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A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

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Old 01-30-15 | 12:45 PM
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A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain



<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o87gG7ZlEAg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

In New York City 1981, an ambitious immigrant fights to protect his business and family during the most dangerous year in the city's history.
I searched and searched for a thread on this. Could've sworn there was one. If there is, post link and I'll merge.

This is getting wider release this weekend. I'm super excited to finally get to check it out.
Old 01-30-15 | 01:01 PM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

I really enjoyed it. Very slow burning but intense and great acting.
Old 01-30-15 | 01:06 PM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

I thought the interesting visual neo-noir-ish cinematography added a dynamic element to it as well. Even though it's digitally captured - the DI work gives it a 35mm look.
Old 01-30-15 | 05:45 PM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

Originally Posted by BJacks
I really enjoyed it. Very slow burning but intense and great acting.
Took the words out of my mouth. That's exactly how I described it to my friends, a "slow burner". And so intense at times. Outstanding film.
Old 01-31-15 | 07:54 PM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

Saw it. Everyone else has said what I think. A true slow burner. While the end is somewhat ambiguous, it really felt like a gangster saga prequel.

P.S. I am so excited that Oscar Isaac is part of the new Star Wars movies. He and Adam Driver really do have potential, and I hope they get to share some scenes.
Old 01-31-15 | 10:01 PM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

Just saw this. It eschews greater gangster pics. Very nicely done.
Old 02-01-15 | 08:15 AM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

JC Chandor is a director to watch, for sure. Three really good films. All is Lost got good reception. Margin Call didn't get much attention, but is really good. His name isn't getting the hype that some directors get.
Old 02-01-15 | 08:41 AM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

Originally Posted by OldBoy
Just saw this. It eschews greater gangster pics. Very nicely done.
I'm probably going to see it today or tomorrow but what you do mean by it eschewing greater gangster flicks?

Like it....does things very differently or what?
Old 02-01-15 | 10:01 AM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

from my understanding, it's very much its own gangster pic, for some that makes it great, for others that makes it strain.
Old 02-01-15 | 10:15 AM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

Originally Posted by Solid Snake
I'm probably going to see it today or tomorrow but what you do mean by it eschewing greater gangster flicks?

Like it....does things very differently or what?
i meant it borrows, slightly, from great gangster pics (the atmosphere, ambiance, even Isaccs mannerisms remind me of the young Michael Corleone), without duplicating or replicating. very much it's own great entity.
Old 02-01-15 | 10:37 AM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

Ah.....
Old 02-01-15 | 12:15 PM
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Jessica Chastain as Lady MacBeth? That's a recommendation if ever I've heard one.
Old 02-01-15 | 04:57 PM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

I saw it yesterday. I guess I didn't love it as much as the others here, but I did think it was a really good film. Almost great, but not quite.
Old 02-02-15 | 07:54 AM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

Very solid movie, saw it over the weekend. Would have definitely ranked somewhere on the back half of my Top 10 of 2014. Isaac and Chastain were great.
Old 02-14-15 | 01:05 PM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

saw this and forgot to mention it. Oldboy is right. It's very much a film that took a lot of qualities from the great genre films but also made it feel like its own beast.

Isaac's character was very much like a Michael Corleone in a way. Chastain was awesome. Everyone was. Isaac's character just felt so honest in what he wanted. I really liked him for the most part. I almost wished we could see more of those two. Like I want a follow up film. That industry and the way it was shown was interesting to me.
Old 02-19-15 | 08:07 PM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

I really enjoyed this film a lot. Like others have said here: slow burn, intense, great acting. I wonder why this was pretty much completely snubbed by the Oscars? It seems like the kind of movie they'd normally go for. I would have put it before, say, The Theory of Everything.
Old 02-20-15 | 07:39 PM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

So would I but there's no way Theory of Everything wasn't going to get a bunch of noms.
Old 03-16-15 | 07:49 AM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

Really enjoyed this one as well. To me, it felt like a pretty fresh take on gangster movies, in that the main characters really aren't the cold-blooded, murdering, hardcore mafia guys like Goodfellas or The Sopranos, but they're not exactly on the straight and narrow--kind of in a gray area between totally legit and crooks. I thought that aspect made the lead couple pretty sympathetic and interesting. Very well paced and well acted, IMO.
Old 04-07-15 | 11:04 PM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

This was released on home video today. It is a damn shame that Jessica Chastain wasn't allowed to promote this film because of a clause in her Interstellar contract.

This was a very good film. That kind of bullshit shouldn't go on. This deserved way more attention than what it got.

I was never able to see it in theaters, not sure it even played near me. But I was happy I got it for 2 bucks on BD at Red Box.

From Erickson's review on this very website: Why didn't we hear more about A Most Violent Year last Oscar season? We're told that contractual obligation to Christopher Nolan's Interstellar prevented Jessica Chastain from promoting any other film, excepting on premiere nights. A small film needs star publicity to get attention, as the monster releases have the advertising edge. I'm really glad I caught up with this one -- in terms of having something really important to say, I think it is the equal of Dan Gilroy's Nightcrawler. Don't miss either of them.


--

Last edited by Throwing Copper; 04-07-15 at 11:13 PM.
Old 04-08-15 | 08:18 AM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

Originally Posted by Throwing Copper
This was released on home video today. It is a damn shame that Jessica Chastain wasn't allowed to promote this film because of a clause in her Interstellar contract.

This was a very good film. That kind of bullshit shouldn't go on. This deserved way more attention than what it got.

I was never able to see it in theaters, not sure it even played near me. But I was happy I got it for 2 bucks on BD at Red Box.

From Erickson's review on this very website: Why didn't we hear more about A Most Violent Year last Oscar season? We're told that contractual obligation to Christopher Nolan's Interstellar prevented Jessica Chastain from promoting any other film, excepting on premiere nights. A small film needs star publicity to get attention, as the monster releases have the advertising edge. I'm really glad I caught up with this one -- in terms of having something really important to say, I think it is the equal of Dan Gilroy's Nightcrawler. Don't miss either of them.


--
Yeah that has nothing to do with it. She wasn't allowed to promote it until early December, the movie wasn't released widely until January 30th of this year -- that's nearly 2 months. What did this movie in was the fact they launched it as a Oscar movie, but you can't really pull that off with zero nominations (though it did get a Golden Globe nomination for Actress). Now you could argue her not being able to campaign for it made her lose a nomination, but honestly that's a stretch. It played in 818 theaters with a middle of the road advertising push as is common with A24 pictures.

Speaking of A24, that means this should be on Amazon Prime streaming in the next few months.
Old 05-10-15 | 08:13 PM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

Slow burn is an understatement. I watched it last night and am still waiting for a the fire. 6/10
Old 05-11-15 | 04:39 PM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

It was a very good film. I think I was a bit disappointed only because some (not here) were praising this film as the best of the year. I didn't think it was even top 5 but I could see how some people could latch onto it. I didn't think Chastain's performance was too great either. Everything about her character was just implied by dialogue about her background. I thought Isaac was pretty much perfect and carried the film on his own.
Old 08-13-15 | 01:39 PM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

Watched this on Netflix last night and loved it. I too am surprised this got no Academy nominations compared to the tonally similar but failed (in my opinion) Foxcatcher.

It was spooky how much Isaac resembled Al Pachino from the first Godfather, in everything from presence to emotion. The shadowy photography really drove the comparison home.

Very riveting and suspenseful viewing, amazing considering
Spoiler:
there is no killing in the entire movie until the suicide Issac approves of at the end
.
Old 08-13-15 | 01:43 PM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

Foxcatcher ran a better campaign than AMVY. A24 (AMVY) is still new on the scene, Annapurna (Foxcatcher) are old pros.
Old 08-13-15 | 01:51 PM
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Re: A Most Violent Year (2014, D: Chandor) S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

This on Amazon Instant Video too, guys. Free w/ Le Prime.


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