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Post by stephen on Oct 8, 2024 2:19:08 GMT
This film felt like the love child of Birdman and Villeneuve's Enemy, all anchored by a fantastic performance by Sebastian Stan, who richly deserved his Berlinale prize. I know A24's spoiled for choice in Best Actor this year but I would love to see him get a push here. It's a beautifully physical performance, which many actors attempt to do but few manage to achieve to this degree. And yet, the moment Adam Pearson shows up on screen, he seizes the film by the throat and doesn't let go till the end. Truly staggering work. A character mentions that his Oswald could play Hamlet and honestly, I think Pearson would be more than up for that challenge.
Also, that cameo hit me like a thunderbolt and I stood up in the theater.
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Post by thomasjerome on Oct 8, 2024 4:43:58 GMT
No one prepared me how funny this film will going to be, Woody Allen-esque in a way. Enjoyed it a lot.
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Post by Micah on Oct 8, 2024 6:07:51 GMT
Saw this back in June, and would love to re-watch it. Stan and Pearson noms would give me life.
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sofi screwbb
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Post by sofi screwbb on Dec 19, 2024 16:44:48 GMT
AMAZING
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Post by Kings_Requiem on Dec 19, 2024 18:23:32 GMT
A film that hasn't really left my mind since I saw it. Sebastian Stan is carving out a nice little career for himself. His two performances this year could not be further apart on the spectrum, but the way he's able to play both of those extremes with an utmost effortlessness is nothing less than extraordinary. I do prefer his work here, though, because I feel like there are more directions for the character to go in and there's a wider array of emotions for him to play. He would make a fine and quite inspired nominee.
Now, I wasn't exactly on board with how the film played out. I thought the first half was much more intriguing and had a promise of something special that the second half couldn't quite follow up on. That's not to say that the rest of the film isn't good because it most certainly is, it was just less intriguing for me. There was a lot of ironic humor injected into the second half that, while seemingly clever, didn't land with the intended impact the filmmaker was surely aiming for.
Overall it's a damn fine time and one that I still find myself thinking about months after having seen it. A re-watch is definitely in store and, who knows, maybe that will solve the slight issues I had with it to begin with.
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rhodoraonline
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Post by rhodoraonline on Jan 13, 2025 4:49:59 GMT
My best movie of this oscar season so far. Sebastian Stan is powerful in this. As much as I loved Adam Pearson in it, I gotta say, I found the first half of the movie without Pearson in it as compelling and interesting as the second half. This is the second time in the year that powerful, extremely believable physical embodiment of a character floored me (first was Jeremy Strong in The Apprentice). I don't know what kind of research Seb did, but he takes up the physicality of the burden of having all those tumors on his face incredibly convincingly. SPOILERS ::: Not only that, as the miracle treatment kills off the tumorous tissue and it is finally all shed, he retains that physicality because of course he is still the same old person he's been all his life so far and the rest of his body and psyche is gonna take some time getting used to the new him. It's a GLORIOUS execution that carries both dramatic and comedic heft. From that moment on, Stan is able to carry forward this interwoven dramatic and comedic arc masterfully and it is impeccably tied to the truth of his character --- his inability to let go of his deep-seated insecurity regardless of his outward appearance ::: SPOILERS END After Pearson is introduced, the movie became doubly and enjoyably hilarious to me because of the structural similarity of this movie to The Substance! Both movies deal with the inability of people to be comfortable in their skin and to accept the package deal that comes with their outward appearance. Both movies deal with a person's "wish being granted" turning into a sort of a nightmare situation for them personally. These similarities added layers of both depth and satire into my movie watching experience here and I had a hoot. Pearson's charisma plays a central role here, because Stan's insecurities have to leap directly from that charisma. Stan on his side is not only committed, he never lets a "change of tone" problem emerge in the movie. Because there is NO change of tone. It all emerges out of the character's psyche interacts with the circumstances unfolding. Which makes this doubly hilarious. I don't remember being so in tune with the satire of a movie and laughing out loud appreciative of all the little moments in a performance since the last time I watched American Psycho perhaps. The way he is forced to sit and take it as "another movie actor" is preparing to play "his" role right in front of him is HILARIOUS and it cannot work if Stan had overacted it even a tiny bit. His control is ginormous throughout! The stunt casting in that scene is also really admirable because the "actor" chosen practically looks like a somewhat aged version of Seb's own exact face in the scene lol This is the BEST lead acting performance of last year BY FAR (and I don't think even The Brutalist will change my opinion once I have watched that)  My pet beloved skill in masterful acting is when the actor can suggest a totally different person than that familiar persona we get during talk shows etc just through their on-screen characterization and projection and he brings that here on par with what I regularly see Bale accomplish  It should always have been this movie Stan was in contention for. He also suffers this season because A24 totally fumbled the bag with this movie and he is outshone by his supporting actor in his other movie where his Trump is scripted as a bit more superficial compared to the depths Roy Cohn's and even Ivana's characters are allowed to reach. It would be a shame when he misses his nomination. |
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tylosaur
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Post by tylosaur on Jan 13, 2025 4:59:56 GMT
My best movie of this oscar season so far. Sebastian Stan is powerful in this. As much as I loved Adam Pearson in it, I gotta say, I found the first half of the movie without Pearson in it as compelling and interesting as the second half. This is the second time in the year that powerful, extremely believable physical embodiment of a character floored me (first was Jeremy Strong in The Apprentice). I don't know what kind of research Seb did, but he takes up the physicality of the burden of having all those tumors on his face incredibly convincingly. SPOILERS ::: Not only that, as the miracle treatment kills off the tumorous tissue and it is finally all shed, he retains that physicality because of course he is still the same old person he's been all his life so far and the rest of his body and psyche is gonna take some time getting used to the new him. It's a GLORIOUS execution that carries both dramatic and comedic heft. From that moment on, Stan is able to carry forward this interwoven dramatic and comedic arc masterfully and it is impeccably tied to the truth of his character --- his inability to let go of his deep-seated insecurity regardless of his outward appearance ::: SPOILERS END After Pearson is introduced, the movie became doubly and enjoyably hilarious to me because of the structural similarity of this movie to The Substance! Both movies deal with the inability of people to be comfortable in their skin and to accept the package deal that comes with their outward appearance. Both movies deal with a person's "wish being granted" turning into a sort of a nightmare situation for them personally. These similarities added layers of both depth and satire into my movie watching experience here and I had a hoot. Pearson's charisma plays a central role here, because Stan's insecurities have to leap directly from that charisma. Stan on his side is not only committed, he never lets a "change of tone" problem emerge in the movie. Because there is NO change of tone. It all emerges out of the character's psyche interacts with the circumstances unfolding. Which makes this doubly hilarious. I don't remember being so in tune with the satire of a movie and laughing out loud appreciative of all the little moments in a performance since the last time I watched American Psycho perhaps. The way he is forced to sit and take it as "another movie actor" is preparing to play "his" role right in front of him is HILARIOUS and it cannot work if Stan had overacted it even a tiny bit. His control is ginormous throughout! The stunt casting in that scene is also really admirable because the "actor" chosen practically looks like a somewhat aged version of Seb's own exact face in the scene lol This is the BEST lead acting performance of last year BY FAR (and I don't think even The Brutalist will change my opinion once I have watched that) My pet beloved skill in masterful acting is when the actor can suggest a totally different person than that familiar persona we get during talk shows etc just through their on-screen characterization and projection and he brings that here on par with what I regularly see Bale accomplish It should always have been this movie Stan was in contention for. He also suffers this season because A24 totally fumbled the bag with this movie and he is outshone by his supporting actor in his other movie where his Trump is scripted as a bit more superficial compared to the depths Roy Cohn's and even Ivana's characters are allowed to reach. It would be a shame when he misses his nomination. Still have much to see but this is my favorite film of the year so far. Heard this film was surprisingly funny but I still wasn't prepared for how much so. I ate up everything it put down. |
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rhodoraonline
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Post by rhodoraonline on Jan 13, 2025 5:06:15 GMT
My best movie of this oscar season so far. Sebastian Stan is powerful in this. As much as I loved Adam Pearson in it, I gotta say, I found the first half of the movie without Pearson in it as compelling and interesting as the second half. This is the second time in the year that powerful, extremely believable physical embodiment of a character floored me (first was Jeremy Strong in The Apprentice). I don't know what kind of research Seb did, but he takes up the physicality of the burden of having all those tumors on his face incredibly convincingly. SPOILERS ::: Not only that, as the miracle treatment kills off the tumorous tissue and it is finally all shed, he retains that physicality because of course he is still the same old person he's been all his life so far and the rest of his body and psyche is gonna take some time getting used to the new him. It's a GLORIOUS execution that carries both dramatic and comedic heft. From that moment on, Stan is able to carry forward this interwoven dramatic and comedic arc masterfully and it is impeccably tied to the truth of his character --- his inability to let go of his deep-seated insecurity regardless of his outward appearance ::: SPOILERS END After Pearson is introduced, the movie became doubly and enjoyably hilarious to me because of the structural similarity of this movie to The Substance! Both movies deal with the inability of people to be comfortable in their skin and to accept the package deal that comes with their outward appearance. Both movies deal with a person's "wish being granted" turning into a sort of a nightmare situation for them personally. These similarities added layers of both depth and satire into my movie watching experience here and I had a hoot. Pearson's charisma plays a central role here, because Stan's insecurities have to leap directly from that charisma. Stan on his side is not only committed, he never lets a "change of tone" problem emerge in the movie. Because there is NO change of tone. It all emerges out of the character's psyche interacts with the circumstances unfolding. Which makes this doubly hilarious. I don't remember being so in tune with the satire of a movie and laughing out loud appreciative of all the little moments in a performance since the last time I watched American Psycho perhaps. The way he is forced to sit and take it as "another movie actor" is preparing to play "his" role right in front of him is HILARIOUS and it cannot work if Stan had overacted it even a tiny bit. His control is ginormous throughout! The stunt casting in that scene is also really admirable because the "actor" chosen practically looks like a somewhat aged version of Seb's own exact face in the scene lol This is the BEST lead acting performance of last year BY FAR (and I don't think even The Brutalist will change my opinion once I have watched that) My pet beloved skill in masterful acting is when the actor can suggest a totally different person than that familiar persona we get during talk shows etc just through their on-screen characterization and projection and he brings that here on par with what I regularly see Bale accomplish It should always have been this movie Stan was in contention for. He also suffers this season because A24 totally fumbled the bag with this movie and he is outshone by his supporting actor in his other movie where his Trump is scripted as a bit more superficial compared to the depths Roy Cohn's and even Ivana's characters are allowed to reach. It would be a shame when he misses his nomination. Still have much to see but this is my favorite film of the year so far. Heard this film was surprisingly funny but I still wasn't prepared for how much so. I ate up everything it put down. Sebastian Stan has officially become my favorite American actor this year. I don't think I have had quite an "acting crush" stateside since Tom Hanks |
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Allenism
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Post by Allenism on Jan 28, 2025 2:23:22 GMT
Don't remember the last time I saw a film presumably set in the present day but harken to another era in such a cellular way. You could've told me this was filmed in the 90s and I'd believe you were it not for the recognizably contemporary faces in it. Stan is a gem.
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Post by The_Cake_of_Roth on Jan 30, 2025 5:34:53 GMT
Impressive performances aside, this didn’t really work for me. It felt like too much of a conceptual meta exercise that kept me at an emotional distance, and tonally the movie is too slippery, particularly in the way it becomes progressively less grounded as the absurdity escalates. Stan’s character is also somewhat too opaque, and so the tragicomic aspect of it doesn’t feel completely earned because I wasn’t completely on board with watching this guy just being subjected to punishment for the entire second half of the movie.
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Feb 3, 2025 17:39:14 GMT
seconding most of Cake's thoughts. This didn't really work for me either and Stan's character is too undefined to anchor the karmic second half.
I also wish there was more depth to the Pearson character beyond just being garrulous and charming. I get that Schimberg is trying to subvert expectations and the fact that Oswald is so confident and sure of himself is part of the cosmic joke played on Edward but I wish he had more of an interior life. We never get a moment where we learn more about him or peak behind the curtain even just a little bit. I love how Pearson throws himself into it and he IS charming as hell, but I can't help but feel the script wasted an opportunity to mine more from his acting chops.
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Post by Martin Stett on Feb 28, 2025 0:50:42 GMT
Simplistic A24 crap with a dead Sebastian Stan performance cementing Edward as the most opaque and unsympathetic protagonist of the year. I wouldn't have minded so much if this didn't steal elements from far better lowbrow trash that actually have something to say outside of "don't be an insecure loser, mmmkay?" There is not one emotional beat that connects.
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Post by pacinoyes on Feb 28, 2025 1:07:07 GMT
Simplistic A24 crap with a dead Sebastian Stan performance cementing Edward as the most opaque and unsympathetic protagonist of the year. I wouldn't have minded so much if this didn't steal elements from far better lowbrow trash that actually have something to say outside of "don't be an insecure loser, mmmkay?" There is not one emotional beat that connects. I'll be borrowing that ^ shorthand for future discussions of Civil War and if I had to guess the upcoming Warfare (2025) thankyouverymuch |
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Post by PromNightCarrie on Feb 28, 2025 17:59:05 GMT
Simplistic A24 crap with a dead Sebastian Stan performance cementing Edward as the most opaque and unsympathetic protagonist of the year. I wouldn't have minded so much if this didn't steal elements from far better lowbrow trash that actually have something to say outside of "don't be an insecure loser, mmmkay?" There is not one emotional beat that connects.And it really didn't have much more to it than that! Oh let me show you a tale about self-acceptance. But I did not care. I didn't care about this man. It really doesn't work as a dark comedy either, which it's apparently supposed to be. Thumbs down for me. |
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Post by Martin Stett on Feb 28, 2025 21:11:30 GMT
Simplistic A24 crap with a dead Sebastian Stan performance cementing Edward as the most opaque and unsympathetic protagonist of the year. I wouldn't have minded so much if this didn't steal elements from far better lowbrow trash that actually have something to say outside of "don't be an insecure loser, mmmkay?" There is not one emotional beat that connects.And it really didn't have much more to it than that! Oh let me show you a tale about self-acceptance. But I did not care. I didn't care about this man. It really doesn't work as a dark comedy either, which it's apparently supposed to be. Thumbs down for me. The supposed comedy in this movie straight up confuses me. I am being told the misnaming of Lincoln's assassin is some sort of brilliant comedy, and I'm scratching my head wondering what people are smoking. Stan (and his director's framing of events) is ruinously bland here. Oswald is a shallow joke of a character, and if this went full Neil Simon, I'd have laughed at Guy finally falling apart and going apeshit on Oswald's chipper perfection... but this is determined to keep that awful A24 veneer of respectability instead of committing to the bit. |
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Post by fujiwarafan on Mar 23, 2025 11:09:18 GMT
Really intelligent movie. I didn't find it hilarious/ironic honeslty, nor particularly dramatic, just clever and a bit of a mindfuck. It takes a paradoxical situation and uses it to showcase a story about the concept of image/double we have in today's society and self acceptance. The goal might seem ordinary, but it's written so well that feels needed and definitely not taken for granted. It's the superior version of The Substance, in a way.
Stan is excellent in one of the best performances of the year, I agree with who said it's a very "pshyical" performance; he's able to retain all of Edward's mannerism into Guy's new identity, creating a complex character. I also thought Pearson was very good, the term charismatic has been said many times but it's very appropriate.
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My pet beloved skill in masterful acting is when the actor can suggest a totally different person than that familiar persona we get during talk shows etc just through their on-screen characterization and projection and he brings that here on par with what I regularly see Bale accomplish 
