New Review Up: The Fountain

[urbpan]

In this installment of Solylent Screen, I endured The Fountain, a piece of New Age claptrap about mortality and spirituality, starring Hugh Jackman as a successful conquistador, cancer researcher, and soap-bubble dwelling space Buddhist. If you liked and/or understood this attractive yet incomprehensible heiroglyph of a movie, please tell me wtf and/or why.

Comments

[interfecta.livejournal.com]

Oh come now, Jef. Everybody knows there are never enough attractive postmodern films that allow the design to overshadow the plot.
/snark

Actually, my major was in theatrical design, so I'm always happy to sit through something where the plot is incomprehensible enough to let me ignore it and pay attention to set dressing, costume, sound design, etc (provided they can make up for a lack of plot!). I have no idea what it's about either. I'm none too concerned.... both my grandfathers died of cancer, my maternal one in December, so I will not be watching it again anytime soon.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I was similarly baffled with the sticky fingers of time but I felt like it was worth trying to figure out.

They did a good job with a miniscule budget: the pointy bra was probably their biggest line item, and well worth it.

[interfecta.livejournal.com]

"I was similarly baffled with the sticky fingers of time but I felt like it was worth trying to figure out."
HAH.
Yeah, I don't have enough faith in The Fountain to watch it again -- if I thought there really WAS a deep, well-stated underlying thought I'd keep watching it, tissues in hand, till I figured it out. But I don't. I think there *may* be a deep underlying thought but the makers weren't able to express it sufficiently. That or they are in on something the rest of us aren't.... more than once I've heard directors say things like, "Of COURSE the audience will know he's a transcended entity."

I missed Sticky Fingers entirely, but now it sounds worth looking into. I have built for far too many low- to no-budget productions (stage and screen) not to tip my hat to one that succeeds in being thoughtful and well-done without tossing a lot of money around. And if there is a pointy bra involved, so much the better :}