it's a good movie, but it's a little trite
― surm, Sunday, 28 August 2011 13:51 (twelve years ago) link
so early reports on the new one
http://www.fandor.com/blog/daily-toronto-2013-nicole-holofceners-enough-said
― Miss Arlington twirls for the Coal Heavers (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 10 September 2013 18:43 (ten years ago) link
Partly because I was in just the right mood, I think--not a great first two weeks back to work--but I really liked Please Give. I remember liking Lovely and Amazing and Friends with Money in a very general sense, but not as much as I did Please Give. Still haven't seen Walking and Talking.
All six principals were great. You could single out any of of them--for me, Catherine Keener made the strongest impression. (But I can see why other people focus on Amanda Peet.) Keener's been a really forceful, assertive presence in just about every film I've ever seen her in, so the tentativeness and distractibility of her character here was striking. Two scenes I found especially moving: Keener's attempt to volunteer at the gymnasium (felt I understood her character perfectly there), and Keener and Rebecca Hall right after the grandmother passes away. Couldn't remember where I'd seen the teenage daughter till I checked: Spanglish.
― clemenza, Saturday, 14 September 2013 13:36 (ten years ago) link
Please Give is probably her most mature, least vague film to date, though I also remember quite liking Lovely and Amazing. Friends with Money never quite coheres, though, and I was especially baffled by the whole business of Frances MacDormand's is-he-or-isn't-he-gay husband? Do New Yorkers, particularly those who work in the fashion industry, really feel the need to remain closeted in the 21st century.
Her latest, Enough Said, looks promising. The idea of James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss as an on-screen couple just works to well in theory for it not to work in practice.
― the vineyards where the grapes of corporate rock are stored (cryptosicko), Saturday, 14 September 2013 14:50 (ten years ago) link
I resecreened Please Give last week because I was recently at a party listening to a crush of mine talk about how she frequently gets antiques cheap from craigslist and estate sales from people who don't know better (she's a weekend interior designer). I told she should check out that movie because it's about that sort of thing. Upon revisiting, I'm wondering if I should have kept my mouth shut.
― A Made Man In The Mellow Mafia (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 14 September 2013 17:55 (ten years ago) link
Doesn't Catherine Keener essentially have the same job in both Please Give and The 40 Year Old Virgin?
― the vineyards where the grapes of corporate rock are stored (cryptosicko), Saturday, 14 September 2013 18:26 (ten years ago) link
She has an Ebay store in 40YOV, and a high-end antique furniture dealer in PG, so...almost?
― A Made Man In The Mellow Mafia (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 14 September 2013 18:51 (ten years ago) link
Was able to find Walking and Talking through my library system.
― clemenza, Saturday, 14 September 2013 18:55 (ten years ago) link
I just noticed W & T is on Netflix instant in the US.
― A Made Man In The Mellow Mafia (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 14 September 2013 19:11 (ten years ago) link
looks like the new one is her best reviewed? AO Scott flipped. I suspect Gandolfini make get a memorial award or two.
― Miss Arlington twirls for the Coal Heavers (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 18 September 2013 18:48 (ten years ago) link
the trailer made my skin crawl but as noted upthread I'm a fan.
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 18 September 2013 18:51 (ten years ago) link
Please Give = very ugly film. some laughs.
Lois Smith's cute grandson was nice tho (apparently he was in the American Pies)
― kind of shrill and very self-righteous (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, November 30, 2010 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
What do you mean by 'very ugly'?
― She Got the Shakes, Sunday, December 19, 2010 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― fit and working again, Wednesday, 18 September 2013 19:01 (ten years ago) link
For the first time I thought she tipped over into the Whiny Urban White Entitlement Crap ppl were always ready to accuse her of.
― Miss Arlington twirls for the Coal Heavers (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 18 September 2013 19:04 (ten years ago) link
ok i can see that, though i like it a lot. which of hers do you prefer?
― fit and working again, Wednesday, 18 September 2013 19:06 (ten years ago) link
I wouldn't go quite so far as Andrew on PG, but close:
http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/please-give/4790
I'm middle-aged, all the others kinda blend in; the first two? obv Jake Gyllenhaal as video-store jailbait worked for me.
― Miss Arlington twirls for the Coal Heavers (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 18 September 2013 19:12 (ten years ago) link
ppl were always ready to accuse her of.
Did anyone actually accuse her of this anywhere?
― Walter Galt, Thursday, 19 September 2013 16:31 (ten years ago) link
well, see the link above
― Miss Arlington twirls for the Coal Heavers (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 19 September 2013 17:03 (ten years ago) link
― Miss Arlington twirls for the Coal Heavers (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, September 18, 2013 3:12 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark
does she have more than one movie where there's a video store love interest? (kevin corrigan in walking and talking)
― socki (s1ocki), Thursday, 19 September 2013 22:39 (ten years ago) link
slight mistake by morbs -- should be photo-developers jailbait
― fit and working again, Thursday, 19 September 2013 23:12 (ten years ago) link
Jesus, that Slant review.
― Walter Galt, Friday, 20 September 2013 11:29 (ten years ago) link
i don't think he wears his hair that long anymore
― Miss Arlington twirls for the Coal Heavers (Dr Morbius), Friday, 20 September 2013 11:51 (ten years ago) link
but what about it? I found every character in Please Give eminently slappable.
― Miss Arlington twirls for the Coal Heavers (Dr Morbius), Friday, 20 September 2013 14:36 (ten years ago) link
Her best movie? Gandolfini's line readings are ideal.
The last ten minutes are meh, as you might expect.
― the objections to Drake from non-REAL HIPHOP people (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 28 September 2013 17:50 (ten years ago) link
My review.
― the objections to Drake from non-REAL HIPHOP people (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 28 September 2013 21:19 (ten years ago) link
dug this. part of walking and talking revolves around a similar 19th century coincidence/contrivance, feel like gentle talky improbability is underused in ~the modern cinema~.
the daughters (his, hers, the friend) were excellent as well.
― adam, Sunday, 29 September 2013 00:34 (ten years ago) link
The pain and regret with which Gandolfini shades his four-word response in the last third — which I won’t repeat but everyone who’s seen Enough Said knows which sentence I mean
lol i dont and i just saw it
― i wanna be a gabbneb baby (Hungry4Ass), Sunday, 29 September 2013 02:04 (ten years ago) link
good movie though. i liked how Holo undercut the moment where keener gave jld some fresh chervil. nice sendoff for gandolf
― i wanna be a gabbneb baby (Hungry4Ass), Sunday, 29 September 2013 02:07 (ten years ago) link
Armond happy!
Holofcener comes close to Mike Leigh’s poignancy–and on her own terms. Enough Said is both a sit-com breakdown and an indie-movie breakthrough.
http://cityarts.info/2013/09/20/bitch-slapstick/
― Miss Arlington twirls for the Coal Heavers (Dr Morbius), Monday, 30 September 2013 16:54 (ten years ago) link
damn
― socki (s1ocki), Monday, 30 September 2013 22:20 (ten years ago) link
there is one more Gandolfini perf btw
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1600196/combined
― Miss Arlington twirls for the Coal Heavers (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 2 October 2013 11:57 (ten years ago) link
As I was leaving the cinema, I heard one woman say to a friend that she quite liked it, but she couldn't believe how banal their conversations were. "When they first got together it was OK but as it went on there was zero chemistry between them". I felt like intervening.
No one is writing relationships like this. So great. Makes me cross to see a one-dimensional film like Blue Jasmine get so much attention when something of this richness and subtlety is also in cinemas.
― Alba, Monday, 21 October 2013 22:45 (ten years ago) link
and 93 minutes!
― the objections to Drake from non-REAL HIPHOP people (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 21 October 2013 22:47 (ten years ago) link
my favorite film of the year to date
For me it might be a tie between this and The Act of Killing, which would make quite the double bill.
― Alba, Monday, 21 October 2013 22:49 (ten years ago) link
Don't know that I liked Enough Said as much as Please Give, but I liked it a lot. Quibbles: the 20-30 minutes after they meet is a good romantic-comedy, but a romantic-comedy nonetheless--not a genre I have much use for. Also knew the exact tone the ending would strike long before it arrived. Anyone would.
But I cared what happened, most of the humour clicked for me ("Blessings..."), and I found Julia Louis-Dreyfus's world falling apart moving. (Reminded me of Mia Farrow's moment of helplessness in Hannah and Her Sisters.) Some of JL-D's performance was filtered through my 10,000 hours of watching Seinfeld--there was just the right amount of Elaine there for me. I've never watched The Sopranos, so that wasn't a factor; I'm sure it would be for many people.
― clemenza, Wednesday, 4 December 2013 04:46 (ten years ago) link
saw this today. beautiful stuff; i loved how natural and real it felt without making a point of being 'real' the way a lot of movies are. like there's no grossouts or anything. and the moments between gandolfini and dreyfus where he seemed to take her by surprise with something he said, she just laughed so naturally with him
great great great
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 28 December 2013 02:00 (ten years ago) link
this film self-diagnoses 15 minutes before the end when JL-D says "I'm the idiot."
I liked Gandolfini's character, so one more than Please Give.
NH now makes sitcoms for the NPR set
― eclectic husbandry (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 29 December 2013 18:29 (ten years ago) link
"now"
― the objections to Drake from non-REAL HIPHOP people (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 29 December 2013 18:32 (ten years ago) link
I think you mean Woody Allen though
― the objections to Drake from non-REAL HIPHOP people (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 29 December 2013 18:33 (ten years ago) link
him for the seniors, her for the 40s/50s
― eclectic husbandry (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 29 December 2013 18:37 (ten years ago) link
she does soft-pedal the satirical elements of Keener's poet, between "blessings" and "friends with Joni"
― eclectic husbandry (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 29 December 2013 18:39 (ten years ago) link
oh I dunno: Keener's line readings suggest she (Keener) knows her character's been gently poked.
― the objections to Drake from non-REAL HIPHOP people (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 29 December 2013 18:44 (ten years ago) link
well that's another flaw
― eclectic husbandry (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 29 December 2013 18:56 (ten years ago) link
you're no good with haiku
― the objections to Drake from non-REAL HIPHOP people (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 29 December 2013 18:59 (ten years ago) link
sez you
― eclectic husbandry (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 29 December 2013 19:01 (ten years ago) link
Really liked this. Possibly the best Holofcener to date, though let me rewatch Lovely and Amazing and Please Give sometime and get back to me.
Essentially the Idiot Plot put to valuable use: the deception is a plot machination, of course, but I'd argue that it is as much of a result of class embarrassment as it is of new-relationship jitters; Eva's as much in love with the idea of having a richer, cooler, classier friend as she is of the idea of falling in love again, so how can she, now having a friend in common with Joni Mitchell, possibly accept her new friend's leftovers? The performances are all lovely on down to the daughter and her friend, though I got a bit weary of Toni Collette and Ben Falcone's characters pretty quick. Also, when the screen fades to white five minutes towards the end, I was honestly surprised that the movie wasn't over. Surprised, though not necessarily disappointed--I'll take this ending when I like the characters this much.
― Inside Lewellyn Sinclair (cryptosicko), Friday, 7 March 2014 18:07 (ten years ago) link
otm
― Insane Prince of False Binaries (Gukbe), Friday, 7 March 2014 20:43 (ten years ago) link
I thought this was great. I enjoyed how it tweaks the conventions of romantic comedy by realistically portraying how romance looks from middle age but manages to be sweet and funny too. Both leads ooze tons of charm too.
― o. nate, Tuesday, 11 March 2014 18:25 (ten years ago) link
Multiple reliable sources all indicate that her newest is a dud. I’ll probably skip it; its not like I’m looking for another opportunity to be annoyed by Ben Mendelsohn.
― Engles in the Outfield (cryptosicko), Wednesday, 26 September 2018 02:34 (five years ago) link
A disappointment. I don't get Mendelsohn.
― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 26 September 2018 02:41 (five years ago) link