I mean this in a respectful way, I'm not a troll
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mstroupe — 16 years ago(February 10, 2010 03:11 PM)
Ironically, I think The Crying Game and The Brave One are two of his most "soulful" movies.
I do agree with you that his movies seem "uneven," but I don't think of that as a criticism. I think they throw you off balance, and when a director does that, it always makes me pay attention a little more.
When I first watched the Crying Game, I was confused at first, because he seems to lead you down one path and then abruptly changes it. But then I realized, and I think he does this with a lot of his films quite brilliantly, that the story I originally thought I was watching was only the tip of the iceberg, and that lives and stories are always much more complicated than the usual narrow plot of a movie.
His films are pretty subtle, which sometimes can be tiring because of how much you have to pay attention, but it's very worth it. -
ir13373r7h4nu — 16 years ago(February 10, 2010 04:01 PM)
The way you're describing Crying Game is how I felt about Mike Leigh's "All or Nothing". It was fantastic and had so much going on and what's clever about that movie is after about90 minutes it finds its main focus. It threw off some people but it made it most worth it for me.
Frank Vitchard: Oh yeah? Well, you're about to be in dead place -
mstroupe — 16 years ago(February 10, 2010 08:10 PM)
Sounds interesting!b68 I haven't seen that one.
The Crying Game is so fascinating because Jordan leads you in one very clear direction, and then turns the steering wheel ninety degrees, and suddenly you're very unsure of whose story it is. It really made me rethink what kind of plot lines could go together in movieshow sometimes juxtaposing two seemingly unrelated stories together can illuminate things about both. And not like Pulp Fiction (as great as that film is), where unrelated plots connect as you go, but completely shifting the plot and priorities of the main character thirty minutes in to something that comes out of left field.
It's an amazing film, and I've realized of late that Neil Jordan is really a fine director overall, although I think he's quite underrated in America. -
shushens — 14 years ago(August 20, 2011 08:33 PM)
I have seen almost all of Neil Jordan's films. Mona Lisa, The B5b4rave One, Crying Game (not my most favourite), Interview with the Vampire, In Dreams, etc. and I never felt any of it was rushed or got success largely because of the writer. Neil Jordan has this property, in his film a lot of the things you hear are actually unsaid. I feel now he is not doing so well and is kind of tired with it all, looking at The Borgias, especially. It is visually stunning and Neil has tallied the Ts and dotted the Is, but you can tell when someone is lacking that little bit of extra passion.
You need to have some first hand experiences and some seasoning regarding emotional complexity to better appreciate Neil Jordan, and I am not talking about being dumped by girlfriend sort of emotional complexity. -
herzogMOVIEfreak09 — 13 years ago(March 11, 2013 07:14 AM)
he is one of my favorites. which is saying a ton (iown over 1000 dvds).. u havent seen any of his great films, although i love breakfast on pluto. mona lisa, the crying game, we're no angels. even the good thief. in dreams is terrible
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bpvalentine — 12 years ago(September 13, 2013 12:07 AM)
I agree ab68bout In Dreams. I waited for it to hit my Netflix list forever and finally decided to rent it on itunes because Netflix always has it listed as a long wait. Like for YEARS now. I passed up In Dreams when it came out though I liked some Neil Jordan movies. Since then I fell in love with Mona Lisa, saw Interview again and realized just what a great movie that really is, and Crying Game holds up. But In Dreams.it is so beautifully shot and Robert Downy is excellent in the role. Likethat performance is original and I cant imagine that actors dont study it. the movie itself is a terrible joke. It actually made me angry. I know Jordan must have thought he was giving us a strong female, but she came off as being rather in love with her own misery. When her daughter goes missing, she makes it all about herself and her feelings. the police find a body and instead of letting them do what they can for her daughter, she woman abandons her husband and races off towards the scene in the car and risking everybodys lives in her wild Mr. toad driving just so she can have the heart breaking scene she is as the mother entitled to have, I guess. Laughable. I wanted the cop to slap her and be like, look lady, let us worry about your daughter right now rather than worry about you. Let us find what we can to make sure her death isnt unavenged. Aggravating.
I dont know why she had to be psychic either. Just made the issue look silly. Robert Downys character could have had the gift and still invaded her dreams.
Jordan has some great, great movies. And sometimes when he misses, he is incomprehensible. Like in High Spirits. Uh, whats with Darrel Hannah and Steve Guttenberg? Did he lose a bet? -
shark-43 — 12 years ago(October 25, 2013 01:56 PM)
Well, sadly, you have seen (in my opinion) some of his worst films. I also feel The brave One is a mess - a failed attempt at a female Death Wish BUT he has made some terrific films (Crying Game, Company Of Wolves, The Butcher Boy). He is talented butj sadly, of late, his films are a mess.
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shark-43 — 12 years ago(October 25, 2013 01:57 PM)
Well, sadly, you have seen (in my opinion) some of his worst films. I also feel The brave One is a mess - a failed attempt at a female Death Wish BUT he has made some terrific films (Crying Game, Company Of Wolves, The Butcher Boy). He is talented butj sadly, of late, his films are a mess.
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space_base — 12 years ago(November 07, 2013 02:28 AM)
Mona Lisa is one of the finest films I've ever seen. The Butcher Boy is excellent. Interview? The Crying Game? Michael Collins? this guy is a fine filmmaker and vastly underrappreciated.
I just saw Ondine recently and it was a low-key gem of a movie. Byzantium as well.
What's not to like?