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 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jit3YhGx5pU Walking Oscar statue Frances McDormand plays Mildred Hayes, an embittered mother fighting to have the truth about her daughter (tortured, raped, burned - you see a brief photo of her toasted marshmallow corpse) dug up by cops she considers complacent, among them Sherrif Willougby (Woody Harrelson) and local dipshit Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell). To provoke them into action, she buys three billboards on the edge of town near her house from the local advertising agent (played by an adorably twinky Caleb Landry Jones) that read: RAPED WHILE DYING STILL NO ARRESTS? HOW COME, CHIEF WILLOUGBY? What follows is both expected and unexpected. Martin McDonagh, in his typical style, takes familiar story aspects (in clumsier hands the same story could be a weepy Lifetime original) and twists them with brutal, unflinching cruelty to highlight the spaces between people where kindness goes to die. McDormand plays Hayes with such ferocity it's kind of a surprise that she's able to form her rage into words, but she does, and she's got lots of them, and most of them are foul. The surprise is the degree to which that ferocity and unwavering need for revenge (and even martyrdom) is colored by uncertainty - it turns out, for example, that the lack of conclusions isn't because the cops are lazy or stupid, but because there simply weren't any leads, but Hayes pushes on regardless. She, like most people, have an innate desire for closure, and as the town turns against her, it only stokes her indignation. Sometimes it feels good to spit back, but McDonagh doesn't let it become a story of righteous vengeance, which would be too simple and pat. In other words, he doesn't allow Hayes to be the only character with agency, and the best aspect of the film is the way it reflects our current broken political atmosphere. How many Thanksgiving dinners are going to be a mirror image of this film's tensions? My main problem with this film is how drawn out it is. McDonagh insists on inserting endless soft country-music interludes, and I don't feel like he was able to stick the landing in his shifts from bleak, misanthropic social satire to more straightforward rural drama. I think this will function better for some people than others, but I couldn't shake off the feeling of absurdity (there's a scene with a deer that borders on Tennesee Williams parody). If the fusion works for you, then congrats! You've won the movie. Anyways, this is either in wide release or it's rolling out presently, if it turns up you should definitely go see it. McDormand's performance is like watching a haystack burn, and McDonagh's sense of humor is well displayed. Magic Hate Ball fucked around with this message at 22:09 on Nov 18, 2017 |
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Nov 18, 2017 18:35
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Seven Psychopaths was brilliant and this looks drat drat drat good.
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Nov 19, 2017 15:37
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drat fine writeup, OP.
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Nov 19, 2017 16:08
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Totally agree with that first post. There were a few disparate elements that dont weave together well, but maybe thats the point? I dunno. Still, drat fine movie to watch.
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Nov 22, 2017 01:26
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Saw this at Alamo tonight...I'll try to formulate up some deeper thoughts later...but man, it's was just a brutal film. I felt physically drained after watching it. Highly recommended
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Nov 22, 2017 06:17
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jivjov posted:Saw this at Alamo tonight...I'll try to formulate up some deeper thoughts later...but man, it's was just a brutal film. I felt physically drained after watching it. Highly recommended when I first saw it at a film festival a month back, I described it as the funniest movie that'll leave you completely shaken by the end.
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Nov 22, 2017 15:49
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Uncle Boogeyman posted:when I first saw it at a film festival a month back, I described it as the funniest movie that'll leave you completely shaken by the end. I've never seen an audience go from laughing to dead silent so fast as when they cut right to the pictures of the daughter's body in the case file. Also I was not expecting that ending, but I really liked it.
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Nov 23, 2017 00:50
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Grizzled Patriarch posted:I've never seen an audience go from laughing to dead silent so fast as when they cut right to the pictures of the daughter's body in the case file. Yeah that's a really well-timed cut, it got gasps both times I saw it. This ending for me is the new No Country for Old Men ending, where I feel like half the people who see it are gonna hate it but you can safely disregard those people.
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Nov 23, 2017 00:55
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If you like you can pretend this is a prequel to Seven Psychopaths jack o diamonds 
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Nov 23, 2017 01:01
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Something I really enjoyed was that while the trailers presented Mildred as being fully in the right and her case unfairly ignored by police...the actual film was so much more nuanced, and honestly felt more like an ensemble piece
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Nov 23, 2017 01:53
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Uncle Boogeyman posted:Yeah that's a really well-timed cut, it got gasps both times I saw it. I like that the movie sells the ending as this kind of like, "heck yeah!" moment but it's actually just really sad and hosed up.
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Nov 24, 2017 22:12
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God drat this movie goes from funny to dark to really funny to holy poo poo this is dark to man this is great to man this is horrible for everyone involve gently caress. What an amazing movie. There are so many golden moments in it and everyone is great in it.
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Nov 26, 2017 01:22
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very weird to see Mac's mom from It's Always Sunny as an even less likable character
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Nov 26, 2017 04:58
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Also anyone that liked this should check out McDonagh's plays, finding The Pillowman in my middle school library probably traumatized me.
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Nov 26, 2017 05:57
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his short Six Shooter is excellent intro to his sense of humor/themes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9w9BJXeL4E
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Nov 26, 2017 06:48
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Oh I will say that the letters from Willoughby were all pretty god drat funny and sad. The one for his wife was heartbreaking. The one for Mildred is hilarious. Him starting them with “hi. Dead Willoughby here” was just this really dark appreciation of where he was headed and how committed he was to it. How he takes the billboards and makes them his own post death was a pretty great gently caress you. “I hope they don’t kill you” got a pretty big laugh from the theater. The absurdity of Jason being oblivious to the fire while reading this heartwarming letter was great.
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Nov 26, 2017 08:18
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It feels like the identity of the killer is incredibly obvious, is that the case and does it make the movie less good? Specifically: We know Peter Dinklage is in the movie, but he's only in one shot in the trailer, so it seems like a gimme that he's the killer
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Nov 26, 2017 20:19
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precision posted:It feels like the identity of the killer is incredibly obvious, is that the case and does it make the movie less good? Well if you want spoiled the killer is not revealed and is probably not a character in the movie but the short answer to your speculation is no
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Nov 26, 2017 20:23
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OK good. I hate it when things get meta-spoiled like that.
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Nov 26, 2017 20:27
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this is a good movie. i recommend this movie
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Nov 27, 2017 05:18
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This is the kind of plot that seems like it should be based on a true story. In fact I'm a little bit shocked that it apparently isn't. It just nails that "truth is stranger than fiction" vibe.
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Nov 27, 2017 14:02
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The scene that stays with me the most is the sudden cough bit. There's all this tension and we see Hayes and Willougby inch towards becoming enemies, only for this sudden moment that brings them back to earth. It's both relieving and incredibly sad to watch.
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Nov 27, 2017 21:46
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Gavok posted:The scene that stays with me the most is the sudden cough bit. There's all this tension and we see Hayes and Willougby inch towards becoming enemies, only for this sudden moment that brings them back to earth. It's both relieving and incredibly sad to watch. That scene didn't work for the audience I was with at all because everyone laughed when it happened.
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Nov 27, 2017 21:53
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Magic Hate Ball posted:That scene didn't work for the audience I was with at all because everyone laughed when it happened. ngl that is a very strange audience reaction
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Nov 27, 2017 22:04
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my audience applauded loudly after Mildred's monologue to the priest
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Nov 27, 2017 22:08
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Uncle Boogeyman posted:ngl that is a very strange audience reaction Different audiences have different energies.
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Nov 27, 2017 22:15
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Magic Hate Ball posted:Different audiences have different energies. For sure, that's still bizarre though. I saw the movie twice with two very different audiences (a film festival crowd and a general release art house crowd - film festival crowd was way better) and both times that bit got gasps.
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Nov 27, 2017 22:18
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Uncle Boogeyman posted:For sure, that's still bizarre though. I saw the movie twice with two very different audiences (a film festival crowd and a general release art house crowd - film festival crowd was way better) and both times that bit got gasps. It’s not bizarre if you have an audience that’s really enjoying the black comedy elements, and it can easily scan as a moment of shocking, dark hilarity. edit LAUGHED AT MOVIE AND STILL NO REMORSE? Magic Hate Ball fucked around with this message at 22:24 on Nov 27, 2017 |
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Nov 27, 2017 22:21
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I noticed that Red Welby was reading A Good Man is Hard to Find in his first scene, and looking at Wikipedia brought me to this (spoilered to be safe):Wikipedia posted:There are varying opinions of "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." Most of this discrepancy centers on the grandmother's act of touching The Misfit.
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Nov 27, 2017 22:24
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The woman two seats over from me did a loud *GASP* at every possibly tiny "twist" the film had. It sucked.
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Nov 27, 2017 22:24
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Magic Hate Ball posted:It’s not bizarre if you have an audience that’s really enjoying the black comedy elements, and it can easily scan as a moment of shocking, dark hilarity. You seem to be taking this scene really personally. Film festival audience was super into the black comedy bits. Not sure where you're going with the "you seem to be taking this personally" thing, I'm just observing that laughter is a weird reaction to that scene.
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Nov 27, 2017 22:25
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Uncle Boogeyman posted:Film festival audience was super into the black comedy bits. Not sure where you're going with the "you seem to be taking this personally" thing, I'm just observing that laughter is a weird reaction to that scene. If you'd been in the audience I was at, it wouldn't have seemed weird. An audience reaction can create an atmosphere that influences the film - this is why sometimes a play flops one night and sizzles the next. It's not like we were all yukking it up over Schindler's List.
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Nov 27, 2017 22:30
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It's a less extreme example but it just reminds me of stuff like all the stories of people cracking up at Hateful Eight showings when JJL got punched in the face or people dropped racial slurs on Samuel Jackson. Which is to say, I can see it in a "nervous laughter" type way but not a "now that's funny!" type way. I guess i have been in crowds where if a movie has a lot of jokes, they get so into laughing that they also laugh at ings that aren't jokes.
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Nov 27, 2017 22:35
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Uncle Boogeyman posted:It's a less extreme example but it just reminds me of stuff like all the stories of people cracking up at Hateful Eight showings when JJL got punched in the face or people dropped racial slurs on Samuel Jackson. Which is to say, I can see it in a "nervous laughter" type way but not a "now that's funny!" type way. Equating laughing at a dark comedy scene with laughing at a racial slur is really loving weird of you, ngl.
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Nov 27, 2017 22:36
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Magic Hate Ball posted:Equating laughing at a dark comedy scene with laughing at a racial slur is really loving weird of you, ngl. Okay dude I apologize for calling your audience weird, willing to entertain the possibility that I am also weird
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Nov 27, 2017 22:41
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My audience also laughed at the blood cough, but then got quieter as it settled in what was happening. My initial thought was maybe he does that a lot due to the cancer, and coughed on her on purpose. But five seconds later it's clear woody wasnt pranking
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Nov 27, 2017 22:55
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Uncle Boogeyman posted:Okay dude I apologize for calling your audience weird, willing to entertain the possibility that I am also weird Well, it's interesting because I think that's why the film's turns towards more earnest drama fell flat for me, because that key scene in particular failed to act as a signal that the story would be shifting its genres. I'd kinda like to see it again because it might land better with a different audience - the whole second half felt incoherent, and someone behind me said "oh..." in a really puzzled voice when the credits came up. I do earnestly think that this film needed another script pass to trim it down and assemble itself better, particularly in organizing its own allegiances for and against its characters. McDonagh cripples himself by playing so fast and loose with an ensemble cast, which makes the turns of character that could be dramatic feel simply like comical flip-flops and muddles the ending. Or at least it did for the audience of psychopaths I saw it with.
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Nov 27, 2017 22:57
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Magic Hate Ball posted:Well, it's interesting because I think that's why the film's turns towards more earnest drama fell flat for me, because that key scene in particular failed to act as a signal that the story would be shifting its genres. I'd kinda like to see it again because it might land better with a different audience - the whole second half felt incoherent, and someone behind me said "oh..." in a really puzzled voice when the credits came up. I do earnestly think that this film needed another script pass to trim it down and assemble itself better, particularly in organizing its own allegiances for and against its characters. McDonagh cripples himself by playing so fast and loose with an ensemble cast, which makes the turns of character that could be dramatic feel simply like comical flip-flops and muddles the ending. Or at least it did for the audience of psychopaths I saw it with. I can definitely see how it plays different with a different audience. Like I said, the general release audience I saw it with was way less fun than the film festival audience - it was a very art-house crowd and they seemed to be treating it as a Very Serious Movie with some jokes as opposed to the caustic black comedy that it is. Disagree on the second half feeling incoherent though. I'm curious what you mean by "allegiances for and against its characters". I don't really see the film as having any, or needing any. That's part of what I like about it actually, although I can see why it turns some people off.
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Nov 28, 2017 02:15
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Uncle Boogeyman posted:I can definitely see how it plays different with a different audience. Like I said, the general release audience I saw it with was way less fun than the film festival audience - it was a very art-house crowd and they seemed to be treating it as a Very Serious Movie with some jokes as opposed to the caustic black comedy that it is. I was going to write something less productive but actually I'd really prefer just to hear your interpretation of the last half. How are we meant to take her decision to decide, on the road, whether or not to kill the rapist? Is the soft-hearted drama meant to be funny, or sad? My sense was that McDonagh was aiming to trick the audience by making them think she was on her way to redemption, before pulling the rug out and saying "haha, just kidding, she learned the wrong lesson and now she's a misguided vigilante. I just couldn't tell why we were assaulted with multiple soft-country interludes, if they weren't meant to be parodic.
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Nov 28, 2017 03:24
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Magic Hate Ball posted:I was going to write something less productive but actually I'd really prefer just to hear your interpretation of the last half. How are we meant to take her decision to decide, on the road, whether or not to kill the rapist? Is the soft-hearted drama meant to be funny, or sad? My sense was that McDonagh was aiming to trick the audience by making them think she was on her way to redemption, before pulling the rug out and saying "haha, just kidding, she learned the wrong lesson and now she's a misguided vigilante. I just couldn't tell why we were assaulted with multiple soft-country interludes, if they weren't meant to be parodic. Aaaack most of my reply got deleted but lemme try and more or less recreate it: Like most of McDonagh's stuff, particularly his movies, it's supposed to be both funny and sad. I don't think McDonagh is trying to trick the audience at all. I do think that he is pointedly denying the audience the catharsis they want or expect not just from the mystery, which isn't solved, but from the revenge, which not only do we not get to see and take part in, we don't even know if it occurs at all - clearly neither Dixon or Mildred really have their hearts in it at the end, and it seems equally likely they'll turn around and call it off as go out in a Rolling Thunder style blaze of glory. If I had to pin it down to one thesis or statement (which I don't really wanna do, because I like the ambiguity of it), it's that if someone is dealing with a loss so great, you really can't say for them what's the right way or the wrong way to deal with it As far as the country interludes, I didn't catch this on my first viewing, but they take place at the beginning and end and are both different versions of the same Townes Van Zandt song, one which deals heavily with feelings of losing someone and how the singer is dealing with those feelings or failing to, so I think they make nice bookends to the movie and to Mildred's shifting feelings on losing her daughter. At any rate, I think they're sincere. Uncle Boogeyman fucked around with this message at 04:18 on Nov 28, 2017 |
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Nov 28, 2017 04:16
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