Anybody seeing 'No Country For Old Men' ?

[SFEnnisSF]

I didn't make it this weekend, but I'm gonna go tomorrow night after work...

[SFEnnisSF]

Uh-oh. 

I think I went into this with way too high expectations and was let down.  I was hopin' for more of a "Three Burials..." type a movie.  While it strived for that, it wasn't it.  "It did not live up to it's hype" for me.    And of course lotsa folks said that about BBM.     

I don't dare divuldge any details.  But it certainly goes where you do not expect it to go.  What's wierd about it is it's certainly suspensful and tense, and then it becomes very preachy at the end.  I'm still processing the preaching part....

Now, the fun part is right when the credits start to roll unexpectedly, the movie is silent.  I think this was done on purpose.  Basically, you get everyone's reaction to it right there.  MANY folks stood up and said "Gawd that was AWFUL" and stormed out. 

I did however, love the scenery in the desert scenes.  It gets at least that much credit.  I think I'll wander into the Imdb boards and see what's being chatted about over there.... 


EDIT:  Ok, after reading a few threads over there, I'll give it a little more credit.  It certainly is thought provoking...  Most folks agree about the ending though.. (No I ain't tellin' no spoilers.)

[ifyoucantfixit]

       Hey buddy.  Thanks for the review.  I think I will pass on paying to see it in the theatre..Wait for the video...
I wasnt expecting to like it too much, but i was expecting to think it was ok.. 
       Have you seen Jesse James w/Brad Pitt?  Its good.
       We have been trying to find the three burials of ....for my husband, and he cant find it on the shelves.

[SFEnnisSF]

       Hey buddy.  Thanks for the review.  I think I will pass on paying to see it in the theatre..Wait for the video...
I wasnt expecting to like it too much, but i was expecting to think it was ok.. 
       Have you seen Jesse James w/Brad Pitt?  Its good.
       We have been trying to find the three burials of ....for my husband, and he cant find it on the shelves.

You know what, I actually do recommend seeing the film in the theatre.  Yes I saw Jesse James, and I think if you liked that, you will like this.  More and more I'm thinkin' on it, I'm changing my mind about recommending it.  It just not what I was expecting is all.  And BBM was the same way for me.....  It was hyped up beyond belief, and then it's something totally different from what you're expecting.  And, this is one a those movies that ain't gonna be the same on DVD.  I can tell.  It's definitely gonna be better in the theatre.

See my edit above too.

[SFEnnisSF]

Whooo-weeee!

The imdb board is on fire over there.  Disagreements about the ending.  "Go see it again and pay attention".  I'm "haunted" for days.  This is jes' like the ol' BBM days! 

Here's a direct quote from someone defending the movie:  "It's a shame that people like you and Pedro have to see these movies and ruin them with your total lack of understanding. Sorry some of you need to be spoonfed...maybe you should have bought tickets to the Bee Movie instead... "

      

Don't go over there if you don't want SPOILERS though before you see the movie....

[ifyoucantfixit]

      So your final decisionis;  go and see it, but beware, you may not like the ending?

[SFEnnisSF]

      So your final decisionis;  go and see it, but beware, you may not like the ending?

I guess you could say that. 

I've been reading more discussions on IMDB and this evening I think I've concluded this:  Great material.  Great thought provoking story.  Excellent thriller.  Ending poorly executed. 

This could have been as great as BBM, but hmmm, I really think they screwed up the execution of the ending.  There's many arguments on how it should have been done or shouldn't have been done on imdb.  I hate that I'm comparing this to BBM, but in looking back, I do have to say that BBM was FLAWLESS.  This unfortunately, is flawed.  I wouldn't be surprised if they re-do the ending at some point... 

[shortfiction]

I may go see it tomorrow since it's finally playing at the movie theatre right behind my house.

[shortfiction]

       I saw it today.   The audience was so riveted that they barely made a sound the whole time.   
I can see why some would not like the ending.  It plays against expectation and convention. It does not end where or when you think it will.   I thought it was going to end when Anton was shown walking away from the car accident....but then it didn't.     I didn't mind it though.

    I thought Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem were fantastic in their roles.   I also liked the desolate landscape and the lack of a musical score, which served to make it much creepier.    Bardem doesn't even blink once, and somehow that's very creepy.   

Some things which I've never seen in a movie before:   killing people with an oxygen tank but not beating them in order to do so; and sending a pit bull into a river to chase a man.   Got to give them points for originality here.

I understood the title during the third act and figured it must be existential.   The "old men" are the sheriff and other men of his generation who can't stop the world from changing ("you can't stop what's coming") and think everything went to hell when people stopped saying "sir" and "ma'am."    The Sheriff retires because there is no place for him in this new world.

[ednbarby]

Overall, I liked it.  I thought a few scenes in particular were extraordinary - especially Tommy Lee Jones' character recounting the dream about his father to his wife.  That gave me chills, because I've had a very similar dream about my mother who passed away many years ago.  I liked that it didn't tie everything up into nice, neat little packages at the end.  And I thought Josh Brolin was wonderful.  I didn't like that Javiar Bardem's character killed 8,000,000 people, and yet was only being sought by two - maybe three - guys.  My husband and I both liked that Josh Brolin's character always took the dead men's guns.

For my money, "Fargo" is still the Coen Brothers' masterpiece.  My husband disagrees and says it's "Miller's Crossing."  Either way, it ain't this one.  Too flawed in too many places, and overall, it doesn't maintain a consistent tone like their others so painstakingly do.  I give it three stars.  But that's all I'll give it.  And I recommend seeing it in the theater for Roger Deakins' cinematography alone.  It's still better than most of the crap out there right now.