Frances Ha was shot on a low budget and yet they made a beautiful product out of it. It’s effective because it’s recalling past films from New Wave stuff (which was for the most part is b&w) so it had a purpose. I mean, you know it was like it was pastiching the new wave elements with modern times, and knowing that Noah gets a lot of influence from DePalma who’s rooted in the pastiche genre it just makes sense that it was in black and white, like I couldn’t think it would be in any other way. Especially since it’s shot on digital they somehow were able to evoke like an aged 35MM print? A very silvery picture. And, I have all respect for that. Mic drop.
I saw the black and white more as a throwback to the movie's (imo) most obvious source of inspiration: Woody Allen's 'Manhattan'. I kinda like Frances Ha, but only when watching it like an ironic movie, like one that kind of looks at its characters in an ironic, sarcastic way, making fun of them a little. Like the movie is trying to be a bit pretentious and self indulgent on purpose, and its pastiche form is part of that.
I'm going to sound a bit pretentious but people with English as their native language should really appreciate how lucky they are, when it comes to the simple aspect of enjoying a movie. Me and all the other non-native English speaking people have to seat through 99% of movies with subtitles. And even if we understanding English it doesn't entirely help because we are still trying to automatically translate it in our head to our native language, so our attention is not fully on the movie
That must be really difficult when you are watching films with really fast paced dialogue like just about anything Tarantino has ever directed and written.
I'm going to make a distinction between my youth and current middle age: I never minded reading subtitles except for particularly chatty directors like Ingmar Bergman - it does become a chore in that case. That was my youth. Now, north of 50 with not-great hearing and living in an apartment where I don't want to blow out my neighbors, I turn on subtitles for all films, so it doesn't make a difference!
Thank you! You perfectly summed up my issues with Inside as well. It didn’t seem like Bo’s character was complaining about the dark side of being an artist, he was just complaining about being an artist. There was so little nuance to it. It was clearly both painful and joyful for him to make this special, but he only seemed interested in discussing the pain.
Sweeney Todd was such a triumph for Tim Burton and a great movie/musical standout musical set piece has to be "my friends" and in my personal opinion it features one of Johnny Depp's finest performances, ED WOOD being my all time favorite........
Just because someone is successful or financially stable doesn't make any of their mental struggles, disorders, conditions, or emotions any less valid. Kind of surprised you'd take that stance. Bo Burnham can 100% experience the same kind of existential dread anyone else does even if he doesn't have money to worry about. His success and "living the dream" does not invalidate his paranoia/anger at the world and his fear regarding the future and his roles in it. The movie isn't about how 2020 sucks, it's about how everything after 2020 won't get any better. And tries to help the audience process that in a way many of us have been trying to. The dude has a family, has a girlfriend, might want kids. Just because he's getting paid well doesn't mean he's immune to the larger issues going on in the world, and implying he has little right to voice that or try to connect with others (and calling it "whiney") really rubs me the wrong way. Mental disorders are pretty hard for anyone of any stature or class to deal with, and you don't just "get over it."
I think Bo Burnam Inside gets so much hype because it was such a refreshing take on mental health and distress. It was both entertaining, funny and thought provoking. You seem to be focused on what he got payed to do it but I think the point was to show how vulnerable we all are and to open people’s eyes to digital age and media and how we are all a bit more disconnected and the part technology plays in it. It was both deep and authentic and demands rewatch but I guess not everyone sees it for what it really is.
But then he directly plays into the things he criticizes. He’s not helping mental health by talking about how covid and technology is destroying society, while simultaneously doing a multi million dollar netflix special and talking about how white guys (which he is one of) need to shut up. Nobody seems to care about hypocrisy. It wasn’t a refreshing take either, to say the least. It’s basically the same opinions that have been parroted by everyone on Reddit for a long time. It’s the opposite of refreshing
Black and white should once again become the medium for low budget productions. I did my last smal budget film in black and white, simply because it was impossible to get the locations i wanted while in lockdown, and even if i got them, the art department budget would have been 10 Times higher. People dont understand all the benefits of black and white, no color coordinating locations, less complicated lighting, less work when color grading, less work for hair and makeup, costumes become less problematic, vfx is alot less difficult etc. Yes, be aware what it can mean to the viewer. But if you do it as a means to save a shitton of money and time and still get a great result.. More power to you.
micro budget films are probably going to be a necessity moving forward and that is wild how much B&W can potentially save. It does seem like a light trend in the last decade with *Frances Ha* and *A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night* but also *El Planeta* and *The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet* in 2021
Completely agree with your take on 2020. I really think we need more film/tv reflecting the deep realizations that many people have had during this time. There’s a multitude of things to learn and explore about yourself in isolation (including gender for some) and yes while it was incredibly lonely for most people, I feel like many of us have come out of quarantine with a better understanding of ourselves, the world around us and human behavior and they’re things we never would’ve known otherwise.
Very good points regarding Bo Burnham. I thought it was very boring too. And yes the songs were repetitive. He was very creative and I appreciate his effort, but it didn’t feel great. I was so bored! So many enjoyed it, but I didn’t.
I love Bo Burnham’s Inside. I think it is insightful and hilarious satire. I’m an old white man. A performer and writer. I identify with him; seems like my younger self. A self aware brat, grappling with authenticity… maybe not everyone’s cup of tea… Actually it fills me with Envy as an artist, and then prompts me to laugh at myself for this…
I love Bo Burnham and I liked his special but people are acting like he's a genius when really he just gave the same regurgitated surface-level commentary people have been making for a while..
Apparently one of Bo Burnham's inspirations is a Dutch comedian called Hans Teeuwen and Teeuwen has two shows in English 'Live In London' and 'Real Rancor' and they're quite some. So if you can get a hold on those...
Bo’s Inside is the only special of Bo’s that I genuinely enjoyed, where I wasn’t kind of annoyed, and I gotta say… I was obsessed with it 😂 i do think it is a masterpiece. But it’s really because of the songwriting. It really is SUPERB.
Glad you appreciated my hot take! Apologies on the aggro tone - guess you're right that art can evoke overly strong reactions. I think I was mostly disturbed by the solipsism of his perspective in a crisis which, while isolating, feels to me like a moment that should promote global solidarity. Everyone on the planet is going through the same world historical event and our artist's response is to... retreat further inside? And rehash the relentless self-awareness shtick he's been doing his whole career? Anyway, I've complained enough. Love your videos!!
@@themoreyouknowfools4974 Depends on the movie. For example nearly all Hayao Miyazaki's and most of the Studio Ghubli films are dubbed magnificently with very precise timing by very good voice actors and even very good actors don't necessarily do much voice work in animation.
The reason I'm not thrilled with sub-titles is *how much visuals I miss* because I'm too busy reading. I have to watch them a 2nd time to absorb the camera-work & facial expressions.
being one of my 2 favourite movie critics on you tube i note your extensive quantity of videos but i want to ask you have you reviewed any fellini films and where can i find them - apologies for seeking a short cut - i would also welcome more ols reviews 70s and before thanks
If you thought it was just about "2020 sucks" then I can understand why you wouldn't connect to it but I think your surface-level analysis is lacking, a lot of what makes it good is the subtle themes of hope and humanity.
Holding out hope for a Burton comeback as well. Maybe if that Addams Family show is a hit then Netflix will just let him make something personal and weird, but who knows? 🤷♂️
I loved Inside. It connected with me on a very deep level but I think the way people are talking about it is a little over the top. I think it's just a masterwork of DIY stage production and creativity but the fan base has made me a little tired out as of recent. I still love it though and I respect your opinion.
Bo Burnham seemed to be deeply depressed while making Inside and that was the overriding mood he was trying to bring across, and while that is self indulgent he definitely was trying to portray his truth, as I'm sure a lot of people went through during this pandemic.
Lion King is overrated. It's a good film, with good music, overall well made. It even made some bold choices at the time (like showing a parent's corpse next to our main character, usually this sort of thing would only be implied and left off screen). But ultimately, it is just hamlet with animals, and even on technical terms the animation doesn't warrant the kind of praise it still gets today (Toy Story came out just a year later). I will never understand what so many people see in that film. It's not bad, but it's also far from being the holy grail of animation films that so many people make it out to be. I found pixar's early films, not only much more creative narratively, but more emotionally affecting and, goes without saying, technically far more impressive.
Lion King is in no way overrated. It's timeless classic that everyone loves. There's a reason everyone went to go see the Live Action. You young people don't understand what the word overrated means. Today's movies are overrated.
@@Gavin48 "young people", you have no way of knowing who someone is based on a youtube comment. plus, why is it not overrated then? I don't mind that people like it, I just don't get it which is very different. I never connected to that film, despite it being a constant presence in my life due to how popular it is. also the fact everyone went to see the "live action" (it's not even live action) works more in my favour by illustrating that a large part of that film's fanbase is dumb and just has nostalgia goggles on. if you really like the lion king, you cannot like the remake, which is disrespectful to the original in everyway
For me is personal attack when stupid critic dont like Mulholland drive, The Apartment, Double indemnity, Sunset bulevard, The Godfather part 2, The Godfather, Pulp fiction and so on, like Pink floyd albums like Animals
@@funlesbian For me Pink Floyd is Roger Waters he made 90% all of his songs Dark side of the moon best rock album ever, even better than Led Zeppelin 4, Whis you where here album, Animals and The Wall of all this 4 Floyd albums is at last place
@@tomislavcehajic9642 I think Animals is essential listening for PF fans but I think it is more criminal how unrecognized Syd was to the group. His specter hangs over every subsequent recording and nearly every composition of Waters for a reason! He was a singular unbridled creative talent that seemed to influence everyone in range. He had such a playful spontaneous sense of melody and harmony that the remnants of PF could never fully recover. So they developed the elongated stereo symphonic sound most now associate with Floyd and while I enjoy their superstar era, there's something so innocently rebellious about the Piper, Madcap, and especially 1970s Barrett that just doesn't compare. Both very psychedelic, but such different experiences! both anti-establishment but one basically became the establishment!
@@funlesbian Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin are 2 best rock band ever, Led Zeppelin had more great albums and songs but Floyd is in the same category, The Doors i love maybe my 3 best but i love Leonard Cohen so much i love music very much but i dont listen music any more, i listen only old music like Ac/Dc, Hendrix, Joplin, Queen, Iron maiden, Motorhead, Bowie, Zz Top, Black Sabbath, Dylan, Clapton, Johnny Cash, Van Morrison and stuff like that, Amy was my only hope for todays but she die i love her so much, i dont listen music anymore
I honestly hated it. It made me sick, I couldn’t finish watching it. It was extremely pretentious. I feel like the people who like this special are the type of people who spend hours on Reddit every day. It’s Reddit: The Musical. I don’t need his shitty, washed up rich kid opinions on a complicated issue. The music itself is bad, along with the writing. And just because he says in the special “BTW I know I’m another ‘white guy’ who’s making tons of money off of this” doesn’t make it any less hypocritical.
Doesn't Bo play a character during his specials? Pretty sure he has a gf and has said he deals with anxiety but has never had a problem with depression before.
I'm of the opinion ALL movies should be in black & white, but if you ARE going to make a color film, it has to be a Technicolor fever dream, like Black Narcissus, Leave Her to Heaven, Lola Montes or Vertigo. Nothing to me is more boring to look at than a movie that has 'realistic' color.
Pretty demanding criteria! Part of what makes cinema so great as a medium is that it's so wide-ranging. We've all got our preferences but I think 'all movies should/have to be _____' is a bit much.
