tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post7681009130578501052..comments2024-03-27T21:42:56.131-05:00Comments on 1001plus: Trouble in ParadiseSJHoneywellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-50159220706885519852012-10-15T11:01:12.964-05:002012-10-15T11:01:12.964-05:00Good review SJ. Definitely didn't have me cryi...Good review SJ. Definitely didn't have me crying by the end of it like I was expecting, but I still have to give it to Payne and the cast, they all give detailed and understated characters that all seem to have a lot more to them than just being a bunch of caricatures. I never really love Clooney in movies, but he was very good here in playing it subtle but still charming, in his own, Clooney-esque way. Dan O.http://www.dtmmr.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-23759850906944705242012-10-15T08:54:22.280-05:002012-10-15T08:54:22.280-05:00I think he/she is trying to have it both ways: Be ...I think he/she is trying to have it both ways: Be snarky without alienating anyone. Besides that, I thought it was a pretty insightful take on the movie (and today's Hollywood) myself.Retro Houndhttp://www.retrohound.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-2451710497729155402012-10-14T19:11:41.513-05:002012-10-14T19:11:41.513-05:00Funny, if a big disingenuous. The author titles th...Funny, if a big disingenuous. The author titles the piece "If You Liked The Descendants, You Are a Terrible Person" and goes on to say that he/she (don't know which) is not attacking fans of the film but only those who identified with it. So is the article disingenuous or merely the title?<br /><br />Anyway, I'm not sure I buy the argument.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-42180219654168686212012-10-14T16:25:52.838-05:002012-10-14T16:25:52.838-05:00I can't help but think of this: If You Liked T...I can't help but think of this: If You Liked The Descendants, You Are A Terrible Person <a href="http://thelastpsychiatrist.com/2011/12/if_you_liked_the_descendants_y.html" rel="nofollow">http://thelastpsychiatrist.com/2011/12/if_you_liked_the_descendants_y.html</a>Retro Houndhttp://www.retrohound.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-54116424691844292762012-10-14T15:37:18.488-05:002012-10-14T15:37:18.488-05:00Yeah, I buy that. I can see this one being sort of...Yeah, I buy that. I can see this one being sort of an "oh, yeah...I remember that" in a few years.<br /><br />Good point about Wooley. Alex goes through the same sort of growth that Sid does, but faster and more.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-6193052004287865212012-10-14T10:41:33.554-05:002012-10-14T10:41:33.554-05:00I liked this movie and recommended it, but it didn...I liked this movie and recommended it, but it didn't come up to the level of "Best Picture Nominee" for me. I feel it's the kind of film that will be mostly forgotten 10 years from now, compared to some of the other nominees.<br /><br />I was most impressed with Wooley's performance in the film. I had never seen her before and I felt she knocked it out of the park. She starts out as unsympathetic, but then you realize she has actually been trying to protect her father, even though her relationship with him is not the best at the time the movie opens.Chip Laryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00787403805554027107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-23228366497628776492012-10-14T09:08:38.633-05:002012-10-14T09:08:38.633-05:00Sid ends up being one of my favorite characters he...Sid ends up being one of my favorite characters here, and that's really an accomplishment. I <i>hated</i> Sid initially, as I am supposed to do. Over time, as you say, he becomes human instead of generic, and that's what makes him work as a character. I went from "I hope he's not in this much" to "I'm glad he's still here" by the end.<br /><br />And yes--Payne pays attention to detail, which makes all of this believable. <br /><br />Final note @Nick--when I started this blog, I had the idea of reasons to see/not see films. Sometimes, my reasons for one or the other is a stretch. This time, it's more of a "this may bother you" reason than a "boy, this bothered me" reason.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-73738047708319621942012-10-14T08:40:12.022-05:002012-10-14T08:40:12.022-05:00One of the things that I love most about Payne'...One of the things that I love most about Payne's work is his use of real/found locations. Setting this film in Hawaii but not idealizing the location is wonderful. I love seeing the leaves in the pool, the debris in the streets, the unkempt yards. It makes it... real. It helps contribute to that sense of humanity you talked about so eloquently. <br /><br />The relationships are central here. I also enjoyed watching the father and daughter become closer, and you are spot on about Sid. It was so gratifying, watching him turn from a stereotype into a character. His speech in the hotel room at night made me cry.siochembiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11487373396181856763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-86362106245520764622012-10-14T00:47:46.361-05:002012-10-14T00:47:46.361-05:00I guess working in high school, I'd seen (and ...I guess working in high school, I'd seen (and heard) quite a bit. Teens these days don't hold back, even from their parents. I let students use my classroom phone to call parents for important reasons and they'd end up in a cussing match with said parent before the call was over. One time I had a kid's mom show up at the school. She walked her son to the classroom. He was just jokingly cussing at her, even. He goes into the classroom, and she gives him the finger behind his back (and the whole class laughed). And this was normal behavior for them. That's the kind of society we live in now. So I guess I was just used to it.Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08092564511948736386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-55593269817087345892012-10-14T00:36:18.373-05:002012-10-14T00:36:18.373-05:00True. Perhaps I'm not quite that jaded yet. My...True. Perhaps I'm not quite that jaded yet. My kids are younger than Alex, and while my older daughter almost certainly does swear, she NEVER does so around me. So seeing Alex unleash a torrent of profanity at and near her father was initially a surprise.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-82331621991684859672012-10-14T00:33:10.201-05:002012-10-14T00:33:10.201-05:00I was really surprised with this film when I saw i...I was really surprised with this film when I saw it. I liked it quite a bit.<br /><br />I'll be honest here, though... I find it interesting your biggest compliment to the film is how human and realistic it is, yet your main complaint is a teenager cussing a lot. I'd say that's pretty dang realistic and human, myself, particularly these days. Even to the degree in the film.Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08092564511948736386noreply@blogger.com