The Brutalist (2024) (1 Viewer)

[Tino]

It's not out of nowhere. It's totally in keeping with the character and the story being told.

I disagree. I didn’t notice any signs from that character suggesting motivation for that scene but in all fairness I may have missed it due to being bored out of my mind.

 

[benbess]

...Amadeus is a masterpiece that says nothing substantive about Mozart or his music...

The things in Amadeus about Salieri are often made up, and for someone who already knows a lot about Mozart no doubt there's a lot to fact check. But in terms of some basic stuff, such as that Mozart was a child prodigy taught by his overbearing father who lectured him constantly, and with whom he had a difficult relationship, that's true. Mozart as shown in the movie could also sometimes compose musical variations in his head right at the keyboard, which was true. Mozart also had a sometimes silly sense of humor, and was someone who lived beyond his means with his wife Constanze, as seen in Amadeus. Some of the operas that Mozart composed music for had somewhat subversive content, making fun of the aristocracy, as I believe was seen in the film. So Mozart was kind of walking a tightrope working for people like Emperor Joseph, which we also see in Amadeus. But mostly the introduction to Mozart is in the music itself, of which quite a bit is played with Mozart shown conducting, as he did.


Anyway, getting back to The Brutalist, one of my problems with the movie is that it seems rather "on the nose"...

Spoiler

As an aside, I'm on the progressive side of things, but the message of the movie seems blunt and heavy-handed: Capitalist bad. He will exploit you and screw you over, and then he will also...

In real life, there were many Jewish-American architects in America in the 20th century who had very successful careers, with many expensive buildings commissioned by more or less enlightened clients of varying backgrounds. A few of these Jewish-American architects include Max Abramovitz (UN HQ in NYC, and many other buildings over half a century), Marcel Breuer (who in addition to buildings designed furniture similar to what's seen in the film), Gordon Bunshaft (Lever House NYC, Hirshhorn museum DC, LBJ Library Texas, etc.), Frank Gehry, Louis Kahn, Richard Meier, Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler, Robert Stern, etc., etc.

The heavy-handed symbolism throughout the movie, like the upside down Statue of Liberty seen at the beginning, starts hitting you over the head right at the start and keeps on through to the end. After a while a lot of it seems, as mentioned, rather on the nose, down to the title itself. I could pretty much guess before the movie started that the real brutalist isn't Toth, but—surprise—the evil capitalist Harrison played by Guy Pierce.

Also, I agree with Tino that the film, in addition to being offensive for some in a few places, is also sometimes on the boring side for at least some viewers.

 

[Tino]

Did voters finish “The Brutalist?”

Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” is a strong contender in this year’s race, bolstered by its Golden Globe win. Yet, some voters admitted they “didn’t get to it” or “didn’t finish it,” citing its demanding runtime and intense subject matter. While this likely won’t derail the film’s chances for nominations — many expect it to secure, at minimum, a solid eight — it could explain why supporting actress hopeful Felicity Jones, whose pivotal role doesn’t appear until the second half, hasn’t gained more traction.

Oscar Voting Closes: Is ‘The Brutalist’ Underseen? Could ‘Juror #2’ Make a Surprise Best Picture Nom? — Nine Takeaways From Academy Members

"Juror No. 2" and "Challengers" could surprise, according to discussions as Oscar voting closes.

variety.com

 

[Tino]

Oscar Hopeful The Brutalist Comes Under Fire For Using AI​

Unique to Brutalist, however, is the creators' willingness to speak up about the movie's use of generative AI. Editor Dávid Jancsó spoke to RedShark Newsand explained that AI helped to make the Hungarian pronunciations more realistic. Though they attempted to use Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR) to improve the audio, it was not fully effective. Jancsó instead used AI to enhance the dialogue. He also used it to help create architectural designs. This, in turn, helped save money.

Oscar Hopeful The Brutalist Comes Under Fire For Using AI

The Brutalist may be losing its dream.

screenrant.com

 

[Jake Lipson]

Yet, some voters admitted they “didn’t get to it” or “didn’t finish it,” citing its demanding runtime and intense subject matter.

This is ridiculous.

I think a lot of this probably comes down to the Academy members having access to a screener. They probably would be much less likely to leave during a movie in the theater.

I don't want to see The Brutalist. But I'm just a guy. I'm not an Academy member. I don't have a vote in this race. If I did, I would absolutely watch the film in its entirety and give it a fair shot to earn my vote. I would take the privilege of voting very seriously.

I know that Academy members can vote without seeing all of the nominees. That isn't news. But it still demeans the whole process. If they can't even be bothered to finish watching the major contenders, then why should the rest of us care about what they say is good?

Sheesh.

 

[Walter Kittel]

As a famous Jedi philosopher once observed... "Do or do not. There is no try."

- Walter.

 

[Malcolm R]

then why should the rest of us care about what they say is good?

We shouldn't. I know I don't.

We'd probably be shocked by how few of the nominated films are actually watched by those doing the voting.

 

[Tino]

This story is getting bigger and not going away.

What do you guys think?

‘The Brutalist’ Sparks Backlash After Editor Reveals Use of AI in Dialogue and Buildings, but Says It’s ‘Nothing That Hasn’t Been Done Before’​

‘The Brutalist’ Sparks Backlash After Editor Reveals Use of AI in Dialogue and Buildings, but Says It’s ‘Nothing That Hasn’t Been Done Before’

Brady Corbet's 'The Brutalist' has sparked backlash on social media after its editor admitted to using AI in the film.

variety.com

 

[Malcolm R]

"All my friends are doing it!"

 

[mskaye]

This is why I generally don't listen to critics. This thing has been praised to the heavens, nominated for every award under the sun, and named one of the Top 10 films of 2024 by AFI.

You generally don't listen to critics but you're listening to a couple of people on this forum.

 

[JPCinema]

The film collapsed during the last 15 minutes . I was so angry. Hated it.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

This story is getting bigger and not going away.

What do you guys think?

‘The Brutalist’ Sparks Backlash After Editor Reveals Use of AI in Dialogue and Buildings, but Says It’s ‘Nothing That Hasn’t Been Done Before’​

‘The Brutalist’ Sparks Backlash After Editor Reveals Use of AI in Dialogue and Buildings, but Says It’s ‘Nothing That Hasn’t Been Done Before’

Brady Corbet's 'The Brutalist' has sparked backlash on social media after its editor admitted to using AI in the film.

variety.com

Well, I know the concern with AI is that it will take work away from people. I don't want to see that happen. I think people and what they create are what makes a film standout. I will say if because of budgetary purposes AI is used for special effects so that a film can be completed because otherwise it would not get made, I lean more toward doing it because so many films now will not get made because they are not franchise films or known properties.

I don't like the idea of AI being used to enhance an actor's performance. This is an issue. Essentially, once that starts, well, you can have any actor play a part and just enhance everything with AI if their performance is poor.

I guess I would say this, if AI is used the areas where it is used should be banned from receiving awards nominations or just disqualify the film from the nomination process all together. This would disqualify Adrien Brody from a nomination because his acting, his voice, the way he spoke, was enhanced with AI. So, yes, I would say if they use it to enhance a performance the only award that should be available for that performance is Best Use of AI.

 

[Tino]

The film collapsed during the last 15 minutes . I was so angry. Hated it.

What did you think of the first 3 hours and 20 minutes?

 

[Tino]

The directors response.

‘The Brutalist’ Director Brady Corbet Says Use Of AI In Post Was For “Hungarian Language Dialogue Editing Only;” Filmmaker Asserts Adrien Brody & Felicity Jones’ “Performances Are Completely Their Own”​

“Adrien and Felicity’s performances are completely their own. They worked for months with dialect coach Tanera Marshall to perfect their accents. Innovative Respeecher technology was used in Hungarian language dialogue editing only, specifically to refine certain vowels and letters for accuracy. No English language was changed. This was a manual process, done by our sound team and Respeecher in post-production. The aim was to preserve the authenticity of Adrien and Felicity’s performances in another language, not to replace or alter them and done with the utmost respect for the craft.”

Additional generative AI usage is also utilized to conjure a series of architectural blueprints and finished buildings in the film’s closing sequence, to which Corbet says: “Judy Becker and her team did not use AI to create or render any of the buildings. All images were hand-drawn by artists. To clarify, in the memorial video featured in the background of a shot, our editorial team created pictures intentionally designed to look like poor digital renderings circa 1980.”

 

[Jake Lipson]

This story is getting bigger and not going away.

Fortunately for the film, Academy voting for nominations ended last Friday before this story broke. So whatever nominations the film has are already locked in.

However, any voters who don't like the idea of the use of AI could vote for a different nominee when filling out their final ballots.

It will be interesting to see if this controversy does impact the race in any way. The Academy won't officially release vote totals, of course. But perhaps some members will talk about it when the trades do those anonymous ballot stories leading up to the awards.

We shouldn't. I know I don't.

You've hit on an interesting point. That's an existential threat to the Academy. The Oscars (or any other awards show) are only as relevant as the audience thinks they are. The awards won't help promote films if no one cares who wins.

 

[Tino]

You generally don't listen to critics but you're listening to a couple of people on this forum.

I personally trust members on this forums opinions more than most critics.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I don't really see a negative distinction between fans and critics. Critics are fans too. I'm friends with a couple of critics. They got into their field because they love the medium they cover. I know that they are sincere in their writing and attempt to provide insight, perspective and guidance in their reviews. I think the vast majority of critics publish reviews in good faith. I know that I've watched a number of movies and shows that have been recommended by critics that are really good which I wouldn't have found otherwise. And sometimes I've gone to critically acclaimed films and been left shaking my head in confusion.

I hope I have recommended movies on this forum before that some other members have liked. I have also for sure recommended avoiding films that some other members did like. I have said that things are good which I then go back and revisit and think about more and realize I don't like quite as much on second look.

I've gotten recommendations here that have led me to find great films, and also sometimes ones where the film didn't work for me. And that's fine too.

What matters is that we all seek out entertainment that we think is worth our time and attention. Wherever recommendations comes from -- be it a critic, a online forum member or an offline friend -- I'm good with that.

I think critics who gave good reviews to The Brutalist did so honestly. And I also think based on what I've read about it and what I've seen in the trailers that this particular film is not for me, so I've decided not to see it. But I'm still interested in what critics think about other movies because it is very likely that some of those critics who loved The Brutalist will also point me to something else in the future that I really enjoy. We all ultimately have to use our own judgment to seek out things we think we are going to like.

 

[mskaye]

I personally trust members on this forums opinions more than most critics.

You're certainly allowed to feel that way. There are many regular contributors here whose opinions, knowledge, insight and taste I respect just as much as any critic (though professional magazine and newspaper writers are sometimes GREAT writers.) Unlike you, I don't have an inherent distrust of the opinions/taste of film critics (it's fine if you do but I studied film theory, history and criticism and wanted to be a Film Studies professor so the distrust hits close to home.) Bottom line though, when it comes to a new film that I want to see (and there are many genres and types of film that simply do not interest me) I don't read, listen, or want to be told anything about that film. I want to form my own opinions and experience it for myself.

 

[Tino]

. Unlike you, I don't have an inherent distrust of the taste of film critics

How absurd. I said no such thing. I respect many film critics as I have said numerous times in the past.

 

[Tino]

Bottom line though, when it comes to a new film that I want to see (and there are many genres and types of film that simply do not interest me) I don't read, listen, or want to be told anything about that film. I want to form my own opinions and experience it for myself.

As do the vast majority of us here.