eneyeseekaywhy
Joined Aug 2010
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eneyeseekaywhy's rating
Adjusting for inflation, the budget of Metropolis was in the region of $200 million. A more than substantial amount for any studio to pay in 1927. James Cameron's recent Pocahontas-in-space epic Avatar cost close to $300 million. Both are currently on re-release with extra footage added, Metropolis has an extra 25 minutes of film, Avatar has an extra 9 minutes. This is where the similarities end as it's difficult to imagine anyone watching, let alone studying, that glorified computer game trailer 80 years from now.
Technically I have seen Metropolis before, albeit a two hour long DVD version. Add to that the fact it was on a 14-inch television I purchased for £25 whilst at University (the brand name could possibly have been Sorny or Panasonix). Not exactly the best way to view any film but it was still painfully clear how original, relevant and important Fritz Langs masterpiece really was.
Fast forward a few years and I have the pleasure of enjoying Metropolis on a cinema screen and with 25 minutes of lost footage added. What was originally an important film to watch for anyone who loves cinema has become more than that. This landmark vision of the future is truly great on almost every level.
A silent film made in the 1920's is not going to appeal to most of the cinema going masses, and it shouldn't, its not for everyone and takes some effort on the part of the viewer to really become immersed in. But if you like something with a little more depth than Piranha 3D and are willing to invest almost two and a half hours in an 80 year old film, Metropolis rewards you with images that stay in your mind for years.
Most aspects of the film have been pastiched, homaged and sometimes just plagiarized in sci-fi films since its first release. From the beautiful dystopian city set design (Dark City, Blade Runner, The Fifth Element) to the robotic Maria (Star Wars, The Terminator) to the mechanical arm (Dr. Strangelove). The character of Rotwang became the paradigm for almost every 'mad-scientist' character in cinema since.
The IFI will be running a season entitled 'After Metropolis' until the 19th of September. The fact that it includes Brazil, Dark City, Dr Strangelove or :How I stopped Worrying and Love the Bomb and some of the other greatest science fiction films of all time, is testament to the influence Metropolis has had on cinema.
For those who have seen it before, the opportunity to see a restored version of Metropolis on the big screen is not to be missed. For those who haven't, but have an interest in German Expressionism, Science Fiction or film in general, it's an absolute must. The only downside being that any film watched after this will somehow seem slightly dull and insignificant.
Technically I have seen Metropolis before, albeit a two hour long DVD version. Add to that the fact it was on a 14-inch television I purchased for £25 whilst at University (the brand name could possibly have been Sorny or Panasonix). Not exactly the best way to view any film but it was still painfully clear how original, relevant and important Fritz Langs masterpiece really was.
Fast forward a few years and I have the pleasure of enjoying Metropolis on a cinema screen and with 25 minutes of lost footage added. What was originally an important film to watch for anyone who loves cinema has become more than that. This landmark vision of the future is truly great on almost every level.
A silent film made in the 1920's is not going to appeal to most of the cinema going masses, and it shouldn't, its not for everyone and takes some effort on the part of the viewer to really become immersed in. But if you like something with a little more depth than Piranha 3D and are willing to invest almost two and a half hours in an 80 year old film, Metropolis rewards you with images that stay in your mind for years.
Most aspects of the film have been pastiched, homaged and sometimes just plagiarized in sci-fi films since its first release. From the beautiful dystopian city set design (Dark City, Blade Runner, The Fifth Element) to the robotic Maria (Star Wars, The Terminator) to the mechanical arm (Dr. Strangelove). The character of Rotwang became the paradigm for almost every 'mad-scientist' character in cinema since.
The IFI will be running a season entitled 'After Metropolis' until the 19th of September. The fact that it includes Brazil, Dark City, Dr Strangelove or :How I stopped Worrying and Love the Bomb and some of the other greatest science fiction films of all time, is testament to the influence Metropolis has had on cinema.
For those who have seen it before, the opportunity to see a restored version of Metropolis on the big screen is not to be missed. For those who haven't, but have an interest in German Expressionism, Science Fiction or film in general, it's an absolute must. The only downside being that any film watched after this will somehow seem slightly dull and insignificant.
Walking down Henry Street on a Saturday afternoon, a particular type of teenager can be spotted. They shuffle from shop to shop, overweight, insecure and accompanied by their Mammy. We now have a name for them; Cyrus.
Sad sack John (John C. Reilly) has never really gotten over his ex wife. His dependency on her, seven years after their divorce, is still obvious, so he decides its time to start looking for someone new. The fact that he has a face thats a cross between Beethoven and Shrek doesn't really help his chances but, against the odds, he manages to find the beautiful Molly (Marisa Tomei). All goes swimmingly at first, until John meets Cyrus. Mollys 20-year-old unemployed son Cyrus is morbidly obese and morbidly dependant on her. Their relationship is a little, shall we say, a little Oedipal. Scrap that, a lot Oedipal. Obviously Cyrus isn't going to take to well to his 'new Dad' but what follows is a subtle masterclass in passive aggressive one-up-manship.
In the wrong hands Cyrus could have been 90 minutes of breast feeding gags and a series of Jackass-style pranks. Luckily for us we are dealing with Jay and Mark Duplass, the golden boys of 'Mumblecore'. For those unfamiliar with the sub genre, 'Mumblecore' refers to a film movement which came out of North America at the turn of the millennium. The films are all made on micro budgets, focus on the relationships of twenty-somethings and rely on improvisation. Basically they are the bastard children of Slackers and Woody Allen's Manhattan.This is the first outing for the Duplass brothers with a reasonable budget and some well known faces. Thankfully they've retained their indie cinema sensibilties and understand the elements that made their early work enjoyable. The dialogue is still mainly improvised and the camera work is still mostly hand-held and makes use of a lot of snap-zoom. Cyrus has been marketed as a comedy and there are laughs scattered throughout, the humour however is closer to the Coen brothers than Judd Apatow. However it's the dramatic elements of the narrative that really give the cast something to get their teeth into. John C. Reilly here echoes his performance in Paul T. Anderson's Magnolia. Both characters are essentially losers, but there's something undeniably likable and sweet about them. Jonah Hill as the titular character really impresses. Fears that he would forever be typecast as a ranty, horny chubby funster are alleviated. He knows how to take a scene forward, he knows when to be serious and most importantly he knows that subtlety can often be far funnier than farce.
Many many people will hate Cyrus and I can see why, the camera work is distracting at times, the subject matter is often dark and the laughs are few and far between. These people probably went in expecting Superbad mixed with some of the fart gags from Step Brothers. For me though, this marks the start of something big for Jay and Mark Duplass.
Sad sack John (John C. Reilly) has never really gotten over his ex wife. His dependency on her, seven years after their divorce, is still obvious, so he decides its time to start looking for someone new. The fact that he has a face thats a cross between Beethoven and Shrek doesn't really help his chances but, against the odds, he manages to find the beautiful Molly (Marisa Tomei). All goes swimmingly at first, until John meets Cyrus. Mollys 20-year-old unemployed son Cyrus is morbidly obese and morbidly dependant on her. Their relationship is a little, shall we say, a little Oedipal. Scrap that, a lot Oedipal. Obviously Cyrus isn't going to take to well to his 'new Dad' but what follows is a subtle masterclass in passive aggressive one-up-manship.
In the wrong hands Cyrus could have been 90 minutes of breast feeding gags and a series of Jackass-style pranks. Luckily for us we are dealing with Jay and Mark Duplass, the golden boys of 'Mumblecore'. For those unfamiliar with the sub genre, 'Mumblecore' refers to a film movement which came out of North America at the turn of the millennium. The films are all made on micro budgets, focus on the relationships of twenty-somethings and rely on improvisation. Basically they are the bastard children of Slackers and Woody Allen's Manhattan.This is the first outing for the Duplass brothers with a reasonable budget and some well known faces. Thankfully they've retained their indie cinema sensibilties and understand the elements that made their early work enjoyable. The dialogue is still mainly improvised and the camera work is still mostly hand-held and makes use of a lot of snap-zoom. Cyrus has been marketed as a comedy and there are laughs scattered throughout, the humour however is closer to the Coen brothers than Judd Apatow. However it's the dramatic elements of the narrative that really give the cast something to get their teeth into. John C. Reilly here echoes his performance in Paul T. Anderson's Magnolia. Both characters are essentially losers, but there's something undeniably likable and sweet about them. Jonah Hill as the titular character really impresses. Fears that he would forever be typecast as a ranty, horny chubby funster are alleviated. He knows how to take a scene forward, he knows when to be serious and most importantly he knows that subtlety can often be far funnier than farce.
Many many people will hate Cyrus and I can see why, the camera work is distracting at times, the subject matter is often dark and the laughs are few and far between. These people probably went in expecting Superbad mixed with some of the fart gags from Step Brothers. For me though, this marks the start of something big for Jay and Mark Duplass.