I think I am in the minority that genuinely appreciated this film. I wasnt bored even for a second. It wasnt really THAT BAD as many people made it out to be. While not a completely perfect film, there were many things that I liked about it. The overall bizarreness, symbolism (whats with the hands?) and the eerie nightmarish atmosphere (Ive actually had nightmares about places that had a similar design and lighting). So, perhaps, this has something to do with Nicholas Winding-Refns own existential angst. The absolutely mesmerizing cinematography is another plus and also the soothing background score (loved both the songs sung by Chang, especially the last one). This is a film that is to be experienced rather than thought about (actually theres enough of that too). This is one of those few bizarre films that I dont have a problem with. I admire Refns guts to make a film that completely challenges audiences perceptions. Narrative conventions were upended and turned inside-out, and I think most people simply didnt know what to make of it. Maybe some of them didnt understand it and maybe some did. Refn defied everyones expectations and paid for it with an underperforming movie that, I think, 20 or 30 years down the road, will probably be hailed as a cult classic by the critics. I found it oddly compelling, a twist on hero tropes - the antagonist of the film, Chang, is actually the protagonist and the protagonist, Julian, is actually the antagonist. Chang is the moral center of the film, basically, making Julian and his obnoxious turd of a family the villains. Some scenes reminded me of The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut and I wasnt surprised when I found out that Larry Smith (was on the camera crew of both these films) had handled the cinematography of this one. If Kubrick had made this picture, everyone will be praising it, Im sure. I think Refn should be called the true successor to Kubrick instead of Nolan (if you think about it, Refns style is much closer to Kubrick than Nolans).
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 10:46:35 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015