Just got back from this.
That was fucking life-changing. I can't even really process what I just saw, at least not on a critical level.
The performances here were fantastic, especially the kid. Really gave off the vibe that he wasn't 100% human, or something.
>that Gas Station satellite bomb
>that interrogation scene with the kid and Kylo Ren
>FuckingTomorrowland or some shit
Blew my fucking mind, man.
What did you think?
Well executed generic modern Jesus story.
This movie sucked
Performances was fine but it was literally just obtuse and frustrating for no real reason. There would have been no mystery at all if they had actually exposed the audience to the experiences of the character, which is a sure sign of poor writing - mysteries are only intriguing when the characters are in the dark, too. Acting was fine, but the direction, editing, and writing were all incredibly weak.
Plot holes the size of....something really large.
But I loved the atmosphere.
>>68831180
nigga lookin like sheev in dat pic senpai
>>68831445
The atmosphere was fucking great. This shit was JJ Abrams Lens Flare done right.
Are all of Jeff Nichols' movies like this? A friend of mine rec'd Mud a while back, might check it out now.
>>68831696
No, his other movies are actually quite good
Take Shelter in particular
>>68831180
I really liked it too. I don't no why Warner Brothers is giving it zero marketing. It could've been a big hit.
>>68831771
Not sure what that's supposed to mean, this was fucking fantastic, but alright.
>>68831954
It's supposed to mean that Midnight Special is a bad movie made by a good filmmaker
>>68832018
Midnight Special is great though.
>>68832018
Ah okay then.
Why was it bad though?
>>68832069
>>68832084
It's utterly meaningless nonsense
A mystery that isn't actually mysterious because the only reason you don't know exactly what's going on within the first 30 minutes of the film is because they cut away from one of the characters explaining it then continue to do that repeatedly throughout.
The first 20 minutes are fairly engaging, until you realize that nothing's going to happen. The editing is consistently bad. The scene where the cult members finally track them down and kidnap Alton towards the end was done well, but it devolves back into crap fairly quickly.
>>68831771
it's a shame his new movie is going to be oscar bait
>>68832298
Was the acting at least good?
>>68832437
The acting was fine, but the characters aren't present at all, so it's very difficult to care.
>>68832437
Acting was really good.
Fantastic journey. Lame destination. Performances were stellar across the board and the directing was top-notch. Mud and Take Shelter were also beautifully shot, so this was no surprise.
The lack of exposition and the script's intentional smattering of details was a smart choice. But the ending felt like a necessary wrap-up once the writers realized it was time to end the story.
Glad I saw it. Too bad it bombed hard as fuck.
>>68832691
I dunno, all that tomorrowland shit was impressive, and it was hinted at earlier when Alton sees the sunrise for the first time.
>>68832298
>The scene where the cult members finally track them down and kidnap Alton towards the end was done well
Was not expecting Edgerton to get blasted.
>>68832298
When are they gonna explain what mystery?
I didn't feel this movie was that mysterious as you are insisting rather that the characters weren't totally sure what was going on, only that they feel he is important
>>68832618
Even Kylo Ren dude?
>>68833038
Yeah, Driver was actually pretty interesting. There's a scene where the kid gets captured and interrogated, but he only allows Driver to talk to him. Surreal as fuck, I loved it.
>>68832846
I knew exactly where it was going 10 minutes into the movie, and I had hoped the movie was intentionally setting up for a bait and switch. The execution of the movie is phenomenal, but what was there in terms of pay-off felt very insubstantial.
I preferred the mystery and grunginess, and think the movie would have been better off leaning towards the inexplicable rather than giving us a full-on view of the other world.
Still a good movie. But the script felt like it was written in the heat of the moment, the writers having an idea and running with it and not really knowing where it would go. It's the kind of story where you want to have a clear vision of the ending, then work backwards to achieve it. Plenty of the elements in this movie were introduced for the sake of being so, and never congealed into anything meaningful.
>>68833137
I guess so.
I've just never seen sci-fi that worked so well being so low-key before, I guess. If there's other movies with this style that are out there, please recommend them.
bunp
>>68833232
It felt unique to me, too. It's why I loved it. The closing act doesn't ruin it for me, just prevents it, I think, from having a sense of narrative cohesion. It makes prior details, feeling in the moment as leading to something significant, feel superfluous.
If you want a movie of similarly great atmosphere, however, watch Take Shelter. Same director, absolutely fucking fantastic movie.
>>68832298
>Literally why we need /film/: the post
>>68834144
Will do, my nigga
>>68831696
All his films are about fatherhood or family
So for those still in the thread who enjoyed the movie despite some obvious flaws...
How do you interpret the ending? Whom do you believe the other people were? And do you believe the dad is going to be chosen next?
>>68835377
Literally all pointless speculation. The movie doesn't even begin to try to answer these questions and doesn't give us any reason to consider them either.
>>68835409
I ultimately agree, but one of the enjoyable aspects in works of fiction is trying to mine from them the intended meaning, if any, offered to us by the writer. It was an excuse to keep the thread alive and generate more conversation.
I believe the movie had enough within the first two acts to create something substantial, but the closing act was just proof that the idea was conceived on the fly and had no clear end goal in mind.
I haven't seen it, but /tv/ tends to vastly overrate Jeff Nichols.
I want to see it but it didn't release in PR. Not even in the artsy theaters.
>>68835557
Take Shelter is a legitimately fantastic movie, but Midnight Special sucked, and Mud was just alright.
>>68835641
Based on that trajectory, it makes you wonder if 'Loving' is going to suck absolute shit.
>>68835825
It definitely might. I'll still see it, though.
