. A real life story of a British businessman around the time of the Cuban missile crisis who ends up carrying messages back and forth between a Russian spy and the UK/US.
Well acted (Cumberbatch and Brosnahan amongst others) good production, convincing sets etc. Obviously fairly predictable and they don’t try to action it up or throw in any implausible stuff to make it more james bond like, which is a good thing obviously.
Not mind blowing but if you are wondering what to watch and are not needing to think a lot and just want to see a story told that’s well made, it’s a solid movie.
ETA If you don’t know the story of Greville Wynne , dont google it before watching so to preserve some level of mystery as to what will happen to who.
I agree with your interpretation. Here’s my take on the parts I’ve quoted:
Diane and Camilla were lovers, but it all ended when Camilla was chosen over her for the same part and became the director’s partner. I think Diane paid to have Camilla killed, the guilt drove her crazy and she became delusional, inventing all manner of things to avoid the awful truth, which is that she’s not very talented or nice. Her delusions include the audition scene, in which she’s a stunningly talented actress; the conspiracy that prevents her from being chosen for the part; and, in general, her perky, up-and-coming Betty Elms persona. The monster behind the diner, which is apparently just a homeless person, represents the truth that’s too awful for Diane to consider. When she finally gets a glimpse of reality, it’s too much for her to bear, and the old married couple chasing her at the end are another delusion (wholesome turned sinister).
If you like thinking about these things, there are some entertaining details on both sides of the curtain between the two worlds. A really weird example (and maybe just my imagination) are the dog turds that Coco is seen picking up in the first half and may be Diane’s interpretation of the pecans that she sees her eating in the second half.
I like to think that “Diane Selwyn” is based on “die and sell win.”
Yes, more or less. I think with David Lynch, he also throws things in to make it not entirely solvable. It’s like LOST, but he actually meant it to not have a proper solution/resolution.
Note: I would watch a LOST style show from Lynch-Snow in a heartbeat. Shame they never had major TV success after Twin Peaks.
Yeah, I think you’re right about that. A lot of it can be figured out, and the parts that can’t are probably a source of enjoyment for him. Great, great film, IMO. Some of the scenes are extremely moving for me.
Chef (Netflix). Jon Favreau and John Leguizamo drive a food truck from Miami to LA.
I saw it in the theaters when it first came out (2014) but just saw it again and remembered how much I love this movie. If you like food, if you like fathers and sons getting together, if you like music – the sound track is awesome – see it!!
Respect (theater!) Our first foray back inside a movie theater since March 2020 was to see the Aretha Franklin biopic.
Mixed feelings. First: I love Aretha’s music. Jennifer Hudson is a great singer, and a good actress, and the performance scenes – and especially, the scenes of constructing the recordings with Muscle Shoals – are excellent. And Aretha’s life story is compelling and dramatic.
But the writing is mediocre, and the supporting cast (except for her first husband, Ted White) are cyphers: “who is that … Dinah Washington? a sister? her father’s girlfriend…?” I’d give it a 6.5 out of 10.
(Our last movie theater experience was Once Were Brothers, the documentary about Robbie Robertson and The Band. So, also about pop music of the 70’s. We may need to broaden our movie going horizons.
The Kid Detective - not sure what I can add to what’s already been said in this thread, except to note that for a “comedy” it’s really quite grim a lot of the time. Also, the main character has some absolutely shitty parents. But it is indeed an excellent film.
Extinct - Currently streaming, this is yet another “cute animated animals film that will have an inevitable toy line spinoff” offering. That said, apart from me grumbling “Oh look - another film set in China! What are the odds?” it’s not bad - there are a lot of unexpectedly funny moments and some blink-and-you-miss-it Easter eggs to look for. Takes a really disturbing turn during the denouement, but as family films go it’s all good.
Another Round - Danish movie with sub-titles. Couple of problems up front, this is not a comedy or dramedy and the original title of Drunk should have been retained. A character in the movie does state it’s premise ‘alcoholism is ubiquitous in Denmark’. It’s not funny, but the treatment is interesting.
Four high school teachers test a theory attributed to Norwegian psychiatrist Finn Skarderud that we are born with an alcohol deficiency and can benefit by making it up. That leads to the predictable plot line of a little bit helps but you can’t stop and it’s eventually destructive.
Thought provoking theater, not entertainment. Oh yeah, question for those who have seen it - what happened to the dog?
The Lincoln Lawyer (Netflix) Late to the party on this, released in 2011 just after the birth of my first, I blame her for this passing under my radar. Netflix gave this a 97% chance of me liking it so I thought I’d give it a shot. A smorgasbord of the whos who in Hollywood and everyone brings it. I really can’t say much without ruining it, but if you also missed this when it was released and you like courtroom dramas with twists in the vein of Better Call Saul, Goliath and Primal Fear I recommend this.
As is nearly always the case, the book is even better. It’s written by Michael Connelly, who also writes the Bosch series (which is also a TV series on Amazon Prime). There are several follow-up books, but they never made a movie sequel out of any of them.
I’d put The Mist on the list, but understand I’m in the minority on that one. Frank Darabont just knows how to adapt a King story. He changed King’s ending, and it’s far more harrowing than King left it.
There’s nothing wrong with The Mist at all; it’s a first rate monster movie. I was trying to look sophistimacated by putting Green Mile and Shawshank at #1 and #2.
This movie is a terrible piece of trash and I can not believe the same director made this that made the original Xtro movie. Xtro, the original, is a very bizarre and kind of amazing movie. It is an often overlooked classic and should be seen by everyone.
The director lost the rights to the story of Xtro, but maintained the rights to the title. He made Xtro 3 and it is:
Totally unrelated to the amazing Xtro
Complete trash. Like as bad as a Scifi Channel movie, but with no charm
Avoid this movie at all cost. However, please seek out Xtro!
