Andrew Scott delivers a compelling portrayal of Tom Ripley, capturing his neurotic and disturbing essence with precision. While the series spans 8 hours, allowing for a deeper exploration of Patricia Highsmith's story, some pacing issues arise in later episodes. Nonetheless, the atmospheric black-and-white cinematography, slow pace, and dark humour contribute to its distinctiveness.
In contrast to the 1999 film, the series offers a richer portrayal of Tom's backstory as a New York grifter. Despite deviations in plot details, the core theme of Tom's envy of Dickie Greenleaf remains intact.
The decision to shoot in black and white adds to its film noir ambience, with Scott's performance reminiscent of Mads Mikkelsen's in "Hannibal." Despite its slow burn, the series effectively develops characters and maintains high production standards, making it a standout adaptation of Highsmith's work.
Excellent. I was afraid that the choice to be in black and white was pretentious nonsense, but it doesn't distract at all. Five minutes in and you forget it's in black and white. It also looks gorgeous and the way the black and white is graded may be the reason. I'm not sure it would look as good in color. The only negative thing that I could say about the show is that you can't watch it and do something else. There are long stretches without any dialogue and much of the movie is in Italian. I usually find it dstracting when English movies have the characters speak a language other than English. I would prefer that the imaginary people only pretend to speak a foreign language. In this case though, they use the foreign language to show Tom's character progression. His lack of ability to speak Italian at the beginning of the show and his fluency at the end tells you something about the character. This is just well done, and I hope that they adapt the next book Riply Underground.
Don Johnston: Well, the past is gone, I know that. The future isn't here yet, whatever it's going to be. So, all there is, is this. The present. That's it.
This one isn't for everyone? The pace was very deliberate and this is probably why it was not a box-office hit. You really need to pay attention to what is going on or you will feel very unsatisfied later on (not unlike "Lost in Translation"). While the supporting cast is ridiculous it is still Murray that shines the brightest in his subdued role.
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Talking about the role of cinema is such a monumental task that it's almost pointless—cinema means something different to everyone at different times and in different places. To me, one of the vital roles of cinema is to celebrate the mundane, the everyday, and to transform it into something vital. We want to see ourselves reflected on the screen; our better or worse selves, something to reject or something to aspire to. Paterson does this beautifully: it's an ode to the normal and the extraordinary that resides within it, to the idea that each of us should always strive to fulfil something greater and deeper.
Paterson is a former Marine who now drives a bus in the city of Paterson, New Jersey. His favourite poet is William Carlos Williams who was inspired by the streets Paterson drives every day and the falls he takes his lunch at. He is married to Laura and every evening he takes her dog Marvin for a walk and has a drink at his favourite bar. This is Paterson's life, such as it is, and we are witness to a week of it. Jim Jarmusch focuses on the minute details of Paterson's life: a conversation in a laundromat, the engine of a bus breaking down, the patter you have with a colleague in the minutes before you're due to officially start work. Throughout, Adam Driver imbues Paterson with a quiet warmth and complexity that finds its outlet in his own poetry; we see the events in Paterson's life reverberate in his writing and vice versa. It's a towering performance from Driver, delicate and restrained and always a marvel. The performances of those around him, particularly Golshifteh Farahani as Laura, complement him perfectly. The people he meets and the conversations he has feel very low-key and natural—we're never taken out of Paterson, or away from him. The film builds up to an event that changes things profoundly for him; something that seems so insignificant in the grand scheme of things but is a deeply personal loss. This is the closest thing the film has to a moment of great drama, and it's satisfying that it leads to what feels, genuinely, like a moment of personal growth. A little progress, something we all crave, and something that feels immensely relatable.
It helps that it's a very beautifully made film. Jarmusch and Frederick Elmes do a wonderful job of creating a sense of Paterson's regimented life and showing off his environment. The writing is excellent throughout, from the dialogue and the silences that fill the spaces in between to the poetry that springs from Paterson and those around him. I found the film to be a near-perfect thing—gentle, meandering, beautiful in a way that is both surprising and of great comfort.
I've always loved Baumbach movie but this one was really good. Cast was perfect too
I really wish the season was longer. Really loved how it showed how teens use technology nowadays. Overall pretty great show.
Netflix is really killing it with these international shows. They are 2 for 2 for german shows IMO which is saying a lot seeing how 95% of german TV is absolute shite.
I'm just here, still wondering why the chandelier...
I could do without Amy Schumer and Cara Delevingne. They look completely out of place in this show.
Such a great episode! I actually felt really sad for Bunny, who I previously couldn’t have cared less about. Also, this episode lacks any Cara Delevingne or Amy Schumer and their lack of presence is clear in a very positive way. The show feels back to its original charm that’s been missing in the first two episodes (and unfortunately may be missing in more episodes with them).
I wish they would use orchestral music for the credits and not this Hip Hop crap. Those "songs", noise would be a better word, were terrible.
The first hour of the movie is pretty much the same as the first Spider Man (2002), the second hour isn't very different too. They just replace Mary Jane with Gwen and Norman with Dr Conner. Sure the relationships between charcaters were a LITTLE different, but that's it
I'm a big fan of the Spider Man trilogy, which I have seen time and time again, and so it was weird to see a different cast in this movie. Old cast was way better in my opinion.
Overal it's an entertaining movie, but the ones who have seen the other Spider Man movies will not enjoy this movie very much.
The scorn and cruelty of Tywin's words to Tyrion are impressive. Tyrion is the only worthy person within that family, everyone else is below him. He deserved better.
Jaime has gone from my third most hated character to my third favorite
This powerful film tells the story of Teena Brandon, a woman who dresses like a man, cut her hair to look like a man, acts and convinced herself that she was a man. It's a story about courage, love and unfortunately prejudice.
Some scenes are painful to watch and it shows how people can be so stupid, cruel and violent just because they can't accept other's differences.
At the end I felt sad. Sad to know that this is a true story, to know that all actually happened.
Hilary Swank won an Academy Award for this film and it was totally deserving, she was amazing, totally believable!
The most exciting stage of a (fictional) relationship for me personally is exactly the one encapsulated in this chapter of the trilogy. Forget the nerves and ingenuity of a new relationship, i want the angst and the high tension of a past love that didn't work out but is on the verge of a reunion. I'm obsessed with the way this pair of actors explores the different levels of chemistry, applied to each different stage of the chatacters' relationship - it's subtle, but you notice it just enough to make it feel whole and real but still more exciting and dramatic than real life, (which is what we always look for in movies, right?) without ever crossing the bridge to cringiness, which is always the big risk in romantic movies. The dialogues, as always, were an incredibly entertaining chess match to follow, but by far my favourite part is Céline's outburst of emotion in the car, just so so good. That ending has to be one of my favourite endings to a movie ever. I'm obsessed. First one was a solid 9, this one's a good 9,5. Let's see what the third instalment has got!
Amy Schumer ruins the show
Fantastic episode. The two best episodes of the 4 so far have had no Amy Schumer and no Cara Delevigne. Imagine that.
I usually don't have any problems with the sports movie formula. Quite the contrary, it actually almost always provides a certain qualitative floor that guarantees I can enjoy the film. However, I really haven't seen a flick as formulaic as "Gran Turismo" in a long time. And even that wouldn't be the biggest problem if at least a few of the elements hit the spot. But nothing really convinced me here.
The script, which contains every cliché imaginable, is undoubtedly the film's weakest link. Whether it's the grumpy mentor, the one-dimensional rival, the unnecessary love interest, or the disapproving father, everything is totally predictable. The actors aren't even the problem, for the most part—except for Orlando Bloom, who really is abysmally bad here. Furthermore, you have to look for humor in "Gran Turismo" with a magnifying glass. The film takes itself far too seriously, while the characters are all uninteresting. And the whole "gamer" versus "real" driver nonsense seems completely out of date.
Only the racing sequences could have saved the film for me, but they also failed to click. Although they are nicely shot in places, they are also regularly intercut with some kind of effect. There is never any suspense, and for a film that advertises so aggressively that it is based on a "true story," the individual race situations seem incredibly contrived. Even in a boring Formula 1 season like this year, I've seen much more suspense than in this film. In the end, this movie is nothing more than a PlayStation and Nissan commercial. If you want to see some cool Le Mans action, watch "Ford v Ferrari" instead.
The meanest thing I could say about this movie is ‘Has extreme Don’t Worry Darling energy’.
I have never seen a movie more desperate to justify itself. It’s trapped in this endless neurosis over what it is- a blockbuster Barbie movie in 2023 by an acclaimed art house director that is fun but also deep but also earnest but also self aware but also but also but also. Every point it raises it brings up a counterpoint to before the audience can, every frame is trying to prove it’s not just product but art. It’s never just Barbie. It’s never confident or even comfortable in its skin. You cannot for a second be immersed in Barbie because it’s not a story so much as a visual dissertation without a central thesis, it’s a student film riffing on the big dogs hoping it’s underdog audacity will carry it but given a budget in the millions. It so desperately wants you to like it, to know it’s in on the joke too.
Everythng is an ouroboros here: an endless loop of argument and counterarguement feeding itself. Isn’t it shitty how the Mattel boardroom is full of men? Ah, but isn’t it cool how Mattel’s acknowledged it with this niche? And it’ll mythologize Barbie’s creator but uh don’t worry she did tax evasion we know that, now let her impart into Barbie the experience of all women. Barbie helps women, Barbie hurts women, Barbie is told to be everything so isn’t she just like women, but it is better to be a creator than the idea, and in the end, hasn’t Barbie helped all these women? Oh uh why is this blonde white Barbie the centerpiece of it all and helping not only her diverse Barbie friends but a Hispanic woman and her daughter? Don’t worry we’ll have the daughter call her a white savior! But don’t worry we’ll have the mom say she’s not! It’s fascinating to watch, honestly. It’s a film that wants to prove to you so so bad that it works but it doesn’t and it knows it doesn’t and it knows you knows. It’s Gerta Gerwig wrestling with taking this job for an hour and a half.
The cast is more than game and able. Margot Robbie is doing her damndest to find the heart and soul in this role, and there’s one scene with an old lady near the end of the first act/beginning of the second that actually works, for just a moment, more than any of the big third act soliloquies or montages with emotional ballads. And as someone who’s seen Blade Runner 2049 and Drive, this is the best Ryan Gosling performance I’ve seen. The man commits and delivers a surprisingly compelling and entertaining antagonist. The movie can’t quite reconcile what he’s done with his ending, or tie it into the themes- is Ken letting go of Barbie and the need to define himself for or against her symbolizing the need for men to do the same, and if so, why play it so lightly and sympathetically?- but that’s not his fault. And the supporting cast are entertaining, but you just can’t have big laughs with a movie that feels like it’s constantly checking in the corner of its eye after every joke to see if you’re laughing, grin stuck in place. It’s not as funny or as smart as it wants to be, and the sad thing is, it feels like it knows that too.
There is some great set design, cinematography, dazzling choreography, popping colors, and some fun high points. But I can’t imagine many kids liking it. And we’ve seen how conservatives have taken this movie. And anyone’s who’s progressed beyond the politics of. Well. A feminist blockbuster Barbie movie will find it cloying or condescending or just incredibly basic. It’s aimed at a very specific crowd who will buy what it’s saying, the liberals who see corporate feminism as progress, who agree that it’s just about a little change sometimes, who are ready for something just a little more complex than a SNL sketch. I don’t regret seeing it, because I was deeply engaged the whole time seeing it struggle at war with itself, in pain for its whole existence. It’s not a boring movie by any means. It wants to say everything before the audience can say it first. It’s the endpoint of The Lego Movie and Enchanted- the corporations interrogating and justifying themselves, and the cracks in this formula are too large to ignore. It wants to be so much, and the attempt is as darkly mesmerizing as a fly thinking it can somehow and someway metamorphize into a butterfly and suffocating and struggling in its makeshift cocoon, but this is one Barbie that fundamentally just cannot break out of its box.
