Paranoid Park?

zulu_nation8

China26351 Posts

June 27 2008 05:33 GMT

It's a movie by Gus Van Sant. Just watched it, was a very masterful and intimate portrait about a teenager, can't say more or else I'd spoil stuff. The movie would probably be better if I was gay and into young boys though. As I was watching Van Sant's static or slow mo portrait shots I thought back to My Own Private Idaho and Good Will Hunting somewhat and thought he HAS to be gay or this doesn't make sense. I checked wiki just now and sure enough he's openly homosexual. Van Sant is obsessed with good looking young males but he also happens to be one of the most talented humanistic diretors ever probably. Anyways if any of you guys have seen the film I'd like to hear your thoughts on it or on Gus Van Sant in general.

YoUr_KiLLeR

United States3420 Posts

June 27 2008 05:38 GMT

sounds interesting, d/ling now.

zulu_nation8

China26351 Posts

June 27 2008 05:43 GMT

btw this movie won the 60th anniversay cannes film festival award and has received fantastic reviews everywhere but it's only made 200k in the united states with an 8 million budget wtf

MeriaDoKk

Chile1726 Posts

June 27 2008 05:48 GMT

it's the one of the skater teen?

zulu_nation8

China26351 Posts

June 27 2008 05:49 GMT

yes

QuietIdiot

7004 Posts

June 27 2008 08:26 GMT

Full movie in youtube form in spoilers low-medium quality:
+ Show Spoiler +

From top to bottom

I personally liked the movie, the protagonist is neither sinister or artful in his attempt to cover the murder and yet he is completely powerless to the inadvertent murder struggling and venting it through unorthodox means.

Most of the show is run not on dialogue but on a hazy, but lucid dream, a conflict of real and imagined, a prisoner of his own creation and mind. Well paced and deliberate.
Pretty artsy at it too, I think I'll watch Elephant while I'm at it.

Daigomi

South Africa4316 Posts

June 27 2008 10:23 GMT

Gus van Sant is a bit of a hit and miss for me. Some of his films are absolutely masterful in their quiet underspoken way, while others just don't do anything for me. I loved Elephant for instance, but didn't enjoy Last Days. I haven't seen Paranoid Park yet, as I've stopped keeping up with what goes on in the film world, but I might just get it.

Come to think of it, Gus van Sant makes me think a bit of Wong Kar Wai, in his use of colour in his films, as well as in the way his characters seem both idealized and super realistic at the same time. Just like in War Kong Wai's films, Gus van Sant seems to create a world and characters that are just a little too beautiful, a little too perfect, yet they always seem very human with very human flaws. Speaking of which, I still need to watch WKW's My Blueberry Nights, although I heard that it's not on par with his Chinese films.

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