tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923619149645809513.post3291395366204767799..comments2023-06-21T08:10:22.645-07:00Comments on The Mandy/Ebert Project: BlowupAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02817463509434573814noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923619149645809513.post-20255912601020876342013-12-15T19:58:20.302-08:002013-12-15T19:58:20.302-08:00"the characters were boring and unlikeable, b..."the characters were boring and unlikeable, but for some<br /> <br /> <br /> 0<br /> <br /> reason I liked this film"<br /><br /><br />It annoys me how simplistic people's thinking is. They are not critical or analytical enough. When it comes to characters, they just say "Oh, they're likable, that makes them good. Oh, they're unlikable, that makes them bad." <br /><br />They don't think about whether the characters are well-written or not or whether they fit into the story the author is trying to tell properly.<br /><br /><br />For example, the characters in Water for Elephants are very likable. They are also very poorly written and basically cardboard caricatures that belong in a Saturday morning cartoon as opposed to the gritty cynical reality Gruen determinedly creates. But people did nothing but praise the characters because "gosh darn it all, they're so dang likable".<br /><br /><br />By contrast, the characters in The Casual Vacancy are not very nice people. Most are in fact very loathsome, with the only really good person dying in the first 3 pages. They are also very well written and feel like real people that belong in the gritty cynical reality Rowling determinedly creates. But people did little but hate the novel because "gosh darn it, they're such awful people I can't stand it".<br /><br /><br />Many of the greatest works have "unlikable" characters. The Great Gatsby, Macbeth, The Sopranos, Seinfeld, etc.<br /><br /><br /><br />We need to employ stronger critical analysis because any writer can make the good guys good and the bad guys bad, but it takes a good writer to make them all interesting.Kirknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923619149645809513.post-7264727068504250442012-07-18T17:11:04.566-07:002012-07-18T17:11:04.566-07:00My aunt saw this in the theater in '66. Althou...My aunt saw this in the theater in '66. Although she recommended it to me heartedly, she seems to think of it as more of a traditional detective drama. <br /><br />I think the film is about a shallow man living a shallow existence who wants to make something more of his life, but at this same time his natural impulses force him back to doing what he really loves doing, rather than what he feels he should be doing. So he imagines the dead body so he can do something important to the world. <br /><br />Look at the people at the party who have deliberately modified their brains. And look at how they do not care about the murder. This shows how humans will live shallow existences which prevent them from making an actual good contribution to the world.<br /><br /> Kirknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923619149645809513.post-5497842477712130032011-01-07T07:29:08.726-08:002011-01-07T07:29:08.726-08:00Opps - sorry - meant to post that under Body Heat!...Opps - sorry - meant to post that under Body Heat!tsshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05574236419175713097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8923619149645809513.post-1689179021179857492011-01-07T07:25:58.644-08:002011-01-07T07:25:58.644-08:00Interesting review. I saw this movie years ago, bu...Interesting review. I saw this movie years ago, but you've inspired me to watch it again! Love the behind the scenes info...can't believe it was cold when they filmed it! It will be fun seeing it again and noting that.tsshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05574236419175713097noreply@blogger.com