Poor Things (Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos)
Dec 18, 2023 19:35:59 GMT
czb and imnotbitter like this
Post by notoriousmkg on Dec 18, 2023 19:35:59 GMT
Hey there. We saw this Saturday night in a movie theater that serves alcohol! (Mrs Mo had some but I didn't because I'm driving.) Our daughter was with us because she wanted to see it as much as I did. Our son was back at the house with his gf - I think they are going to see "The Boy and the Heron" with us next weekend.
Anyway, the movie has been described as kind of a version of "Frankenstein" - which is true for the most part. Willem Dafoe is a German scientist who saves a woman, Bella Baxter (played by Emma Stone) by putting another brain in her body. It would be a spoiler to tell you why he did that, but he had reasons, LOL!
Dafoe invites a fellow, younger scientist, Max McCandless (played by Ramy Youssef), to his mansion/laboratory to observe, and I guess, help her develop her undeveloped brain.
Complications ensue with the arrival of pervy lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (played by Mark Ruffalo) who basically seduces her away by saying that he will show her the world (she had previously been confined to the mansion).
The rest of the movie basically chronicles her adventures, and misadventures, with Ruffalo as she develops into a complete person.
I really enjoyed the movie, and I do think that Stone, and Lanthimos, will get Oscar nominations. But not Ruffalo or Dafoe - their characters are too cartoonish, even if they are enjoyable. I don't think Youssef will get one either.
I DEFINITELY think the cinematographer will get one, though. This is an amazingly visually arresting movie. Alternating between black and white fish-eye colors at the mansion/laboratory to super-saturated colors while Bella is on her journeys. The scenes look almost painterly - even more so than a Peter Greenaway movie. The music that goes with it was really wild, too. I'm not sure exactly what it was but some unusual instruments that made me feel dread like right in the middle of my chest.
Stone does just an incredibly physical performance - a lot of it having to do with depicting someone trying to learn coordination in an adult's body. Plus, learning to speak, and reason, and deal with emotions. Fantastic.
I've only seen two other Lanthimos movies - "Killing of a Sacred Deer" and "The Lobster". This movie is a lot less dreary, more colorful and more uplifting. But the plot has a lot of sexual elements and will probably shock a lot of people. You definitely need to be prepared for that. In that regard, though, Emma Stone is a co-producer and collaborated with Lanthimos on this from the very beginning. I think this movie is her vision as much as it is Lanthimos'.
Chris Abbott of "Girls" is in here in an interesting role. Jerrod Carmichael is in this. I was not familiar with him, but he really made an impression.
Anyway, the movie has been described as kind of a version of "Frankenstein" - which is true for the most part. Willem Dafoe is a German scientist who saves a woman, Bella Baxter (played by Emma Stone) by putting another brain in her body. It would be a spoiler to tell you why he did that, but he had reasons, LOL!
Dafoe invites a fellow, younger scientist, Max McCandless (played by Ramy Youssef), to his mansion/laboratory to observe, and I guess, help her develop her undeveloped brain.
Complications ensue with the arrival of pervy lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (played by Mark Ruffalo) who basically seduces her away by saying that he will show her the world (she had previously been confined to the mansion).
The rest of the movie basically chronicles her adventures, and misadventures, with Ruffalo as she develops into a complete person.
I really enjoyed the movie, and I do think that Stone, and Lanthimos, will get Oscar nominations. But not Ruffalo or Dafoe - their characters are too cartoonish, even if they are enjoyable. I don't think Youssef will get one either.
I DEFINITELY think the cinematographer will get one, though. This is an amazingly visually arresting movie. Alternating between black and white fish-eye colors at the mansion/laboratory to super-saturated colors while Bella is on her journeys. The scenes look almost painterly - even more so than a Peter Greenaway movie. The music that goes with it was really wild, too. I'm not sure exactly what it was but some unusual instruments that made me feel dread like right in the middle of my chest.
Stone does just an incredibly physical performance - a lot of it having to do with depicting someone trying to learn coordination in an adult's body. Plus, learning to speak, and reason, and deal with emotions. Fantastic.
I've only seen two other Lanthimos movies - "Killing of a Sacred Deer" and "The Lobster". This movie is a lot less dreary, more colorful and more uplifting. But the plot has a lot of sexual elements and will probably shock a lot of people. You definitely need to be prepared for that. In that regard, though, Emma Stone is a co-producer and collaborated with Lanthimos on this from the very beginning. I think this movie is her vision as much as it is Lanthimos'.
Chris Abbott of "Girls" is in here in an interesting role. Jerrod Carmichael is in this. I was not familiar with him, but he really made an impression.
