tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post8507892840989345846..comments2024-01-30T04:32:47.585-05:00Comments on The Cooler: Sisyphus Had It Easy: PreciousJason Bellamyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-61369688678644332582009-12-14T08:26:46.266-05:002009-12-14T08:26:46.266-05:00Jake: I did see that video. The "write" ...Jake: I did see that video. The "write" portion really nails the absurdity of that scene.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-26509429163141172022009-12-13T22:52:53.851-05:002009-12-13T22:52:53.851-05:00Jason, have you seen the new Funny or Die video ab...Jason, have you seen the new Funny or Die video about Precious? Jim Emerson linked to it.<br /><br />http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/635e8e0e5b/precious-moments?rel=player<br /><br />It's just so wonderful.Jakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09078001374402400232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-68960237974066839352009-12-04T00:30:42.905-05:002009-12-04T00:30:42.905-05:00Well, I finally saw this and The Blind Side and ju...Well, I finally saw this and The Blind Side and just got done writing about them. I don't know that I'm entirely happy with the prose and I could have found more connections between them and looked up more images proving my points about how they're both in their own way fairy tales, but that's a lot of effort for one film I want to just forget and one that will no doubt slip from my mind before we even roll around to the new year.<br /><br />Man, I really borderline fucking hated Precious, but I have to admit that the acting was fantastic.Jakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09078001374402400232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-52170621819019787232009-11-26T08:45:30.250-05:002009-11-26T08:45:30.250-05:00Jake: If you see it I'll be curious to get you...Jake: If you see it I'll be curious to get your reaction, particularly to the final scene. I see the ending as intended to be uplifting but ambiguous enough that someone could see it for what it is: tragic. Either way, I'm a little confused as to how some people are walking out of the film actually feeling uplifted.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-83260871860068725802009-11-25T19:21:28.952-05:002009-11-25T19:21:28.952-05:00I'm sure I will see this (if I can justify mys...I'm sure I will see this (if I can justify myself paying to see New Moon because I need to "stay current with the zeitgeist" I can sure as hell manage this), but, cynic that I am, I really find little pleasure in the sort of story that you've described. I also find it a bit disheartening that the few positive reviews I've read -- obviously I don't want to read too many to influence me before I go -- seem to paint the exact same picture as the detractors, albeit with a couple more exclamation marks worth of emphasis. The fact that you mention Lars Von Trier -- you bring up Dogville, but I never made it past Dancer in the Dark -- is only more disconcerting.<br /><br />I just hate the idea that, if I do end up not liking the movie, at least a few people will say, "It's not meant to have a Hollywood ending, moron!" which I suppose is some sort of comeuppance for my love of the Coen brothers. I could care less if it ends on a happy note, but the idea of sitting through two hours of small-scale atrocity and then simply dumped out into the streets leaves a nasty taste in my mouthJakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09078001374402400232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-77080118152091047242009-11-25T00:24:06.754-05:002009-11-25T00:24:06.754-05:00Thanks, Daniel. I'll be curious to read your r...Thanks, Daniel. I'll be curious to read your review or hear more comments when you've digested the movie a bit.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-90228208631747443892009-11-23T13:59:46.080-05:002009-11-23T13:59:46.080-05:00Appreciate your honest and impossibly well-reasone...Appreciate your honest and impossibly well-reasoned writing as always, Jason. Really great stuff and always leads to interesting discussion, particularly with Anonymous here. I fall somewhere between you and him, and am continuing to process my own thoughts on the film as a whole. But on balance I left with a bad feeling in my stomach as well. There are so many lens through which Precious can be seen, and I have yet to reconcile them - as art, as social indictment, as entertainment (could it be?), as catharsis, as none or all of these. If I come up with any better thoughts I'll let you know, but you've again articulated my thinking really well here.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05222052132452709301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-89936226265156213042009-11-17T12:07:52.864-05:002009-11-17T12:07:52.864-05:00Anon: And thank you for jumping into the discussio...Anon: And thank you for jumping into the discussion. Whether you use your real name or not, create a handle for yourself. This blog is fortunate to have some very thoughtful commenters. Glad to have you become a regular.<br /><br />Similarly, I'd love to jump in on the <i>Bright Star</i> debate but I missed that one, which didn't seem a big deal at the time, but now people keep bringing it up -- for better or worse. Alas.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-30456985884913819792009-11-17T11:56:02.094-05:002009-11-17T11:56:02.094-05:00Jason
Thanks man for your thoughtful response. Le...Jason<br /><br />Thanks man for your thoughtful response. Leaving a comment on your site was my first such foray in Web letter-writing. <br /><br />Look forward to more discussions about Precious and other films.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-18064377011380538712009-11-16T13:16:59.516-05:002009-11-16T13:16:59.516-05:00"If you compare Precious to 'Bright Star’..."If you compare Precious to 'Bright Star’ -- a film that totally avoids emotion, that exists purely in the formal nether world – you’ll find that they inhabit opposite poles of certain personal filmmaking."<br /><br />I can't agree with you at all on that statement Anonymous, i found BRIGHT STAR (which may well be my #1 film of the year with only six weeks to go) as one of the emotional films of the year.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-82622758594907768672009-11-16T11:19:06.593-05:002009-11-16T11:19:06.593-05:00Anon: Thanks for the comment.
It seems to me that...Anon: Thanks for the comment.<br /><br />It seems to me that you are evaluating the film as an episode in social politics and not as art. What I mean is that, except for Monique's performance, you haven't argued that <i>Precious</i> is a good film but that it's good that <i>Precious</i> was made. To use your Obama reference, it's the equivalent of saying that it's good we have a black president with the middle name Hussein, regardless of whether or not he's a good president. (I happen to think he is, for the mart part, and he was certainly the best choice of the past election, but that's beside the point.) I'm trying to look deeper than that, to not award points to <i>Precious</i> simply for refusing to restrain itself in its efforts to shock us.<br /><br />See, I agree with you in part: We should have more films that are brutally honest, that tell African-American stories, that feature characters who don't have six-pack abs. We should have more films that ask tough questions and that are unsettling.<br /><br />But that's not <i>Precious</i>. <i>Precious</i> is simply manipulative. Suggesting that this film (a) reflects reality or (b) breaks new ground in semi-mainstream cinema does not mean that by rule this is a well-made, engaging or otherwise worthwhile piece of art. Instead it just means that it reflects reality (and that's only somewhat true) and breaks new ground in semi-mainstream cinema. That's it.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-33384846106480288982009-11-16T10:49:06.681-05:002009-11-16T10:49:06.681-05:00You guys sound like dudes trashing a film that avo...You guys sound like dudes trashing a film that avoids being easily digested by dudes. <br /><br />Precious is a film with flaws. But that's part of it. You can argue that it's tabloid filmmaking but when else have we see these ideas covered in cinema?When else is someone molested by their father then molested by their mother? Then forced to overeat in order to gain weight so that she is no longer attractive to the father who rapes her?<br /><br />You may think or write that it's, "too much" but from reading the book or just watching the film it is clear that this story is anchored in truth. These things really happened and happen. So how do you show that to an audience, without completely shutting them down? People will argue you must simple imply it. Imply what? I would never have gotten all that happened to Precious through subtext alone. <br /><br />Yes, it's ridiculous and trite of Paul Patton's character to breathlessly sound out, "WRITE" when Precious admits to the class that she is HIV+. But that's a forgivable misstep in a what I find to be a groundbreaking film. <br /><br />If you compare Precious to 'Bright Star’ -- a film that totally avoids emotion, that exists purely in the formal nether world – you’ll find that they inhabit opposite poles of certain personal filmmaking. <br /><br />Loads of people, especially critics praise Bright Star for its restraint. What does that mean? Why does restraint deserve more praise than its reverse? Excess and overdrive on emotion are also valid. <br /><br />A European (often heterosexual male lens) of seeing the world or of making movies is not the only game on the silver screen anymore. <br /><br />Lee Daniels convinced a couple to give him the entire 8 million dollars Precious cost to make. If he hadn't been able to pull that coup off none of us would see a movie like this. The gatekeepers would never allow it. For the same reason you all don’t want the film to receive an Oscar nod. <br /><br />For that alone, I think Precious is remarkable. It's new. It's subject matter difficult. It's performances, especially Mo’Nique’s are truly astonishing. If she wins the best supporting Oscar, which I am sure she will, then it is an apt award for recognizing high achievements in acting this year.<br /><br />Things are changing—remember the president that was just elected? That may seem like old news today. But when he started his presidential bid many people thought he didn’t look the part. I have never seen a 350 pound, dark black women be the lead of a film before. As I had never seen a President of the United States named Hussein. Those things may make people feel uncomfortable. <br />But I think that’s okay.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-33528721388289945872009-11-16T07:47:43.148-05:002009-11-16T07:47:43.148-05:00Thanks for the comments so far, everyone. A few re...Thanks for the comments so far, everyone. A few replies ...<br /><br />Kevin: It's not so much that the film doesn't offer hope. It's that what the film offers as hope <i>should</i> be considered nearly as depressing as everything that came before it. Alas, that's not the way it's framed. Keeping it real only goes so far, I guess.<br /><br />Steven: Your line about abusing kittens is more accurate than you know. Never mind what happens to Precious, when you use an infant as a prop for harm you're really pulling out all the stops. It's shameless manipulation. Interesting that you'd pick <i>The Passion</i> and <i>World Trade Center</i> as similar films. There's plenty more nuance to those films than to this one, believe me.<br /><br />Hokahey: Speaking of open minds: I can't tell you the number of second chances I gave this movie. I kept thinking, 'OK, they've crossed the line, but now it will come together.' But it doesn't. It's more and more of the same.<br /><br />Kelli: Though I know that Oprah and Tyler Perry are backing this picture, I need to go in search of their interpretation -- assuming it exists somewhere. I mean, I have no doubt that Oprah considers it some kind of triumph; that's one of her favorite themes. But I'd be fascinated to hear her articulate where there's triumph to be found.<br /><br />Sam: I agree with you on Monique. Last night I read another review that called her performance over the top, but how could she play it any other way? She's backed into the corner. The fraudulence of the character is in the writing, I think. "Shameless." Yep, that nails it.<br /><br />Ghibli: Well, I don't think anyone needs to be shot or treated like Precious. Let's keep this debate civil, please. Also, films don't need to be uplifting (not that you're implying such). But positioning this as a redemptive film thwarts the kind of blunt realism that this film is supposedly trying to confront. That I have a problem with.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-78694796559516779782009-11-15T22:44:24.587-05:002009-11-15T22:44:24.587-05:00Since no one who has seen this film has weighed in...Since no one who has seen this film has weighed in yet, I will. Whoever is comparing this film to Slumdog Millionaire needs to be shot, or at least be subjected to the same treatment Precious got. The two movies should never be compared. <br />I would like to challenge anyone to come up with 5 "uplifting" or moments of progress in the life of Precious that is worth viewing. <br /><br />This film is exactly as this review portrays it in paragraph two and it doesn't get better. It gets worse. Nothing good happens to Precious and by the end, all of the visual escapisms she conjures seems so much sadder for it. She has nothing to offer herself or her children. This is not an uplifting film, it's sadness. To compare it to anything uplifting is pure obfuscation. This is just Slumdog Moron being capitalized upon. I don't appreciate any of this type of "art."<br /><br />And who cares what Oprah thinks...really?ghiblinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-5920314945690861582009-11-15T22:17:24.728-05:002009-11-15T22:17:24.728-05:00Ha! I love that Will E. Coyote comparison! But i...Ha! I love that Will E. Coyote comparison! But it's true - this sledge hammer approach really grates soon enough, and when you say this:<br /><br />"Do you get it? Do you grasp that Precious leads a terrible, tragedy-ridden life? Of course you do. How could you not?"<br /><br />....you really have nailed it, methinks. I thought Monique's performance was quite good, but her character was fraudulent (if that can be possible) and the unremitting squalor and rancor was way over-the-top, even taking into account the purported truth of some of the revelations.<br /><br />Furthermore, it's true when you say that the atrocities must go on as there is nothing else to tell here, and when you assert this:<br /><br />"Precious is tabloid cinema. It is sensationalism posing as truth. Thematically speaking, the main character is established as an innocent victim and a figure....."<br /><br />it's hard to disagree...... The small group I saw the film with (my wife, good friend) liked it more than I did, as they bought into the shameless display of emotion, which at times does hit the mark.<br /><br />Outstanding, insightful essay here.<br /><br />I'd dare to suggest that PRECIOUS is a serious version of John Waters's HAIRSPRAY, and in this instance that not a very good thing.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-57139411900838775972009-11-15T20:14:23.912-05:002009-11-15T20:14:23.912-05:00As others who have commented here maintain, your p...As others who have commented here maintain, your post only confirms my decision to avoid PRECIOUS at all costs. I also recently wrote about the apparent abuse, utter sadness, and lack of hopefulness that the film represents--and this was based on the trailer alone: http://kellimarshall.net/unmuzzledthoughts/reviews/trailers. The film as well as those associated with it (e.g., Tyler Perry, Oprah Winfrey) is obviously campaigning for an Oscar nod, and I imagine that it will receive such. But is this art, the "highest achievement in filmmaking," as the Academy boasts?Kelli Marshallhttp://www.kellimarshall.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-82280335145354736732009-11-15T19:29:50.520-05:002009-11-15T19:29:50.520-05:00I will definitely see this film and tell you how I...I will definitely see this film and tell you how I feel about it, but I was wondering how the main characters sordid life of abuse was going to be portrayed and it sounds like it wasn't presented very effectively. I will keep an open mind, but I don't have high hopes for this one. Oprah Winfrey does, however, and I see this movie heading for the Oscars.Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-76690994103848319952009-11-15T18:17:30.060-05:002009-11-15T18:17:30.060-05:00This review gets at why I don't want to subjec...This review gets at why I don't want to subject myself to this film, even with the great reviews. And I was recently able to get through Antichrist despite my serious problems with von Trier.<br /><br />Although I would refer to Precious as more victimization cinema than tabloid cinema. It looks like a movie designed (or rigged) to feel perpetually sorry for the main character. Even von Trier's recent movies have the supposedly victimized women giving back as hard as they get.<br /><br />I don't know what I'm supposed to get from watching Precious other than feeling pity towards the main character while being thankful my life doesn't suck as bad. But that's not drama, but Film-As-Guilt-Trip reminding me of recent emotion-rigged films such as "The Passion of the Christ" and "World Trade Center". You might as well abuse kittens on the screen for 2 hours to get the same feeling.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05571206086671634525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-45123729658194706122009-11-15T17:31:02.051-05:002009-11-15T17:31:02.051-05:00Jason:
Your last paragraph really gets at the hea...Jason:<br /><br />Your last paragraph really gets at the heart of why I dread seeing this movie (my wife really wants to see it -- like <i>Slumdog</i> last year (good comparison by the way about two film being horribly misleading in their add campaigns) I will acquiesce since I rarely see anything she wants to see -- because I have to deal with this kind of stuff at work on a daily basis. You're right...there is rarely a happy ending to these kinds of stories (I try to educate homeless teen parents who have been abused almost every term...only about two out 10 make it through the end of the year...the deck is just too stacked against them), and I really don't want to sit through a film that offers no hope -- because I have to deal with that daily. <br /><br />I guess I understand why people are heralding this movie as a masterpiece in realism -- but I would suggest to those who are blown away by <i>Precious</i> that they watch a Dardenne Bros. movie...those are movies that lead us through muddy, troubled waters...but allow us a moment of clarity by the film's end.<br /><br />Your comparison to <i>Dogville</i> intrigues me because I loath von Trier, and I always feel like I'm getting beat up too. His films (and from the sound of it <i>Precious</i> is this too) are a gauntlet of swinging punching bags hitting you from every angle...and I just pray I can make it through in one piece.<br /><br />I'll have my wife read your review and see if that deters her, hehe.<br /><br />Great stuff, Jason.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.com