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Searched high and low for a thread on this subject and came up empty. Since the useless search functions never work for me, I decided to start this myself.
Anyways, I watched this film tonight, and much can be said about it, which I will later. Needless to say, Gary Oldman is the single reason to watch this, and sadly not much more. Practically every scene could serve as his Oscar clips. “Dunkirk” weighs heavily over “Darkest Hour” cinematically though, so it will be interesting to see how Academy voters acknowledge and embrace each film.
Many users should start seeing this film since it’s wide now.
Discuss.
ReplyI saw this about a week ago, and it’s by far my least favorite Joe Wright film. Sure, the production design is gorgeous, the costumes are great, and the score is good (Dario Marianelli continues to compose beautiful music), unfortunately, that’s about it. I don’t mind a slow film (especially if it pays off in the end), but in this instance, I felt like I was in the theater for a full day by the time I got out of my seat.
Supporting actors, such as Mendelsohn, Scott Thomas, and James do a good job with what they’re given, but this is obviously Gary Oldman’s film, content and all. While watching, I was expecting THE scene that was going to show why he’s being considered frontrunner, but the problem is, the film is filled with them. It drove me crazy at times because it screams Oscar bait (or as a critic said, “it plays out like a procession of award-show clips”). Overall, I don’t hate the performance, but I don’t love it either.
If anything, I’ve become increasingly disappointed in the Academy for not awarding him when they should’ve: in 2012 over Dujardin.
Personally, I wouldn’t be upset if Oldman won, because in the end you can tell he and everyone involved (especially the makeup artists, who are definitely winning Hair and Makeup) worked really hard, but I don’t think this is the winning performance. The deserving one, anyway.
Overall Grade: C+
ReplyCopy URLI just saw this and it was pure Oscar bait. AND I LOVED IT. Totally enrapturing from the get-go and Oldman wipes the floor with any other acting contenders this year (excluding perhaps Chalamet). It’s the ultimate transformation and surprisingly to me was far from just a make-up job. The cast around him also should have totally been nominated for SAG ensemble- Mendelson, Dillane, James (first time she’s ever not been vanilla), Scott Thomas, Pickup are all perfectly cast. I had real concerns going in that the whole film would be a series of speeches that would get uninteresting over the course but I could not have been more wrong, this owned its baity nature in every sense of the word and became an incredibly dynamic tale. I know I’m in the minority with this on this site but I’d nominate it for Best Picture in a heartbeat. Only Dunkirk and CMBYN have been better.
ReplyCopy URLWhile the film itself is kind of ho-hum, Oldman is sublime and richly deserving of that inevitable Oscar win.
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ReplyCopy URLI barely remember it, having seen it six weeks ago. Was the score good? Oldman was better than I expected and not hammy like John Lithgow. At the same time, I would have liked more charisma to explain better why anyone put up with this crotchety old mumbler. Subtitles would have been appreciated. Ben Mendelsohn was very good with limited material and he remains in my predictions; Stephen Dillane confused me by employing the same lisp. Does Lily James have the most screen time after Oldman?
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This post was found to be inappropriate by the moderators and has been removed.
This post was found to be inappropriate by the moderators and has been removed.I barely remember it, having seen it six weeks ago. Was the score good? Oldman was better than I expected and not hammy like John Lithgow. At the same time, I would have liked more charisma to explain better why anyone put up with this crotchety old mumbler. Subtitles would have been appreciated. Ben Mendelsohn was very good with limited material and he remains in my predictions; Stephen Dillane confused me by employing the same lisp. Does Lily James have the most screen time after Oldman?
I liked the score and it worked well with the style of the movie but I wouldn’t say it was better than Marianelli’s work in Atonement, more like Anna Karenina where it fit in but you didn’t leave thinking about it. Interesting that you would have wanted subtitles- did you watch a screener because at the screening I went to it was pretty clear what he was saying? Lily James easily had the most screentime after Oldman, in fact for the first half an hour I started wondering whether she was co-lead, she wasn’t but she did end up with one of the only other truly significant arcs in the film.
ReplyCopy URLFinally premiered in my country this week so managed to see it today. The cinematography and the production design are notably good, the script is nothing special as discussed earlier. I think KST will get that coattail nomination, she has more screentime than I imagined from the comments here. Oldman is amazing, at this point that goes without saying.
ReplyCopy URLNow it’s starting. #TimesUp!
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5a674f88e4b002283006d5b1
ReplyCopy URLNow it’s starting. #TimesUp!
What they neglect to mention though is that Oldman got full custody of his children from that divorce. Places more than reasonable doubt as to whether her filed papers were the truth as no judge would give sole custody to a man who could potentially be a domestic abuser. I’m not saying Oldman is squeaky clean (in fact I’m fairly sure given his history of drinking he was probably quite a vile man in both his 2nd and 3rd marriages), just that on every case such as this we mustn’t jump to conclusions just to take down another person. Times Up will be damaged if we start to cast light in the wrong places.
ReplyCopy URLAtypical wrote:
Now it’s starting. #TimesUp! https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5a674f88e4b002283006d5b1What they neglect to mention though is that Oldman got full custody of his children from that divorce. Places more than reasonable doubt as to whether her filed papers were the truth as no judge would give sole custody to a man who could potentially be a domestic abuser.I’m not saying Oldman is squeaky clean (in fact I’m fairly sure given his history of drinking he was probably quite a vile man in both his 2nd and 3rd marriages), just that on every case such as this we mustn’t jump to conclusions just to take down another person. Times Up will be damaged if we start to cast light in the wrong places.
What an incredible and totally unverifiable statement. Plenty of men have bought themselves legal verdicts. Besides, even if you don’t buy the possibility of a wealthy, famous movie star being able to assault his addict wife with no consequences, it doesn’t excuse his bigotry or noted antisemitism.
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