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Post by faustus5 on Dec 13, 2018 14:26:59 GMT
This movie was a financial and critical flop when it came out in 2009, but even back then I suspected that with the passage of time it would start getting the love it deserved and achieve semi-cult status.
In the last couple years, this appears to be coming true! I'm constantly running into articles about how the film was poorly marketed and unfairly reviewed at that time, with more and more people coming around to appreciating it for what it was. It's a horror film that isn't particularly scary and a comedy that isn't particularly funny, but at the core is a really interesting meditation on toxic female friendships in high school. There's also some Christian symbolism buried pretty deep in the structure of the script which I never noticed until a poster named Needysboy back on the old forums started pointing it out. With luck he'll show up here and share his insights.
Here's the latest article I ran into this morning re-appraising the film, which includes interviews with the director and screenwriter:
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Post by Archelaus on Dec 13, 2018 16:50:53 GMT
I watched the movie a little over two years ago, and it was better than the assembly line horror films that Hollywood tends to churn out. Diablo Cody is a fairly good screenwriter when it comes to writing teenagers that gave the film some sense of personality, and even Megan Fox gave a really good performance in it.
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Post by masterofallgoons on Dec 13, 2018 17:18:40 GMT
I haven't seen it in a long time, and I don't know that I really paid much attention to it in the initial viewing. I don't really like either of the lead actresses, so that probably colored my view of it back then too.
But, I would absolutely give it another chance because of how much I appreciated and respected Karyn Kusama's direction of The Invitation. I saw that movie and thought it was a great first feature for some up and coming director showing a lot of potential, and then looked her up and realized she was already a very accomplished filmmaker. I may not have really liked the films of her I saw that she'd made before that, but she clearly has a lot of ability, and on the strength of The Invitation, I would go back and rewatch her entire catalogue.
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Post by taylorfirst1 on Dec 13, 2018 18:39:33 GMT
It's a pretty common phenomenon for movies that are critical and/or financial flops to receive more appreciation in later years. I could list many.
Jennifer's Body certainly deserves to be appreciated.
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Post by Marv on Dec 13, 2018 23:23:35 GMT
I always liked it and thought the ending left on a more romiaong note than when it began. I very much looked forward to a potential sequel...even knowing there prob wouldnโt be one.
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Post by Gourmando the Reindeer on Dec 14, 2018 7:25:36 GMT
I always liked it and thought the ending left on a more romiaong note than when it began. I very much looked forward to a potential sequel...even knowing there prob wouldnโt be one. If this had been made in the late 80s the ending was a pergect set up to a tv series spin off. Needy wandering from town to town, trying to stay off the grid and one step ahead of the law. Using her powers to help people she encounters or to right wrongs. Like "Werewolf", "The Incredible Hulk" "The A-Team" and "Starman: The Series". Maybe encountering other supernatural creatures too.
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Post by Marv on Dec 14, 2018 10:18:14 GMT
I always liked it and thought the ending left on a more romiaong note than when it began. I very much looked forward to a potential sequel...even knowing there prob wouldnโt be one. If this had been made in the late 80s the ending was a pergect set up to a tv series spin off. Needy wandering from town to town, trying to stay off the grid and one step ahead of the law. Using her powers to help people she encounters or to right wrongs. Like "Werewolf", "The Incredible Hulk" "The A-Team" and "Starman: The Series". Maybe encountering other supernatural creatures too. Exactly. Basically becoming a demon hunter or something. Borderline superhero.
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Post by faustus5 on Dec 14, 2018 11:16:43 GMT
If this had been made in the late 80s the ending was a pergect set up to a tv series spin off. Needy wandering from town to town, trying to stay off the grid and one step ahead of the law. Using her powers to help people she encounters or to right wrongs. Like "Werewolf", "The Incredible Hulk" "The A-Team" and "Starman: The Series". Maybe encountering other supernatural creatures too. Diablo Cody has apparently been trying to push for a TV series along those lines. . . .
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2018 12:54:02 GMT
Haven't seen it... Will keep an eye out for it.
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Post by gspdude on Dec 14, 2018 14:54:00 GMT
And who wouldn't want to watch Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried make out?
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Post by Anonymous Andy on Dec 14, 2018 23:01:33 GMT
My girlfriend and I saw this on Amazon Prime last Saturday night and decided to give it a spin. We got bored halfway through and stopped. Not sure I/we will ever finish, and I *never* do that. I haven't felt so uninvolved in a story.
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Post by darkpast on Dec 15, 2018 7:23:52 GMT
the film got a more mixed response than being awful from critics
the film was dumped, put out by the defunct Fox spinoff Fox Atomic, it was its final release set up to fail, to justify the closure
i saw the film once, it was not as good or bad as i hoped
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Post by Lebowskidoo ๐ฆ on Dec 15, 2018 14:37:22 GMT
I've been rethinking it too ever since I've been watching Megan Fox in New Girl season 5 episodes.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2018 18:05:46 GMT
Right so, just watched this then.
Not exactly my cup of tea, but pretty good... Like a long episode of Buffy.
I'll go 7/10.
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Post by moviebuffbrad on Dec 15, 2018 21:01:52 GMT
In this day and age, I wouldn't be surprised if every movie centered on females is being re-thought. Lindsay Ellis ("The Nostalgia Chick") just did an apologist video for Twilight. F*cking Twilight.
As for Jennifer's Body, I'd just call it mediocre. Not particularly scary or funny I'd agree with. Don't have much insight into toxic female relationships in high school, but wasn't it also about latent lesbianism? Or was that kiss scene just to wake guys up?
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Post by petrolino on Dec 16, 2018 3:06:11 GMT
I liked it but once was enough. Amanda Seyfried elevates the picture.
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Post by them1ghtyhumph on Dec 16, 2018 5:14:07 GMT
I liked it but once was enough. Amanda Seyfried elevates the picture. Agree. Amanda Seyfried was great, I thought. And the body of Jennifer was very nice.
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Post by faustus5 on Dec 16, 2018 13:49:23 GMT
The director hasn't done anything else of note, except some shorts and t.v. She was given a chance and didn't cut the mustard. Actually, she directed Girlfight and The Invitation, which were both extremely well received by critics, with Girlfight getting a lot of indie awards recognition. But they were small indie films and only received limited releases in theaters. And there is Oscar buzz around her upcoming movie The Destroyer. So she has more than "cut the mustard". No one who isn't a misogynist asshole would ever think Jennifer's Body was "pushing" feminism on them.
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Post by masterofallgoons on Dec 16, 2018 17:15:01 GMT
... directed by a female of Asian ethnicity was anticipated to do well and earn them some praise. The director hasn't done anything else of note, except some shorts and t.v. She was given a chance and didn't cut the mustard. Horseshit. First of all, nobody gave a shit that she was Asian, so bringing that up is stupid. Also, she earned quite a bit of praise for a much lower profile film years later. She's clearly got a good deal of skill as a filmmaker. I understand some people being oversensitive to supposed over-feminism, but this is fucking stupid. You'd have to be really looking to be offended to take these stances.
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Post by moviebuffbrad on Dec 16, 2018 20:32:52 GMT
Horseshit. First of all, nobody gave a shit that she was Asian, so bringing that up is stupid. Also, she earned quite a bit of praise for a much lower profile film years later. She's clearly got a good deal of skill as a filmmaker. I understand some people being oversensitive to supposed over-feminism, but this is fucking stupid.ย You'd have to be really looking to be offended to take these stances. Yeah, making a big deal out of female or minority filmmakers (whether it's "yay progress!" or "sjw agenda!") is a more recent thing. No one cared who made Jennifer's Body at the time. And I don't know what Diablo Cody identifies herself as, but a movie about a succubus doesn't strike me as particularly feminist. Though, like I said, I can see it being repurposed that way in the current climate for the talent involved. I'm kinda shocked the person who directed this also directed The Invitation. Talk about growth.
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