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05-30-2000, 07:28 AM

Well now that I'm back from spending Memorial day with my family, I will respond.

-there was no "swelling music" on the beach in SPR.It must have been your heart thumping in your ears.

-"it rang true"........"are you loved? Know that I was loved too.".......yep, that's the way it was alright, dead talking & all that.

-Were you ever in combat? More to the point were you ever in WW2 combat? No? then where do you get your "in the know" info about what it was like? At least Spielberg & Malick had advisers & eyewitness accounts to go on.

-"I'm tired of veteran's chest thumping....etc." Gee, on Memorial day too, huh? To simple & childish to get a rise out of me.
How cute that you tried so hard though.

-"well that is just a not very well thought out comment..."
Would you like for me to elaborate?
All film makers have "trick's" or "tool's" that they use in order to cover up weak or old tired plot device's. ALL of the best director's have used them...all of them, from Hichcock & Fellini to Kubrick & Truffaut, all of them have used these narrative "tool's" in order to get over old Clishes & move on with the story they are trying to tell. You want a TRL example? The cheesey way that Malick keep's pouring this "I love my wife...OHHH I miss my life" flashbacks on us & then...(wow what a surprise!) his wife send's him a Dear John. Do you really see this as anything more than a filmmakers "trick" or if you want (Mava) Filmmakers Manipulation?
I'm not saying this is a bad thing at all, I'm saying that if your going to put down Steven Spielberg for using these fancy camera "trick's" & old cliche' stereotyped plot devices (Empire of the Sun & Hook were horrible examples of his annoyingly pretentious nature) you need to recognize that Terrence Malick uses them as well(Days of Heaven was IMHO quite beautiful but plotless/pointless crap. Badlands was great).

And finally, although none of you have used the actual words, this "you didn't like it because you didn't get it" attitude is so pompous....I got it....and although I respect what it was trying to do(If a longer version comes out I'll watch it), in the end I just didn't like it all that much.

Period.

I understand your opinion that The Thin Red Line was much more than just a Film that tried for high goals but ended up as slightly pretentious & your more than welcome to that opinion....I just don't agree with you completely.

As far as Ryan goes...no matter how many review's you want to "borrow" quotes from to show that it was simple Hollywood garbage, I still & always will say it is a simple matter of taste/choice as far as what thoughtprovoking or provocative cinema is.

You might like to go to Roger Ebert's home page & look up the reviews of both films.....he puts it in a much more articulate way then I ever could regarding TRL & SPR. He sides with many of your views about TRL but he also sides with some of mine.

------------------
-Dougpirana
" It's not my damn planet, MONKEY BOY!"

[This message has been edited by dougpirana (edited 05-30-2000).]

05-30-2000, 07:28 AM	#15 (permalink)
dougpirana	Well now that I'm back from spending Memorial day with my family, I will respond. -there was no "swelling music" on the beach in SPR.It must have been your heart thumping in your ears. -"it rang true"........"are you loved? Know that I was loved too.".......yep, that's the way it was alright, dead talking & all that. -Were you ever in combat? More to the point were you ever in WW2 combat? No? then where do you get your "in the know" info about what it was like? At least Spielberg & Malick had advisers & eyewitness accounts to go on. -"I'm tired of veteran's chest thumping....etc." Gee, on Memorial day too, huh? To simple & childish to get a rise out of me. How cute that you tried so hard though. -"well that is just a not very well thought out comment..." Would you like for me to elaborate? All film makers have "trick's" or "tool's" that they use in order to cover up weak or old tired plot device's. ALL of the best director's have used them...all of them, from Hichcock & Fellini to Kubrick & Truffaut, all of them have used these narrative "tool's" in order to get over old Clishes & move on with the story they are trying to tell. You want a TRL example? The cheesey way that Malick keep's pouring this "I love my wife...OHHH I miss my life" flashbacks on us & then...(wow what a surprise!) his wife send's him a Dear John. Do you really see this as anything more than a filmmakers "trick" or if you want (Mava) Filmmakers Manipulation? I'm not saying this is a bad thing at all, I'm saying that if your going to put down Steven Spielberg for using these fancy camera "trick's" & old cliche' stereotyped plot devices (Empire of the Sun & Hook were horrible examples of his annoyingly pretentious nature) you need to recognize that Terrence Malick uses them as well(Days of Heaven was IMHO quite beautiful but plotless/pointless crap. Badlands was great). And finally, although none of you have used the actual words, this "you didn't like it because you didn't get it" attitude is so pompous....I got it....and although I respect what it was trying to do(If a longer version comes out I'll watch it), in the end I just didn't like it all that much. Period. I understand your opinion that The Thin Red Line was much more than just a Film that tried for high goals but ended up as slightly pretentious & your more than welcome to that opinion....I just don't agree with you completely. As far as Ryan goes...no matter how many review's you want to "borrow" quotes from to show that it was simple Hollywood garbage, I still & always will say it is a simple matter of taste/choice as far as what thoughtprovoking or provocative cinema is. You might like to go to Roger Ebert's home page & look up the reviews of both films.....he puts it in a much more articulate way then I ever could regarding TRL & SPR. He sides with many of your views about TRL but he also sides with some of mine. ------------------ -Dougpirana " It's not my damn planet, MONKEY BOY!" [This message has been edited by dougpirana (edited 05-30-2000).]