comment #1

Craig Kennedy says ...

Congrats to whoever first made the John Huston connection in Daniel Day-Lewis' performance.

comment #2

Nick J says ...

Is Dano in any of the pics?

comment #3

Jamieson says ...

Could you possibly post the full audio as well?

comment #4

MAGGA says ...

Yes! Please post the whole thing!

comment #5

MiraJeffAICN says ...

Relax there, gang. You didn't miss out on much. That had to be one of the worst Q and A's I've ever sat through and Ansen wasn't very good as moderator, though it didn't help that when he went to questions from the audience, it was apparently Dumbass Night at the WGA. Meanwhile, I'm still struggling with my reaction to the film. The music, cinematography and performances were all excellent but the film is a tough one to love. Check out the updated Oscar chart at TheInSneider.blogspot.com and stay tuned to AICN for my interview with Southland Tales writer-director Richard Kelly.

comment #6

sweet_billy says ...

the q+a couldn't be any worse than your terrible writing and shameless plugging. "dumbass night at the wga"...rich coming for a guy who writes for aicn. what would you guys do if somebody took all of the exclamation points away? you wouldn't be able to write any articles, that's what would happen.

give it a rest, bro.

comment #7

lazarus says ...

Big surprise, MiraJeff doesn't love it.

With every opinion you post, your taste becomes more and more suspect.

I'll bet you thought it could stand to lose 15-20 minutes, too.

comment #8

MiraJeffAICN says ...

Ok Laz, fair enough. But why don't you wait to see the damn thing before you offer your expert opinion. Just because I didn't love it doesn't mean I didn't like it. It's exquisitely crafted. And you should check the Oscar chart because TWBB pops up all over it.. just not in the BP category. It's a difficult film to fully embrace. To be fair, I wasn't knocked out by No Country for Old Men either, but just about every critic in America has shit their pants over it so I guess my taste IS suspect. I didn't have a problem with the length though. Still griping about the Jesse James review, huh? Oh, and Sweet Billy, were you at the WGA last night? Have you listened to Jeff's recording? Do you think I'm the only one who thought the Q + A sucked? Because Tapley said just as much on his blog today. Why do you guys take every word from Wells, Poland, O'Neill and Stone as gospel, but my opinions are worthless because I'm from AICN and we don't "do" Oscar prognosticating and we use a lot of exclamation points. Oh no!!!! For the record, I was fully expecting TWBB to be the best film of the year and my favorite but it wasn't. And for comparison's sake, I thought Boogie Nights and Magnolia were both better, though I cede that Daniel Day-Lewis' performance is the best PTA has ever gotten out of an actor, and seems a lock to win Best Actor. His only competition is TLJ in Elah.

comment #9

jeffmcm says ...

Tommy Lee Jones could get nominated for Elah, but it will not win any awards, primarily because nobody saw it.

comment #10

Mr B says ...

Mira, I personally have no problem with your opinion, I may not agree but we all put opinions here. But the last sentence in your first post IS a problem. Sliding in advertisements is not why I come to read this site and please stop.

comment #11

jeffmcm says ...

I agree. "Stay tuned" is not classy.

comment #12

MiraJeffAICN says ...

Ok Mr. B, you're right. I just wanted to alert a group of film fans to an interesting interview I did with Richard Kelly. Is that such a crime? To give fans of his who read H-E and maybe not AICN a heads up about a good read? I think not. And I included the personal blog link to give you guys a shortcut as to what I make of TWBB's awards potential after seeing it last night. But I hear what you're saying so I'll relax and leave the hyperlink to do the talking. My bad...

comment #13

Devin Faraci says ...

There was one moment at the Q&A that felt like an episode of THE OFFICE to me (the original, good one). That was a bad Ansen moment. There were plenty of awful audience Q&A moments, including one woman who was confused about Paul Dano's character... and then the next question was the exact same thing!

I don't understand how this is a tough movie to love. I was enraptured the whole time. I think it's a tough movie to DIGEST - I want to see it again now that I know what the film's unconventional route is. But this is a beautiful, complex, uncompromising movie that may not be the slamdunk masterpiece I wanted it to be, but is a major moment in PTA's career and is a film that I think will be sparking discussion for years.

comment #14

MiraJeffAICN says ...

Oh, definitely, Devin. I think by love, I meant it's a tough movie to say you loved as soon as you walk out of it. I told the Paramount publicists I need more time to digest, and though it wasn't the masterpiece I too was expecting, I was glued to the edge of my seat, trying to get that much closer to Day-Lewis memerizing, menacing turn. And I agree that it's a major moment in PTA's career. It's unlike anything he's ever done before. There wasn't anything inherently PTA about it last night. He seems to reinvent himself as often as Day-Lewis, and frankly Dano, who I never would've guessed was capable of such a powerful performance after seeing him as the lovable Klitz in Girl Next Door. He's come a long way in a short amount of time and it's a noteworthy feat in itself that he can hold the screen opposite DDL. I'd also like to see it again but I'm not sure I'd be up for a 3rd time soon after. The movie wears you out. It pulls you into its fabric and you'll wear its smell for days. It was great, I just have a soft spot for Magnolia, and a hard-on for Boogie Nights. But DDL should prepare his acceptance speech and hopefully, if the Academy has any balls, so will Jonny Greenwood. Elswitt's work was also astounding but it's a tough year in that category with the Deakins' likely double dip.

comment #15

Zimmergirl says ...

I'm wondering if anyone will have the balls to just come out and say that the emperor is wearing no clothes. I know how I felt about it and the people around me who didn't applaud at the end but so far the loudmouths on the web have been speaking about it in hushed tones like it's the Baby Jesus or something. I'm wondering if anyone will step forward and say, "what a piece of pretentious horseshit." I'm not saying I feel that way - the emperor looks perfectly clothed to me.

comment #16

rocco says ...

Every opinion about this movie--or any movie with such hype--is tainted by the dynamics of our social hierarchy. With so much advance fanfare from the blogging elite, the fear of being labeled as someone who can't spot "genius" will prompt many people who very much respect this film to convince themselves, or try to convince others, that they love it. This intense advocacy makes it nearly impossible for someone to merely like or respect it, instead forcing them to either join the choir or throws rocks at the stained-glass windows. I find MiraJeff's opinion refreshing, and find it equally absurd that anyone yet to see the film would question his taste, basing their own opinion on nothing but advanced reviews and hype. As human beings we are conditioned to respect "authority" and adjust and conform our opinions accordingly...but wait until you see the damn film!! (Double exclamation point!!)

comment #17

Zimmergirl says ...

That's interesting. So it becomes like a team sport mentality - or a "you're with us or against us" type thing.

comment #18

YND says ...

Have to say that I'm intensely grateful to have had the opportunity to see the film a couple weeks ago, in advance of (most of) the hype. It's almost always helpful to be able to shape your initial impressions without being buffeted by the opinions of others... but particularly with THIS film, which is so unconventional both in its methods and its goals, it's nice to have some time to process how it played for me personally.

When I walked out of TWBB, I had two specific things that hadn't quite worked for me... two scenes that seemed to have arrived without the necessary foundation. But now, two weeks later, I'm still thinking about it and those moments have started to make sense in retrospect. (Of course now I've got to wait another month to see it again and see how it plays upon repeat viewing.) I know I've had similar experiences with other films, but usually it's when catching up with older works. With the new stuff, the din of popular opinion gets so damn loud it's hard to hear yourself think.

I look forward to being able to discuss the film with friends -- and man, does this film warrant discussion -- but I have to say it's been nice to have some time to reflect. Times like this, I feel bad for critics who get one screening and are expected to file a well-considered response a day or two later.

comment #19

Mr B says ...

No worries Mira! I may well read it but you know what I'm saying. Anyhoo, I went and saw 'Blade Runner: the Final Cut' today at the Uptown in DC. I can't believe I saw someone on this site the other day call Ridley a hack. Shame on you.