Author Topic: "A Single Man" (beware spoilers)  (Read 129307 times)

Offline oilgun

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Re: "A Single Man"
« Reply #120 on: March 04, 2010, 03:22:57 pm »
I loved the scene in which George and Jim are seen reading together. George is reading some dry-as-dust academic tome (forget what it was) and he looks across at Jim and asks, mockingly but with affection (something like - not verbatim) "What crap are you reading?" Jim holds up the book he's reading to reveal the cover of Truman Capote's "Breakfast at Tiffany's." It made me laugh. I accepted it as a direct dig at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for their (wrong) choice of Best Actor in 2006.

I think George was reading Kafka's The Metamorphosis.  I loved that scene but I doubt that it was a dig at AMPAS.  The movie came out in 1961 so it had probably just been released at the time the scene was set.  Was it a dig at Capote from Isherwood, I wonder?

I just noticed that the ridiculously homophobic MPAA gave this movie an R rating!!  (Unbelievable!  It's PG and G here.) Do any of you actually think this is warranted?  Why don't cinephiles riot in the streets!
« Last Edit: March 05, 2010, 04:24:20 pm by oilgun »

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: "A Single Man"
« Reply #121 on: March 05, 2010, 11:08:33 pm »

I just noticed that the ridiculously homophobic MPAA gave this movie an R rating!!  (Unbelievable!  It's PG and G here.) Do any of you actually think this is warranted?  Why don't cinephiles riot in the streets!

I'm shocked and outraged!! Let's take to the streets!
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Offline oilgun

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Re: "A Single Man"
« Reply #122 on: March 05, 2010, 11:56:03 pm »
I'm shocked and outraged!! Let's take to the streets!


Really, it doesn't bother you?

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Re: "A Single Man" (beware spoilers)
« Reply #123 on: March 06, 2010, 12:03:32 am »
No, I really am shocked...I mean that seriously! The only thing I can think of that would warrant a rating would be when George, contemplating suicide, brandishes a gun. But that would be PG at the most.
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Offline oilgun

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Re: "A Single Man" (beware spoilers)
« Reply #124 on: March 06, 2010, 12:07:24 am »
No, I really am shocked...I mean that seriously! The only thing I can think of that would warrant a rating would be when George, contemplating suicide, brandishes a gun. But that would be PG at the most.

I'm sure the gun has nothing to do with the rating , it;'s all the gay stuff don't you know., lol!

Offline Meryl

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Re: "A Single Man" (beware spoilers)
« Reply #125 on: March 06, 2010, 02:30:16 pm »
I'm sure the gun has nothing to do with the rating , it;'s all the gay stuff don't you know., lol!

Yes, can't have young people getting tricked into feeling all sympathetic toward those buggers!  ::)
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Re: "A Single Man"
« Reply #126 on: March 06, 2010, 03:01:34 pm »
The one thing that detracted from what should have been perfection for me (and I fear I’m going to come under attack from some pretty heavy artillery for what I’m about to say) was Nicholas Hoult’s Kenny. He was just too pretty for words. Those big pink ever-moist lips. The soft doeful eyes. The fluffy blow-dried hair. The girly sweater. The little boy’s bottom. I was just completely turned off by this older professor / pretty young student scenario. Too many clichés. Too much ammunition for the fag-haters who shriek their bile and their malevolent bilge about dirty old queers wanting to have their way with pretty young men.

I've been thinking about this for a while, and I don't see it this way. Kenny is an attractive young man but not drop dead beautiful, like that Spaniard that George met and declined to get together with. Kenny reminded me so much of the guy who played John Boy in the Waltons. He has a nice face, a mole, a lopsided smile, and the freshness of youth. He and George were a good match, both very attractive and with complementary features to offer each other. It's too bad that George was too engrossed in grief to accept Kenny fully. And, there's always the chance that Kenny is bisexual and thus just experimenting with George (the old distrust of all things bisexual again).

Besides, EVERYONE in A Single Man is beautiful, even the crusty over-the-hill Charley!! I'm sure Tom Ford couldn't have it any other way!

On the scene where they're reading, I interpret it as George, the professor, reading something safe and being bored by it (but Metamorphosis? That's a clue to his wanting to be a butterfly!), while Jim, who had already effected his transformation, was reading Breakfast at Tiffany's with its jewels, diamonds, Audrey Hepburn, and other expressions of joy. When George chided Jim for reading junk, he was obviously doing it in a joking, loving, half-envious way, just like Ennis chided Jack for playing the harmonica.
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Offline southendmd

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Re: "A Single Man"
« Reply #127 on: March 06, 2010, 05:51:38 pm »
I just noticed that the ridiculously homophobic MPAA gave this movie an R rating!!  (Unbelievable!  It's PG and G here.) Do any of you actually think this is warranted?  Why don't cinephiles riot in the streets!

According to IMDb, MPAA rated it R "for some disturbing images and nudity/sexual content."

Offline louisev

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Re: "A Single Man"
« Reply #128 on: March 06, 2010, 07:35:07 pm »
According to IMDb, MPAA rated it R "for some disturbing images and nudity/sexual content."

read that: "homosexuality is disturbing for our straight viewers."
“Mr. Coyote always gets me good, boy,”  Ellery said, winking.  “Almost forgot what life was like before I got me my own personal coyote.”


Offline Sason

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Re: "A Single Man" (beware spoilers)
« Reply #129 on: March 06, 2010, 08:20:03 pm »
Ok, now I've finally seen it!

Unfortunately my viewing was very disturbed by the fact that the only available seat was in the front row, and I was too close to the screen to actually get a good overwiew of what was happening. I saw a lot of details, but had a hard time getting the whole picture, literally.

But what I saw, I liked. Coling Firth's performance was stunning, and the rest of the actors were very good too, esp Julianne Moore. She was very believable in her half-aged, rich and empty, desperation.

There were a lot of things I didn't get or notice, I'll try to see it again before it leaves the cinema here.

What does "light in the loafers" mean?

I wondered why he told Charley he would be there in 10 minutes, while he was actually planning to kill himself that same evening.

I loved the reading-in-the-sofa scene. The friendly bickering, their comfyness with each other, it showed how profound and grounded their relationship was.

And the scene with the Spanish guy, I'm kinda ambiguous to it. On the one hand I liked it that George stuck to the memory of Jim and reclined the offer, on the other hand I thought it a pity that he didn't take advantage of the mutual attraction between them.

Oh, there's a lot more to say, but I really think I need to see it again.


Oh yes, and I saw a brown paper bag!!  ;) Right in the beginning, when the neighbour's boy steps down the stairs outside the house, he's carrying a brown paper bag. We now about that, don't we?  ;D
And furthermore, I heard the line (or similar), "See you around, I guess". Sounds familiar?

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