Nu Solondz. "Palindromes." LoL.

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Saw this for free last night courtesy of a friend who has connectionz. I dunno when it's playin in the rest of the country...

I liked Dollhouse okay, loved Happiness,/i> (which was the first of his I saw...just a few years after it came out, so long ago now it seems), and skipped Storytelling after the dreadful reviews.

The reviews aren't much kinder again, but this time: they're wrong. Our reactions, in the form of a palindrome: HAHAHAHAHAH

A brilliant, subversive, entertaining picture - and a must-see for anyone exhausted of the undying (Umreican) "Culture of Life." A very prescient film.

― Vic (Vic), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 15:06 (twenty years ago)

Also: I think it's impossible for this man to probably make an outright "bad" picture - he's just too smart for that. He can be a bit sloppy or pretentious yes, but never uninvolving or unintelligent.

― Vic in Alderaan (Vic), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 15:10 (twenty years ago)

Also - and asmall spoiler here - they keep referring to Dollhouse's Dawn, all throughout the film, even though she wasn't in it. It was like a gigantic in-joke, and was just one of many amusing touches

― Vic in Alderaan (Vic), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 15:11 (twenty years ago)

I've read a lot of pretty positive reviews for Palindromes, actually.

As I've said elsewhere on ILE and in my review, I think it's a great dark comedy and is vastly superior to the empty misanthropy of his last three movies.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 15:13 (twenty years ago)

That's a small injoke tho

― Schwip Schwap (schwip schwap), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 15:13 (twenty years ago)

It's a big in-joke if you're a Solondz fan!

The mise-en-scene and coloring, especially in that pink-pink bedroom, was ickily excellent, and very appropriately "Jersey," just like the interiors were in Dollhouse, which was also set there, I believe.

I'm glad you liked it Matt, but I wouldn't call Happiness "empty misanthropy." =) Rather a very dark black comedy on the illusions many of us get obsessed with in our society, in the pursuit of fulfillment.

Dollhouse was more like a long overdue personal catharsis, an autobiographical expression of disgust, pain but also a bit of hope. And proof that 7th grade indeed does = Hell.

― Vic in Alderaan (Vic), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 15:22 (twenty years ago)

I'm a bid Solondz fan! A big injoke'd be like um, referring to Han Solo or the Alien or Alan Smithee turning up. A wellknown character from the dude's first movie's pretty tiny, and pretty standard indiespirit filmmaking. I'm not saying it's a BAD injoke, note.

― Schwip Schwap (schwip schwap), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 15:24 (twenty years ago)

No wait I had something diff in mind orig, I dunno what happened there, I think those're funnier but they're obv not "in"jokes

― Schwip Schwap (schwip schwap), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 15:25 (twenty years ago)

I dunno what you're saying. I just think you should see the film asap then return and post on it. If you're a fan, it should please your filmic needs for at least a few days

― Vic in Alderaan (Vic), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 15:27 (twenty years ago)

i heard that there were some people here in "blue" (as in city-state) Los Angeles who were very disgusted by it at thetheatre, and who walked out, and tried to get a refund or demanded their money back

So as a satirist, I think he's succeeding.

― Vic in Alderaan (Vic), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 15:29 (twenty years ago)

Isn't the thing that it was going to be the girl from Dollhouse, but the actress involved would rather eat her own foot that work with Solondz again?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 15:30 (twenty years ago)

Vic that is good advice and it sounds great (THE MOVIE), I think it's too late for me to make much sense xpost Ok THAT'S a big injoke

― Schwip Schwap (schwip schwap), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 15:31 (twenty years ago)

She was good in "Saved!", that actor

― Schwip Schwap (schwip schwap), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 15:32 (twenty years ago)

This is the movie with multiple actresses playing the same character right? How did that work out?

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 15:35 (twenty years ago)

Jarring at first, but then effective enough. As for the "why," though... I think I'd have to read / think more on it before delving into that. My own conclusion right now, is that it = a pretty comprehensive damnation. Matt, I'm too lazy to go find where you've already written about this. What are your thoughts?

Supposedly it was six girls and one boy playing the part, but we didn't even catch the boy - they all looked like girls, afaik.

― Vic in Alderaan (Vic), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 15:41 (twenty years ago)

I didn't see "Happiness" or "Storytelling" as misanthropic, Matt, why'd you?

― Schwip Schwap (schwip schwap), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 15:43 (twenty years ago)

How could you not see "Happiness" as misanthropic????

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 16:54 (twenty years ago)

OTM dan

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 17:05 (twenty years ago)

I really like welcome to the dollhouse, maybe I'll like this.

― cozen (Cozen), Thursday, 21 April 2005 10:47 (twenty years ago)

oh, I don't think so.

― cozen (Cozen), Thursday, 21 April 2005 10:51 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

Saw this last night and it was great. I'm pretty sure the "boy" Aviva was the one that found the little plastic boat in the 'huckleberry' sequence. Loved Dawn Weiner's older brother, too (Mark?). Tonight is it's last night in mid-Missouri. I'm afraid most of my friends haven't caught it, though.

― Tripmaker (SDWitzm), Tuesday, 7 June 2005 12:24 (twenty years ago)

I think I've totally changed my mind on it now. It seems in retrospect, a vague, obtuse and perhaps pointless film

― Vichitravirya XI, Tuesday, 7 June 2005 13:54 (twenty years ago)

Heh. I'm sorry I missed this when it was in Chicago.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 7 June 2005 13:59 (twenty years ago)

seven months pass...

I'm pretty sure the "boy" Aviva was the one that found the little plastic boat in the 'huckleberry' sequence.

That looked like a girl to me. I wish s/he'd been onscreen longer.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 14:26 (twenty years ago)

Did anyone else see this?

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 20:02 (twenty years ago)

I watched it the other night, I loved it. It's a ruff ride, but also feels like fresh ground for him. It breathes a bit more than "Storytelling" I think. The mutliple-actresses thing is a red herring, because it's actually the most focused and character driven film he's made since "WTTD". When I heard about the multiple actresses concept I thought, cool, he's going for "obscure object of desire" territory, but in that film the confusion about two women playing the same character makes a dour/funny comment on the male lover's own blindness-- here it's a very different device.

― Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 20:09 (twenty years ago)

It breathes a bit more than "Storytelling" I think

Yeah, you know, I really admired the whole Mama Sunshine part of the movie because he just kind of lets it play out leisurely (and for the most part straight, too). I thought the actress who played Mama Sunshine was perfect for the part, too.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 20:22 (twenty years ago)

I loved it, too. All his stuff.

― Beth Parker (Beth Parker), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 20:30 (twenty years ago)

I still don't like Happiness.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 20:33 (twenty years ago)

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