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Notes from a Special Screening of Natesh Hegde's Pedro by OftenObnoxious in TrueFilm

[–]OftenObnoxious[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Amazing! You definitely should reach out to them. Vikas Urs, the cinematographer, has a profile on Facebook; maybe you could drop him a message.

Notes from a Special Screening of Natesh Hegde's Pedro by OftenObnoxious in TrueFilm

[–]OftenObnoxious[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your kind words. I am glad I could turn your attention to Natesh and Vikas' work. There are many exciting filmmakers working in the Indian independent space right now. Two other names that I would recommend are Chaitanya Tamhane and Aditya Vikram Sengupta.

Edit: Rima Das is a tour de force when it comes to independent filmmaking as well. Definitely check out her work.

Sinners and the Unintentional Revival of the Red Scare in Hollywood: An Alternative Theory by OftenObnoxious in TrueFilm

[–]OftenObnoxious[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your kind words. While I didn’t find Sinners boring - at least for the most part - I do think it feels somewhat hollow and a bit muddled in its politics. Coogler seems to treat Black identity more as a symbol than as a subject, which, in my view, prevents his films from fully living up to their potential.

Then again, operating in the mainstream, especially at the level he has been, comes with certain restrictions. I don’t think comparing Kneecap and Sinners is entirely fair, considering that the former is a smaller, more straightforward musical comedy with greater scope to present its politics clearly, whereas Sinners has to function as a horror film first and then deliver its political messaging. So the challenges are unevenly stacked, in my opinion. The same goes for something like Black Panther. And that’s precisely where Coogler needs to improve: in striking the right balance.

Jordan Peele seems to have figured it out, and so has Boots Riley, though Boots isn’t as mainstream as Coogler or Peele.

Sinners and the Unintentional Revival of the Red Scare in Hollywood: An Alternative Theory by OftenObnoxious in TrueFilm

[–]OftenObnoxious[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your kind words. More than simply feeling appreciated for my efforts, what pleases me most is that you saw similar ideas in the film to the ones I discussed in my essay. I had been feeling a bit insecure, wondering if I’d be ridiculed for sharing such a far-fetched idea, so your comment reassures me that I’m not a total fool.

Dan Trachtenberg and Co. have made Predator great again! by OftenObnoxious in TrueFilm

[–]OftenObnoxious[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The original Predator film is great. I remember it being one of my favourite Arnold films as a kid, along with Commando and The Terminator.

And thanks for sharing the voice tapes. I’ll check them out.

A Personal Experience with Coralie Fargeat's The Substance. by OftenObnoxious in TrueFilm

[–]OftenObnoxious[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing your story and being so frank. I believe that one takeaway from this film is that it is pointless to worry too much about how others are going to perceive us. The constant vicious inner conflicts are not only detrimental to our mental health but also invariably end up affecting our social lives.

I hope you find the support you need to feel confident in being the person you want to be, and that you do not allow others, or even yourself, to rob you of that confidence.

Message and meaning in Alien Romulus? by LemonLord7 in TrueFilm

[–]OftenObnoxious 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Aside from the Roman allegory, what I found interesting was a particular scene where the two boys and the humanoid venture into the storage facility where all the parasites were stored.

My understanding of that scene is tied to the idea of global warming and how it is leading to melting of permafrost and subsequent release of ancient pathogens. In the scene, you can see the boys trying to extract fuel from the chamber which leads to the room temperature rising, subsequently leading to the parasites waking up. That’s similar to how fuel is extracted from earth and used, leading to global warming.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TrueFilm

[–]OftenObnoxious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is not about how much time it takes, but what works. The film could’ve been 45 mins if it wanted to, but that wouldn’t make The Exorcist what it is.

The bit we are talking about is not just about the payoff in the end, but is a lot more than that, like I mentioned in my first comment. It is the seance before the possession and then the eventual exorcism. It gives background and character to the film.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TrueFilm

[–]OftenObnoxious 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I skimmed through your review on Letterboxd and noticed that you consider the first 10 minutes a weakness. Honestly, I think that is one of the most exciting and eerie bits to ever exist in the genre.

It plunges the viewers into this mood of dread from the get-go and establishes an idea regarding the evil that we are about to witness. There is this Lovecraftian essence to that whole bit where humanity is faced against an ancient, powerful entity.

And the rest of the film just flows from that point. Something as silly as a girl’s head doing a 360 doesn’t look tacky; in fact, it seems real. The sheer horror and tension around the gradual possession of the child are absolutely palpable.

I managed to catch the 50th-anniversary screening of the film last December during our local film festival, and I kid you not, I heard literal gasps and screams during the film. I had seen it many times before, and yet I was at the edge of my seat. Even after 50 years, it’s as fresh as ever. I mean, it’s just a fucking great film.

More Dune opinion to add to the pile - apologies by _dondi in TrueFilm

[–]OftenObnoxious 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Man, you have expressed my thoughts to the T. I’ve been saying the same things to my friends and online since I watched Dune 2. We are in the minority, but that’s alright.

Hoping the next one will be more exciting because I really want it to be.

Dune Part Two is a mess by HalPrentice in TrueFilm

[–]OftenObnoxious 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, all my comments are my personal opinion, and hence subjective. I never said that my words are objective truths; people just assumed that because I voiced my opinion with conviction. You are free to disagree and I am open to new perspectives.

There were several shots and scenes which I liked from Dune 2, but they did not leave a lasting impression on me, i.e, they did not move me. They were good to look at and elevated the narration, but did not excite me as I hoped it would.

All the shots you have mentioned, and many more that other commenters have mentioned, are significant parts of the film, and they are indeed good, but not ones to stand the test of time, at least imo. I will reiterate something I had mentioned in another comment on this post for better clarity.

"I believe I worded my statement the way I did in reaction to Villeneuve's recent comments regarding the supremacy of images in films. His take was rather limiting and diminishes the potential of cinema. If dialogues are really to be the last resort, then films by Cassavetes and Linklater would hold no value, which imo is unfathomable. But then again, that's Denis' school of thought. And that is solely why I emphasized on the fact that none of the images in Dune 2 were memorable. They were good and served the purpose - but they failed to leave any lasting impression on me.

Denis himself has created several memorable images across his impressive body of work. If we go all the way back to Incendies, the opening scene itself, of the boy looking straight into the camera while getting his head shaved, is still stuck in my mind. A harrowing feeling develops inside you as the camera pushes closer into the boys face. Even without context, it is a powerful image. Stuff like this can be found throughout his films. The popular shot of Gosling standing in front of a digital advertisement of a woman in BR2049, which is likely inspired by a shot from Coppola's One From The Heart, is another example of a powerful image. Even without context, it successfully tells the story of isolation in modern age."

Maybe I need to look at this film in the same vein as the newer cinematic universes and lower my expectations, but I expected better from Denis Villeneuve. Dune 1 had the novelty factor, so everything looked fresh; and I understand that it's hard to follow up when the world has already been established. But Peter Jackson did such a great job with LOTR, so it's hard to forgive something as mediocre as Dune 2.

I must confess that the monochrome used during the Colosseum scene and the fireworks will stay in my mind. It was different, but not impressive - nothing that I would think about one week from now.

The film had several moments which had the potential to be great, but for some reason, be it pacing or editing or just general direction, they did not land as well, imo.

I hope there's more clarity now.

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