Rosanne

Your YOLO article totally made me lol. Roswell. No excuses. Just Roswell.

Thanks Payal! Nice to know there’s another TVD fan in the new writers!

You’re right! It was a totally casual scene, but I was completely twisted into knots just wondering what could possibly happen in those last three minutes!

I really enjoyed the film experience, and think that it is a great interpretation for our time. Like others have posted, the casting is very easy to appreciate; but there are also some points that hold it back. There’s a lot of dazzlement to sift through! I personally, enjoy Luhrmann’s over-the-top, romantic style.

Very well thought out point. I do believe it’s possible for movies to surpass their source material, though it’s very rare. While your right in the different limitations of perspective, some films, in my opinion, manage to have a greater resonance with viewers than the original books can achieve with readers. Wizard of Oz is perfect example.

Very interesting dissection of Martyrs! I’ve seen a smattering of New French Extremity, but this film I’ve struggled with for a while. I love the first half, the comfortable familiar narrative, as you described; I assumed that Lucie was unhinged on my first viewing and didn’t want her to be correct in her assumption about the family she killed being her torturers.

But when Anna discovers it all to be true and the uncertain element is gone, the story always feels broken to me. In my mind the premise becomes infinitely more hard to swallow. When you break it into the juxtaposition of the differences in violence, however, the story does present a different sort of cohesiveness.

Thanks Graham! It’s tricky making so many guesstimates this early before the film’s release – I’m eager to see how things ultimately turn out.

BTW, I had never thought to compare Black Swan with Repulsion, but the parallels are very interesting to think on.

I agree, one of Aronofsky’s greatest strengths is his outside-the-box style. It would be disappointing to see him have to compromise too much for the sake of a franchise.