A Few Words About While we wait for A few words about...™ La La Land (1 Viewer)

[Tino]

And yet you did - was it really necessary to quote my post? Seriously, just knock it off - I have purposely stayed out of this thread because of you. I'm glad you love the film, I"m thrilled you're obsessed by it, and if it indeed passes the box-office of those other films, great for them. Of course, you didn't quote the post where I made clear that at the time of the post you chose to quote now, the film WAS NOT doing all that well at the box-office - it was doing exactly what I said it was doing - okay. Now it's doing much better. Good. Be happy. And leave me out of it. I'll just leave it at that for now.

Jeez. Sorry Bruce. I'm sorry you feel that way. My apologies if I offended you. I just thought it was an interesting footnote.

 

[haineshisway]

Fine. As Mr. Crawford said, there's no point in this.

 

[Mark Booth]

It's looking like the home video release of 'La La Land' will be May 9, 2017. One site is saying April 25, but I think it will probably be May 9.

I already have the 4K version on preorder! Can't wait!

Mark

 

[ahollis]

It's looking like the home video release of 'La La Land' will be May 9, 2017. One site is saying April 25, but I think it will probably be May 9.

I already have the 4K version on preorder! Can't wait!

Mark

It may be earlier.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Another comment about my experience going to see La La Land...

I was stunned when, sitting in my seat watching the closing credits, I saw a particular name pop up in the cast list...and not in an insignificant role.

The actor who played David--the husband at the end of the film--was played by Tom Everett Scott.

I have made no bones on this forum that one of my family's all-time favorite films is That Thing You Do (Tom Hank's first directorial film). The lead in that film was a jazz-loving drummer played by Scott.

I never recognized Scott in La La Land. Even though I hadn't seen him in many (any?) other roles since TTYD, I still thought I would have recognized him. But I guess 20 years can age a person a bit (certainly not me). TTYD was released in 1996.

So then on the drive home I was musing to my wife that at least:

Spoiler

Mia ended up with a jazz musician since, after all, Guy Patterson was Erie, PA's lone beatnik.

I then was passing on this all-important info to the rest of my family and was googling pictures of Scott from both films to do a side-by-side, etc. and found THIS INTERVIEW which shows how much Chazelle was influenced by TTYD in his film-making. He intentionally sought out Tom Everett Scott for that very reason!

Spoiler

I pretty much immediately recognized Scott when he showed up, though as much from his voice as from his face.

I did assume his casting was a nod toward "TTYD!" - just seemed like it couldn't be coincidental!

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I don't really know what the odds are favoring but I'd guess the Best Picture race is between La La Land and the wonderful Manchester By The Sea. I guess it depends on if the Academy goes for an essentially upbeat movie or one that is deeply depressing. Personally, I'm good with seeing either one win.

Everyone seems to think "Manchester" is relentlessly depressing, but I don't get it. The film ends on a positive, optimistic note and has plenty of humor in it!

 

[Matt Hough]

Everyone seems to think "Manchester" is relentlessly depressing, but I don't get it. The film ends on a positive, optimistic note and has plenty of humor in it!

I agree completely. That ending has the same tone as the end of Terms of Endearment. Sad, tragic events being dealt with as they happen with an ending that's rather inevitable, at least for that moment in each person's life.

 

[TravisR]

Everyone seems to think "Manchester" is relentlessly depressing, but I don't get it. The film ends on a positive, optimistic note and has plenty of humor in it!

Yeah but the ride to get to that ending is pretty rough.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Yeah but the ride to get to that ending is pretty rough.

I still disagree. A lot of people seem to view "Manchester" as relentlessly downbeat, but it isn't - it really does have a lot of comedy in it along the way...

 

[Robert Crawford]

I bought this BD title last week during Target's "buy 2 and get 1 free" sale so I'll definitely watch it before Sunday's Academy Awards show.

 

[Mark Booth]

Everyone seems to think "Manchester" is relentlessly depressing, but I don't get it. The film ends on a positive, optimistic note and has plenty of humor in it!

I don't feel the tone of the film as a whole is depressing. But Casey Affleck's character is depressing. The character he portrays is sort of a halfwit and some people find it difficult to identify with halfwits.

BTW, there's a difference between someone that has a learning disability and someone that simply chooses to do foolish things or act in a stupid manner. As portrayed, Affleck's character is the latter and it was really off-putting.

Mark

 

[Robert Crawford]

I don't feel the tone of the film as a whole is depressing. But Casey Affleck's character is depressing. The character he portrays is sort of a halfwit and some people find it difficult to identify with halfwits.

BTW, there's a difference between someone that has a learning disability and someone that simply chooses to do foolish things or act in a stupid manner. As portrayed, Affleck's character is the latter and it was really off-putting.

Mark

Why, the world is full of such people and just about every family I know has some member(s) like that? It's just the way it is and it's a large segment of our population.

 

[Tino]

I still disagree. A lot of people seem to view "Manchester" as relentlessly downbeat, but it isn't - it really does have a lot of comedy in it along the way...

Humor yes. A LOT of comedy?? I don't think so.

Terrific film regardless.

 

[Tino]

I don't feel the tone of the film as a whole is depressing. But Casey Affleck's character is depressing. The character he portrays is sort of a halfwit and some people find it difficult to identify with halfwits.

BTW, there's a difference between someone that has a learning disability and someone that simply chooses to do foolish things or act in a stupid manner. As portrayed, Affleck's character is the latter and it was really off-putting.

Mark

MILD SPOILERS MAYBE
I didn't think his character was a halfwit at all. He has a VALID reason for acting the way he does. He is not depressing. What happened to him is.

 

[Tino]

I bought this BD title last week during Target's "buy 2 and get 1 free" sale so I'll definitely watch it before Sunday's Academy Awards show.

Doesn't Manchester come out tomorrow?

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I don't feel the tone of the film as a whole is depressing. But Casey Affleck's character is depressing. The character he portrays is sort of a halfwit and some people find it difficult to identify with halfwits.

BTW, there's a difference between someone that has a learning disability and someone that simply chooses to do foolish things or act in a stupid manner. As portrayed, Affleck's character is the latter and it was really off-putting.

I honestly have no idea where you got the idea Affleck's character was a "halfwit" or someone with a learning disability. I've seen the movie twice and I recall no instances that implied he had any cognitive impairments at all.

He's a guy who lived a wholly normal working class life until unimaginable tragedy hit, and that sent him into a dark, self-destructive existence from which he couldn't escape - until he slowly starts to pull himself out through his association with his nephew after his brother dies.

He's not some "halfwit" who acts like a jackass due to stupidity - he's an average guy who seems to possess reasonable intelligence who finds himself stuck in a bad place...

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Why, the world is full of such people and just about every family I know has some member(s) like that? It's just the way it is and it's a large segment of our population.

Again, I wholeheartedly reject the notion that Affleck's character is mentally disabled and a "halfwit" or some douche who acts out in foolhardy ways.

Like I said: until the tragedy, he's a totally normal guy with a totally normal life. Loves his wife, loves his kid, has a set of buddies.

He becomes self-destructive due to tragedy. He blames himself for what happened and hates himself for it, so he acts out at times.

If people here think that they'd bounce back from immense tragedy unscathed, I think they're deluded. Not saying everyone would act like the Affleck character, but the notion that he's a "halfwit" or someone with inherent personality flaws couldn't be more wrong...

 

[Mark Booth]

Why, the world is full of such people and just about every family I know has some member(s) like that? It's just the way it is and it's a large segment of our population.

I wasn't explaining why you did or didn't like the film, I was explaining why I (and maybe others) didn't like the film.

As you say, it's just the way it is.

Mark

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Humor yes. A LOT of comedy?? I don't think so.

Terrific film regardless.

Okay, "a lot of comedy" isn't the best wording since it might imply the movie's a laughfest.

In any case, "Manchester" does provide a lot more levity than many imply. Going into it, I thought it'd be 2 hours of relentlessly downbeat material - one depressing scene after another with no respite until it finally finished with an even more depressing finale. Based on everything I heard, I expected nothing that even vaguely resembled a happy ending - it'd just be sad, sad, sad!

But that's not the case. It's like the Nolan Batman movies: many people think those are incessantly dark and dreary, but there are many laughs to had.

Like "Manchester", though, they tend to be small laughs, not big guffaws. "Manchester" throws out wry bits of humor - nothing that makes anyone roll in the aisle, but more than enough to lighten the mood when necessary...

MILD SPOILERS MAYBE
I didn't think his character was a halfwit at all. He has a VALID reason for acting the way he does. He is not depressing. What happened to him is.

Glad someone agrees!

If there's actual evidence that the Affleck character is cognitively disabled, I'd like to hear it. I've seen it twice and recall nothing along those lines...

 

[Robert Crawford]

Again, I wholeheartedly reject the notion that Affleck's character is mentally disabled and a "halfwit" or some douche who acts out in foolhardy ways.

Like I said: until the tragedy, he's a totally normal guy with a totally normal life. Loves his wife, loves his kid, has a set of buddies.

He becomes self-destructive due to tragedy. He blames himself for what happened and hates himself for it, so he acts out at times.

If people here think that they'd bounce back from immense tragedy unscathed, I think they're deluded. Not saying everyone would act like the Affleck character, but the notion that he's a "halfwit" or someone with inherent personality flaws couldn't be more wrong...

I haven't seen the film yet so I wasn't commenting on Affleck's character in this film, but the specific comments made by Mark.