whotony

Isn't this coming to Amazon Prime or Netflix this week?


Also Katy Mixon is the most annoying actress I've seen in years.

Solid Snake

She was damn good looking in Eastbound & Down

Mondo Kane

I didn't love this as much as everyone else. But that last scene was beyond perfect. The best line-exchanging since Pacino & Deniro in Heat, imo.

Defiant1

I didn't love it either but I did admire it. Zero replay value for me, likely because of the glacial pacing but I loved the atmosphere. Similar to True Detective Season 1, the movie was great at showing how run down and bleak parts of the rural USA can be, where people lose hope and turn to dark deeds to get something, anything from the system. It just seems worlds away from the sleek American metropolises often shown in movies.

I don't think Jeff Bridges, while good, deserves as much praise as he's getting. I thought Chris Pine and Ben Foster were far more effective as the two brothers.

NORML54601

I'm sorry it took me so long to watch this, excellent movie from the story, to the score (Not surprising when I learned Nick Cave was involved), to the aesthetics of the camera work. Best film I've seen this year.

EddieMoney

There will never be enough praise for Jeff Bridges.

inri222

Unclejosh

I am about an hour into this and I am really struggling to finish. Not getting the praise for this at all. Pine and Foster are decent although Foster is playing pretty much the same variation of almost every role he takes but Bridges is once again doing the same marble mouth drawl he likes to do for some unknown reason just like in RIPD which is the extreme version but this is similar in my opinion. He doesn't talk like that normally or all the time so it bugs that he chooses to do it in so many roles. Takes me right out of any movie when he affects that voice and vocal cadence.

I am hoping the last 40 minutes pick up but so far this movie does not deserve the kudos I have heard about it. If not then it just wasn't for me I guess.

Nick Danger

Hey, if you're an hour into it and the movie isn't working for you, give it up. Life's too short to watch movies that bore you.

Unclejosh

I hear ya but I tend to want to finish things if possible. Otherwise it will nag at me and I will end up eventually watching it anyway. I don't hate it, but it isn't blowing me away like it has others and while it is a struggle to finish, it isn't unbearable, just not something I would have normally watched. I only decided to watch based on the praise in this thread.

rennervision

I didn't think it was a struggle to finish, but I do struggle to understand all the praise it's getting. It just seems way overhyped to me and I'm wondering if it's because Jeff Bridges is in it? No Country for Old Men was much, much better.

OldBoy

why?

Cellar Door

I watched this last night, and I agree. I was expecting a lot more from this based on the reviews I'd read. It wasn't bad, but it also isn't great or brilliant, IMO. I, too, felt like it was a pale shadow compared to No Country For Old Men.

I did like Bridges and his partner and their interaction. And Foster was good. I often find him annoyingly over-the-top, but I thought he was about the right amount of crazy in this.

As a Texan, I immediately thought "this looks like it was filmed in New Mexico." Looked it up and confirmed. Oh, well. (and, yes, parts of No Country were filmed in NM as well, but it's not as obvious)

story

A variety section piece from the LA Times appeared in our local paper this weekend about how Hell or High Water fits in a sort of blue collar, working class film sub-genre about the American Dream meets/vs. the American Reality. Interesting read, putting it's subject matter/mood alongside On the Waterfront and Winter's Bone (the latter of which I haven't seen). I thought this quote was particularly striking, wondering anyone here thinks he's on to something:

bunkaroo

Sam here. In fact I happened to watch NCFOM again recently and it's still as riveting as the first time I saw it. One of the best films of the last 10 years without question.

I think there's a trend these days for anything that isn't completely derivative or a remake to get high praise simply because we're so starved for good content.

GoldenJCJ

Isn't he just describing "Southern Gothic" films? I'm not sure he's really onto something when all he's doing is talking about an already defined movie genre.

story

I'd forgotten about Southern Gothic as a genre. You may be right.

GoldenJCJ

^ It's a genre that seems to be making a comeback of sorts in recent years. Jeff Nichols and David Gordon Greene have made several Southern Gothic films that have mostly been met with praise. I'd place Hell or High Water squarely in that same sub-genre. Although I'd compare Hell or High Water with No Country for Old Men, I'm not sure I've heard of NCfOM described as Southern Gothic by anyone so it's possible there's a sub-sub-genre I'm missing.

I've been meaning to see Out of the Furnace for awhile now and just haven't gotten around to it yet.

It's actually a type of movie I really enjoy assuming it doesn't get too bleak. Winter's Bone felt a bit too bleak for me.

nando820

Finally got around watching this film last night, tt was really good. Though it was never boring, the the second half is where things pick up more. Love all the characters and Ben Foster was great, he was not playing the same psycho as in 3:10 to Yuma this guy had a completely different vibe.

Something i loved about this film is the Texas aesthetic. It looked like a completely different country with its own set of rules and it felt so real. And i see people commenting on the women too, I loved them all too, they felt and looked like real people

The final exchange between Pines and Bridges was great and a very satisfying conclusion. All in all a very plausible story without feeling like a fake Hollywood take on a heist.

PS: If we going to compare, "No Country for Old Men" is probably still the better film, but i think each film has different objectives, so its a bit unfair to compare them

kantonburg

Finally got to see this today. Recorded from Shotime. That final exchange was fantastic.

Maxflier

I watched this last night on digital (Apple) and saw the same issue with the jutter on the houses in that panning shot.
Solid movie by the way.