Midnight Special Movie • Page 6

I dunno, I don't ever feel like I need to be asked to share how much I love film. Especially when I can use my knowledge to make someone else more informed.

I spent my entire lunch at work yesterday raving about Elle to my friends and getting laughed at because of it ("A French-language film originally written in English and directed by a Dutchman?! lololol"). Didn't feel like I needed to throw it back in their faces that I know more about film than them, just continued saying they should seek it out on digital/blu-ray and telling them why it's good. I have friends from back home who will probably say Manchester By The Sea is their favorite film of 2016 because I told them about it, unbidden, and knowing full well that they don't go to see "those movies." Framing things not smugly can have that effect, even in the face of total ignorance.

 

The Happening is low-key a solid comedy.

 

The Happening is one of the funniest movies of the last twenty years. Random bouts of boredom has me looking for individual scenes on YouTube.

 

I'm not denying this but it would have seemed out of place to just start throwing recommendations out of nowhere. Recommendations often need to be tailored for certain people or what they're after. Like I used Alonso and Serra as reference points but there's never a chance I would recommend them to anyone unless I know they have a solid frame of reference for what these directors are doing.

 

I don't think it would have, if you had explained a bit about what they're doing. Give one film from each and say what about it illustrates your point. All I'm saying. I owe you an apology as well for losing my cool about this, by the way.

 

It's fair for a lot of films that are narrative driven, but when you're discussion directors working in slow or experimental cinema, I think it's a completely different situation. As much as I love Jauja or La Libertad, I'm not going to recommend them to my mother who has probably never watched a film subtitles.

Also, hopefully you don't see this as an attack. At this point I'm just sharing my perspective on recommendations.

 

You are both right, but it wasn't made with it being a comedy in mind so I think it still counts as a terrible movie. It was another M. Night trying to do a serious movie and his poor decisions and directing got the most comical performances out of good actors.

 

I very rarely recommend films to people I know because they are simply not going to enjoy them. Something like Moonlight or Manchester by the Sea is easier to recommend because they are made in a very mainstream style, but beyond that it would be wasting everyone's time.

 

Nobody has said it explicitly but I feel like the general attitude has been that if your a true cinephile you have to be disappointed by it and Jeff Nichols' recent efforts.

 

It just happens to be what just about everyone believes. It would be great to read something that argues otherwise.

 

Why are people disappointed in the great Midnight Special because it's not as good as his earlier work? What about the merits of just the movie alone? Again, haven't seen TS yet but since Midnight was so good, is the director's fall in quality even that great to bring up?

 

Midnight Special is fine but forgettable, but his first two films are deeply disturbing and moving. It is being judged on its merits, but artists are inevitably judged by their body of work. It is not what ultimately decides the quality of the film, but it does affect overall appreciation.

 

I consider myself a cinephile, I love all kinds of movies ranging from super super indie stuff to more mainstream stuff, as well as foreign film.

I wouldn't argue that Take shelter is Nichols' best film, by a pretty far margin. He set the bar unreasonably high for himself with that film, so anything after it wasn't gonna be as good. But I still really like what he is doing and he has remained interesting.

I think Mud is a good to great film, would have been amazing had it not ended with the cliched shootout. I think it's his weakest film because of that shootout.

Midnight Special is a different story, it's a very very flawed movie, but the approach is excellent and the fact that it's so completely exposition free makes it interesting. Mainestream movies would t dare leave so much up to the audience to put together and figure out, it's very much a direct continuation of what he did in Take Shelter, just not executed as well.

I still need to see loving.

 

Hmmmmmm. That is a great answer actually.

 

The shootout was certainly one of the worst thing Nichols has put in a movie. Thank you for your response in what was overall getting too angry.

 

Out of the two I've seen, Mud and Midnight, Mud was good and kept me interested enough to keep watching but it was a slow burn.

Midnight's pacing was so great for me, it did a good job of introducing information through characters that kept me wanting more. It showed you don't need action to move along a story. To me it just escalated perfectly from the opening scene that has you wondering "wtf is going on with this kid"

 

There are a lot of similarities to that approach and Take Shelter's portrayal of a seemingly Biblical series of events. It is strong economical filmmaking and trusting the audience.

 

Midnight Special is a good Spielberg riff and Loving is a good Sirk riff.

 

Take Shelter really is so damn good... I think it's about time for a rewatch.

 

Damn guys, if I don't see it TS will I be able to show my face around here again?

I plan on getting it tonight and watching it.

 

I'm excited for you. It's such a good film, and Shannon is just unreal in it.

 

Take Shelter was number 4 on my top twenty of 2011 and number 20 on my top 100 of the decade.

 

What was #1 from that year? Green Lantern?

Just kidding! I'd love to see your top 20 from that year, it really was an amazing year for movies

 

Top Twenty Films of 2011.