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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

post #1 of 17
1/2/09 at 2:53pm
Thread Starter 
Didn't find a dedicated thread in the E&C section, and since I really enjoyed the movie, might as well just started one.


Anyway, it's terrific for what it is, a romance with an interesting twist. Superb wardrobe as well.
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post #2 of 17
1/2/09 at 3:02pm
I thought it was great. I hate saying that I didn't feel 'manipulated' because if I enjoy a movie, I don't really have thoughts of paranoia. I thought the peripheral characters were more interesting than the two leads, and I think based on the strength of their performances that it made the movie worth watching (Along with the clothes, the movies arc, and effects). Tilda Swinton was great, as was Brads adoptive mother. Brad Pitt just isn't nuanced enough to play these types of characters and it really showed in his wooden performance. I mean, your mother dies and all you do is stare blankly at a wall? Let me see some convincing quiet suffering god damn it.

And again, Kate Blanchett is guilty of over-acting.
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post #3 of 17
1/2/09 at 3:55pm
I quite enjoyed it--poignant and thought-provoking, particularly the parallels of helpless dependency in infancy and again in great old age. My wife was very deeply moved by it.

Curiously, the F. Scott Fitzgerald story that inspired it is a light hearted bit of whimsical humor--a great contrast to the film.
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post #4 of 17
1/3/09 at 10:37pm
The "helpless dependency" theme almost moved me to tears. The infancy part of the movie was great for me. I thought it was a solid, thought-provoking movie. This isn't "Best Picture" stuff, but the cinematography and score were excellent and the story's intriguing. Brad Pitt's received too much praise for his performance...someone called it "understated" but its not like he had subtle nuances or anything.
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post #5 of 17
1/6/09 at 8:18am
Thread Starter 
The striking similarities between this movie and Forrest Gump, also written by Eric Roth:

http://madeinhead.org/anism/?p=369

Self-plagiarism?
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post #6 of 17
1/6/09 at 1:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoSurface View Post
I thought it was great. I hate saying that I didn't feel 'manipulated' because if I enjoy a movie, I don't really have thoughts of paranoia. I thought the peripheral characters were more interesting than the two leads, and I think based on the strength of their performances that it made the movie worth watching (Along with the clothes, the movies arc, and effects). Tilda Swinton was great, as was Brads adoptive mother. Brad Pitt just isn't nuanced enough to play these types of characters and it really showed in his wooden performance. I mean, your mother dies and all you do is stare blankly at a wall? Let me see some convincing quiet suffering god damn it.

And again, Kate Blanchett is guilty of over-acting.

I also thought it was a great movie. I believe your assessment of the movie is spot on except that I really liked Brad's acting in the movie. However, I am partial to Brad Pitt as he is one of my favorite actors. I actually had the same reaction you had at the scene with his mother's funeral. I was thinking that he definitely wasn't showing enough emotion for the moment. The more I think about it as well, Kate Blanchett was quite overly dramatic, but not too much to detract from the overall movie.
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post #7 of 17
1/6/09 at 10:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by whacked View Post
The striking similarities between this movie and Forrest Gump, also written by Eric Roth:

http://madeinhead.org/anism/?p=369

Self-plagiarism?

Totally agreed, it hit me as I watched the final montage. The devastating leg injury, the crazy father figure with a rank before his name, the main character who is timid and passive, etc.
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post #8 of 17
1/7/09 at 9:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by whacked View Post
The striking similarities between this movie and Forrest Gump, also written by Eric Roth:

http://madeinhead.org/anism/?p=369

Self-plagiarism?

I was thinking about that when I was watching the movie, that it was similar to Forrest Gump...
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post #9 of 17
1/8/09 at 8:09pm
I saw this yesterday and am a bit confused about Pitt's actual involvement. The credits show other actors playing Benjamin up until 1937. Presumably that means Pitt doesn't take on the role until about the time that he meets Captain Mike. You read all these glowing reviews about Pitt's dealing with the different ages of man, and undergoing heavy prosthetics etc, yet the credits indicate that the most difficult parts were done by others. It's important to understand this to be able to figure out the merits of Pitt's performance. Can anyone clear that up for me?
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post #10 of 17
1/8/09 at 9:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by California Dreamer View Post
I saw this yesterday and am a bit confused about Pitt's actual involvement. The credits show other actors playing Benjamin up until 1937. Presumably that means Pitt doesn't take on the role until about the time that he meets Captain Mike. You read all these glowing reviews about Pitt's dealing with the different ages of man, and undergoing heavy prosthetics etc, yet the credits indicate that the most difficult parts were done by others. It's important to understand this to be able to figure out the merits of Pitt's performance. Can anyone clear that up for me?
Pitt's head and facial expressions were digitized via motion capture, aged, then supered onto other actors bodies - the flexing in the mirror scene for example. Those actors are credited. lefty
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post #11 of 17
1/9/09 at 6:01am
So they are like Pitt's body doubles. I have to wonder why Pitt can get nominated for such a CGI-heavy performance, when Andy Serkis was ruled ineligible despite creating one of the most memorable supporting characters in recent years, specifically because of the CGI rendering of his movements.
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post #12 of 17
3/2/09 at 3:49am
I agree, the film was a lot like Forest gump... I cried multiple times.

I really dug the wardrobe.

The moscots he was wearing made me a dead ringer for James Dean IMO.

this was the first role of tilda swintons I didn't absolutely loathe... she didn't look androgynous the entire film, or come across like a real c you next tuesday
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post #13 of 17
3/2/09 at 4:23am
I didn't hate it as I initially thought I would but I have come to realise that this immediate response to a film means nothing. I now have come to the conclusion that I hate this film. I feel like I got nothing from watching it.

It was in urgent need of editing (I think Fincher went to the Baz Luhrmann school of editing) and Blanchett was nothing short of laughable as the old lady early in the film (I can't believe Fincher didn't rein her in). Was it memorable for the right reasons? No. Would I watch it again? Not on your life.
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post #14 of 17
3/2/09 at 3:45pm
I thought it was pretty good, ovverrated at the Academy Awards thats for sure. It just pissed me off that he shrunk back down into a baby. What? Did his bones just become smaller? The entire premise of the movie is obviously unbelieveable, but really...he should have stayed the same height once he reached his peak. Not shrunk back down into an infant....soo stupid.
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post #15 of 17
3/2/09 at 5:00pm
really good movie. of course i can make the same criticisms that everyone else can make about this film, but it was pure enjoyment for me and definitely worth paying the full cinema ticket for.

i thought Cate blanchett was great. sure, she overacts in her typical theatre fashion, but i enjoy her looks and her elegance. fit perfectly for the film. i liked how they made her age throughout the period when Benjamin was a child.

i saw the Forrest Gump references from the start and throughout. i dont care. i enjoyed that movie as well.
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