Apr 24, 2016 I have one hour left of this movie... but d---. It's so confusing. I had a trouble yesterday with connecting all the dots. I still don't know if every character is somehow associated with the others. There are so many blank places still not completed by the puzzles that I feel like after watching the whole thing, I will have to take a huge step back and try to see the bigger picture of it. I can't wait to finish this movie tonight.
Apr 25, 2016 I watched the film last night with my gf. Coming out the gate, I knew it was going to be a dark art. I personally think the film is lucid and artistic, but also gets a little clumsy in between, with the narratives. The Cast was superb though. I felt though the film had ran it's course by the 2nd hour..but I also understood why it went for so long. I kind of compare this to Ex-Machina, in a deus way for the plot development. It's Definitely a dark portrait of loss, and confusion; I may have to re-watch this alone to really get into it fully.. 7/10
Apr 26, 2016 ^ I agree there are some clumsy parts between the narratives, but it all comes together quite well so it's easy to overlook it for the bigger picture. Film This Week: The 25th Hour (Spike Lee, 2002) Cornered by the DEA, convicted New York d--- dealer Montgomery Brogan reevaluates his life in the 24 remaining hours before facing a seven-year jail term. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307901/ @Twan @Woody @Vahn @Rowjay Stan @Old_Parr @Charlie @Bleed @captain awesome @Howie @Dew @Kon @King V @Devil White @Radeem
Apr 26, 2016 One of the best American films of the 2000s, a full stop classic imo. It received a somewhat quiet response on initial release, but it's picked up more and more acclaim as the years have gone by. Hope you like it!
Apr 27, 2016 lmao, I knew something was up here. I was like, who's this guy and why does Bleed not show up anymore.
Apr 27, 2016 I remember you raving about it once before which is when I added it to my list of films to see, but kept putting it off for other choices. Pretty excited for this one..
Apr 30, 2016 Watched it last night but didn't get a chance to come in and post until now. Overall an excellent film with stylistic tendencies and visual appeal. Spike Lee's direction is fluid and committed, giving the viewer a strong sense of his aims and themes. In spite of this, the film suffers from some notable pacing issues, both from scenes which feel superfluous (empty dialogue) and others which feel incomplete (sudden shifts). An example of the former would be when Montgomery (Norton) and Naturel (Dawson) are chatting in bed during a flashback, while an example of the latter includes when the Ukrainian is found guilty of ratting. Some of the pacing issue has to do with the film's visually dynamic nature, shifting in rhythm and editing between parts of the film. Lee is oft credited for his overt stylizing, which includes features such as overlapping editing (car trunk seen closed twice or Monty and Naturel embracing three times for example) wherein the same action is seen multiple times due to intentionally discontinuous editing points. This stylizing lends the film much of its raw energy. The high iso grain throughout the film sets an immersive tone; stark blue or stark red lighting in the club show obvious symbolism while painting the background with a vivid--almost violent--palette. His films are powerful because he threatens the viewer, puts them a little outside their comfort zone, and sets them up to experience a sort of moral or social revolution. As a result, parts of the film, especially during the first half while he's still setting up the dominos to knock down, feel a bit forced and thereby unnaturally paced simply because the conviction and passion that makes a Spike Lee film great isn't quite up to speed yet. There are great performances all around, though I am not particularly a fan of Rosario Dawson. Norton is great here, with some impressive monologues that rival his best from other classics such as American History X and Rounders. His racist rant in the mirror become voice-over is the highlight of the film, and helps create a powerful climax as he looks out the passenger window to see his various antagonists looking at him, turning his own judgemental eyes back on him. The relationship between Francis (Pepper) and Jacob (Hoffman) is delightful. Total opposites, the amount of love and friendship they share is tantamount to their unspoken resentment, making their interactions all the more fascinating. The ending, with its dual-scenario 25th hour, is especially powerful given the amount of intimate character study we've been given. Like the voice-over montage from Monty, his father's commentary yields much social and moral insight, even it is, like before, coming from a particular and thus biased viewpoint. It allows the viewer to consider Monty's situation carefully, knowing full well both the following: 1. Monty is a criminal caught for crimes he did in fact commit, 2. Monty is not a "bad" guy. So what happens to a guy like Monty, and does justice ever really exist? 85/100 - Excellent.
Apr 30, 2016 Glad you liked it @FilmAndWhisky Spike Lee has said Martin Scorsese was a significant influence on the film and that certainly is evident in Monty's guilt (Catholic guilt being one of the most prevalent themes in Scorsese's career). The famous mirror rant, in addition to being Lee's inverted love letter to the city, also shows Monty trying and failing to project blame for his fate onto others, his environment, his friends and his family, culminating in the recognition that the only one to blame is himself. The scene towards the end where Monty asks his friends to "make him ugly" so that he will be less of a target in prison is ludicrous and naïve on the surface, but makes more sense as Monty's desire to punish himself for what he's done. This leads to an extended voiceover montage in the vein of Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ that shows an alternative path that could be, but won't as Monty accepts what's coming. Another important point about the film to note is that it was one of the first fiction films to deal with immediately post-9/11 New York. While other movies and TV shows at the time chose to ignore it, Lee chooses to confront it directly and incorporates it into a central story that's not overtly related to the terror attacks (the novel was written before 9/11). However, 9/11 haunts the film in the background and, like it did in New York at the time, colors the thoughts and actions of all of its inhabitants. This ReverseShot piece also really good on the film: http://reverseshot.org/symposiums/entry/539/25th_hour
Apr 30, 2016 Magnolia is Amazing, probably in my Top 25 favorite films. The script is amazing, one of my favorites also and they way the camera moves in some scenes really gets you in. A must see 25th hour is great aswell, that Norton Monologue is something to be remembered, one of Lee's best with Inside Man. I havent seen Do The Right Thing
Apr 30, 2016 This is really interesting. I picked up on the guilt but not to that extent, and I haven't seen Last Temptation of Christ. Thanks for the always insightful comments and aptly chosen reading material bro.
May 1, 2016 Film This Week: On The Waterfront (Kazan, 1954) An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047296/ Yup, shameful to admit, I have never seen it. @Twan @Woody @Vahn @Rowjay Stan @Old_Parr @Charlie @captain awesome @Howie @Dew @Kon @King V @Devil White @Radeem
May 1, 2016 O s--- i forgot to watch the Jet Li one. Well i'll be sure to catch this one & i'll put out my lil mini write up soon enough.
May 1, 2016 Yes!..one of my favorite films I haven't watched this in like 5 years.. this gives me a reason to do so!
May 3, 2016 Thanks for posting, bro. There's a clear skew towards films that won Best Director at the Oscars, which comes at no surprise, as the DGA is often indicator of the Oscar's selection. It's also really focused on either big name classics or films of recent memory, and almost entirely Hollywood films, with very few foreign choices, those choices being films which were 'worldly' enough at the time to be up for Oscar contention either in Foreign or Best Picture categories. Not exactly a cinephile's canon, but a good list for a general western audience. There are a few films on here which I haven't seen, so it should be helpful when I decide my film of the week!
