Let's not pretend that Gravity is a great movie.  I enjoyed it, but it's a popcorn flick.  Disposable entertainment.

I don't know if this is in response to my post.  I didn't mention anything about Cuaron standing on the shoulders of earlier directors.  Every director is the product of those that came before them.

I'm not saying that Scorcese is solely responsible for DeNiro's performances, but it can't be a coincidence that when DeNiro and Scorcese team up, we're given some of the greatest performances of all time.  We're not talking about good performances, here.  We're talking about the type of performances that shape the way we think about acting.  Performances that change the way acting is taught.

As far as output is concerned, Cuaron made his first feature in 1991.  That's 22 years ago.  In that time he's made 7 films that range from good to great.

Let's look at the first 22 years of Scorcese's career, starting with Who's That Knocking At My Door? in 1967.  By 1989, he had directed TWELVE films, including Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, The Last Waltz, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ... And was in the middle of shooting Goodfellas.

Not even close.

Last edited by Branco (2013-10-28 19:49:53)

Well, state your point. We have yet to see if Gravity has any influence on movies or society beyond making money, as those did.

Gravity is not a great movie from a pure storytelling standpoint. Not in my opinion at least, and this is where it disappointed me a bit.

To just follow up on my last post, of those Mean Streets is the only one I actually dig.  I never much cared for Raging Bull or Taxi Driver.  I see the skill inherit, I appreciate the craftsmanship...and that's it.  I don't actually enjoy it. 

That said, Thelma Schoonmaker is one of my favorite editors.  She's pretty fearless and takes quite a few cues from Non-fiction editing and applies it well.

Ya, for the record I also think Gravity is a great movie, right up there with Jurassic Park, T-2, Abyss as milestone FX-driven films that transcend their technical innovations.

Well I think the difference between Gravity and those movies is that they transcended the traditional "popcorn movie", and for me Gravity never does.  Gravity is in the same ballpark as Panic Room for me.  The characters are tropes, who have just enough of a personality to get us through the movie... But once we're out the door of the theater, that's it.  I mean, what was Clooney's character?  Handsome Astronaut?

You can't compare that to the characters we're introduced to in Star Wars, Raiders, and even Jaws.  In fact Star Wars and Raiders are specifically designed to be improvements on genres of movie that had been forgettable entertainment.  The Jaws novel has plenty of character depth. 

The characters in Gravity don't give you anything to latch onto, other than "Yeah.  Dying is bad.  Don't die."

Yeah, I'm with Branco here. Cuaron has yet to make anything as good as Taxi Driver. I'm not saying he'll never get there, but as of now they can't be compared.

I would agree 100% with this. I think it stems from the type of criticism that internet culture breeds. No one wants to watch a 20-minute video discussing themes or symbolism. But a 3-minute video that points out a bunch of "plot holes" that you can rattle off to your friends so that you can feel smugly superior? That's gonna get a lot of hits.

Not that it's a completely invalid way to approach movies. But I kind of hate that it's become the primary way for most people.

Kubrick is boring. For years I tried to convince myself that I liked Kubrick. Mostly because everyone else seems to. I can't keep the charade up anymore. He bores me. His photography is amazing, there are some fascinating shots, he created tone and mood like few others, and pairing him with Jack Nicholson was AMAZING but... meh. Paths of Glory is the only one I love. I like Strangelove a lot. And Full Metal Jacket is like seeing a Children International petitioner on the corner. I want to yell "you're doing great work" from across the street - but stay the hell away.

Intellectually, I understand what he's doing most of the time (I think). And I don't care. It's not valuable to me. But I bet he was an entertaining dinner guest.

No, I was raving FOR Vertigo, as I did on the episode.  As for Taxi Drover, it's perfectly fine, just not the bees knees for me.

Kubrick made several all-time classics up to and including 2001. After that, eh. I think he poured every ounce of compelling direction he had into 2001, and left just a few drops for The Shining and Clockwork Orange. Which are good movies, don't get me wrong. But I find it strange that his rabid internet following is mainly focused on what I think are his weaker films (barring 2001.)