Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

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domino harvey
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Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#1 Post by domino harvey » Fri Dec 19, 2008 3:35 am

I don't think reactions like this are going to help Will Smith net another Oscar nom:
AO Scott review of [i]Seven Pounds[/i] wrote:Frankly, though, I don’t see how any review could really spoil what may be among the most transcendently, eye-poppingly, call-your-friend-ranting-in-the-middle-of-the-night-just-to-go-over-it-one-more-time crazily awful motion pictures ever made. I would tell you to go out and see it for yourself, but you might take that as a recommendation rather than a plea for corroboration. Did I really see what I thought I saw?
The whole movie's spoiled on Wikipedia right now and the plot twist is stupider than even your stupidest guess

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Matt
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Re: Awards Season 2008

#2 Post by Matt » Fri Dec 19, 2008 12:13 pm

domino harvey wrote:The whole movie's spoiled on Wikipedia right now and the plot twist is stupider than even your stupidest guess
If you can make it past this sentence: "Early in the story, Ben is shown on the phone trying to start a fight with a blind telemarketer and pianist named Ezra Turner (Woody Harrelson)."

Well, what does one expect from a screenwriter whose only previous credits are two episodes of "8 Simple Rules" and one episode of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch?" I'll bet all of Will Smith's best lines are Salem's cast-offs.

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Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#3 Post by moviscop » Mon Dec 22, 2008 3:01 am

I realize that many are already skeptical after coming on to this thread. Critical acclaim failed this time. I saw Seven Pounds tonight reluctantly with my family (down for Christmas).
The writing was absolutely superb, as was the film. I was obviously not expecting much considering all the publications tearing it to pieces. My only advice would be, give it a chance. Will Smith's performance is often reminiscent of "Pursuit of Happyness." The trailer was a little misleading because it was an element of frustration for me and for many other people I have spoken to about it.
I'm not the most gifted movie reviewer. When I try to get my thoughts out about a certain film I find myself being very redundant and plain. I have difficulty representing why the film "moved me". However, I would like to hear some opinions on the film as I'm sure that I was not the only one to see this.

If I had to sum my feelings up about it I would have to say that it was cleverly written to be unguessable. A film like "Righteous Kill" edited clips together and scattered the plot so it would be incomprehensible, which in the process, made it incoherent. In the case of Seven Pounds, the writing drives the plot into mystery and emotion extremely well. The film was extremely human and tangible as well as being frustrating and moving. It was original and moving.

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domino harvey
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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#4 Post by domino harvey » Mon Dec 22, 2008 3:03 am

Can we getta Mod to move me and Matt's posts from the Awards Thread here

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#5 Post by moviscop » Mon Dec 22, 2008 3:15 am

domino harvey wrote:Can we getta Mod to move me and Matt's posts from the Awards Thread here
I read yours. Part of experiencing a film is not spoiling it for yourself on Wikipedia. Even the best films would be flat when described in text. You essentially SparkNotes'd it.

Back on topic. Those who saw it, your thoughts?

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#6 Post by Jeff » Mon Dec 22, 2008 3:38 am

domino harvey wrote:Can we getta Mod to move me and Matt's posts from the Awards Thread here
Done. The forum software upgrade makes merging individual posts super easy. Of course, since your post is the oldest, the Seven Pounds thread is now attributed to you. The mod giveth, the mod taketh away.
moviscop wrote:Those who saw it, your thoughts?
I believe that The Paineful Truth has already left the forum.

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#7 Post by moviscop » Mon Dec 22, 2008 3:56 am

Jeff wrote:I believe that The Paineful Truth has already left the forum.
I think most film lovers lack the ability to accept an "innocent until proven guilty" approach to film in general. Cynicism has never been a reasonable answer.

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domino harvey
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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#8 Post by domino harvey » Mon Dec 22, 2008 4:03 am

There's only so far a mind can be opened. Even if Godard, Soderbergh, and the Ghost of Otto Preminger all teamed up together to film anything resembling that Wikipedia story outline, the end result could still be nothing less than shit. It's like bringing expired meat to a barbecue and then wondering why no one is willing to eat your hamburgers-- if the main ingredient is that bad, no amount of condiments can possibly salvage the final product.

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#9 Post by moviscop » Mon Dec 22, 2008 4:09 am

domino harvey wrote:There's only so far a mind can be opened. Even if Godard, Soderbergh, and the Ghost of Otto Preminger all teamed up together to film anything resembling that Wikipedia story outline, the end result could still be nothing less than shit. It's like bringing expired meat to a barbecue and then wondering why no one is willing to eat your hamburgers-- if the main ingredient is that bad, no amount of condiments can possibly salvage the final product.
I will humor your analogy:

What if someone read a description of the meat on a website and then purchased it to find it was actually decent. They find that not only is the meat good, but the description of the meat did not represent the entire cut as a whole.
At the end of the day, you read plot points from Wikipedia and didn't see the film. Even if a book is bad, do you respect the opinion or view of one who just used Spark Notes? Am I being unreasonable?

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domino harvey
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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#10 Post by domino harvey » Mon Dec 22, 2008 4:25 am

I didn't review a film I hadn't seen, nor did I say the film was bad. What I said was that it couldn't possibly be good. I can offer an opinion on a known fact as simple as the film's basic plot and recognize it as unsalvageable by even the most capable of filmmakers

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#11 Post by moviscop » Mon Dec 22, 2008 4:27 am

domino harvey wrote:I didn't review a film I hadn't seen, nor did I say the film was bad. What I said was that it couldn't possibly be good. I can offer an opinion on a known fact as simple as the film's basic plot and recognize it as unsalvageable by even the most capable of filmmakers
Please stay away from the plot line of this film and go into it with an open mind. You will be pleasantly and emotionally surprised.
-Kevin McCarthy

I can't argue for it anymore because I'm not THAT passionate about it. I just want some decent and credible discussion. Is that too much to ask for on this forum of developing and accomplished auteurs?

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#12 Post by Jeff » Mon Dec 22, 2008 4:31 am

moviscop wrote:I think most film lovers lack the ability to accept an "innocent until proven guilty" approach to film in general. Cynicism has never been a reasonable answer.
If I see a bowlful of brown goop and 75 people tell me it's donkey shit and 25 tell me it's chocolate pudding, I'm not going to taste it to find out.

Cynicism is not only a reasonable answer, it's a pragmatic one in many instances. You'll find that a healthy dose of it will save you a lot of time, money, and heartache. George Bernard Shaw observed that, "the power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."

I've never experienced waterboarding, but based on the description, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like it. I've never seen Seven Pounds either, but based on the description, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like it. It looks terribly mawkish, and the premise is absurd.

There's nothing wrong with you liking the film, and I would love to read an eloquent defense of it, but I don't think you're going to find many people here willing to spend two hours and ten dollars giving it a shot.

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#13 Post by moviscop » Mon Dec 22, 2008 4:35 am

Jeff wrote:
moviscop wrote:I think most film lovers lack the ability to accept an "innocent until proven guilty" approach to film in general. Cynicism has never been a reasonable answer.
If I see a bowlful of brown goop and 75 people tell me it's donkey shit and 25 tell me it's chocolate pudding, I'm not going to taste it to find out.

Cynicism is not only a reasonable answer, it's a pragmatic one in many instances. You'll find that a healthy dose of it will save you a lot of time, money, and heartache. George Bernard Shaw observed that, "the power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."

I've never experienced waterboarding, but based on the description, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like it. I've never seen Seven Pounds either, but based on the description, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like it. It looks terribly mawkish, and the premise is absurd.

There's nothing wrong with you liking the film, and I would love to read an eloquent defense of it, but I don't think you're going to find many people here willing to spend two hours and ten dollars giving it a shot.
I really like this answer. Constructive disagreement is what births good discussion and respect. But, it can also end discussion. If you feel like I will not receive any feedback then I will abide and let it be buried in the archives. I wouldn't mind waiting, however, for someone to post who has seen the film and wants to argue for or against it.

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#14 Post by hot_locket » Mon Dec 22, 2008 5:09 am

A few of the films I saw in theatres this year: Beer For My Horses, Proud American, Henry Poole is Here, Forever Strong.

None of them made me want to walkout as much as Seven Pounds, the worst movie of the year, did.

Will Smith plays a self-righteous, violent sociopath with a Messiah complex who mopes and yells at others all the way through this shallow and mercilessly awful crapfest. I'm sure most people now know how Smith spends his last few moments on-screen by this point, and let me assure you it's no less baffling and laugh-out-loud ridiculous when seen unfolding in real time.

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#15 Post by Barmy » Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:55 am

It can't be worse than "Pay it Forward", can it?

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#16 Post by swo17 » Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:56 am

moviscop wrote:I will humor your analogy:
What if someone read a description of the meat on a website and then purchased it to find it was actually decent. They find that not only is the meat good, but the description of the meat did not represent the entire cut as a whole.
A- I don't believe there are any websites that actually sell meat. (If there are, I don't want to know about them.)

B- Even if there were such a website, who in their right mind would buy a slab of meat on the internet that was described as not being very good? Do you go to a steakhouse and ask for their worst cut of meat, hoping to be surprised by it?

C- As to another point you make elsewhere, yes, if you simply outlined the plots of many great films, they might come across as rather bland or uneventful. However, there is a difference between sounding bland and sounding terrible.

D- No great movie can start with the line "911, I'd like to report a suicide...my own."

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#17 Post by LQ » Mon Dec 22, 2008 12:03 pm

FYI, swo. marked down, even ;)

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#18 Post by tavernier » Mon Dec 22, 2008 3:31 pm

Barmy wrote:It can't be worse than "Pay it Forward", can it?
Yes

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#19 Post by cdnchris » Mon Dec 22, 2008 4:10 pm

Barmy wrote:It can't be worse than "Pay it Forward", can it?
Even if someone told me it was I'd still have to see it to believe it.

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#20 Post by dx23 » Mon Dec 22, 2008 5:57 pm

LQ wrote:FYI, swo. marked down, even ;)
I was thinking of the same place! :lol:

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#21 Post by swo17 » Mon Dec 22, 2008 6:06 pm

Dammit, I said I didn't want to know about it!

What has this world come to? The only thing I can think of that is worse than the idea of meat trading freely over the internet is the plot of this movie.

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#22 Post by moviscop » Mon Dec 22, 2008 6:23 pm

swo17 wrote:A- I don't believe there are any websites that actually sell meat. (If there are, I don't want to know about them.)
There Ya Go

Can we just delete this entire thread?

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#23 Post by swo17 » Mon Dec 22, 2008 6:27 pm

No. You've ordered your bad internet meat. Now you must eat it.

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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#24 Post by moviscop » Mon Dec 22, 2008 6:31 pm

To the navel gazing we go. This thread was destined for failure. I'm gonna go lurk on exoticmeats.com

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domino harvey
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Re: Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008)

#25 Post by domino harvey » Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:09 pm

Why would anything be moved to the Navel Gazing forum? Just because something doesn't go your way doesn't mean it gets moved there

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