this is one of the worst films i have ever seen!
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SloppyJ30 — 15 years ago(November 26, 2010 08:57 AM)
Not every film has to be about storytelling. Evaluated as a story, I can't argue with you, because BL's plot can be summed up in about ten seconds. It's also an ugly film, both visually and in content. Admittedly, this one is for the fringe element . . highly tolerant film fans only. It's not "entertainment."
For what it was intended to be, it was flawless. Abel Ferrara obviously wasn't out to orchestrate some grand crime epic; he chose to make a film about the last days of a man who had put himself into a death spiral with poor choices, arrogance, and self-loathing.
Thank God for actors like Harvey Keitel. It takes an exceptionally rare combination of chops, preparation, commitment, and a total lack of ego to pull off a role like this. How many "name" actors would even attempt a role like this, let alone pull it off? This is clearly a man who is interested in a challenge more than he is a paycheck.
Frankly, a film this will put a lot of people off by its very nature. It would almost have to be considered a failure unless it did so. The more visceral the negative reaction, the more proof that Ferrara accomplished what he set out to accomplish. Thank you Zulu, and thank you OP!I have meddled with the primal forces of nature and I must atone.
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DanLives1980 — 13 years ago(July 01, 2012 07:47 AM)
I agree and you've made a great argument here. The plot as far as I understood was Keitel's character trying to divorce himself from his inner despair - regarding the fact that he knew he was falling from a great height - and so tried to do it as amoralistically as he possibly could, to maybe disgust himself so violently that he would break the binds that kept him in his beep life.
He breaks all boundaries illicitly, sexually and moralistically. He's the devil collecting his lost souls with one great big religious guilt trip and the law is the faith that he has fallen from. Before he is reminded by the rape of the nun where he has truly come from. Anyone who can't understand it's plot, I feel, is very sheltered and whereas Ferrara probably aimed for people to watch in disbelief, instead they look away in disbelief.
And I believe Keitel is now 73 years old or approaching, making him almost mid-fifties and accomplished when this film was made, so he was also a humble artist of the highest degree in my opinion. Me and my friends would watch this for entertainment value with beer over the remake or anything that proposes it can please everyone at the same time. Always choose acquired tastes over sugar and water, we don't spend 10 on a bottle of coke, why then on diluted adult entertainment? Thank you for supporting this awesome film! -
njs1999 — 15 years ago(June 30, 2010 12:04 PM)
Couldn't agree more, absolute borefest.
All this crap about it being arty and you have to look deeper into it, blah blah blah!
Should've cut out all the dramatic silences and stupid noises, then condensed it in to a half hour programme to be shown on BBC4. -
Edren — 15 years ago(September 22, 2010 03:17 PM)
It's been a long time since I've seen it, but I do remember hating it. Him walking around screaming with his wang hanging out sort of sums it up for me.
Life is just one damned thing after another - Elbert Hubbard -
necrosadist — 15 years ago(December 21, 2010 10:28 PM)
If the 82 richie rich reflects on your birth year, one wouldn't expect a better statement than the one you made.
Go watch The Titanic, might please you more.
"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law"
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Vince_Vega7896 — 14 years ago(November 22, 2011 05:12 PM)
People not liking a film does not make them a troll, though I often wonder why people come to message boards of films they despise to bash them. Seems like something born of jealously, they don't understand why others like the film and it bothers them so they react with hostility. Instead of actually just not liking a film where you would not waste your time on a message board, I don't know. As for the film itself like someone else said it is meant to be unpleasant its not supposed to even be enjoyable to watch its for students of film and art (and no I don't mean that literally).
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kubricking — 12 years ago(April 05, 2013 12:45 PM)
Vince- did a great job summing up whats going on here. Here's another way to say it;
'What a gross and ugly movie, I hate it'
'you don't get it cuz yer dum'
'If you think that's art, you have poor taste.'
'If you think you have taste then you don't know art, blah, blah, blah
If civilization is destined to fail, I'm certain it is because of one of these two things;
A) Failure to achieve peace in the middleeast
2) Failure to achieve peace on IMDB message boards -
roxy3499-658-658873 — 14 years ago(March 02, 2012 06:45 AM)
What the hell are you talking about?! This is Harvey Keitels Best leading actor performance in film history!!! (For Christ sakes he won the Indiependent Spirit Award for Best Actor in a leading Role) whereas Steve Buscemi who played Mr.Pink in Reservoir Dogs also won the same award not in Keitels category but for best actor in a supporting role!!!!!
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jnathan — 14 years ago(January 22, 2012 11:30 PM)
If this is one of the worst films you have ever seen, I can only assume that you have not seen that many movies.
I have literally seen thousands of films that are far worse than this. Yes, thousands.
My vote history:
http://us.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=9354248