Peter Travers of Rolling Stone - “Oscar, don’t be stupid.”

uglybabouglybabo Posts: 523
edited January 2008 in The Porch
A video rant from the film critic of Rolling Stone, telling Oscar voters that ignoring 'Guaranteed' would be stupid...

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/01/04/peter-travers-video-plea-oscar-dont-be-stupid/
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • PureandEasyPureandEasy Posts: 5,799
    I can't get it to play, but I get the gist :D
  • i didnt realize the guitarist from radiohead did the score for "there will be blood"... i really wanna see that... daniel day lewis is pretty kickass... looks like hes basically playing the same character as "gangs of new york"... i agreed with everything he said accept about the ending of "no country for old men"... i dont care how much you think about it, that movie was BAD... no offense to eddies friend javier... it had alot of potential and it just got real weird and too long...
    "Senza speme vivemo in disio"

    http://seanbriceart.com/
  • mdgsolomdgsolo Posts: 796
    sgossard3 wrote:
    i didnt realize the guitarist from radiohead did the score for "there will be blood"... i really wanna see that... daniel day lewis is pretty kickass... looks like hes basically playing the same character as "gangs of new york"... i agreed with everything he said accept about the ending of "no country for old men"... i dont care how much you think about it, that movie was BAD... no offense to eddies friend javier... it had alot of potential and it just got real weird and too long...

    On 'No Country': Amen brotha.
  • jwillmojwillmo Posts: 470
    I'm sure this will get this thread moved, but...

    Are you freaking kidding me?!! NCFOM was by far the best movie of the year. I don't think I've ever been in a movie where the audience was so quiet and attentive during the tense scenes. I've seen it twice already and it's even better and more nuanced the second time. The ending is a little jarring at first (trying to avoid spoilers here) but it makes a lot of sense the second time around. It seems most people unhappy with the ending wanted a more conventional, typical Hollywood ending.
  • ill admit it made you think... but not in a good way... i was thinking... damn that was a waste of my time... me and my friend agreed the part where they drink milk was the best part... drinking milk shouldnt be the highlight of a movie... for a movie with so much killing i was surprised it could be so boring... i guess im just not into these art noir style movies that rely too heavily on artsy camera angles and editing and whatnot... i feel like i can be honest about it too because despite what peter travers says i think its getting more than enough attention with these awards shows... my problems not so much with the ending as much as it is it COULD have ended 6 times before the actual ending... and in a better way...
    "Senza speme vivemo in disio"

    http://seanbriceart.com/
  • jwillmojwillmo Posts: 470
    I guess I'll have to say SPOILERS now...



    Ending aside, what about the scene where he's trying to get the money out of the AC vent while Bardem is in his old motel room? Jesus Christ, that was the most tense scene I've seen since the drug deal in Boogie Nights. Even people I've talked to that didn't care for the ending usually agree that the other hour and half was pretty awesome. You're making this sound way more "artsy" than it actually is. A good chunk of the middle is a pretty standard (though really really well done) chase picture.
  • jwillmo wrote:
    I guess I'll have to say SPOILERS now...



    Ending aside, what about the scene where he's trying to get the money out of the AC vent while Bardem is in his old motel room? Jesus Christ, that was the most tense scene I've seen since the drug deal in Boogie Nights. Even people I've talked to that didn't care for the ending usually agree that the other hour and half was pretty awesome. You're making this sound way more "artsy" than it actually is. A good chunk of the middle is a pretty standard (though really really well done) chase picture.
    im not denying there were some good scenes... but there was also alot of downtime between those scenes... and i prefer to take the movie as a whole into consideration... another SPOILER:

    tommy lee jones dream that he shares with his wife at the end was fuckin stupid...

    i actually really liked the scene with the quarter flip in that old convenient store... it went on too long and was pointless... but i dunno... and the whole movie sortof had the same vibe but didnt work for me the same... its a confusing movie... i guess the fact that it hurts my brain is a good thing tho
    "Senza speme vivemo in disio"

    http://seanbriceart.com/
  • gozzo5058gozzo5058 Posts: 611
    ...a good rant
    s

    Montreal/98, Toronto/00'03'05'06x2, Brad Toronto/02, Buffalo/03, Kitchener/05, London/05, Hamilton/05, Late Show Taping/06, Cleveland/06, Pittsburgh/06, Bridge School Benefit Concert/06, Hartford/08, Mansfield 1/08, EV Montreal/08x2, EV Toronto/08x2...
  • PegasusPegasus Posts: 3,754
    I haven't seen either film (since they haven't been released here yet :rolleyes: ), but all the vibes I get for the Oscars in the usual places are a deadlock between No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood.

    Not at all sure that ITW will even get nominated in Best Film, though Sean Penn might as he is in the DGA nominations.

    still..I think Ed has good chances for a nomination..winning, it's another matter..but who cares? he'll play anyway :p

    now is there a jammer with Sky Premiere and no or understanding flatmates (since it's in the middle of the night) to host an Oscar Party in London?? :D
  • mdgsolomdgsolo Posts: 796
    jwillmo wrote:
    I guess I'll have to say SPOILERS now...



    Ending aside, what about the scene where he's trying to get the money out of the AC vent while Bardem is in his old motel room? Jesus Christ, that was the most tense scene I've seen since the drug deal in Boogie Nights. Even people I've talked to that didn't care for the ending usually agree that the other hour and half was pretty awesome. You're making this sound way more "artsy" than it actually is. A good chunk of the middle is a pretty standard (though really really well done) chase picture.

    A bunch of tense scenes strung together doesn't necessarily make a good story. How can I get behind a movie where the only thing even close to a protagonist is knocked off halfway through the film. To much killing without much story- that's my feeling. What's the point? The world is a fucked up and violent place and its getting worse not better? No thanks- I've got the front page of the local paper for that...
  • jwillmojwillmo Posts: 470
    mdgsolo wrote:
    A bunch of tense scenes strung together doesn't necessarily make a good story. How can I get behind a movie where the only thing even close to a protagonist is knocked off halfway through the film. To much killing without much story- that's my feeling. What's the point? The world is a fucked up and violent place and its getting worse not better? No thanks- I've got the front page of the local paper for that...
    I was responding to the comment that the best scene was the milk-drinking scene. And no, the false protagonist is killed off, the protagonist is still alive in the last scene of the movie.

    If the overall pessimistic theme of the picture doesn't sit well, I can understand that. But I really feel this is much, much more than a "bunch of tense scenes strung together," I think it's a brilliant story of a guy trying to make sense of a world he doesn't understand anymore, nestled away in a great chase thriller. Although I do think there's actually a bit of optimism in the last scene where he recounts the dream.

    And even if you do consider Josh Brolin the protagonist (though I clearly don't), that's kind of an arbitrary reason to dislike a film anyway. Ever heard of a little movie called Psycho? Anyway, plenty of movies/stories are centered around an antagonist and are pretty universally regarded as well.

    But if you just say you don't like it because of its pessimism, I really can't argue with that. The last line of the movie is one of the more "downer" last lines of recent memory.
  • I suppose you would have liked a nice rooftop shoot-out between Chigurh and the Sheriff, with Carla Jean being held hostage?

    I think people hated the ending (or the movie) because the story wasn't totally wrapped up for them. Sheriff Bell's retelling of his dream at the end fit in perfectly to the movie.

    Here was a man, completely torn apart from what he's seen. It's broken him down so badly, he's trying to contemplate between "going out riding" or staying home and doing household chores.

    It was the best movie I've seen in some time.

    But, I also respect others' opinions.
  • mdgsolomdgsolo Posts: 796
    jwillmo wrote:
    I was responding to the comment that the best scene was the milk-drinking scene. And no, the false protagonist is killed off, the protagonist is still alive in the last scene of the movie.

    If the overall pessimistic theme of the picture doesn't sit well, I can understand that. But I really feel this is much, much more than a "bunch of tense scenes strung together," I think it's a brilliant story of a guy trying to make sense of a world he doesn't understand anymore, nestled away in a great chase thriller. Although I do think there's actually a bit of optimism in the last scene where he recounts the dream.

    And even if you do consider Josh Brolin the protagonist (though I clearly don't), that's kind of an arbitrary reason to dislike a film anyway. Ever heard of a little movie called Psycho? Anyway, plenty of movies/stories are centered around an antagonist and are pretty universally regarded as well.

    But if you just say you don't like it because of its pessimism, I really can't argue with that. The last line of the movie is one of the more "downer" last lines of recent memory.

    So, are you suggesting that there is no protagonist or only an antagonist? I don't really think you can call TLJ a protagonist in this movie as he plays such a small role in the overall story. And you have to have a protagonist to have an antagonist. Anyways, just because something is universally regarded, doesn't mean its good or I have to like it. Anyway, as it comes to art as enrichment it has no value to me. If, as you say, it is about an old man trying to make sense of a world he doesn't understand anymore- a theme I think almost anyone not pathological can relate to- then watching a ruthless heartless killer brutalize and kill people for two and half hours brings me no closer to enlightenment.
  • mdgsolo wrote:
    So, are you suggesting that there is no protagonist or only an antagonist? I don't really think you can call TLJ a protagonist in this movie as he plays such a small role in the overall story. And you have to have a protagonist to have an antagonist. Anyways, just because something is universally regarded, doesn't mean its good or I have to like it. Anyway, as it comes to art as enrichment it has no value to me. If, as you say, it is about an old man trying to make sense of a world he doesn't understand anymore- a theme I think almost anyone not pathological can relate to- then watching a ruthless heartless killer brutalize and kill people for two and half hours brings me no closer to enlightenment.
    agreed... leave something on the cutting room floor for christs sake! i can deal with a bad movie up until it hits the 2 hr mark tops... but after that i start wondering what possessed them to leave in scenes like the car crash and taking the kids shirt and the quarter flip scene and the whole thing with him sneaking into mexico and about 10 other scenes... its like a good album with filler songs (vitalogy)... it just distracts
    "Senza speme vivemo in disio"

    http://seanbriceart.com/
  • PJ20PJ20 Posts: 94
    mdgsolo wrote:
    So, are you suggesting that there is no protagonist or only an antagonist? I don't really think you can call TLJ a protagonist in this movie as he plays such a small role in the overall story. And you have to have a protagonist to have an antagonist. Anyways, just because something is universally regarded, doesn't mean its good or I have to like it. Anyway, as it comes to art as enrichment it has no value to me. If, as you say, it is about an old man trying to make sense of a world he doesn't understand anymore- a theme I think almost anyone not pathological can relate to- then watching a ruthless heartless killer brutalize and kill people for two and half hours brings me no closer to enlightenment.

    jwillmo is right. this movie is awesome.

    the whole movie is about fate. the fact that the "good guy" (if you mean someone who steals millions of dollars is the "good guy") doesn't win is the point: the complete unpredictability of things.

    in the book Chigurh actually gets caught by the cops in order to see if he is supposed to escape. cue first scene.
  • PJ20PJ20 Posts: 94
    sgossard3 wrote:
    agreed... leave something on the cutting room floor for christs sake! i can deal with a bad movie up until it hits the 2 hr mark tops... but after that i start wondering what possessed them to leave in scenes like the car crash and taking the kids shirt and the quarter flip scene and the whole thing with him sneaking into mexico and about 10 other scenes... its like a good album with filler songs (vitalogy)... it just distracts

    you are kidding right? there couldn't be a movie without these central tenets, especially the coin toss and the car accident!!!

    they are the entire POINT of the movie.
  • sgossard3 wrote:
    agreed... leave something on the cutting room floor for christs sake! i can deal with a bad movie up until it hits the 2 hr mark tops... but after that i start wondering what possessed them to leave in scenes like the car crash and taking the kids shirt and the quarter flip scene and the whole thing with him sneaking into mexico and about 10 other scenes... its like a good album with filler songs (vitalogy)... it just distracts

    The movie was 122 minutes long.

    The car crash scene with Chigurh was again showing how fate can intervene on just about anybody. IMO, Chigurh was very perplexed (if that's the right word) at how his meeting with Carla Jean went. The fact that she refused to participate in his coin flip game set him off, and I believe certainly distracted him. His continuing to stare at the boys on the bike, which lead to the accident showed this. I think it showed that even this evil man is susceptible to fate.

    The scene with the old man in the gas station was fantastic, if not unnerving. I think it showed the audience what we were dealing with in Chigurh, and how his mind works. He had probably made up his mind that he was going to kill this man, but decided to give him a chance instead. Again, fate. He let a coin flip decide. If the man chooses tails, he's done.
  • jwillmojwillmo Posts: 470
    mdgsolo wrote:
    So, are you suggesting that there is no protagonist or only an antagonist? I don't really think you can call TLJ a protagonist in this movie as he plays such a small role in the overall story. And you have to have a protagonist to have an antagonist. Anyways, just because something is universally regarded, doesn't mean its good or I have to like it. Anyway, as it comes to art as enrichment it has no value to me. If, as you say, it is about an old man trying to make sense of a world he doesn't understand anymore- a theme I think almost anyone not pathological can relate to- then watching a ruthless heartless killer brutalize and kill people for two and half hours brings me no closer to enlightenment.
    Um, no I made it pretty clear I thought Ed Tom Bell was the protagonist. No shit you have to have the pro- to have the an-. Chigurh is the catalyst for Ed Tom Bell's character change throughout the film. It's not so much that is role is "small," it's that it's "helpless". If his story isn't the central one, why have his character at all? He's a policeman who never catches anyone throughout the whole film. Since he's not integral to the PLOT, it's pretty clear then he must be integral to the THEME.
    Anyway, I'm sorry you had to sit a 2 1/2 hour cut of this film, maybe that soured your view. The version I saw was only a couple of minutes over two hours.
  • jwillmojwillmo Posts: 470
    The movie was 122 minutes long.

    The car crash scene with Chigurh was again showing how fate can intervene on just about anybody. IMO, Chigurh was very perplexed (if that's the right word) at how his meeting with Carla Jean went. The fact that she refused to participate in his coin flip game set him off, and I believe certainly distracted him. His continuing to stare at the boys on the bike, which lead to the accident showed this. I think it showed that even this evil man is susceptible to fate.

    The scene with the old man in the gas station was fantastic, if not unnerving. I think it showed the audience what we were dealing with in Chigurh, and how his mind works. He had probably made up his mind that he was going to kill this man, but decided to give him a chance instead. Again, fate. He let a coin flip decide. If the man chooses tails, he's done.
    Good points. I also thought the scene with the kids was a counterpoint to the scene where Josh Brolin asks for the frat kids' jacket. He has to pay for the jacket (and they even try to extort money from him for one lousy beer) whereas the kid offers Chigur the shirt off his back and tries to give back his money. When he finally does accept the money, it causes an argument between the kids on whether or not the other kid should get a cut ("You still have YOUR shirt!"), which also touches on the corrupting affects of money, another theme throughout the movie.

    This movie is just so rich with little things like this, I guess that's why I feel the need to defend it so.
  • jwillmo wrote:
    I'm sure this will get this thread moved, but...

    Are you freaking kidding me?!! NCFOM was by far the best movie of the year. I don't think I've ever been in a movie where the audience was so quiet and attentive during the tense scenes. I've seen it twice already and it's even better and more nuanced the second time. The ending is a little jarring at first (trying to avoid spoilers here) but it makes a lot of sense the second time around. It seems most people unhappy with the ending wanted a more conventional, typical Hollywood ending.


    agreed, if you dont leave that film feeling absolutely disgusted you have no soul. period.

    as for guaranteed winning best song i would love it but i think it would destroy eddies street cred and im kinda torn because id really like to see one of the songs from once win....
    {if (work != 0) {
    work = work + 1;
    sleep = sleep - work * 10;}
    else if (work >= 0) {
    reality.equals(false);
    work = work +1;
    }system("pause");
    return 0;}
  • jwillmojwillmo Posts: 470
    agreed, if you dont leave that film feeling absolutely disgusted you have no soul. period.

    as for guaranteed winning best song i would love it but i think it would destroy eddies street cred and im kinda torn because id really like to see one of the songs from once win....
    Agreed as well (about Once). Falling Slowly in that movie is already one of the great music-in-movie moments I've ever seen.
  • mdgsolo wrote:
    A bunch of tense scenes strung together doesn't necessarily make a good story. How can I get behind a movie where the only thing even close to a protagonist is knocked off halfway through the film. To much killing without much story- that's my feeling. What's the point? The world is a fucked up and violent place and its getting worse not better? No thanks- I've got the front page of the local paper for that...


    theres things you need to see and things you dont need to see and if you think that all this killing was for no reason you obviously missed the point of the whole story and need to watch the movie again or better yet google Hermatia and the heroes flaw, maybe that will give you a better idea...
    {if (work != 0) {
    work = work + 1;
    sleep = sleep - work * 10;}
    else if (work >= 0) {
    reality.equals(false);
    work = work +1;
    }system("pause");
    return 0;}
  • jwillmo wrote:
    Agreed as well (about Once). Falling Slowly in that movie is already one of the great music-in-movie moments I've ever seen.


    there was like 3 songs in that movie that could easily win best song
    {if (work != 0) {
    work = work + 1;
    sleep = sleep - work * 10;}
    else if (work >= 0) {
    reality.equals(false);
    work = work +1;
    }system("pause");
    return 0;}
  • i think that we turned a thread about eddie winning best song into a thread about NCFOM just shows how amazing this movie is for better or worse, wheter you loved it or hated it
    {if (work != 0) {
    work = work + 1;
    sleep = sleep - work * 10;}
    else if (work >= 0) {
    reality.equals(false);
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    return 0;}
  • jwillmojwillmo Posts: 470
    i think that we turned a thread about eddie winning best song into a thread about NCFOM just shows how amazing this movie is for better or worse, wheter you loved it or hated it
    We could also divert this into a thread on the writer's strike- I'm going to be pretty pissed if Eddie gets nominated and then they don't even have a ceremony for him to play at. I'm still bummed PJ didn't get the nod for Man of the Hour.
  • jwillmo wrote:
    We could also divert this into a thread on the writer's strike- I'm going to be pretty pissed if Eddie gets nominated and then they don't even have a ceremony for him to play at. I'm still bummed PJ didn't get the nod for Man of the Hour.


    yeah totally man !! plus im pretty sure at least one song from once will get nominated (falling slowly) and for once there would be 2 performances worth watching!!!! Eddie as well as Glen Hansard and Marketa Iglova !!
    {if (work != 0) {
    work = work + 1;
    sleep = sleep - work * 10;}
    else if (work >= 0) {
    reality.equals(false);
    work = work +1;
    }system("pause");
    return 0;}
  • BinauralBinaural Posts: 1,046
    Holy shit, that man was so mind numbingly boring....
    oh yeah, and there's something sinister about his mustache...
    God I need some sleep :p
    ~*~*~*~*PROUD EVENFLOW PSYCHO #0026~*~*~*~*

    *^*^*^*^*^*^*^RED MOSQUITO #2^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

    Dublin 08/06
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  • jwillmojwillmo Posts: 470
    yeah totally man !! plus im pretty sure at least one song from once will get nominated (falling slowly) and for once there would be 2 performances worth watching!!!! Eddie as well as Glen Hansard and Marketa Iglova !!
    They actually played a show here in Austin not too long ago, but I already had tickets to another show (The Hold Steady). I'm really pissed I missed it. I saw them on Leno and it was pretty great.
  • i had a talk about this movie on the long drive back to school today and according to my friend who read the book, the movie is spot on! just as confusing and everything... i guess that helps justify leaving certain things in... the more i argue about this movie the more i think i like it... i still wouldnt say its good... but it doesnt suck either... ill give it another watch when it comes out on video... i felt initially unsettled about the movie as a whole but more and more i think thats exactly what they wanted me to feel... the viewers kindof in the shoes of tommy lee jones character... thats my latest revelation... somethings still not right with that movie tho...
    "Senza speme vivemo in disio"

    http://seanbriceart.com/
  • Your buddy is right. If you take the book, open it up to the last page, you'll read Sheriff Ed's recalling of his dream to his wife.....word for word.
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