Author |
Message |
stuffp
Keeping it Light
Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2015 8:06 am Posts: 11238 Location: Bright Falls
|
Mandy
Quote: Mandy is a 2018 American action horror film directed by Panos Cosmatos and co-written by Cosmatos and Aaron Stewart-Ahn, which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2018. The film stars Nicolas Cage and Andrea Riseborough. It is one of the last films scored by Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson.
|
Fri Jun 08, 2018 1:37 am |
|
|
Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 67124
|
Re: Mandy
Honestly, in the first hour I checked the clock three times. It's slow and verges on monotony. But hang in there because it more than makes up for it. I'm not saying the first hour is in any way a write-off. It's not. It's atmospheric and artistic, and sets the mood and tone for the entire film, it's just not particularly exciting. Panos Cosmatos probably has to learn when and when not to linger on a shot. At times it felt as if the film thinks it is more prestigious than it has earned the right to be and that, especially in the first half, is the film's sole undoing. Though the cinematography and general aesthetic is spectacular throughout, and Mandy is just a one-of-a-kind experience. It reminded me of 8mm in some way, but obviously with a more dreamlike and archaic structure, and with more visual panache, but the plot has similarities. I don't think a single shot is without a red or green or blue glow. It's a crazy, psychedelic, and fantastical revenge thriller. A-
|
Sat Sep 15, 2018 12:47 am |
|
|
Jack Sparrow
KJ's Leading Idiot
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:15 pm Posts: 36923
|
Re: Mandy
The reviews are so good. I'd like to see it soon
|
Sat Sep 15, 2018 2:03 am |
|
|
Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 67124
|
Re: Mandy
Don't really care to read your 7/10 review. I do, however, look forward to Dil, stuffp, and David's opinion.
|
Sat Sep 15, 2018 2:53 am |
|
|
Jack Sparrow
KJ's Leading Idiot
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:15 pm Posts: 36923
|
Re: Mandy
Great!! Thankfully I don't watch movies for your opinion
|
Sat Sep 15, 2018 3:32 am |
|
|
Dil
Forum General
Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2009 9:48 pm Posts: 8942 Location: Houston, Texas
|
Re: Mandy
I really enjoyed it. Had the first act been a bit tighter it would have easily been an A for me as well and while it's far from boring it just felt like it was taking its sweet time getting to the good stuff. Aesthetically it is truly a sight to behold though from the gorgeous cinematography, the trippy mesmerizing visuals and that badass retro 70's/80's score. The atmosphere in that first hour is enough to draw you in alone in my opinion, but I'm not going to lie that I was just sitting there anxiously waiting for the shit to hit the fan most of the time. When it does though it so damn satisfying and glorious. Nic Cage has really never been better, and that one scene with him and a bottle of Vodka will definitely be sticking in my memory for a while lol.
B+
|
Sat Sep 15, 2018 10:37 am |
|
|
nghtvsn
Extraordinary
Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:13 pm Posts: 11015 Location: Warren Theatre Oklahoma
|
Re: Mandy
MANDY
I watched this only because my brother did one of those Legion M meetups. Boy was I surprised. First, I really enjoyed the sound/music score in the film. It was overpowering at times but it kept me interested in the film even when the first half was slow. The visual color palette was excellent. I loved that and some of the camera effects used as well. That was cool. The story itself was meh and Cage and the fake preacher overacted as much as they could. The other folks were cookie cutter. I did enjoy the action and fights in the film. That was very entertaining. Overall, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
Grade - B
_________________ 2009 World of KJ Fantasy Football World Champion Team MVP : Peyton Manning : Record 11-5 : Points 2669.00 [b]FREE KORRGAN 45TH PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.A. DONALD J. TRUMP #MAGA #KAG! 10,000 post achieved on - Posted: Wed May 16, 2018 7:49 pm
|
Mon Sep 17, 2018 8:32 am |
|
|
Flava'd vs The World
The Kramer
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:36 am Posts: 23902 Location: Classified
|
Re: Mandy
I hope you are right algren cause I’m halfway through and this has been terrible. I would turn it off if I hadn’t dropped $7 on itunes for it.
|
Tue Sep 18, 2018 12:18 am |
|
|
David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
|
Re: Mandy
It is a cool movie, though slightly overpraised. In my opinion, the best part is the Andrea Riseborough-centrc first half, particularly the second act; the introduction of the LSD-demonic motorcycle gang is genuinely eerie, and Linus Roach's character's Mansion-evoking monologue—failed musician turned cult leader and false prophet, assuring himself he is special and chosen by a higher power whilst clearly harboring a fragile ego—is equal parts horrifying and pitiful. Mandy's (Riseborough) reaction to his demented sales pitch and nude body, a maniacal laugh, is incredibly cathartic. And the subsequent scene, her punishment for not becoming a willing concubine, hits hard. The portion of the film most people will pay to see—Nicolas Cage's wronged woodsman throwing axes, dueling with chainsaws, and crushing skulls—is fine, at times very exciting, but it feels a bit...at war with itself, maybe? The various elements and needs—to maintain the high-art-heavy-metal atmosphere, to be grotesquely violent, to be a showcase for classical over-the-top Cage ("YOU RIPPED MY SHIRT!"), etc.—never 100-percent cohere, and I did not find his vengeance as satisfying or poignant as intended. Also, though he certainly endures an absurd amount of abuse, the Cage character never feels remotely imperiled as the gorgeously lit and framed bloodletting ensues, so it almost becomes an art-installation facsimile of revenge pulp fiction. "Wow, what a neat, psychedelic shot!" starts to overwhelm the more important, more primal reactions of, "Oh, no!" and "YES! GET THEM!"
_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
|
Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:05 am |
|
|
Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 67124
|
Re: Mandy
Flava'd vs The World wrote: I hope you are right algren cause I’m halfway through and this has been terrible. I would turn it off if I hadn’t dropped $7 on itunes for it.
|
Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:11 am |
|
|
David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
|
Re: Mandy
Thought experiment: it would be interesting, or not, to see a version of this film where the first half is more down-to-earth, with Red and Mandy registering more as a real couple in a real place versus idealized lovers in a fantasia, and then it descended into psychedelic madness. Maybe this would just result in a more typical type of film or too schizophrenic of one. Not sure.
_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
|
Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:13 am |
|
|
Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 67124
|
Re: Mandy
David wrote: Linus Roach's character's Mansion-evoking monologue—failed musician turned cult leader and false prophet, assuring himself he is special and chosen by a higher power whilst clearly harboring a fragile ego—is equal parts horrifying and pitiful. Mandy's (Riseborough) reaction to his demented sales pitch and nude body, a maniacal laugh, is incredibly cathartic. And the subsequent scene, her punishment for not becoming a willing concubine, hits hard. This is bang-on, actually. But the film wasn't advertised like that, so all I was waiting for was the vengeance.
|
Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:18 am |
|
|
Flava'd vs The World
The Kramer
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:36 am Posts: 23902 Location: Classified
|
Re: Mandy
Aside from some nice looking shots this was just a terrible watch for me. I’m sure it was fantastic at the story board phase but as a movie it just never takes off. It has more slow walking scenes than all of the films in the Conjuring universe combined.
|
Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:18 am |
|
|
David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
|
Re: Mandy
In a broad way, Mandy reminds me of S. Craig Zahler's films (Bone Tomahawk, Brawl in Cell Block 99). Where the red meat and Redbox-friendly elements are there (genre tropes, star power), but the path is winding and arty. A lot of people are going to despise this, rightly or wrongly.
Brawl in Cell Block 99 is the best of the three movies mentioned in this post. When the ass kicking and bone crunching starts there, I felt more emotionally invested in the lead character's journey.
_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
|
Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:25 am |
|
|
Jack Sparrow
KJ's Leading Idiot
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:15 pm Posts: 36923
|
Re: Mandy
Its slow as hell and a generic revenge thriller. The good part is first half where they build the villains and even when the story is slow as fuck you can see great direction and acting here. Also absolutely loved the introduction to villains and the burning scene. The second half is plain old revenge and whatever the build up before that diffuses with each of the generic killings which has cool setup but not-so-cool killing. You never route for the Cage while killing these evil people because the movie never breathes to give us the satisfaction Cage gets, until the final car scene.
5/10
|
Wed Sep 19, 2018 3:37 am |
|
|
Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 67124
|
Re: Mandy
Jack Sparrow wrote: Its slow as hell Jack Sparrow wrote: The good part is first half lol
|
Wed Sep 19, 2018 4:11 am |
|
|
Jack Sparrow
KJ's Leading Idiot
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:15 pm Posts: 36923
|
Re: Mandy
Slow means that part cannot be good? Your English skills are on fire today Algren
|
Wed Sep 19, 2018 4:35 am |
|
|
Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 67124
|
Re: Mandy
Joke's on you, Sparrow. You're the only person in the world that would use "slow as hell" as praise.
|
Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:16 am |
|
|
Jack Sparrow
KJ's Leading Idiot
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:15 pm Posts: 36923
|
Re: Mandy
Impeccable defence Algren. I like how stupid you can sound when English is your first language
|
Wed Sep 19, 2018 8:53 pm |
|
|
Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 67124
|
Re: Mandy
When you're the judge on how stupid English can sound, it holds no weight at all.
|
Wed Sep 19, 2018 8:59 pm |
|
|
Jack Sparrow
KJ's Leading Idiot
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:15 pm Posts: 36923
|
Re: Mandy
It does and it shows because you keep responding
|
Wed Sep 19, 2018 10:54 pm |
|
|
Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 67124
|
Re: Mandy
Those two things are not linked in the slightest. I respond because you give me things to respond to. Your ego at this point is astounding. You're just continuing with this to continue with it, not for any purpose. Basically because you want to have the last say, and you are constantly aware that this is a forum. I'll give you some advice: Reply to me as a person, not as a character that is aware other posters will see it. It's as if you must always protect yourself with a "I've won this little exchange" insecurity emoticon. If you actually one-up me, then use it, but don't use it as a ploy to con a win.
Oh, and also don't do that whole Donald Trump thing, where just because you say something doesn't mean it's true. If it's other posters you are doing it for, don't. They are not dumb, and they can clearly see when you relegate an exchange to that of "English skills", it makes you look silly because you are wrong every single time.
|
Thu Sep 20, 2018 12:24 am |
|
|
Jack Sparrow
KJ's Leading Idiot
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:15 pm Posts: 36923
|
Re: Mandy
Let me reply to you as if I wasn't doing it before "You are WRONG". I can understand these big posts recently.
|
Thu Sep 20, 2018 2:40 am |
|
|
Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 67124
|
Re: Mandy
|
Fri Sep 21, 2018 12:32 pm |
|
|