Palm Springs (Max Barbakow, 2020)

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domino harvey
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Palm Springs (Max Barbakow, 2020)

#1 Post by domino harvey » Tue Jan 28, 2020 4:14 am

Andy Samberg Groundhog Day-aping comedy Palm Springs sets record for most ever paid for a film at Sundance— by 69¢

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smccolgan
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Palm Springs (Andy Barbakow, 2020)

#2 Post by smccolgan » Sat Jul 11, 2020 12:03 am

Palm Springs was pretty enjoyable, and I grinned at the inclusion of a Kate Bush song late in the film. Feel like there were bits that would have been a little more fun to experience with an audience, but COVID and all...

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mfunk9786
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Re: The Films of 2020

#3 Post by mfunk9786 » Sun Jul 12, 2020 1:15 am

smccolgan wrote:
Sat Jul 11, 2020 12:03 am
Palm Springs was pretty enjoyable, and I grinned at the inclusion of a Kate Bush song late in the film. Feel like there were bits that would have been a little more fun to experience with an audience, but COVID and all...
I dug this too: following up a lovely performance in the excellent standalone episode of Mythic Quest, Cristin Milioti stands out over even Samberg - and the film's rhythmic feature length montage vibe really clicked for me.

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Persona
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Re: The Films of 2020

#4 Post by Persona » Mon Jul 13, 2020 12:01 pm

Yeah, I have to say that I liked it, too. It is very, very Groundhog's Day but does enough of its own thing comedically, dramatically, and thematically with that premise and basic plot to justify its existence. The leads are effective and the story beats work. Great pacing.

Best rom-com I have seen in a while.

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therewillbeblus
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Re: The Films of 2020

#5 Post by therewillbeblus » Tue Jul 14, 2020 11:58 pm

I'll pop in with another good word for Palm Springs, a very sweet version of a Lonely Island movie. I don't know why, but this timeloop concept still hasn't gotten old, and I'm continuously amazed at how filmmakers continue to find ways to sell the idea with fresh methods. The leads certainly help, with Samberg always dependable and Cristin Milioti finally given something to do that's worthwhile in a movie, which hopefully prompts people to take notice. I got a huge kick out of how the plot unfolded with a series of surprises in the first act, even though I knew what was coming, with J.K. Simmons' introduction a real treat.

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domino harvey
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Re: The Films of 2020

#6 Post by domino harvey » Wed Jul 15, 2020 12:40 am

I was def waiting for someone who’d seen and liked Happy Death Day to weigh in

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Re: Palm Springs (Max Barbakow, 2020)

#7 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Thu Aug 06, 2020 2:48 pm

Mixed feelings. I like Samberg a lot but this didn't entirely sell me on him as fronting a high-concept movie. J.K. Simmons doesn't steal the movie, but I do wish more time was spent with his character.

On the other hand, the use of Genesis' "The Brazillian" was great.

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tenia
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Re: Palm Springs (Max Barbakow, 2020)

#8 Post by tenia » Fri Aug 07, 2020 5:06 am

It's quite good, though the structure made the exposition a bit sluggish and weird to me. Hopefully, it quickly got into gears and for a good chunk of it, it's quite a blast, toying with the time loop concept with a very simple twist. It's unfortunate though that the movie kind of prevent itself from using this after some point, going in a quite predictable direction just before its epilogue. To me, that's what stops short the movie from being very good.

For dom, having seen the 2 Happy Death Day, it feels very close to the first one in how it feels novel in its toying with the concept but also how it doesn't pile on it too much. It's just an idea to create the situation for the characters' feelings to express themselves, and it felt like the right edge to be.

I do have a soft spot for Samberg though, which helps, but he looked right for what was expected of him here, avoiding his usual SNL/Nine Nine goofiness while still hitting the comic timings right, and Milioti is tremendous too.

A good 8 out of 10 for me.

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TheKieslowskiHaze
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Re: Palm Springs (Max Barbakow, 2020)

#9 Post by TheKieslowskiHaze » Fri Aug 07, 2020 5:50 pm

I thought this movie was enjoyable enough. I thought two things saved it from being totally a Groundhog Day rehash:
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1: Having other characters stuck in the time loop made for some good bits and good rom-com character stuff.

2: The rational, scientific explanation for the time loop made the movie darker, more nihilistic (at first) than Groundhog Day. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember Groundhog Day leaving the time loop concept more or less unexplained, making it seem like a kind of act of God, the universe intentionally putting Bill Murray through the ringer in order to teach him some good ole' Life Lessons. In Palm Springs, however, the time loop is the result of a meaningless quantum anomaly. So no intrinsic purpose but what you make of it (insert Camus reference here).
So I liked it. I wasn't a big fan of J.K. Simmons' gruffly non-chalant truth-teller shtick, though. I feel like I've seen that same exact performance from him before.

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therewillbeblus
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Re: Palm Springs (Max Barbakow, 2020)

#10 Post by therewillbeblus » Fri Aug 07, 2020 7:22 pm

TheKieslowskiHaze wrote:
Fri Aug 07, 2020 5:50 pm
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2: The rational, scientific explanation for the time loop made the movie darker, more nihilistic (at first) than Groundhog Day. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember Groundhog Day leaving the time loop concept more or less unexplained, making it seem like a kind of act of God, the universe intentionally putting Bill Murray through the ringer in order to teach him some good ole' Life Lessons. In Palm Springs, however, the time loop is the result of a meaningless quantum anomaly. So no intrinsic purpose but what you make of it (insert Camus reference here).
I appreciated that as well
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the inclusion of the scientific quantum cave helped explain the situation and validated the entire 'repeat' concept's absurdity (as well as acknowledging its familiarity to audiences) by making it a silly enigmatic vortex. I can see how providing that tangible idea can make everything hopeless, so I can get behind your reading, though it was more of a relief for the viewer (at least me) in removing a distraction and allowing us to focus our attention on the implications.

Your comparison to Groundhog Day's 'God' hypothesis is a great contrast, and one I hadn't thought of quite like that before, which helps differentiate that one's 'fantasy' to this film's 'science-fiction' roots in some respects. In that film Murray's trying to figure out how to morally escape his surroundings, while here it's based on pure puzzling science without any moral stakes, and therefore the characters' process must initiate differently. I liked how that baseline of futility triggers self-discovery and self-preservation first without trying to appease or con any mysterious 'game' at play, which makes the film more raw and human in its dissection of existentialism.

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