|
Post by Nalkarj on Feb 24, 2017 3:29:21 GMT
I didn't know exactly where to put this ("kids"? "comedy"? Neither seems exactly right), but does anyone have some thoughts on it? Reading all the reviews of Netflix's new Unfortunate Events TV series, I sometimes feel that I'm the only one who actually preferred the movie!
|
|
|
Post by alexhurricanehiggins on Feb 24, 2017 9:12:24 GMT
I love that movie and I'm just about to start the series.
|
|
Spleen
Sophomore
@spleen
Posts: 149
Likes: 45
|
Post by Spleen on Feb 24, 2017 9:38:07 GMT
I thought very highly of the film too, and I was initially disappointed that they wouldn't be continuing with the series. But reading the books further it became clear they were a con, leading the reader up the garden path and leaving them there, and so all things considered it was as well the films didn't duplicate this.
In any event, I won't be watching the TV series. Or Netflix, or whatever they're calling it these days.
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Feb 24, 2017 17:10:49 GMT
I thought very highly of the film too, and I was initially disappointed that they wouldn't be continuing with the series. But reading the books further it became clear they were a con, leading the reader up the garden path and leaving them there, and so all things considered it was as well the films didn't duplicate this. In any event, I won't be watching the TV series. Or Netflix, or whatever they're calling it these days. Well, to be fair to Daniel Handler (a.k.a. "Lemony Snicket"), I think the whole "leading the reader up the garden path and leaving him there" technique was wholly on-purpose and fitting with the themes of the series. Believe me, when I read the books, I was very disappointed too, but, upon thinking about it more, I think Handler was trying to and succeeding at filtering postmodernism into children's literature, and postmodern works rarely have clear, explicable endings. (To use a different example, the ghost stories of Robert Aickman, one of my favorite authors, use the same effect; Aickman writes in clear, easily comprehensible prose, but far be it from me to say what happened to the protagonist at the end of an Aickman story!) Rather, the whole point is that mankind prefers the mystery to the solution. There was a fairly good Atlantic article detailing this element in Handler's work, and The Federalist also analyzes this concept in its review of the Netflix series. I really do enjoy the film, with its own postmodern elements, its hidden-in-shadows Jude Law as Snicket, its brilliantly cynical and hilarious opening, its enormous sets and Burton-esque world. Carrey mugs wildly, but he is simultaneously funny and sinister, and the kids are surprisingly good. I'm fond of their explanation to the mystery, which satisfies (thus relieving your and my reluctance about Handler's non-ending) but does not explain fully (thus keeping intact Handler's desire not to provide all the answers). But what I really appreciated about the film, which I didn't realize until I saw the Netflix series, was its pathos. The filmmakers genuinely make us care about the kids, and there are three moments--the "sanctuary" scene, the "...and they lived happily ever after with Uncle Monty" scene, and the "letter from Mom and Dad" scene--that are truly, genuinely heartbreaking. As I wrote elsewhere on this forum about last year's Allied, these are real people who live and breathe, not dummies to pad out the scenes. Handler thought it bowdlerized his books because it wasn't dark or cynical enough. I disagree, and I think my side was proved by the TV series, in which Handler got what he wanted. The TV series is actually fairly enjoyable. In particular, Neil Patrick Harris is a surprisingly good Count Olaf--he may be better than Carrey, though I'm not too sure about that. (He is, however, a lot less funny.) But there is one element, not in Handler's books, that the writers pull in throughout the first season, with the final twist revealed in the penultimate episode, that is so cynical, so dark, so mean-spirited, such a nasty trick on the viewer, that it actually disgusts. Of course, the critics in today's day and age loved it, but I thought it (1) was irrelevant to the story and (2) sacrificed any character or emotion for a cheap twist. I've got no problem with cynicism--I praised the opening to the movie above--but there is a line here. The TV series has none of pathos of the movie, and its world is so recognizably fake and stylized that one cannot believe that actual people live there. The film is stylized, but it sets it in the real world, not some kind of fantasy land, and so the emotions, for which both the series and the film are aiming (that's an important point), become more real. I unapologetically find the movie superior.
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Feb 24, 2017 17:14:48 GMT
I love that movie and I'm just about to start the series. I wrote my thoughts on the series just above, but, just to let you know, while I enjoyed parts of the TV series (the most conspicuous exception being the one nasty twist I highlighted above), the series and the movie are quite different in tone but quite similar in imagery. (Indeed, if one knows the movie well, the TV show can invoke some feeling of déjà vu.)
|
|
|
Post by Rey Kahuka on Feb 27, 2017 12:50:32 GMT
I thought this was going to be about last night's Oscars.
|
|
maxwellperfect
Junior Member
@maxwellperfect
Posts: 3,966
Likes: 1,684
|
Post by maxwellperfect on Feb 27, 2017 17:41:05 GMT
It seemed a bit depressing and dark for a kid movie. Not without its charms, but I can see why it didn't take off in a Harry Potter sort of way.
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Mar 15, 2017 18:04:17 GMT
This is already an "old" thread, but I should have written that I hoped those who had seen the movie and were just starting on the Netflix series would post their thoughts and comparisons/contrasts here.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
@Deleted
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2017 18:40:24 GMT
I have seen neither, nor read the books.
However, I feel compelled to answer your thread/post question because it's an earnest and thoughtful post. There are so many irrelevant questions and threads designed to get tons of likes/replies with no substance.
This is a great discussion topic and I hope people who have seen both or read the books and seen one or the other compare.
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Mar 15, 2017 21:30:32 GMT
I have seen neither, nor read the books. However, I feel compelled to answer your thread/post question because it's an earnest and thoughtful post. There are so many irrelevant questions and threads designed to get tons of likes/replies with no substance. This is a great discussion topic and I hope people who have seen both or read the books and seen one or the other compare. Many thanks for your comment and your kind words, Mello. I always try (don't always succeed, but try!) to be thoughtful and generous in my comments, especially on Internet fora/forums, where it is so easy to be nasty and/or pointless in one's remarks. I am interested in others' thoughts on this topic. I believe the book series is a high point of modern children's literature, and I was delighted that the movie was as good as it was. It is for that reason that the compare/contrast with the Netflix series, which received far better reviews, makes me wonder about others' judgments of the two. All the best! Salzmank
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
@Deleted
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2017 21:44:07 GMT
I love the movie. I love the books, although I have not read the whole series. I thought the series was okay. The movie was darker and more Gothic, and I love that atmosphere.
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Mar 15, 2017 21:52:06 GMT
I love the movie. I love the books, although I have not read the whole series. I thought the series was okay. The movie was darker and more Gothic, and I love that atmosphere. The movie was darker and more Gothic in imagery, yes, but it was also less cynical and pessimistic. The movie ultimately had a more positive view of the human condition ("...they were very fortunate indeed"), whereas the series presents us with a world in which we are all dull and damned as well as damned dull. In poetic terms, since I've been reading up on (T.S.) Eliot recently, one may compare the movie to The Four Quartets, or at least "Ash Wednesday" (the latter, Eliot's most similar to Dante's Purgatorio, is probably closer), and the series to "Prufrock" or "The Hollow Men." And the twist about the parents, while not entirely unexpected (at least by me), is, I feel, unforgivable. Compare it to the three scenes I highlighted above in the movie: "sanctuary," "happily ever after," and "letter from Mom and Dad."
|
|
|
Post by politicidal on Mar 15, 2017 22:01:18 GMT
I prefer the movie to the show. The 2004 adaptation came out before y/a really took off;even Twilight was a 2008 release.
|
|
prolelol
Sophomore
I love movies, especially drama and horror movies! And also, I'm a big fan of TV shows.
@prolelol
Posts: 377
Likes: 101
|
Post by prolelol on Mar 15, 2017 22:01:50 GMT
I loved the movie a lot! I have to check TV show yet, but I don't think I will love it more.
|
|
|
Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Mar 15, 2017 22:47:21 GMT
I've never read the books, which is probably part of the reason why I quite liked the movie (as I had nothing to compare it to). I liked the fact that it was kind of 'depressing'/'dark', as kids movies I watched growing up had those elements in them. I also liked the 'look' of the film, the costumes, props, etc.
I realise a lot of fans of the books weren't happy with Jim Carrey's portrayal of Count Olaf and thought him too "campy" or over-the-top, and while I do recognise this about his performance, I nevertheless couldn't help but kind of enjoy it. No, he wasn't particularly 'menacing' (which I hear was one of the main complaints about his portrayal of the character), but the movie had enough depressing moments/deaths to somewhat make up for that, I thought.
This was also probably about the second film (after Ghost Ship) that I'd seen Emily Browning in. I've seen quite a few things she's appeared in, and enjoyed her as Violet in the film.
I am eager to watch the show (whenever it'll eventually be released here) and judge it for myself, to see how it compares to the movie.
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Mar 29, 2017 14:48:16 GMT
Just chiming in to ask if anyone else has seen and is interested in comparing the movie and the series. This kind of dialogue really interests me. Chalice_Of_Evil I know it's belated, but thanks for your comments. I completely agree with just about everything you wrote. Let me know when you get around to taking a look at the TV series! Best, Salzmank
|
|
shawshanked
Sophomore
@shawshanked
Posts: 246
Likes: 66
|
Post by shawshanked on Mar 29, 2017 15:43:14 GMT
Just a crappy kids movie: 3/10.
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Mar 29, 2017 15:47:19 GMT
Just a crappy kids movie: 3/10. Well, see, shawshanked, I don't mind that you think that--Lord knows everyone's entitled to his own opinion!--but it helps to explain why, not just give some complete value judgment without providing a basis. Best, Salzmank
|
|
shawshanked
Sophomore
@shawshanked
Posts: 246
Likes: 66
|
Post by shawshanked on Mar 29, 2017 15:59:11 GMT
Just a crappy kids movie: 3/10. Well, see, shawshanked, I don't mind that you think that--Lord knows everyone's entitled to his own opinion!--but it helps to explain why, not just give some complete value judgment without providing a basis. Best, Salzmank Sorry. I mistook this thread for one of those rating threads where people usually just post a rating out of 10 . I saw it when it first came out (I was around 12 at the time) and I remember not liking it then. I don't really remember why as this was 13 years ago. Seeing as it's a kid's movie, I can't see myself liking it if I were to rewatch it. Sorry for the bluntness of my original post.
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Mar 29, 2017 16:09:04 GMT
Well, see, shawshanked, I don't mind that you think that--Lord knows everyone's entitled to his own opinion!--but it helps to explain why, not just give some complete value judgment without providing a basis. Best, Salzmank Sorry. I mistook this thread for one of those rating threads where people usually just post a rating out of 10 . I saw it when it first came out (I was around 12 at the time) and I remember not liking it then. I don't really remember why as this was 13 years ago. Seeing as it's a kid's movie, I can't see myself liking it if I were to rewatch it. Sorry for the bluntness of my original post. No worries! I suppose the real reason for the thread was that I found the movie superior to the Netflix series, but the majority of critics had the opposite opinion—so I was wondering with whom everyone here agrees. But I guess it's also for anyone who wants to talk about either adaptation, or even the books. (I tend not to like a "judge out of 10" rating system anyway—I prefer dialogue and conversation, but that's just me.) Thanks for responding and explaining, Shawshanked!
|
|