h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I agree Elephant is disturbingly brilliant. I saw some reviews that called it shallow and morally reprehensible for not taking an overt moral stance.

I couldn't disagree more.

I thought the film did an excellent job of bringing out the mundanity of a school day. The disembodied floating camera, drifting over the faces of people some of whom the audience will come to realise will not survive. There is a randomness and sense of arbitrary and whimsical destruction in the massacre that follows and the camera just lingers on people, passing between them, following and then abandoning them and there is no obvious sense of knowing beforehand who will live and who will die. The repetitious events replayed from different perspectives was grinding, some might say boring, but like 2001: A Space Odyssey, it's an intentional part of the film, I thought, designed to be juxtaposed to the horror that is building up throughout the movie which is all the more shocking when it finally arrives.

Secondly, the lack of a moral centre to the film. The film doesn't go out of it's way to either condemn the killers, nor to explain their actions and is all the better for that I think. Indeed the film effectively sets out to blurs the expected condemnation of the violence by providing too many possible reasons, an excess of "maybes" that it may be one, more or none of these. Was it education, or home life, or exposure to Nazi historical documentaries, unchecked Internet accesses, a failure of gun licencing laws, repressed sexuality or something else not seen on film, something as hidden and incomprehensible from the audience of the film as from the public who have to deal with school violence when it erupts into real life.

There are too many different possibilities presented in the film and it doesn't ask you to choose or even suggest that it's *this one* "this is why they did it." It sort of throws all the possibilities at you and seems to me to say: "there is no obvious answer."

The best description I read of the film was that it is like looking at a car crash; only you'd rewound the tape and were looking at the moments just before the crash when everything begins to fly apart in hideous slow motion, watching a normal day unravel and turn into a nightmare.

If I have one gripe it's the unnecessarily long inter-cutting shots of "the gather storm" which labours the point just a bit too much.


I wrote about Elephant in my journal when I first saw it, it affected me that much which is rare for a film.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/FFM40114?thread=382221&skip=0&show=20#p4877032

That was really interesting. I didn't see that much in Elephant when I first saw it to be honest but then its one of those things that creeps into your head days after you've seen it and you have a kind of 'Eureka!' moment and it all makes sense.
Sadly, the follow up 'Last Days' is not as good, well, I don't think so anyway.

Didn't know there was a follow up.

I think those movies that have you thinking about the the next day are the best sort.

It's not a follow up but its by the same director and is shot the same way. Its based on the last few days of Kurt Cobain and its alright but not as powerful as Elephant...

ah right.

no I don't imagine it would be as good.

The motif worked really well for the subject matter in Elephant I not sure you could transfer it as successfully to another type of tragedy like a suicide.

I agree. i must admit i'm a bit biased as I'm a rather large Nirvana fan and don't think any movie should be made about Cobain. Its heart is in the right place but it comes across as exploitative rather than chilling or touching.

Saw Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit and absolutely loved it, it's easily one of my favourite films thhis year.

Very funny, very sweet (the rabbits are so cute!) and at times quite risque for a U-rated film. Go and see it

Elephant was stunningly good. Handled the subject with subtlety and honesty I thought. A rare thing sometimes! Watched Lord of War last weekend and it could certainly have done with some.

Missed Last Days at the cinema. Will definitely rent it though.

Another two films I've seen (fairly) recently are Undertow and Dear Wendy. Jamie Bell was outstanding in both, Undertow especially. I hated that Billy Elliot rubbish, so was very surprised.

W&G does look great, I'll wait to rent it though.

Watched a documentary about Nick Park the other day. Nothing less than a genius!

Want to see Dear Wendy as its scripted by Lars Von Trier (who I love) and directed by the guy who did Festen.

I hate Jamie Bell usually. He looks like a smug little ****, liek an english Haley Joel Osmont

Saw W&G last night. Been a long time since a film kept me laughing from the opening credits through to the end credits non-stop.

A pewrfect pick me up and if it doesn't win an Oscar, well, the Academy clearly need a brain transplant.

Wow. That good eh?
My ex is coming to visit for the weekend and I need something to release the pressure, that could well be it.
Hmmmm.

Have mixed feelings about Von Trier. I did enjoy Dogville but thought it took the whole Dogme 95 thing a little too far. And it was about an hour too long! Haven't seen anything else by him, is Manderlay any good?

Not out yet I think.
Dancer In The Dark is excellent but very sad and hard to watch at points.
I loved Dogville to bits. Not a crap bit in it as far I'm concerned and the finale? Mwah!
Breaking the Waves is very good as well, but again, hard to watch.

It's the sheer love of cinema and attention to detail in W&G that shows through most clearly, as well as some brilliant voice work (as ever) from Peter Sallis and an all star cast (including Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes) and it's constant invention that amazes and amuses.

I think it would be a very hard hearted human who didn't find it funny.

Well, I'm a hard hearted human so lets see what happens when I check it out eh?
Frankly, I can see myself loving it!

Loved the start and the end, there was just a lot in the middle that could have been cut imho! I hear there's a shorter version than the three hour one I watched.

I'm a bit wary of musicals, so I'll check out Breaking the Waves instead of Dancer In The Dark.

Dancer In The Dark is most emphatically NOT a musical. Yes, it has a couple of songs in it but it is more like it uses the conventions of the musical and hangs this very very dark and bleak film over the happy framework. It is a breath takingly amazing film and you will never be the same after watching it!
Well, maybe I'm going off on one but it is superb!

OK, you've convinced me! Both now added to Amazon rental list! But Bjork? She really annoys me!

Oh man! I'm no Bjork fan but bloody hell! She is so good in it AND its got the bloke from Fargo who feeds Steve Buscemi to a woodchipper in it!