*** Official 21 GRAMS Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

This thread is now designated the Official Discussion Thread for "21 Grams" please, post all comments, links to outside reviews, film and box office discussion items to this thread.

All HTF member film reviews of "21 Grams" should be posted to the Official Review Thread.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.


Crawdaddy

 

[Nick C.]

Just a copy/paste from Adam_S' thread (is there a way to delete post?)

Strong acting all around, the fractured structure worked pretty well, helping visualize the transformations of the characters over time. Much more emotionally affecting and appealing to me than Amores Perros, nothing against that piece of work.

I liked the paralleling discovery that's revealed at the end--assuming Cristina's baby was fathered by Paul--as it evokes the death and rebirth we partly saw yearned for by Paul's British girlfriend


Just a sidenote, did Naomi Watts have some allergic reaction during the shooting? she seems to have puffy cheeks/corners of the mouth throughout the picture

 

[Patrick Sun]

Naomi's face is just built like that in some films I've seen of hers. I don't think she ever fully closes her mouth either.

 

[Citizen87645]

I saw this last night. I thought the fractured story telling was effective, though teetering on the edge of being too much of a technique for its own sake.

I certainly recognize the strong performances by all involved, but I felt my suspension of disbelief (SOD) getting stretched with the idea of Penn and Watts' characters getting together given the circumstances. Maybe I'm balking at the melodrama or contrivance of it? Plus I couldn't help thinking of Bonnie Hunt's "Return to Me" and the fact I had to chuck my SOD with that too, despite it being a romantic comedy where that usually comes with the territory.

 

[Dennis Castro]

Okay I'll try this in this thread.

Am I the only one that thinks that 21 Grams deserves the nomination for BP over Seabiscuit? I really don't think Seabiscuit belongs there. I could even see Cold Mountain there instead. Don't get me wrong, Seabiscuit was a fine film but It just didn't strike me as an Oscar film.

 

[Holadem]

Neither is 21 Grams. Waaay too "edgy" for a BP nod methink.

--
H

 

[Dennis Castro]

Yeah you're probably right.

It's a shame though. Such a powerful film with great performances. At least it's getting a nod for Del Toro's performance.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I don't mind Seabiscuit's nomination over 21 Grams. I just think the story within 21 grams underwhelms the acting performances of the 3 main actors. I kept getting ahead of the story due to the fractured, time-jumpy storyline, while I enjoyed how Seabiscuit's story developed linearly which provided more payoff for me than in 21 Grams.

 

[Dennis Castro]

I enjoyed Seabiscuit but what kept me from getting totaly pulled in emotionally was the documentary style of narration. It came across to me flat. It took me emotionally out of the film at times.

The narration would have been more effective if it were used in the same way as Scorsese uses it in Goodfellas and Casino.

For instance:

The scene were Cooper's character Tom Smith describes his first impressions of the horse would have been much more effective if, the narration was done in his own voice.

 

[Citizen87645]

Yeah, the narration was a bit much, a heavy handed emphasis on it being a true story.

Ultimately I was disappointed by Seabiscuit because nothing about it seemed especially original. Did Hoosiers or Rudy get nominated for Best Picture? Because that's the same type of movie I consider Seabiscuit. I will admit I have never enjoyed sports dramas - the themes are too cliched and plots predictable. Seabiscuit should not have been nominated for BP, but then I think everyone knows that

 

[BrianShort]

I'm surprised this thread is so short.

I watched this the other night and thought it was fantastic. Terrific acting and story. I think it was definitely the most out of sequence film I've ever seen, but it definitely didn't detract from the story.

Can anyone tell me what the text at the end said? I don't speak Spanish.

Brian

 

[John Doran]

i watched this film yesterday and thought it was absolutely incredible; i wasn't prepared at all for how compelling a piece of filmmaking i found it to be.

naomi watts really, really nailed her performance.

 

[Todd Terwilliger]

I enjoyed the film very much but I thought it might have been a touch over-long. About 2/3rds of the way through, it seemed to lag. I thought that final act could have been tighter. Excellent performances all around, particularly Del Toro.

 

[Jim Williams]

Can anyone tell me what the text at the end said? I don't speak Spanish

Here is a loose translation:
Then when the loss burned, their cornfields turned green again

There is an explanation of what this is referring to on a BBC Website. It is quoted near the end of the article.

 

[OcieB]

This film was definetly one of the best films of 2003. The editing was flawless. Inarritu handled everything perfectly. There really wasnt anything that i didnt like about the film, which is saying alot, considering a film with such a "loose" structure could have been disasterous. I definetly think that this film was better than Seabiscuit and LOTR: ROTK. Im not sure about Mystic river though, considering that movie was near perfect. And i didnt see Master and Commander, but that looked like it was a mis-nomination.

 

[Sami Kallio]

I would rate it as 2 stars. del Toro was good but acting otherwise wasn't all that great. Boring, predictable film that didn't have much originality.

 

[ZacharyTait]

The shot of the leaf-blower guy when the truck goes by and the camera stays there, forcing you to listen. You know what's coming, and yet, when it happens, it's still a shock. I'll probably never forget that shot.