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BaftaBaby 
"Always entranced by cinema."
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 Posted - 09/20/2007 : 19:32:57
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This is a very well made, well thought out example of the genre. It delivers what it promises and does it by engaging you with believable characters who become ensnared in an unlikely but [in terms of the film's reality] acceptable scenario.
I thought Shia LaBeouf was fine in Transformers. He's much more than that here. LaBeoufCake!
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MisterBadIdea 
"PLZ GET MILK, KTHXBYE"
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Posted - 09/20/2007 : 19:51:29
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Bah, stupid movie, demands nothing of the viewer. Most egregious is the lack of anything remotely resembling guilt on the part of the protagonist, especially considering that because of the first scene, this character should be positively PLAGUED with guilt.
Okay, I will admit this film started very well (I especially liked the boredom sequence scored to System of a Down's "Lonely Day" -- that the song is awful only makes the sequence is better). But my affection for the film drained completely by the time the terrible ending comes around. That the film completely fails to produce the kinky thrill of invading someone else's privacy is a true waste; not even close to an heir of Rear Window. |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 09/20/2007 : 21:56:54
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Can't share your affection for the flick, Baffy -- too often reminded of REAR WINDOW to this one's detriment -- but the young man [can't spell either of his names and too lazy to look it up ] is definitely star material. It's fun watching him, even in lesser material. Try the underappreciated CIVIC DUTY for a similar riff done completely differently. |
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MisterBadIdea
"PLZ GET MILK, KTHXBYE"
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Posted - 09/20/2007 : 22:17:10
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| That Shia LaBouef is going places, and for good reason, I'll agree. Quite a talented young man, even in Transformers, my opinion of which is already on the record. |
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MM0rkeleb 
"Better than HBO."
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Posted - 09/23/2007 : 17:51:31
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I actually quite liked this film, and I think the Rear Window are not at all apt, since this movie (to my mind) isn't really about voyeurism. It employs voyeurism in a plot which superficially resembles Rear Window, but the real focus of Disturbia is the question of how much can we trust what we see? Think of all the times where the teens just don't know if the neighbor is a killer or not - all of their video evidence is unclear. The camera they use to record things is just on the verge of capturing incriminating images, but either the angle is bad or things are moving to fast, and you just can't be sure what they've seen (contrast this to Rear Window, where we're always sure what we see, but are unsure as to what it means). There are many other instances of confusion - a knife comes out, but it's used to cut a dress tag rather than the woman wearing the dress. There's a bag of remains in the garage, but the remains turn out to be roadkill, not a victim. And of course, the final descent into the baroque hell disguised by the neighbor's normal-looking house (neat shades of Argento's Inferno there). As such, Disturbia has more in common with other suburbian films, and also Blow-up, than it does with Rear Window.
As a matter of fact, I would have liked Disturbia more than Rear Window if it weren't for the tonal dissonance of the first half (it can't decide if it wants to be a teen comedy or a thriller), and WAY too much exposition (at least 20 minutes too much). Seriously, this movie takes too long to get off the ground, and a lot of things are introduced to explain Shia's behavior that the film doesn't have time to properly deal with. Why did they have to have the dead dad, the fight with the teacher, etc, etc, etc? Couldn't they have just started with a disaffected teen on house arrest for some reason and leave it at that? A simpler setup would have made for a tighter movie. |
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Demisemicenturian 
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 09/23/2007 : 20:02:23
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Disturbia
Not a lot to add to the above except... what kind of father would allow his son who has had a driving licence for at most six months use a mobile 'phone while at the wheel?! It's completely ridiculous.
And once again, could people please add a link at the top when they start a thread about a film? |
Edited by - Demisemicenturian on 09/23/2007 20:03:52 |
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BaftaBaby
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 09/23/2007 : 20:06:21
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
Disturbia
Not a lot to add to the above except... what kind of father would allow his son who has had a driving licence for at most six months use a mobile 'phone while at the wheel?! It's completely ridiculous.
And once again, could people please add a link at the top when they start a thread about a film?
Sorry --  
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 09/23/2007 : 20:11:12
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quote:
Originally posted by BaftaBabe
Sorry --
No problem - I think in your case this was a one-off oversight.  |
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silly 
"That rabbit's DYNAMITE."
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Posted - 09/23/2007 : 22:20:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
Disturbia
... what kind of father would allow his son who has had a driving licence for at most six months use a mobile 'phone while at the wheel?! It's completely ridiculous.
Don't drive here in Texas... 
(edited to add the missing "E"; driving HER in Texas can be risky, but for different reasons) |
Edited by - silly on 09/24/2007 19:01:43 |
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Disturbia
